September, 2000
Day two of the conference, sponsored by Schools on Line. There's much too much to tell of these three days, but it is a capsule of life with the Palestinians and the Israelis.
We took advantage of this to visit Nablus (Biblical Schechem, Roman Neapolis) and our friend Abuna Dominick.
There are three or four Christian villages left in Palestine/Israel, and Zababdeh is one of them. The only one that is all Christian is Taybeh, near Ramallah.
The daily life and folks of Zababdeh are becoming more and more familiar to us. Here's one of the families (one of several) that has adopted us.
We began with a visit from 120 Americans from the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for morning mass.
We did stop at the local plant nursery to do a little shopping - and, of course, to drink a little coffee (it is the rare store you enter that they don't invite you to sit, drink coffee, and talk about Chicago).
One of the struggles for us here is fighting homesickness. Despite the warmth and welcome of the village, life here for us can be very lonely.
Marthame preached at his first Mass. It's not easy for a long-winded Presbyterian preacher to edit himself down to five or six minutes.
For lunch (the big noontime meal, and the one after which you're supposed to nap), we were invited to one of our fellow teacher's homes in Tubas.
In the evening, an Italian choir came to Zababdeh as part of their Holy Land tour.
Jenin. Ah, the saga of the bank account. Jenin (ten minutes away by taxi and pop. 40,000) is "The Big City," and we had big plans to take care of the financial needs.
Father Konstantin and a group of Austrians came for a visit, and the town rolled out the red carpet.
We moved into Chez Nous! While it is not as large as our place in the parish house, it is much more quiet and private.
As a bit of perspective, our new friend who has visited Indiana wanted us to know how pleased he is that we are in Zababdeh, because Chicago is a dangerous town (note this, those of you who worry for our safety!).
