Across the Wall and Back

"So, Abbie, what's your response to today's experience?" "Mom, you and Dad are crazy!"

Not long before we left, Bob preached a (great, in my biased opinion) sermon about Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. To make the point more vivid about Jesus' reconciling mission, he included a slide of the 'security wall' being built between Israel and the Palestinian territories and suggested that if Jesus were walking the earth today, he'd likely be making his way back and forth to those on both sides of the Wall, sharing with them the astounding love of God.

Well, imagine my surprise when I opened our apartment terrace door, as we arrived at Tantur yesterday, to see on the distant hill the (West Bank) town of Bethlehem, with the Wall in the foreground. Could it be that God has placed us here to do some small part in that vitally important work of Jesus?

So this morning, we put on our walking shoes and crossed into Palestinian territory, and what a day of grace -- seasoned with both sadness and fear -- it has been.

The grace: We arrived at Christmas Lutheran Church's peace center to inquire about summer camps for our kids, and the director could not have been more welcoming. Imagine our kids' faces when these options for activities were listed: swimming, beadmaking, soccer (both Abbie and Hannah opted for this one, though they were warned the classes had only boys in them), ceramics, chess, graphic design, video editing, and more!

More grace: We happened upon Bethlehem Bible College and its dean, who gave us a personal tour of the facilities. In addition to theological education, the school also opens its library (and internet access) to the public, offers key job-training classes (for all, regardless of religion), and runs a social welfare agency. Bob will probably write more about this, but the dean was a fascinating man with moving stories to tell. His family has suffered greatly under the occupation; he has a brother who was exiled by Israel for starting a non-violent resistance group. And he was visibly heartened and effusively grateful for the Presbyterian Church's leadership in recognizing the injustices associated with the Wall.

The sadness hit me on a surprisingly deep level. Bob and I visited Bethlehem six years ago on an interfaith tour, and the city then was a bustling center of economic activity. Not so today. Many of those with resources have left the city. As one shopkeeper put it, "My grandchildren were scared of all the fighting, so I sent them away."

On that note, we were making our way on foot back to the checkpoint when we saw a half dozen Israeli soldiers dart furtively across the street, guns drawn. We hightailed it back to the store where we'd just done our part to boost the lagging economy and took the shopkeeper up on his offer to drive us to the border. Of course, he has white license plates, so he couldn't cross it. ...

Let's just say God's expanding our comfort zones exponentially. Thanks for continuing in your faithful prayers. This really is the trip of a lifetime.