We also ran some errands for the priests, something that we can do quite concretely to help out here.
Read MoreAs usual, some of the teachers helped out with that part, by helping prepare coffee and bring in trays of things, and take out trays of things.
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A few months ago, we had received a video from France on the implementation of electricity in Zababdeh (in 1969).
Read MoreKind of like commuter traffic jams, and then kinda not...
Read MoreOne person recounted how they used to have to sneak to church to avoid the Jordanian snipers in the Old City.
Read MoreShe showed Elizabeth a book she helped with (as a translator and researcher), called Palestinian Women: Patriarchy and Resistance in the West Bank. She lent us the book, which seems to offer a compelling look into the world of women here - both the hardships and the strengths.
Read MoreHe came here in the late Sixties, inspired by a love of Judaism. After thirty years here, that love has not faded, but it has become flavored by an awareness of what life is like for "the other half" - the Palestinians. He noted the prevalence of hard-liner opinion in Israel, but also that if he experienced a personal change, why couldn't the nation?
Read MoreIn all of our years in churches, this year is the first year we've heard an All Saints' Day joke.
Read MoreThe road was the worst so far, the road from the Arab-American University of Jenin. Every road is closed, and so every "road" is necessarily a dirt road through the fields.
Read More"Give us this day our daily bread..." We have begun a new schedule of getting up early and taking a walk - directly to the bakery to get our fresh bread for the day.
Read MoreOnce again, it was impossible for Fr. Hossam to get here. This time, shots apparently hit very close to the Anglican Church compound in Nablus. As he worked on his sermon last night, he was pinned down in his study.
Read MoreThe rain is sorely needed. Here's irony though: we have no water.
Read MoreWe called it our "War Time Picnic." It was a great chance to not think about any of the stuff that goes wrong from day to day
Read MoreWe had a nice visit as we sat out on her porch and looked over her fruit trees and the rest of Zababdeh.
Read MoreAs school let out, we were met with a demonstration led by University students through the streets of Zababdeh.
Read MoreOne of the soldiers had scrawled in English on his army jacket, "F*** the world." Somehow appropriate.
Read MoreThe destruction of the latest incursion was evident, almost apocalyptic in its appearance.
Read MoreWe had a lively discussion with the students about the role of women in society - there was as much variety in opinion among the all-male, mostly-Muslim students as you would expect to find in an American classroom.
Read MoreTwo Israeli tanks were on the move on the opposite hilltop, sending the children into equal fits of fright and intrigue. The same could be said for the teachers (us included), though we were less vocal about it.
Read MoreWe were invited for lunch with one of the teachers and her family. They live in Zababdeh, and she teaches Islam to the Muslim students from grades 4-12.
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