More About the "Little" town

I got up early this morning and took a walk from Beit Sahour, a suburb of Bethlehem.   The town sits on the top of a hill, so it's a good cardio vascular workout which is greatly needed bccause of the intensity of our meetings each day.  We spend a lot of time listening and questioning our hosts.  As  I walk, people are out sweeping their sidewalks and cleaning their areas.  They stop  moment to return my "Marhaba", with a "Ahlan or "welcome".  I see lots of school children on the way, and they too are friendly so early in the morning.   Education is very much valued by the Palestinians and the children seem very animated and motivated.  I return after nearly making it to the church of nativity, before I head back to the small family hotel we are staying at.

The morning is filled with a walk through one of the three refugee camps in Bethlehem  (what would Jesus think?)    There over two thousand people living there since 1948 and half are children.  We are led on the tour by one of the non-violent trainers that work with Holy Land Trust, a conflict management center directed by Sami Awad whom we met that morning at his center.   The camp is active on a Saturday morning and we are followed through the narrow walk ways around the four acres of the camp which are now no longer tents, but concrete block houses stacked four  stories high to accommodate families of ten or more.   They are still quite dependent on UN assistance, and claim their  "guest" status as to do otherwise,  denies their claim to their homes that they were extracted from in 1948.   Each person we meet, as has been the case all week has a story about injustice, and their fading home to return to the land.  The also don't have much faith that the Israelis want peace, and that the Palestinians will receive justice.

In afternoon, we travel south to visit Beit Jahar which is a Palestinian village of 15,000 that is beseiged by an expanding Settlement to the north.   Yesterday it was the scene of a demonstration that we were to participate in, but decided not, at the last minute, as it would have jeopardized out visit with the neighboring settler.  Apparently, the village was not use to seeing foreigners, as it seemed that half the village turned out to see us.  We met with the mayor, and other leaders in the community and heard their story.  They were very proud of their youth, and have over 500 students at the local university.  We went over to see the sight of their Student Forum, which is a place located in the old part of the town.  The elders decided that the youth should have the space because it connects the young with their rich heritage.   Most of the town are employed in the stone quarry, and get little pay for very hard work.  The adults want more for their children.

In the evening,  I as able to invite Amal Nasser, sister of Daoud who is worshipping at my home church in Arlington tomorrow, or rather attending a pot luck in the evening.   The Tent of Nations is located on a farm not far from Bethlehem, high in the highlands where fruits and olive trees are nurtured.   Amal's family story is a rich one as they struggle with settlers now on four sides, and the Israeli courts.   You can log on to their sight at Tentofnations.com

Well,  my faithful friend, it's 11:30 P.M and time to turn in.  Tomorrow we worship in Jerusalem and then on to Tel Aviv for a tour before spending a few nights with some Palestinian families.  It has been quite a day.   Love, BIll