We've got a long two days ahead of us - leaving Zababdeh and heading to Ramallah, then finding our way to Jerusalem, then to Amman in time for our 3:00 AM one-stop trans-Atlantic flight on June 1.

Walking through the town today reminded us of some of the things that we'll miss. One of them is the sound of the birds (mostly cattle egrets) that fill the trees near the Latin Convent - one of them isn't the risks we take walking under those trees.

As Marthame and Abuna Louis headed into the worship service this morning, Abuna asked him to say a few words about the trip to Iraq.

Ilhamdillah 'al-salaami (roughly, "thank God you made it back safely")! This chorus greeted us as we returned to school. That, and numerous questions about our trip to Iraq. Everyone wanted an update, a story.

Halfway there, we came to an Israeli checkpoint. As we approached, the driver told everyone to say we were coming from Jericho, not Ramallah - our circuitous route took us so far East that no one would ever believe how we came.

No better or worse, just different emotionally. It's very hard to relax here.

The church is thriving in its faithful witness there, free to worship and serve.

Both churches have seen the devastation of the two wars. Emigration after 1991 was particularly devastating.

We then gathered outside for some wonderful fellowship and conversation and an Iraqi-style Presbyterian-potluck.

The monastery once had over one hundred monks in residence, but this has now dindled to one bishop and three monks. The view, of course, down the valley was unparalleled - those monastics knew the basic rule: location, location, location.

An early, early morning took us to Samarra and its spectacular mosque. The mosque itself is being renovated, but the prayer tower is accessible by a spiral staircase around its exterior that leads to spectacular views of the nearby towns

The congregation was formed from Assyrian Christians, and so many of the traditional elements of worship - the Lord's Prayer, hymn singing, etc. - are done in Aramaic rather than Arabic.

Today was our day of sightseeing. We hired two cars to take us on a quick highlight tour of Baghdad.

We gathered with representatives from the churches to map out our schedule for the next week or so.

We sat through many speeches by bishops and patriarchs (dubbed by Marthame the "hat and necklace brigade"), all calling for an end to sanctions, decrying American imperialism, speaking of great religious freedom in Iraq.

Sixteen hours in a bus was our fate for the day.

It's been a while since we've worshiped in our first language - about two months.

We have been invited to Baghdad to the Fifth Annual Christian Peacemaking Conference, and have been making preparations for several months now.

Raba is a small village of about 7000 (twice the size of Zababdeh), resting on a nearby mountain peak.

Today word came in the school of the Patriarchate Essay Contest Winners. Zababdeh's school had more students honored than any other school in the Patriarchate!

Marthame headed back up to the university today to take a peek at a car for sale. It gave him a chance to enjoy the always breathtaking view of Zababdeh (they picked a great spot for a university).

Zababdeh relies on a broken water pump in Area C, which is caught in "Corporate Occupation" - the Israeli's independent water company is refusing to cooperate with the Palestinian's independent water company due to the current unrest, which means Zababdeh gets water about once a week (roof water tanks are automatically refilled from the pump when they get below a certain level, if there is water).

News came today of the four month-old baby killed in Israeli shelling of a Gaza Refugee Camp. A lot of head-shaking is taking place in Zababdeh, particularly at Sharon's half-hearted "apology" as he visited settlements in Gaza again.

More and more people are getting the urge to depart. The internet cafes (yes, there are two for a village of 3000) have become an escape for some - a few hours of chatting, etc., and a resource for others - learning about American immigration requirements.

theological news, today continues the daily worship for the "Month of Mary" in the Latin Church.

The journey was thankfully unremarkable, given the usual route through the valleys and pits, though the Israeli soldiers did allow us to pass through one military checkpoint rather than driving for miles around it.

The reason for the trip was to connect with an American group that had come here for a two week visit.

Elizabeth went with the Latin Church's youth group on a trip to Nablus to visit Abuna Dominick and the Sisters of Charity. Their convent is also a home for the elderly and for severely handicapped children.