Palmyra!
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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 MoreOur first stop was at what is now called Simon's Citadel, but is famous for its ruins and one of its former residents, St. Simeon Stylites.
Read MoreHow do we share these stories when we get back?
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Our last stop for the day was the ruins of the ancient port city of Byblos.
Read MoreAnother long bus ride, another set of ruins, this time the spectacular site of Baalbeck.
Read MoreWe headed down to southern Lebanon, for which we had to receive special visas. This is the area that was under Israel Occupation until 2000, an occupation that ended, we were told, due to the fierce resistance of Hezbollah. The people of the region are grateful for that liberation, as is evident by the waving of Hezbollah's yellow flags everywhere you go.
Read MoreWe had to bid farewell to some new dear friends, particularly those from the Iraqi delegation. Marthame and the Armenian Bishop of Baghdad had shared many wonderful conversations together.
Read MoreProtestant, Orthodox, and Catholic leaders unanimously said the Eastern Church calls on the Western Church to be a prophetic voice for truth and peace.
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The centerpiece was the panel of Iraqi church leaders from the Armenian, Syrian, Chaldean, and Evangelical (Presbyterian) churches.
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We began, as we rightly should, with worship - the Maronites, Syrians, Latins, Protestants, Armenians, all were represented and participated.
Read MoreThe commute from Nazareth to Amman to Beirut was simple - if a bit roundabout. Lebanon is just north of Israel, and really not that far from the northern West Bank but there is no border crossing between the two countries (unless you happen to be a UN peace-keeper).
Read MoreOne of them is a new Lebanese song which has become quite popular, "Nahnu mish irhabi", with the chorus, "We're not terrorists. We're the people of freedom - Muslims and Christians." Everywhere you go in the West Bank, people are singing this - Muslims and Christians.
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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.
Read MoreSomeone has been adding to the graffiti on the ruins, adding slogans like "Live Free or Die", "Give me librty [sic] or give me death," or "We won't forgive, we won't forget" (reminiscent of Elie Wiesel's sentiment).
Read MoreThistles are in full swing: blueish, purple, yellow, white all going gangbusters.
Read MoreToday was Arafat's first day out of Ramallah in months, and he was planning to visit Bethlehem, Jenin, and Nablus in a borrowed Jordanian helicopter.
Read MoreThe number of people filing into Nablus (the morning commute) was staggering - people dressed in their business best, struggling downhill, making their way between the donkeys bearing people or their bags, through the white dust, coming out on the other side coated with a thin layer of the stuff.
Read MoreAt one point, they devised a shirt for use at checkpoints - by tying strings from the sleeves to the bottom of the shirt, you could raise your arms and your shirt in one movement (something many young Palestinian men have been forced to do in the last several months). They jokingly made plans to market their new invention. Such is humor these days...
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The caretakers of the Compound, an Orthodox Nablus family, spent the entirety of the battle and onslaught in their home (and a few days of it in one room) with a tank parked outside. Most of their windows were broken from the sound, and a few were broken from stray gunfire. One metal shutter had an enormous hole blown through it. But they are safe, and it was good to see them.
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