Marthame visited with Fr. Firas for breakfast before going to the church to check on the progress.
Read MoreWhat's amazing, though, is that Marthame is teaching Reformation history in a Catholic institution!
Read MoreWhen St. Paul talks about fighting the good fight, it is translated as jihad.
Read MoreWe are often amazed by how separate religious communities can remain, even when they live and work and study together.
Read MoreThank goodness for a day off.
Read MoreFr. Aktham went down to negotiate. Even though the orders from above were that they be allowed to pass, the soldiers were unmovable. This gets old. Real old.
Read MoreWe spent the evening with the rest of Zababdeh in a special day of prayer, as the Pope had requested (it's Western Lent as of today), for peace.
Read MoreAs Marthame told Fr. Firas, we remember when this church was closed and was an absolute mess inside. Now, it's simply an absolute mess!
Read MoreIt's the questions - Where have you been? What were you doing? Whom did you see? - which not only seem to take precedence over the searches, but also annoy, as though it is the very exchange of ideas and human interaction which is more threatening to the State of Israel than any weapons.
Read MoreToday were the elections for the Church Council, made up of seven folks who will work with Fr. Aktham on various issues concerning the life of the parish.
Read MoreMarthame walked towards the other side, stepping in mud up to his ankles, turning his once black shoes to brown. In Jenin, the combination of destruction and excessive rains left rivers of ankle-high running down the middle of the street, perfect for cleaning Marthame's shoes. When Marthame arrived at the bank, someone noticed his shoes (people notice shoes here) and said, "Have you been four-wheeling?"
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Marthame was lending a hand with the video conference bringing together Italians, Israelis, and Palestinians.
Read MoreAfter school, Joanna brought together about twenty girls, from first through third grade, to teach them a few basics about ballet.
Read MoreIn other places, the water had washed out the soil beneath the road, and it had caved in in places. A couple more stuck cars decorated the side of the road.
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He also got to help them try on their gas masks.
Read MoreMarthame is teaching an introductory college-level course on Church History - 1250 to present - at Ibillin's Mar Elias College.
Read MoreAt the Latin church in Zababdeh, today is seminary Sunday, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Roman Catholic seminary in Beit Jala.
Read MoreA young Palestinian man from the Jenin region fits an army profile of terrorist, and so he might not be able to travel at all.
Read MoreA weekend, a day of rest. The electricity problems abound, though.
Read MoreWhy must these people, these wonderful people who have welcomed us so graciously, why must they suffer so?
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