August 11, 2002

We’ve been speaking to good crowds on most of our stops.

It turned out to be needless worrying. Our talk at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church was well-received by a small but dedicated crowd (such are the deficits of traveling and speaking during the summer). One of Marthame's friends from Junior High came, as did the father of another Junior High friend.

Our pastor friend had told us that we'd be impressed by the people we'd find in the congregation - their knowledge, their history, etc. One person whom we assumed to be a friendly elderly gentleman turned out to be a former Assistant Secretary of State who specialized in Middle East affairs. His personal reflections on his time there shed a lot of light on the struggles that are still taking place.

After lunch along the Hudson, we drove up to White Plains to St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church to give another program, this time at a church pastored by a seminary classmate of Marthame's. Following worship and a Middle Eastern dinner, we spoke about our work and ministry. As conversation continued, we realized that there were not just Christians in the crowd, but Jews and Muslims as well. One of the members of the congregation was growing clearly agitated as we spoke, finally crying out, "The Israelis should deal with the suicide bombers with an eye for an eye." Several of the people in the audience, who were Jewish, spoke out saying, "Unfortunately, this woman is affected by the poor press coverage in the U.S. and doesn't know the full picture of the brutality of the Occupation." Another person, a Muslim originally from Palestine, expressed great sadness that the Christian population of Palestine is evaporating. Another reminder of the variety of opinions you find among people.