Now it's a matter of making sure that all his travel permissions get lined up. He's currently waiting for the proper paperwork from the US Consulate in East Jerusalem.

Marthame has been working on another video project, this one for the Baladiyye, the village municipality. They want a simple half-hour video introduction to Zababdeh

We sat in silence for a while, and after the distribution of bitter coffee and dried dates, we all left.

Just as only men go to the burial in the cemetery, only women mourn over the body before the funeral.

It will be hard to say goodbye for real.

Marthame had lunch with several members of St. Andrew's, including two Palestinian women who live in West Jerusalem - the only two left from the pre-'48 Arab population of that area. Their homes are lovely Arab-style homes, as are the rest of the homes in the neighborhood - the only difference is that there are Arabs living in these two.

It would be like needing special government permission to travel from your home in Wheaton into Chicago, and getting permission to go to Canada to do so.

We supped on grilled meat, fresh bread, cucumber and tomato salad, tea, and coffee. It was a nice relaxing time, looking down on Zababdeh, nestled in the golden wheat fields, which wave and rustle in the wind.

One of the locals from nearby Qabatia told us that his grandmother was Jewish - his grandfather met her while working in Israel. This place is far more complex that we had ever expected.

Happy Birthday! Today Marthame turned 33.

Israeli checkpoints are like a box of chocolates - you never know whom you're going to get.

“Do you know Zababdeh?" "I've heard of it." "We call it Zababdeh, DC. Like Washington, DC."

We're hoping the Road Map will bring results - people here have heard years of talk; what they need is real movement on the way to a just peace.

Her seventh graders led the assembly today, the last day of classes before exam period begins. They wished their fellow students good luck on their exams, and nostalgically said farewell to those who will not return next year.

Today is first communion for the Latin Church's third graders and is also graduation for the school's Kindergarten class.

We went to visit and have lunch with one of the Christian families in Tubas. The laity here is extraordinarily active, impressively taking the initiative on their building, activities, and expansion.

The 12th graders and their parents came by for a meeting this afternoon. Their Ministry of Education comprehensive exams are on the way, now that they've finished their school comprehensive exams.

The Presbyterian Church (USA) is in the midst of a major assessment and rebuilding of their mission program. Today, a task force was meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi, to talk about ministry in Palestine and Israel. We were brought in by telephone to be part of that conversation, and they were also interested in hearing from at least one of our local partners. Fr. Aktham joined us to speak with them about the situation.

The students were restless tonight - it's their midterm exam, and they had tried to postpone after feeling unprepared. Marthame had stuck to his guns, much to their displeasure. We thought such concerns would end after high school, but apparently not.