Sunday in rural West Bank

Today we went to a village of 2,000 in the West Bank and worshipped with three different churches: Greek Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical. I was able to attend to Greek Orthodox service and although the words were all in Arabic, the beauty of the symbols and people spoke clearly. It was also amazing to learn that the church is one of the oldest in the Holy Land.

After services ended we all met back at the Orthodox church and listened to the Abouna, Arabic for Reverend father. He told us about his life in the small town and the experiences of his flock living under occupation. His heart was clear: We love the Jewish people of Israel, but we suffer under the government's policies of oppression. Later in the day we learned about how those policies include the government pumping water off the Palestinian land (which is internationally recognized) and into Israel and then sold back to Palestinians at a rate much higher than it is sold to Israelis.

The heart of Jesus could not have been more clear in the Abouna: Jesus calls us to love all people at all times.

Next we met with the Catholic Abouna who told us more about his experience and perspective on the occupation. We spoke over lunch and then were taken to a small micro-enterprise in town that is supported by our host organization. This small business allows the young men of the town to bolster the economy and make a positive contribution to the village and surrounding areas. Many of us bought their product and can't wait to try it out.

Some of the young men then took us to see the settlement that is being built on their land. The olive tree that is their livelihood has been uprooted and the old main road connecting this village to others has been blocked. We could see the bulldozers and other massive equipment creating the new settlement. As we sat near the remaining olive trees we were told that even though these tress are on their land the people are only allowed to gather the olives for two hours a day during harvest time. The government claims this is for security reasons.

We saw many more people and had many more conversations today, but they are too many to recount.

I will say that the most amazing statistic I heard today was that tens of thousands of Palestinians make their way across the wall (which in some places is a wire fence) every day. They do this to go to work and provide for their families. The question is then: How can someone claim the separation wall is the reason for success in preventing suicide bombings? The more likely explanation is that Palestinian leadership called for an end in terrorism seeing that it was not successful and only brought them more suffering. The call for an end to suicide bombings was officially stated in 2005. The wall has been going up since 2002 and is not yet finished. The bombings did not begin a significant decrease until the call for an end to this type of violence occurred within the Palestinian people. Is this a wall of protection or a wall of intimidation?

Note: These are questions posed by the writer and are not official statements of the ECCC. The vague nature of this post is intentional in order to not cause un-intended consequences for the people we met.

Saturday in Jerusalem and Bethelehem

We were off and running today. Actually, it was a lot of walking, but we kept at a brisk pace.

Our day started on the Mt. of Olives where we could look out over the Kidron Valley at Jerusalem. Here we spent time under the shade of olive trees considering Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the tears he shed for the city. (Luke 19)

Our group then moved down the hill to Dominus Flevit and the Church of all Nations. Next we crossed the valley and took the steep hill up to Jerusalem. We stopped at the pool of Bethesda where Jesus told a man to take up his mat and walk. This is one of the few places that can be clearly defined as THE spot where something from scripture happened. Other holy sites are approximations. We read from John 5 and sang in St. Anne's Church.

I'm moving quickly now because the part I really want to write about was at the end of this long day.

We went from St. Anne's to the Via Delorosa and walked past the stations of the cross. The stations end at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The church leaves people with various impressions. Some are disturbed by the sense that it has become like a clanging symbol due to the ostentatiousness, conflict among priests and denominations, and the tourist factor. It can also be a place where people here the still small voice of God and where they encounter the risen Christ.

We went from there to an amazing meal of hummus and pits and salads.

Our afternoon stop was spent at the Garden Tomb. The contrast between the Garden Tomb and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is astounding. One is chaotic and fill of messy conflicts among Christian groups. The other is peaceful, quite, and meditative. We took a brief guided tour showing us the potential crucifixion site and tomb. Our group participated in communion and spent time sharing our own confessions of participating in systems of power or our hate for them. This is an issue that will continue to arise this week as we delve more into the issues surrounding the Israel/Palestinian conflict.

For me the most significant portion of the day came next. We left Jerusalem by bus and headed for Bethlehem. Our group was invited to a family night and supper at our host's church. On the way we stopped to hear the story of a woman name Claire.

Claire's family lives in an apartment above a gift shop that was once on a main road through town. The shop and family did very well there until one day soldiers came and built a wall surrounding the house on three sides. Think of a U-shape with a house stuck in the scoop of the U. The home is cut off from all traffic that normally would bring income to the family.

This is one of the many issues that Claire and her family have faced. The stories she told us are horrific but not all of them can be published. You can hear a small portion of her story by watching this 60 minutes video: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7406228n&tag=contentBody;storyMediaBox

We left Claire's and ended the day at a church watching Palestinian children play games and eat pizza. Some of our group joined in on the games and made friends with the kids.

It was a long, but good day. There is more awaiting us on Sunday.

-Julia S.

First day, new trip

The second ECCC sponsored trip to Israel began today with flights from Canada, the US, and even Australia. We are partnering with a major Christian charity to see the Holy Land and to engage in the issues that mark his land.

There isn't much to say for this first entry except that this blog will not be identifying who we are meeting with on a daily basis throughout this trip. This is to protect those who regularly serve in areas where they face political, social, and religious risk.

More to come from Israel and Palestine.