July 6, 2001

We caught the daily taxi from Ramallah to Zababdeh, getting to share the ride with friends who were in the area on a brief visit. The road we took was shorter than usual, but was a detour nonetheless (clocking in at just under two hours). Our taxi driver, before the Intifada, made two trips a day at 1h15 one way. Now, he's down to one trip a day and can often clock in at 3h on a much tougher road for his car. We were grateful for an exceptionally quick day!

Visiting with neighbor children in Zababdeh.

We got the chance to visit and catch up with our Zababdeh friends and neighbors, who were anxious to hear stories about our time in the States and word from our families. We brought back gifts for them from our support churches and from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) , including Pentecost pinwheels (the biggest hit for the kids). We got the story on the bombing near Zababdeh, too. Apparently three Islamic Jihad members were driving their car on the road between Zababdeh and Misilye (the town we have to pass through when the main road to Qabatiya - the town we drive through because the short way to Jenin is closed - is closed) at 11:00 PM when they were hit by four rockets from an Israeli helicopter. The three were suspected terrorists. Everyone in Zababdeh heard the shots, which were so loud that people thought Misilye itself was exploding. Some heard the helicopter and saw the rockets. Our neighbor, who works for the PA, went to the site to help out that night. His experience of the scene there was so gruesome it doesn't bear retelling.

A still from the French documentary, featuring Fr. Stephanos (Melkite) and Fr. Shakir (Orthodox).

We also were able to watch a video we tracked down in the States. The tape is a French-made documentary on the arrival of electricity to Zababdeh in 1969 with the assistance of Caritas Jerusalem. It was interesting to see the mayor, the priests, and the sheikh debating where to put the poles, how much to charge people, etc. A particularly compelling scene was of the Orthodox priest, Abuna Shakir, singing liturgy and standing barefoot in the tree as he harvested his olives.