April 21, 2002

"Stay awake..." We spent the whole day waiting for UPS Israel to deliver our replacement credit card - we were given the precise time of "between 9 and 5." Knowing that UPS was trying to find an apartment with no number in a building with no address on a street with no name, we decided to wait by the window for a spotting.

Around lunchtime, our Korean Presbyterian friends from Bethlehem joined us for some lunch and some waiting. While the Israelis have pulled back to the borders of Nablus and Jenin, Bethlehem has stayed under intense siege - especially the area around their Kindergarten. It has clearly had its affect on them; they're as worried as we are about friends left behind. We checked up on a friend in Jenin, who thankfully told us that they have electricity and water again.

We got a call at 5:30 - the UPS driver was in town, but wasn't sure how to find us. An Arab shopkeeper downstairs guided him in Hebrew to the building, and we did a little victory dance. It's the small gains that keep us sane.

Stained glass window detail from the Anglican Hospital chapel in Nazareth, Israel.

Then we headed off to worship at the Anglican Hospital in Nazareth. Every Sunday evening, they gather for English-language worship, a simple service of prayer, singing, and reflection. Among the prayer requests shared were the needs of the thirty-some patients of the hospital from the Jenin Camp. Among them are seven who went without dialysis for the last couple weeks, one of whom will likely die. These people were snuck out of Jenin through the hills by doctors and medical staffers concerned about their condition. They were turned away from several hospitals before they found unconditional acceptance from the Anglicans.

The Scripture passage from John, "I am the gate," seems that much more appropriate...