They thought our phone bill had remained unpaid. We had paid it at the Zababdeh post office, but the paid invoice hadn't reached the central office. Six miles away is an impossible journey these days.
Read MoreThe talk around town is about the two bombs planted in Palestinian schools in Hebron by Israeli militants - five were injured in one, the other was defused in time.
Read MoreIn the evening, with no telephone to provide us with distractions like the internet, we went out on the town. People visit here incessantly once the cool of the evening comes, something we are often reluctant to do because of the overwhelming feeling of work left undone. But we are never disappointed when we do.
Read MoreWe spoke with another friend in the States who commented on how "quiet" it is over here. Yes, cities under house arrest, unemployment, malnutrition, collective strangulation are a quiet death.
Read MoreThe Byzantine liturgy is other-worldly, and the chorus - who play a key role in said liturgy - was largely made up of folks from Zababdeh's congregation who know it inside and out.
Read MoreThe grinding gears meshed with the Friday calls to prayer in a way that speaks about Palestine.
Read MoreIf they find a tank or a jeep, they simply find another path to take to pick up the kids.
Read MoreOne of the ninth graders wrote and presented his reflections on the events of last year: "Terrorism is evil because it cheapens the value of human life....We must unite in prayer for those who died and for their families."
Read MoreMarthame filled in for the English teacher, who eventually managed to walk through the hills and olive orchards from Qabatia to Zababdeh.
Read MorePlanes buzzed overhead today all along the valley between Jenin and Tubas, flying very low - we could see four of them at once.
Read MoreWatching communion is always wonderful - the children line up (the Orthodox answer to the children's sermon - we'll take the eucharist over puppet shows any day).
Read MoreToday is Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year feast, so the curfews around Palestinian cities are extra-tight.
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As much of the chanted liturgy is taking place among the congregation, the priest is busy preparing the eucharist.
Read MoreNothing new except the shifting curfews in Jenin.
Read MoreIn the evening, we did an interview with the Diocese of Sioux Falls' radio program Catholic Views.
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One of the people the group visited with, who has a military background, talked about the battle here from that perspective. The military part of the Israeli action he had no problem with - cornering the resistance fighters into an area bounded by four main streets was good military strategy. It was after that, in his view, that the Israeli army broke all rules of combat, bulldozing and collapsing the area, denying emergency services and relief agencies into the area.
Read MoreOne of our teachers in Tubas was near the place where the car was blown up. "Our house shook like an earthquake," he told us. The two children who were killed were his cousins. "They were on their way to buy ice cream."
Read MoreAt church, Deacon Firas joined in worship leadership as well, fresh off his ordination yesterday.
Read MoreThe day we have waited for for two years, and the day our friend Firas has waited for for eight years: his ordination as a deacon (the step before priesthood) in the Melkite Church of Zababdeh.
Read MoreThey estimate that, for the 60 Christians living in Tubas, there are 300-some living outside Palestine.
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