We have one more day here in Petra, and so we made the most of it.
Read MoreWe have had several warm sunny days, drying up the mud and warming up the land. So after lunch today we went for a walk, something we haven't done in ages.
Read MoreWe made our way to the Saray Presbyterian Church in Alexandria to share in worship with Pastor Rizk and the rest of the community there. It is a joy to get to share in Presbyterian worship again. The sermon was in both English and Arabic for everyone's benefit.
Read MoreAfter filming for a while, we attracted the attention of Wall Security, who eventually started to yell at us. While they couldn't exactly get past the barrier to come after us, they did have big guns, so we decided it was time to leave.
Read MoreOne of the two reasons we came to this area is the Convent of St. Catherine's. Since the third century, small monastic communities settled on and around the holy Mount Sinai, fleeing Roman persecution and revering the site of the burning bush and the delivery of the ten commandments.
Read MorePart way into the service, the electricity cut out - frustrations with the local grid continue - so Marthame and Homam preached by candlelight.
Read MoreToday is Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year feast, so the curfews around Palestinian cities are extra-tight.
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We then headed off to meet with Sheikh Ahmed Hassoun, the Grand Mufti of Aleppo. He and Metropolitan Ibrahim (Syrian Orthodox) together received us in the mosque.
Read MoreAnother long bus ride, another set of ruins, this time the spectacular site of Baalbeck.
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It was a long, exhausting day, but wonderful - the schedule gelled well, the group was enthusiastic and pleased, and it was a long-overdue chance to show of the area of Zababdeh that we've come to know and love.
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Ethiopians have strong connections with all three faiths of this land - Mohammed said that Ethiopians were unparalleled among the nations; one of the first converts to Christianity was the Ethiopian eunuch baptized by Philip (Acts 8); and the kings of Ethiopia traced their lineage back to Solomon via the Queen of Sheba (I Kings 10).
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.
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They finally reached the other side of the destruction and the waiting taxis, just under the shadow of the most surreal sight in the Northern West Bank - a restaurant in an old airplane under the shadow of a ferris wheel.
Read MoreMonday through Thursday means getting ready for school, which will start on Saturday.
Read MoreIt was a nice finale for our summer.
Read MoreThis morning was Abuna Louis Hazboun's last Mass as the Roman Catholic priest in Zababdeh.
Read MoreUnfortunately, our travels for the day are not over. We took a while trying to figure out how we were going to get to Birzeit - one word was that the checkpoint was closed, another was that it was open but yellow-plated taxis would not be allowed in.
Read MoreHis church is trying to bring a group to Wilmette this summer. We'll see - it'd have to include a ballgame or two...
Read MorePeople are celebrating in a much more muted way. There's music, but no dancing. People are still in a nation-wide mourning.
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