The 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.

They estimate that, for the 60 Christians living in Tubas, there are 300-some living outside Palestine.

The University has so far done a valiant job of staying open amid a hopeless time - we hope they are able to stay open and attract the needed faculty to keep this lifeline of education and employment open.

In Nablus, Hebron, and other towns, curfew means it is forbidden to leave home at all - for days on end, often lifted for a few hours and reinstated for however long the military wants. It means no school, no work, no hospital, no food.

As the American sabre rattles against Iraq, people here grow nervous. Reports have appeared in the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz that Sharon will use an attack on Iraq to begin his not-so-secret project of "transfer" - the ethnic-cleansing of Palestinians from the West Bank. Blessed are the peacemakers...

A church re-opened, a military camp evacuated, could it be that good things are happening here?

Fr. Aktham announced Firas' upcoming ordination. The service will be next Saturday in the Latin Church because the Melkite church, abandoned for seventeen years, is in no shape for services.

"You know," she said, "I used to think that all Americans hated us. Thank you for showing us that not all Americans think the same." What's amazing is to realize that there are probably others who think and feel the same, especially when we've known nothing but unconditional welcome here. Humbling to say the least.

Soldier: "But you know, life is like a box of chocolates. Forrest Gump. Did you see it? What do you think?" Surreal is just the tip of the iceberg here.

Our biggest problem was the giggling security girls who pulled us aside and asked us a few questions - they spent most of those few minutes being embarrassed about their halting English.

We leave this morning, via Chicago (today), Amsterdam (arriving tomorrow), then Amman (day after), Jerusalem (later that same day), and finally Zababdeh (the next day) - three days of travel ahead.

Oversimplifying doesn't get anybody anywhere.

A visit to a local sculpture artist and his creations - he supports his art habit by selling homemade jams and the like.

Our talk isn't until this evening in Bar Harbor.

We took off this morning for a long, toll-filled drive up to Maine.

Ah, family reunions.

Another reminder of the variety of opinions you find among people.

The Yankees got beat 8-0.

We connected with Marthame's cousin and headed down to walk the boardwalk along the famed stretch of beach.

Our first stop was, of course, "Ground Zero".

We arrived in New York City to stay with friends.

We went up the hill, way up the hill, to the Divinity School.

A trip down memory lane today.

We were warmly received with a large crowd for conversation after worship.

We did have time to visit the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, a great national (and free!) treasure.

We spent the day resting and getting caught up on work we've neglected the past month - our travels this summer have been deceptively exhausting.