June 1, 2002 — Mudeif Productions

Our last full day away from "home." We headed first to the Street called Straight, entering the church built on the site believed to have been the home of Ananias, the early disciple who helped Paul in his conversion (Acts 9). We paused to reflect on the place and its meaning in church history, particularly for those of us from Western traditions - it was Paul's missionary efforts which brought the gospel westward. We sang "Amazing Grace" together before moving on to the nearby St. Paul's gate, from which his companions lowered him in a basket past those waiting to seize him (Acts ).

Our last stop was the Ummayad Mosque in the middle of the Old City, a place which had once been a temple to Jupiter before it was turned into the Cathedral of John the Baptist. Outside are large, dramatic mosaics of natural scenes and geometric patterns. As we entered, the women in our group were provided with brown cloaks, a large group of Friar Tucks - a bit unpleasant in the heat. Once out of the sunshine and inside, we could see the old architecture of the cross-shaped church still evident, altered in order to turn it into a mosque. In the middle sits a green-gilded shrine which is purported to hold the remains of John the Baptist (there are several other churches which have similar claims). Elizabeth chatted with a group of women from Iran, and then had another chat with women from Iran. The mosque (and Damascus) seem to be a pilgrimage and tourist destination for Iranians. The ladies were tickled to meet a real American - we're something of a rarity in the Middle East these days.

We then headed off to shop in the Old City. Marthame headed off to look for some beautiful pearl inlay lacquer boxes. While waiting for the shopowner's son to track down a portable argile (the traditional Arab water-pipe, a gift from our group to our leader), Marthame admired some of the old Russian icons for sale while they watched a couple of World Cup matches together. Meanwhile, Elizabeth headed off with a small group to look for rugs and gold in the Old City's markets. Elizabeth wasn't going to buy another rug, but was more than happy to watch rug proprietors show their wares to other customers. There were some beauties!

Then we were off to the gold souq, where the group broke up and she splurged on a necklace and earrings. On the way, she bumped into a few Sisters of Charity (Mother Theresa's order) on Straight Street. She chatted with them, and promised to bring their greetings back to their compatriots in Nablus. Now we have met with Sisters of Charity in Nablus, Baghdad, and Damascus. Where next?

*Rug shopping with friends in the Old City.*

Elizabeth had no luck finding good leather in the souq, but she did find a delightful lacquer box salesman (where she bought Marthame's birthday present: a lovely inlaid backgammon/chess board) and then a delightful (and fluent English-speaking) silversmith. She also chatted with a spice salesman, who sold the familiar (cumin, rose petals, mint, chamomile) and the not so familiar (dried newts). He was full of information about what ailments each item could heal; people here still rely in large part on traditional medicine. She chatted with a man at the sweets shop, and bought a kilo of barezeq, a Damascene sesame specialty, for the teachers in Zababdeh when we return. At most of these stops, she was served tea - she felt like she drank six or seven glasses. Oh yes - and she had a liver sandwich from a little kiosk full of locals, tucked away in a corner of the textiles market.

Finally, we gathered back at the hotel for one final meeting, a chance to share in fellowship, Bible study, singing, and prayer, a good way to round out our time together over the last few weeks. Our fellowship continued as we headed off to an old Ottoman house in the Old City that has been turned into a restaurant - one last moment of table fellowship in the city of Paul.