Late in the afternoon, as we sat out on our porch with a student from the University, two tanks went rumbling along through the fields - the sound of their grinding motors is unmistakable. They then headed up the hill, probably on their way to Qabatiya. One isn't sure of much these days.
Read MoreThe decimation of the Palestinian Authority, especially its police and civil infrastructure, threatens to leave people under a kind of Wild West justice, without the semblance of law, order, and due process they had attained.
Read MoreThe Israeli army apologized, but this is not an isolated incident - a number of "accidental" killings have happened over the past year and a half (not to mention over the 35 years of Israeli Occupation), further fueling anti-Israeli sentiment in this area.
Read MoreShe asked why Marthame didn't just become an Orthodox priest, especially after such a week. We said it'd be better to bring the rest of the Presbyterian Church with us rather than abandoning them to their Protestant ways like lost sheep.
Read MoreThe fire quickly passed throughout the Church, from one bundle to another (33 candles together make quite a torch). It was, at the same moment, thrilling, moving, and terrifying, as we were tightly-packed in with very enthusiastic people jumping and cheering with big sticks of fire.
Read MoreAt about 1:30 in the morning we thought that they were almost finished. That's when we noticed that they were only halfway through their prayer books. We went home; we clearly don't have the endurance to be high, high church Orthodox.
Read MoreEthiopians 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 MoreNazareth Village is the result - a reconstruction-in-progress of Jesus-era Nazareth.
Read MoreOther 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
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