Fran here. Today is our final day here in the Holy Land. Before heading out, we will hold a simple worship service and time of sharing and reflection. I am looking forward to hearing the others’ thoughts on the past couple weeks. We’ll also see a few more sites and, I’m sure, eat more hummus, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

Over the past couple days, there has been a good deal of unrest in Jerusalem and the West Bank. A Palestinian-American teenager was shot dead in the West Bank, and there were arrests made at the Al-Aqsa mosque. I know that this unrest and the injustice will continue after we leave; however, we know that the work of these peacemakers whom we have met will continue as well. Theirs is the difficult work of reconciliation, nonviolent resistance, and sowing peace. It is slow and difficult, for they are up against a strong, oppressive force.

Daoud Nassar and Fran at Tent of Nations

I keep coming back to something that Daoud (at Tent of Nations) said to us: “God says ‘blessed are the peacemakers, not the peacetalkers.’” At first glance, that seems like a “duh” kind of statement, but I think that a lot of us (myself included) are guilty of talking about peace more than actually sowing it. And why not? It’s way easier to sit around and criticize and just wish that things were different than to get our hands dirty and engage others in the work of reconciliation and understanding.

Tent of Nations, “People Building Bridges”

Working for peace is tough. I see that in the work that is done at Wi’am, Tent of Nations, Diyar, Mar Elias, and all those who are working to achieve a just peace in this place. They are like that “voice in the wilderness,” speaking truth, planting seeds of peace, and refusing to hate. This issue has become personal, and I am honored to have met these amazing peacemakers.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a difficult issue to care about: those opposed to justice are loud and powerful, and I am often tempted to throw in the towel and to wish that I didn’t know or care. But after seeing the long, difficult fight of our partners here-and, more importantly, their faith- I feel a renewed sense of purpose and drive to continue to advocate for them- to be a voice for them, to call out injustice, and to make peace, not just talk about it.

I will, again, share a quote from my man, Shane Claiborne:

Even as we see the horror of death, may we be reminded that in the end, love wins. Mercy triumphs. Life is more powerful than death. And even those who have committed great violence can have the image of God come to life again within them as they hear the whisper of love. May the whisper of love grow louder than the thunder of violence. May we love loudly.

By Barbara Exley

PLACE. We can go to a place or we can place something somewhere. Both of these meanings apply to our pilgrimage to Palestine/Israel. This word “place” has ruminated in my mind and in my heart these past 10 days. Our group of pilgrims from around the US has traveled to many places in this place called the Holy Land. We have seen people and places with our eyes; heard stories with our ears and our hearts; learned more than our minds can process while we are still here in this place. I think it will take time back in the places we call home to analyze, process and know where to place this experience in our hearts, minds and lives. I always need a quiet place to reflect on all God shows me as he sends me to places that most others fear to go, be those places here or Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon. But these places are all holy as are all the places where those created in the image of God dwell.

Nabila Espanioly, Founder & Director of Al Tufula

Yesterday, our group went to 2 places. The 1st is a national park (like the national park that is Abuna Chacour’s home village of Biram) that was also a former Palestinian village, Saffouri, now called Zippori. Changing the name doesn’t change the place or the place’s origins and history. Being there, like being in Biram, caused me great sorrow. The 2nd place we went was Nazareth. Yes, as in Jesus of Nazareth! Though I’ve been there 3 other times going to that place is still overwhelming – to walk the places I’ve read of in Scripture my entire life (true of all of this place called Palestine/Israel). I remembered the words of Nathaniel: “can anything good come from Nazareth?” when he was told the Messiah had been found there. But yesterday, I found much good in Nazareth at the Mary of Nazareth International Center AND at the AL-Tufula Center. The International Center exists to bring peace and hope to this place.  It was also the place we ate a delicious lunch in a very serene place/ The AL-Tufula Center provides early childhood care/curriculum/education along with empowerment of women. The founder and head is a woman of great vision and courage and hope in a place where little of that can sometimes be found, Nabila Espanioly!

Olive Tree planting just below the Mariam Bawardi school building on the Mar Elias Campus.

Today we’ve stayed put in the place called Mar Elias Educational Institute (MEEI). After breakfast we planted 5 olive trees that were donated to MEEI by Jane and Ted Settle. Mid-mornig we were able to visit classes in the elementary and middle school.  Some of our group went to the libraries, also getting to read stories to the children. Our scheduled time ended with a tour of the Church of the Sermon on the Mount known here as the chapel. After lunch some ventured into the town of Ibillin, this place where we’ve laid our heads for 4 nights.

Sunset over Mt. Carmel from Mar Elias Guesthouse Rooftop

One day remains before we begin our journey to the places we each call home. As we’ve begun the mental transition to home and we are packing our belongings, it’s been a joy to see how our group has become a place where we know each other – where we share our hopes/dreams/lives/stories. Ten days ago we were strangers but this place has made us family. We are still in this holy place for a few more hours. This evening is coming to a close. Folks are visiting in various places around the guest house or in their rooms.  I can hear them – it is comforting to know my newest friends are in close proximity. That will soon not be the case. As I place each of them in my heart, they join the others here in Palestine/Israel I know and love. Palestine and her people are ever present in my heart and mind.  The steadfast faith and hope they possess is humbling to witness. There is very little optimism here but hope is! We’ve been showered with unlimited hospitality (should have seen our farewell dessert tonight!) and unconditional acceptance. I see this place now. I see the faces of the people here in my mind. I pray for justice for Palestine/Israel and this entire Middle East.

PLACE. Where is our place in God’s world and plan? Mine has been to show up in difficult places to just be present with the people in those places of persecution, suffering, injustice, difficulty. Some of those places are close to the place I call home and others are in places far away. It is a privilege to come to such places. It is a privilege to be a part of this group of pilgrims. As I leave this place I leave a piece of myself here yet again.

PLACE: I pray for Peace, Love, Acceptance and justice for all people, Compassion and the Energy to stay this course. AMEN

I encourage you all to come to this place and see for yourselves!

Love from Ibillin,
Barbara Exley

By Kathy Maldegen

All of our days are so full that I hardly know where to start. Today we visited the Mar Elias High School after arriving in I’billin last night. Mar Elias began with a kindergarten in 1968.  The community requested a high school next, because public education ended at 8th grade unless students traveled a great distance. Most families couldn’t afford to send their children away.  Also, sending children away was not popular because of the importance of the family in Arab culture.

11th -grade students plus my daughter, Susan

The high school overcame great odds before opening in 1981. The Israeli Ministry of Education refused to issue a permit, saying, “This school shall not be opened. And if it does open this year, it shall be closed the next.” Mar Elias was denied phone, electricity, and water service. They built the school without a permit and opened it anyway.  They finally were allowed to buy a permit two years later. Today, Mar Elias Educational Institutions also include a kindergarten (ages 3-5), an elementary school (grades 1-6), and a middle school (grades 7 & 8).  In 2010 they added birth-to-three daycare for faculty and staff with young families. 2,275 children from birth to age 18 arrive on campus each day.

We’re staying in the Mar Elias Guest House, which is on the 6th floor of the elementary school building. We arrived at the high school this morning in time to hear the principal give morning announcements to the student body of 1,150 (grades 9-12) in the schoolyard. We then split into two groups, one of which toured the school; my group visited an 11th grade English class. We introduced ourselves, and when they found out I was a music teacher, we were treated to a haunting melody in Arabic, sung by a girl who intends to be a singer. She gave a concert at the school last month. Our group then sang “Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.” Students here don’t have music after 6th grade, but there are many extracurricular opportunities in the fine arts—visual art, drama, music, dabke (Palestinian folk dance), film, etc., and students can perform and participate in art exhibits.

After singing, we divided into small groups for more conversation. All of the students plan to attend college. Mar Elias’ students have outstanding test results, and graduates continue higher education in Jerusalem, Europe, and the U.S.A. They study Arabic, Hebrew, English, history, civics, and mathematics. They also choose a major in science or technology. For example, Computer Engineering majors study computer science, physics, and software engineering. Another major includes courses in psychology, sociology, and ecology.

The school’s mission has always been to “Build peace on desktops.” Druse, Christian and Muslim children learn together from a faculty that includes Jewish teachers in addition to the three groups previously mentioned. I was impressed by the principal’s message that “Accepting the Other plays a vital role in our daily lives because we cannot be whole in God or humanity without the Other. It is difference that creates the beauty and uniqueness of any masterpiece.” This made me think of Desmond Tutu and the African concept of ubuntu. I remember it something like this: I cannot be human alone. I can be human because you are also human.

Father Chacour in the Bir’im church where he was baptized

We ate lunch in the ruins of Bir’im, an Arab village destroyed by the Israeli army in 1948. Today it’s a national park, but there is no mention of the 1,100 Palestinians who formerly lived there. Most of the villagers fled to Lebanon, only three miles north. They remain there in a refugee camp, and are not permitted to enter Israel. We were guided by an 87-year-old man who was 20 when the army drove them out. He showed us the well he and his brother had dug in their yard. It’s still there by the foundations of his house. Now he lives in a nearby town. He once returned to plant flowers in his yard; another time he planted an olive tree. Both were uprooted by the Israeli army.

Old church, new bell

Bir’im was mainly Christian, and the lovely church remains standing, although all the homes were destroyed. Jewish settlers took the best quality stones from the destroyed houses and used them to build a kibbutz nearby. They also took the church bell. Father Elias Chacour, who was born in Bir’im, went to the kibbutz and requested that they return the bell. They told him to come back in a few days. When he returned, they had broken the bell and left the many pieces for him. After saving enough money, he went to a foundry in Lebanon to have a new bell cast. But when he went to pay, he found it had already been paid for: Bir’im refugees in the Lebanese camp had taken up a collection to pay for their former church’s new bell.

In spite of all they have suffered, the Palestinian people remain hopeful. Their spirit is amazing. They are like the olive trees. One plants olive trees for one’s children, as they take time to mature and may not bear fruit until they are 25 years old. Many olive trees are over a thousand years old, some over 2,000 years old. Like these trees, Palestine’s Christians have been here since the time of Jesus. They are the original Christians, following the teachings of Jesus for 2,000 years, right here in the Holy Land.

Peace be with you, Shalom, and Salaam w’aleikum from Kathy Maldegen, a Pilgrim of Ibillin.