"Jammed Tight" and Ready to Go!

Good morning! This is third day in Jerusalem after a long flight from Washington to Vienna and the Tel Aviv, nearly fifteen hours of travel time, and most of that on fully packed airplanes that have not changed dimensions since WWI, I am told by my flying friends Frank and Bill. I don't do well with my long body, and inspite of my good fortune, I thought, to get an exit aisle seat near the the window on the first leg of the trip, it was a challenge. Little did I know, that while the head room between me and the bulk head was a larger space, the foot room was actually less. I was able to find some standing room in the next cabin of the 767 where I literally stood for an hour an a half at one time. It was my saving grace, because I was able to stretch nearly the whole time, and drink water which I have found to be the key to dealing with jet lag. I barely felt the effects, other than a shift in the time I slept which has now returned to normal after three days.

The second leg of the trip was not so comfortable, nor could I find a way of adapting to the conditions. That plane was fully loaded and I had a window seat in the back of the plane, and my "neighbor" in the middle seat was the last to board, and seemed really exhausted. He managed to stretch his six foot plus frame over in my direction, and had his head down on the meal shelf most of the time. I wasn't able to move him to get out for a stretch during the 3 and half hour flight. It was not pretty, but more about him later.

I spent the first two nights on the Mount of Olives, at a hotel called the Seven Arches at the very top of Mt. The view below of the Old City was amazing, and I rose early in the morning to see the sun rise and shine on the Dome of the Rock. Pretty spectacular and oh so serene as there was complete silence down below, both because of the time of the day and distance from the city below. All of this was quite the contrast to my ride, and I quickly recovered from the stresses pf airplane travel. Think I'll take the flying carpet back?

I spent the next two days, distributing medical books sent by Ravensworth Baptist friends in Annandale, a "sister church"; arranging pickup for the eye glasses sent by our church's mission group intended for the eye clinic in the Deheisheh Camp, relating to the delegate from Interfaith Peace Builders, the sponsors of my first trip her three years ago. The timing was quite by coincidence, even more incredible because we hosted two of the delegates in our own home last Saturday night. What an amazingly informed, and experienced group that delegation is! Many had years of work in the Middle East. There were four young members from the UK with them also. I enjoyed meeting and talking with them all around dinner, and even attended a lecture by Jeff Halper, whom many of you have read about or heard before. He is an American/Israeli Jew who directs the Israeli Coalition Against House Demolitions, as well as recent traveler on one of the Freedom Boats from Gaza. It was good hear him again. I now believe I have a better understanding of the facts on the ground, and the solutions to resolving the conflict which are simple, if only our government had the will to do so.

Back to time with the delegates here, and one quick story which reinforces my belief that there are no such things as co-insidence. One of the delegates asked me to convey $1,ooo to an American woman who was here for three months with the International Women's Peace Organization, a varied form of the Internation Solidarity Movement. They lead protests against the wall, stand at points with Palestinians, monitor house demolitions, and protect olive farmers by their prescence. They are very courageous people. They risk their lives to stand for justice beside the oppressed. Truly amazing souls. Well, my delegate friend used my phone to contact her because she herself will remain after delegation ends to spend time in the Women's Center, protesting unjust acts. She then asked me to talk with her. I was told her name was Razia. "Hmmm" I thought. "That sounds like a familiar name, and her voice did to". She said, on the other side," Is this Bill Plitt of Arlington?" Razia had slept in our house along with four other marchers against the Iraq war two years ago. What an amazing........! It was good to talk with her again and hear some incredibly powerful stories about her group of five women and their courage to stand up against dispicable acts of cruelty by the Israeli Defense Force.

Well, I will let this go for now. I leave aboard a bus in an hour for Nazareth. I am looking forward to that space too! God always surprises me on such ventures. Love, Bill