June 15, 2002

Today students' grades are available, and they came in droves to pick them up. There were also lines out the door of parents and students to ask about certain (low) marks. We saw the teachers for the last time before our departure.

Fr. Aktham’s voice joins the chorus of messages we will share with our American audiences this summer.

The Tubas teachers were there, too, and we were curious to hear about what happened in their town on Thursday. About 3:00 in the morning, the Israeli army had surrounded the village, primarily coming from the East and North. There were some armed clashes as a result of this, but not very fierce resistance - a handful of arms was no match for tanks. At 5:00, the army announced a curfew, then went to houses asking for certain "wanted men." One teacher had soldiers come to his house, and he reported that the captain was very polite when asking about someone else in the village. We have talked to many people about their experiences with Israeli soldiers in their homes, and they have widely-varying experiences. Some of them are horrendous and terrifying (wanton destruction and theft of personal property, forced use as human shields, etc). Others (like our Tubasi teacher friend) report that soldiers were polite and orderly. And occasionally, Palestinians report genuine kindness and compassion from their Israeli occupiers. Much of the behavior seems to boil down to the attitude of the Captain in charge. The kind and polite ones give us hope.

An Anglican child awaiting her baptism.

In the afternoon, Marthame walked over to the Latin Convent to film Abuna Aktham. After a week of wrapping up the school, the poor soul is beat. We hope he gets a chance to rest this summer. We also got a call later that Fr. Hossam was in Zababdeh for a baptism. We went over to St. Matthew's, Marthame assisting in the service of - not one, but two - baptisms. The church was every bit as full as - if not more so than - it would normally be on a Sunday morning, but since everyone is related to everyone else in the village, there's not enough room for everyone to come for a family ceremony.

Fr. Hossam giving a gentle kiss to one of the baptized children.

Marthame was up late finishing up some paperwork when the power went out (as it does every night from 2:00 to 5:00 - to save petrol for the generator). The town was deadly still - no lights, save from the University, making the stars plain to view; no sounds, save the barking of the dogs and the distinct rumble of an Israeli tank.