Other friends stuck in Bethlehem are counting the days - thirty now - that they've been confined to virtual house arrest. It's hard to remember how many civilians are still caught by the tight siege. At least a beautiful sunset over Ibillin (along with a home-cooked Korean meal) could bring some comfort.
Read MoreAt assembly this morning, a student showed Marthame a huge shell, which he found near his home in Jenin. Later at breaktime, the kids excitedly displayed it for Elizabeth. It is a little disconcerting to be so close to such things, especially as kids parade them about.
Read MoreWe're on the Orthodox calendar here, regardless of denomination, as a sign of Christian unity.
Read MoreAn eighth grader has been spending quite a bit of time recently at Jenin Camp documenting things and expects to have a site up soon. Others, including teachers, have been volunteering in the relief efforts.
Read MoreOne question she asked was why Palestinians had refused the goods sent to the camp from the US. He responded that the helicopters, tanks, missiles, and bullets that destroyed Jenin Camp were from America - how could people be expected to forget that and accept gifts? If America didn't want this disaster, then it should have prevented it.
Read MoreYou can't get used to this scene, though. Men carrying armfuls of clothes, children digging at the rubble with bent pipes, women just sitting and despairing. This work will carry on for a long, long time, but the journalists and international attention will likely go away. It's awful. Truly awful.
Read MorePeople were sitting in the second stories of half-destroyed buildings that surround the central area, sipping on tea and surveying the destruction. Here and there you see something in the rubble that has not been totally destroyed - a baby's chair, a section of furniture, a piece of a garment. There is a hushed awe about this place. Rarely do you find silence in Arab society, but here in this gaping wound is silence.
Read MoreWe shared news from Zababdeh with him, and shared embarrassment at Bush's description of Sharon as "a man of peace" - "a man of pieces," Abuna noted. Probably more accurate.
Read MoreWhile in the Galilee, we were able to see our dear friend from Zababdeh. He has hopes of finishing up the Melkite ordination process, but in the meantime, he's spent two months doing construction work instead.
Read MoreAmong 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.
Read MoreToday we got an invitation to return to Kufr Yasif, an Arab-Israeli village in the Galilee. We have gotten to know a family there through our good friend Rev. Dr. Fahed Abu-Akel.
Read MoreAnother day at the ranch. Today we made calls, wrote, and worked on our summer plans
Read MoreWe also checked in with a friend in Ramallah. Yesterday they were the lucky recipients of the house-to-house search sweepstakes. Fortunately, there was little to report - they and their kids were just a bit traumatized by the whole experience. Even without the violence and theft which has accompanied some searches, having soldiers and automatic weapons in your house doesn't instill calm.
Read MoreThere was a cursory search of all of our bags, accompanied by the somewhat apologetic and now-familiar phrase of "sorry, we have to do this - we're just following orders."
Read MorePeople are afraid. Everyone's trying to guess what'll happen next, and many are assuming that the Israelis will eventually do house-to-house searches in Zababdeh. In the afternoon, many families on the outskirts of town were relocating to stay with relatives in locations that are considered safer.
Read MoreEveryone here is afraid. Many men are staying awake at night and sleeping during the day to be vigilant in case the army enters.
Read MoreWe spent a great deal of time wondering about what it is exactly that we're doing here. There's no school in Zababdeh, so teaching there isn't an option. There's no telephone, so even if we decided to stay out of solidarity in the relative quiet of the village, we couldn't communicate with the outside world - something with which our parents would no doubt take issue. We can write, but feel like frustrated by the collective silence (or is it horror and thus silenced shock?) that the world seems to be expressing at the situation here.
Read MoreWe were able to rest today and get some emotional distance from the troubles, something that's long overdue. But politics is never far from anyone's mind here.
Read MoreThe right-wing radical nationalism and unfettered military assault of Israel and the desperate radical anger and violence of Palestine are colliding.
Read MoreThe Israelis report 100 dead people in the Camp; other reports vary from 200 to 500. Without press inside, there is no way to really know.
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