Holy Land VIM team

(Saturday, June 24th) We're Back!

2006-07-10T02:15:00.000+03:00

We're back!
[June 24, 2006]

After a long day of travel - around 21 hours of travel, beginning at 4 AM Jordan time - we have arrived safely back at home.

The VIM team wants to thank everyone who prayed for us, drove us to the airport, supported our VIM project financially, and contributed in any other way to the team's journey to Palestine, Israel, and Jordan. VIM is a congregation-wide program, and requires the involvement of many people behind the scenes in addition to the team members themselves, so on behalf of Mar Elias and HCEF, we want to say a big thank you to everyone at Metropolitan for their support.

The team will present stories and photos from our trip on July 30th at 10:10 AM in the Great Hall; we look forward to seeing you there! -- Sarah

The Real Work Begins

2006-07-10T01:51:00.000+03:00

The Real Work Begins
[Friday, June 23, 2006]

We left Jerusalem at 8 a.m. for our return to Jordan. We all said farewell to Lindsey who will be leaving for the Deheisha Refugee Camp in Bethlehem latter this morning. We all waved goodbye as our bus pulled off and Sarah and Katie tried to sing the "Lindsey Song", which Lindsey sang in Arabic throughout our trip. Lindsey called out to us that she should have tought us the words. She's right! For me, I am saying farewell to my roomate of two weeks and a great friend.

We drive the short distance from Jerusalem to Jericho before crossing the border at the Allenby Bridge from the West Bank into Jordan. In Jericho our bus takes us on a tour of the Mount of Temptation and the Tree of Zacchaeus. We all know the mount is said to be where the devil tempted Jesus. Now, there is a Greek Orthodox monastery standing on the edge of the cliff.

Exiting Israel is quite a bit easier than our entrance on June 11th and we return to Jordan in time to tour the Citadel and Jordan Archeological Museum in Amman, which houses a collection of antiquities ranging from prehistoric times to the 15th century. There also is an exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls. We also toured the remains of a small Byzantine basilica. From atop one of the seven hills in which Amman is built we are able to see the royal palace, the Roman amphitheatre that was built during the reign of Antonius Pius (138-161 CE), and an enormous Jordanian flag that's almost too big to open up in the light breeze that is blowing through the city.

After seeing the sights we returned to the Madaba Inn Hotel. We spent our last night at the same hotel where we spent our first and we feel like we have come full circle. And yet, we are closer to each other and different now--enlightened--for having made this trip together. Together, we walked in Jesus' steps and placed Chist at our center every single day of this pilgramage.

I feel very privledged to have had this opportunity to partake in this journey--from Jordan to the Galilee, to Bethlehem, to Jerusalem, back to Jordan. Tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. we will fly from Jordan to Paris and then to Virginia.

Lindsey said in her morning devotion a few days ago that our work as a VIM team would really begin once we returned home. For it is then that we will share with all of you our stories--the stories of Israel and Palestine. At the beginning of our trip Dr. Elias Chacour told us, "without hope we will die. We can not love one side and hate the other." Our VIM team witnessed despair and perserverance: a people in need of advocates. We are the advocates. --Anne

Walking in the Garden of Gethsemane

2006-07-10T00:59:00.000+03:00

Walking in the Garden of Gethsemane
[Thurs., June 22nd, 2006]. Today we took a short trip out of Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives where we walked down the (rather steep) Hill to the Garden of Gethsemane, visiting a series of holy sites. (1st pic)
(1) At the top of the 'Mount' is the Dome of Ascension (2nd pic.) which marks the spot where Jesus was taken up into Heaven (Acts 1: 9-12). The rather unremarkable freestanding dome is only used during Pentecost when it will be decorated and used by Christians to celebrate the Ascension.
(2) Next stop on our Journey is the Monastary of the Pater Nostre (3rd pic.), where Jesus taught his followers the Lord's Prayer. This partially rennovated structure features hundreds of large tablets with the Lord's Prayer inscribed in 1350 languages and dialects. http://www.christusrex.org/www1/pater/index.html
(3) "Dominus Flevit" (4th pic) offers visitors a panoramic view (5th pic) of the City of Jerusalem, and is where Jesus is said to have wept for the fate of the city. Jerusalem was leveled by the Romans 35+ years after Jesus was crucified.
(4) The Russian Orthodox Convent of St. Mary of Magdalene is noticable for miles by its majestic golden onion-dome spires (6th pic). The grounds around the basilica, and the iconography inside were simply beautiful.
(5) The Church of All Nations is located in the grove of ancient olive trees known as the Garden of Gethsemane. These trees (7th pic) date back to before Jesus prayed amongst them, and are the only living witnesses to Jesus' prayer to have 'this cup' pass him by, and where he was bretrayed by Judas Iscariot. (Matt. 26: 36-56; Mark 14: 32-52; Luke 22: 39-52; John 18: 1-11)
(6) At the bottom of the Mount is the Tomb of the Virgin Mary where the Orthodox Church has ornately decorated a grotto that leads to a deep underground tomb. While the stairs that lead into this tomb are steep, dark and treacherous, most of our team ventured down them to visit the tomb. As we drove back up to the gates of Jerusalem, we could see the walls of the "prison-town" of Bethlehem no more than 2-3 miles away (8th pic).
(7) After lunch, we visited the Dormition Church located on Mount Zion just outside the Zion Gate of the city, following which we visited the (8) Upper Room (8th pic) where Jesus and his disciples ate 'the Last Supper', and then (9) the Tomb of King David. This whirlwind tour of these major holy sites also caps our last full day in Jerusalem and Israel. Tomorrow, we leave the Holy Land begin our long trek back home. --Paul

The Road to Jerusalem

2006-06-25T22:29:00.000+03:00

The Road to Jerusalem
[June 21, 2006]

Today we said a tearful goodbye to Bethlehem, knowing what is to come for the city and its residents, as it is, every day, further enveloped by the Wall. We did not want to leave our new friends from the Orthodox Scout Troop, and perhaps we felt a bit guilty that we are actually able to leave - to go to Jerusalem - and they are not.

From our hotel, we went directly to the Wall itself. To go to Jerusalem, our group had to pass through the checkpoint at the Wall. The passage itself was easy – for us. But all around us we could not look away from our disconcerting surroundings. The terminal at the checkpoint has all the trappings of an international border crossing. Except for that the fact that Israel – and indeed the world community - does not recognize Palestine as an independent state, and so Palestinians are subjected to the rigorous mobility requirements and restrictions governing international travel, without, for the most part, the ability to obtain the travel documents that would ease their passage. We saw snipers above us on catwalks, and at every turn, security waved us past waiting Palestinians, who could only stare at us with envy and probably a bit of bitterness. At most points, a mere wave of our blue American passports was enough to get us through; I don’t even recall anyone checking to make sure that we were actually the owners of the passports we were carrying. We breezed through the terminal, leaving a string of Palestinians for whom movement is not so simple, in our wake. I left the terminal with a nauseous feeling in my stomach.

In Jerusalem, our first activity was to walk the Via Dolorosa (you may know it as the Stations of the Cross – the real ones). However, our team wanted to approach the path from Jesus’ condemnation to burial on our own terms. I was in the half of the group that wanted to walk without the tour guide commentary, so off we went, intrepidly, finding our own way. The Via Dolorosa, to me, is a very typically-Jerusalem kind of place; the walk winds through an extremely busy marketplace, lined with shopkeepers hawking all sorts of items, necessary and frivolous, and the tourists and locals alike that haggle with them. It does not, automatically, make for a “spiritual” experience. Once again, one has to carve out space for quiet on the Via Dolorosa, but how rewarding it can be to do so. My favorite spots are actually the chapels that are tucked into the corners of the market, difficult to find, but silent and serene, free from the crowds that constantly crush into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site where most Christians believe marks the crucifixion and burial of Jesus.

After lunch, the group made respectful visits to the complex of Muslim holy sites located on what Jews and Christians know as the Temple Mount (Muslims call it the “Noble Sanctuary.”) The Second Temple, built by David and Solomon, was located here, marking what Jews believed to be Mount Moriah, where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac in obedience to God. The mount is now home to the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The mosque rests over the spot Muslims believe Abraham almost sacrificed his son – except for that they believe it was the elder son Ishmael instead of Isaac. The Dome of the Rock sits on the site where many Muslims believe Muhammad ascended for a mystical “night journey” into heaven, accompanied by the angel Gabriel, to converse with prophets who came before him. Our group was struck by the design of the complex and the way in which its open spaces facilitated community fellowship – all around, families were picnicking, children were playing, and adults chatted about politics, religion, and life. After visiting the Temple Mount complex, we descended through the souq again to return to the Western Wall, the only part of the Second Temple to remain in existence. At the wall, Ashkenazi Ultra-Orthodox Jews, with their distinguishing black hats, (or for women, wigs, head coverings, long skirts, and elbow-length sleeves) mingled with American Jewish study abroad students, Ethiopian falashas, and armed Israeli soldiers as all of them came to pray at Judaism’s holiest site.

The day was jarring for me. We had started the morning in Bethlehem, where it seemed like 3 of every 4 shops were closed because tourists have largely stopped coming, and where life is choking to a halt because of the Wall. Then we went to Jerusalem, where the marketplace bustled and tourists – including many Christian groups – meandered through the Old City. We walked to Via Dolorosa, paid our respects to the Dome of the Rock, and prayed at the Western Wall. I felt as if we were somehow retreating into a isolated tourist holiness and turning our backs on the gritty, unholy life circumstances of the people who actually live in Palestine and Israel. It was another moment that was difficult to reconcile. But this is “The Holy Land.” Not some mythical, mystical place filled with the sounds of Taize chant and monasteries, but this. Palestine and Israel. Here. Conflict. Struggle. Vengeance. But also perseverance, hope, and the conviction and determination to make change. The question we now face is: What difference will all of this make to us? How will we think of “The Holy Land,” and what will we do about it? - Sarah

Palestinian Culture and a Tough Goodbye

2006-06-25T22:28:00.000+03:00

Palestinian Culture and a Tough Goodbye
[June 20, 2006]

We began our morning by cleaning the Orthodox Christian cemetery in Beit Jala. The scouts met up with us bringing brooms and garden tools. We worked hard while creating fellowship between the Palestinian community and American community. Even through the heat of the sun, we found time to enjoy ourselves by singing Christian songs and watching Karen dance the cha cha slide.

After the strenuous but fun work, we left to hang out with the scouts. Some of us sat and talked with them while others of us were humiliated in ping pong. We then went back to our rooms to clean up. Later that night, we had a taste of Palestinian culture. The scouts danced the debka for us and Lindsey and I sang songs in Arabic. The scouts also played Middle Eastern instruments and sang different songs for us, including their "scout song." After their song, they presented us with calendars with pictures of the troop, a CD of the scouts playing bagpipes, and a CD of Arabic music for Easter. They were so gracious and giving, even when it seemed like they didn't have much to give.

That evening, we also went out to eat at The Tent, a restaurant in Beit Sahour near Shepherd's Field. The relationships we built with the scouts grew stronger through each conversation, meal, or game that we played. It was very hard to leave them at the end of the night, but many exchanged e-mail addresses to continue the friendship overseas. -Katie

Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ

2006-06-20T23:10:00.000+03:00

Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ

[Monday, June 19th 2006]
Bethlehem

Today our team had two emotionally charged experiences that I want to share with you. Our visit to the Aida Refugee Camp and our tour of the Wall.

Most of our morning was spent visiting the Aida Refugee camp, which was built in 1950 and is home to 4,500 Palestinian refugees. The camp consists of old brick buildings--two to three stories in height--and very close to one another. The camp is over crowded and run-down but the refugees have no choice but to live here as they can not afford to move. There are no trees here, or grass or flowers. The refugees look out their windows and only see concrete walls--walls of the other houses within the camp and the Wall.

The entrance to the camp is about 10-15 feet from the Wall that prevents Palestinians from freely moving around Bethlehem. The Wall is guarded by Israeli soilders and as our group travels throughout Bethlehem--to the Basilica of the Nativity and Shepherd's Field--the Wall can be seen towering over Bethlehem like a gigantic prison.

Gail, our HCEF guide, took us to the home of a Christian family that is nearly closed in by the Wall--three of the four sides of the house look out onto the Wall. We were told that once completed the Wall will be taller than this house. The idea of one's home being fenced in by a concreate wall touches all of us. We also learned that Palestinian land was taken to build the Wall, olive trees were uprooted and destroyed to make room for the Wall, and it is the Palestinians who are employed to build the Wall because they need the work to provide for their families. To the left is a picture of the wall surrounding olive groves which the Palestinians depend on as a major source of food and income. Once completed, the Palestianians will no longer be able to get to these groves to maintain the trees and harvest the olives.

After our somber tour of the Wall, Gail took us to meet the Arab Orthodox Scout Troop--a group of Palestinian Christian girls and boys (in their late teens and early 20s). Gail, Sarah, and Rula (pictured to the left... Rula is awesome!) organized us and paired each person from our VIM team with a scout for an overnight stay. But before we were invited into the homes of the scouts, we all walked from the scouts lodge to the "club." The club is an outdoor arena were with a big screen and several small TVs. It is here that our team saw our first (and second) World Cup games. To everyone's disapointment Tunisia lost but we had a great time watching the games, eating ice cream, and getting to know one another. Our hosts were terrific!

Beverly stayed in the home of a girl whose father is in an Israeli prison, while Katie and Karen stayed in the home of the scout leader--a musician, who taught Katie how to sing "This is the Day the Lord Has Made" in Arabic.

While we all stayed with different Palestinian Christian families in different homes we all drew from the expererence a unified feeling of frustration, faith, love, and perserverance. We were all asked to tell America about the Wall. We promised that we would. And we will.

We invite you to visit the following sites: www.openbethlehem.org, www.stopthewall.com, and www.arij.org. During our powerpoint presention in July we will talk more indepth about the Wall.

We are tired, amazed, frustrated and in awe of all that we have seen and learned. This is a beautiful land and a troubled land. We ask that you keep our brothers and sisters in your prayers. --Anne

Sunday in Bethlehem

2006-06-18T22:12:00.000+03:00

Sunday in Bethlehem
[June 18, 2006]

We started our day this morning by joining the Latin Church in Beit Sahour for worship. Beit Sahour is a largely Christian town in the Bethlehem area. Though the service was in Arabic and most of our team members couldn't understand the words, many of us felt deeply connected to this community, despite our denominational and linguistic barriers, and worshipping there brought us a profound sense of solidarity with the Palestinian Christians who gather there every Sunday. For me (as an Arabic speaker, or at least sort of), singing the hymns with the congregation created a bond between us that distance cannot break.

Today also carried our group to Shepherd's Field and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The church sits over the site believed to be the place where Jesus was born. Shepherd's Field, in Beit Sahour, commemorates the angel's visit to the shepherds announcing Jesus' birth. Both places echo life itself; each was filled with the cacophony of tour groups clicking their cameras, singing, and chatting in many of the world's languages. Even in "the Holy Land," our faith cannot always be peaceful, serene, removed. All of the noise of humanity penetrates even into the spaces we would like to carve out and reserve for "church," "spirituality," and "God." But if we listen, we may just find those things in the midst of the clamor around us. This place reminds us of that.

Perhaps the most moving part of our day, however, came right after church, when we were invited, in small groups, to the homes of individual families from the congregation. All of the families greeted us with hospitality and fed us much more food than we thought it possible to eat. Anne and Karen's family told them that "We are so excited that you are here, so today is a celebration." For the remainder of the afternoon, they said, there would be no talk of anything negative. Katie, Susan, and Paul encountered a father who worked for the UN and whose standard of living illustrated the difference access to international resources can make to a family. Pat, Beverly and Lindsey played with a baby while his father asked them to educate their American friends about peace in Palestine and Israel. Geoff and I, however, visited a family with quite a story to tell.

Our family lives at the far end of Beit Sahour, the last house before a large open field. At the other side of the field is an old Jordanian outpost ( a remnant from the days when Jordan controlled the West Bank) that was occupied by the Israeli army in 2000, at the beginning of the second Intifada. That year, for reasons unknown to the family, the army began shooting at their house. It began with the water tanks on top of the house. When the father of the family plugged the holes with corks, the army fired more holes. Then, the shooting moved downward and the windows of the top floor were shot out. Artillery fire followed, blasting out most of the top floor and southeasternmost side. Over the course of a few weeks, the house was gradually destroyed. Further tank shelling ignited a fire that burned the entire back half of the building, resulting in the collapse of the roof and top floor. The family had to move to the front of the building (a family compound comprised of several houses built beside and on top of each other) and then finally disperse, temporarily, into Bethlehem in apartments. That Christmas, the father collected all the shell casings he found around the outpost whenever the Israeli troops would temporarily vacate it. He made Christmas ornaments out of the smaller ones (from machine guns) and set the larger ones (and shrapnel) around the base of the tree like presents. This was Bethlehem 2000.

As the family told us, "hayat sa'aba" - life is hard. With few jobs and limited services, "the situation" - as it is called - is leading many people to emigrate. "The situation" is still difficult. But in the midst of this storm, people endure, and with gestures of hope, refuse to allow "the situation" to kill their souls. Now the house has been rebuilt, with the help of the Belgian government, and the family has returned. The situation is still difficult, and peace may be far away. But as the body of Christ, we remember the words of the prophets, "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." As we left our hosts, they simply said, "salaitu-na" - pray for us. -Sarah

On the Road to Bethlehem

2006-06-17T21:39:00.000+03:00

On the Road to Bethlehem
[June 17th, 2006] Today we visited places where Jesus walked, spoke, and performed miracles. We used the weekend for a transition between Mar Elias and Bethlehem stopping at some of the most holy sights on the way. We started by going to Tabgha at the Church of Bread and Fish that housed the rock where Jesus was said to have placed the bread to change the five loaves and two fish to feed the five thousand. It also had a famous mosaic from the Byzantine time of the loaves and fish. Then we stopped at Capernaum, the town of Jesus' ministry. We saw Peter's house and an old Jewish temple. We also went to the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, where Jesus blessed Peter and made him the shepherd of his people. Many of us waded into the Sea of Galilee and later took a boat ride into the middle of the Sea of Galilee. It was amazing to be in the place where Jesus calmed a storm and walked on water. We left the sea and went up the mountain on which Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount. Our group has been having devotions in the morning, but today we saved it and read the Beatitudes in a small garden on top of the mountain. We ate lunch at a monastery and then had an hour for meditation and prayer. This time was peaceful, spirit-filled, and rejuvenating. After leaving this holy place, we drove through Tiberius, a Jewish city, and through the Qumran mountains, the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, and also where many Bedouins reside. On the way to Bethlehem, we drove through the magnificent city of Jerusalem. We pulled up to the town of Bethlehem with a wall surrounding it. The Israelis are building this wall around Bethlehem, an Arab town, where they cannot leave or enter. When we arrived at the gate, Paul said, "This reminds me of the sally ports at the prison where I used to work." On the outside of the wall, there was a huge sign reading, "Peace be with you. -Isreali Department of Tourism". When we arrived at the hotel I looked outside to see children playing with trash. It is heart-breaking to see the poverty these people are forced to live in.
-Thank you for all the blog posts- it helps so much to know that you guys are praying! We love you and miss you! -Katie

VIM Team Traveling Day #1

2006-06-16T16:26:00.000+03:00

VIM Team Travels South Towards Bethlehem
[June 15, 2006] Today we begin relocating our team to Bethlemhem. Leaving Ibillin was difficult inasmuch as we have made friends here: Patrick, the German volunteer; Hanah, the elementary teacher and guide; Michael Chacour, nephew to the Archbishop; and others who we have come to see as friends.
We are stopping in Nazareth tonight, having spent the day traveling as well as seeing some of the significant Christian sites along the way. We stopped in at Cana (site of the wedding feast at which Jesus performed his first miracle of changing water into wine) to see the church built upon the ancient synagogue where the wedding feast took place. In Nazareth, we also visited the Cathedral of St. Gabriel's (built upon the site of the well at which Orthodox Christians believe Mary received the 'Annunciation' from the archangel Gabriel) as well as the Basilica of the Annunciation, built upon the traditional site where the Virgin Mary had her home. Within the Basilica is a grotto where Mary's home is believed to have been, and in which Christian pilgrims (including us) came to worship and pray.
Tomorrow, we will go to Tiberias on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and will have lunch at the site of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (probably fishes and bread) . -Paul -

Holy Land VIM team

2006-06-15T23:51:00.000+03:00

Holy Land VIM team

More Work and Caeserea

2006-06-15T23:22:00.000+03:00

Holy Land VIM team Finishes Projects at MEEI, then tours Caeserea
June 15, 2006

Last night, after we had posted our blog, we were just finishing our daily debrief when we had a surprise visit from Michael Chacour, nephew of Elias Chacour. Michael was very appreciative of our efforts and our presence at MEEI. His sincerity and passion touched each of us and validated our decision to come here. Michael also wants to return to the U.S. to help us with a similar project as he himself went on a VIM.

Today we finished our chores, which included sanding the stage (you might recall it was varnished yesterday...hmm), sewing the kids graduation robes, and assembling crosses for sale in the gift shop. After lunch, we toured Caesarea, which is an incredible coastal site of Roman (and other) ruins, built over 2,000 years ago. We viewed Herod's bath house and the public bath house (the group did not visit the bath house without Anne and Susan this time).

We also viewed the Hippodrome where they used to hold chariot races, and the ampitheater which still seemed to be in use today. After a few of us got our feet wet in the Mediterranean, we headed north again.

We had earlier decided that we would eat out tonight, and we asked our driver (same driver we have had all week) if he knew of a place in Haifa. He said he did, so we were anticipating another new experience. Well, the place he knew of was the same Egyptian restaurant we found two nights ago! Hunger and good memories dictated that we eat there again, and once again they treated us with amazing warmth and hospitality. Maybe we will return again???

Tomorrow, June 16, we meet back up with Gail, our HCEF guide, and we head to Nazareth and possibly Cana. I think it will be difficult for us to leave MEEI, but we leave knowing that we are taking a bit of MEEI back with us to the U.S. --Geoff--

VIM Holy Land Team at Work.

2006-06-14T16:00:00.001+03:00

Holy Land VIM team at work
[June 14th, 2006] This is the fourth day of our stay at the Mar Elias Institute in Ibillin. We will not be posting to this BLOG as often as we would like due to computer problems which cropped up with Lindsey's computer. Yesterday morning, we toured the elementary school, and sat in on a First Grade class (which sang a song for us) and a Second Grade class which shared a 'show-and-tell' session where the teacher was showing the class a type of flying squirrel. After the class broke for lunch, the children gathered around us to talk with us and to have their pictures taken. As several team members remarked, this school could be located in any town in the United States.
Apart from the tours we have taken, we have also been working at the school performing such tasks as varnishing the stage floor in the auditorium, sewing graduation gowns, polishing crosses for the gift store, and sanding the iron railings along the dormatory walkways. While we are happy to be able to work in these small ways to help with the school, clearly the greatest aid that we can provide is to serve as witnesses to the success that has been achieved following a road of Peace in this land of perennial conflict.
Last evening we toured the ancient Crusader city of Acca, where Katie (our resident animal-lover) came across a cave of bats, where we briefly misplaced Susan and Anne, and where we toured an ancient mosque dedicated to Al Jazzar, governor of this region who defeated Napolean in 1799 and drove his armies back to Egypt. Today, we saw the remains of the town of Bar'am, which was the home of Elias Chacour in 1948 when the Israeli Defense Force evacuated the residents and leveled the town. The rest of today will be spent sanding and preparing to paint. --Paul--

VIM Team tours Mar Elias Educational Institute

2006-06-13T09:30:00.000+03:00

VIM Team tours Mar Elias Educational Institute (MEEI),
[June 12th, 2006]
Today was our second full day at MEEI, which is located in Ibillin, a suburb of Haifa, in Galilee. This morning we had the privilege to meet the President of MEEI, Ra’ed Mullem, and Archbishop Elias Chacour, AKA “Abouna”.

We had all read Abouna’s book, Blood Brothers, c. 1984, so we had some appreciation of the path of peace and reconciliation that Abouna has blazed during the times of turmoil in the Middle East.

Abouna greeted us warmly and thanked us for coming to MEEI. Although he appreciated the gardening, painting and other tasks we would undertake, he was more appreciative of our physical presence. He was grateful that the students would see and interact with Americans who were not movie stars and did not carry guns.

His message has inspired us to become messengers of the possibilities in Israel. Perhaps his statement we remembered most was that if we befriend one side, we should not make an enemy of the other.

Next we met with Ra’ed Mullem, who first met Abouna as a kindergartner at MEEI. Ra’ed provided an overview of the programs at MEEI, and how we might serve as messengers when we return home. Some of MEEI’s current and planned programs include communications, environmental science and chemistry, computer technology, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and the Peace program.

MEEI includes the only non-Jewish College in Israel, and is open to all students: Muslim, Christian, Jew, and Druze alike. Beyond the college, the school includes grades K to 12. The staff ratio is 50% female, and 30% Jewish. Their mission is to train young people, particularly women, to become tomorrow’s leaders and peacemakers.

During our discussion with Ra’ed, two young women, who served as exchange students at The University of Indianapolis, came in and to say hello. When asked what they missed most about the U.S., they replied, “that respect that people in the U.S. have for one another”.

Next Patrick, a volunteer from Germany, gave us a tour of MEEI. This included the classrooms, the library, the cafeteria, and the Peace Room in the college. Next we toured the recently built Church, which is still a work in progress. Work continues on this beautiful church as funds become available.

After lunch, we took a short trip to Haifa, where we saw a spectacular view of the Mediterranean, and had our first Middle Eastern Meal in an Egyptian restaurant. -- Geoff & Anne--

Crossing Jordan

2006-06-11T21:51:00.000+03:00

Crossing the Jordan
[June 11th, 2006] The first full day of our Holy Land trip began with a tour of Mount Nebo, the holy site commemorating where Moses looked out across the promised land as he led the Israelites into the land of milk and honey. It is said to be the last place that Moses saw before he died and also where he was buried. The perfect weather allowed us to see across the Jordan Valley into Israel and Palestine, including views of the Dead Sea and Jericho with Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the distance. Our excellent tour guide, Ra'ed, a Jordanian Christian, gave us in depth and personal stories, legends, and facts about Mount Nebo and the church built there and covered with mosaics that date from the Byzantine era.

Leaving Mount Nebo, the VIM team headed to the King Hussein/Allenby bridge that crosses into Israel and Palestine. The process took over four hours complete with Israeli soldiers' confusion and questioning regarding a bag of homestyle southern grits I brought as a gift for a Palestinian family, a few hours of waiting on buses, and the interrogation of Susan because her checked luggage somehow "ignited" concern.

Finally, after the long and exhausting border process, we headed towards Ibillin in the Galilee of northern Israel, taking a stop at the Temptation Restaurant at Jericho where several team members experienced their first camel ride. Paul and Geoff sported the Palestinian kaffiya, Katie gave the camel a sweet kiss that made him blush, and Karen earned the new nickname "Mama" by the camel driver.

We continued our drive north, out of the Palestinian West Bank and into the lush Galilee. We arrived at the Mar Elias Education Center in Ibillin, a suburb of Haifa. Arriving at sunset, we unpacked while listening to the evening Sunday service at the Greek Melkite church and smelling its sweet incense and then enjoyed another delicious Arabic meal. In the distance is the city of Haifa and the Mediteranean Sea, which we will be visiting tomorrow after a morning of service gardening and painting at the Center. -- Lindsey

Arrived 6-10-06

2006-06-10T23:08:00.000+03:00

We Have Arrived in Amman, Jordan.
[June 10th, 2006] Most of us left MMUMC Friday evening at 6:00 pm (first photo), and began our 18-hour journey East. We changed planes in Paris, racing to make our connecting flight with minutes to spare. In Jordan, we have found the people friendly, even enthusiastic in their welcome and desire to help us feel at home. To our great relief, all of our luggage made the trip, and we arrived at the Madaba Inn (Madaba, Jordan) at 7:00pm (Noon Eastern Time). There, we reunited with Susan and Beverly who, tired but excited by their previous four days spent exploring the Jordanian countryside, could not wait to tell us of their adventures. At dinner (2nd picture), with the entire team reunited once more, Beverly and Susan described the beauty and wonders they had encountered, and the gracious people that have made them feel welcome. Across from the hotel is the St. George Church (3rd picture) Tomorrow, we are off to Mt. Nebo, then into Israel. -Paul-

Holy Land VIM team

2006-06-06T05:15:00.000+03:00

The Final Briefing
June 5, 2006: The entire team gathers for one final meeting before Friday's departure. After months of preparation, meetings, arrangements, orientation lectures, and more meetings... we are finally ready! Pastor Sandy Rector led a team devotional and blessed us. Beverly & Susan depart for Jordan on Tuesday ahead of the rest of the team in order to visit Petra. --Paul--

Holy Land VIM team

2006-06-06T02:01:00.000+03:00

Holy Land VIM Team Commissioned
June 4th, 2006: It is less than a week before we will be winging our way Eastward towards the Holy Land. Excitement among the team members is mounting as we make our respective preparations for the trip. The photos (left) were taken at Sunday Service (6/4/06) where six of the ten team members received a commissioning from our MMUMC church family. The congregation provided their blessings and some additional contributions collected during the service. --Paul--

Metropolitan VIM team leaves June 9th!

2006-06-05T23:01:00.000+03:00

Metropolitan's Volunteers in Mission team leaves June 9th!

We invite the congregation and our families and friends to support us in prayer and by following the news from Palestine, Israel, and Jordan while we are there.

You can also learn about our hosts and in the Middle East and the organizations making our trip possible by visiting their websites. Check them out here:

United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, http://new.gbgm-umc.org/about/us/mv/
Mar Elias Educational Institute, http://www.meei.org/
Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, www.hcef.org

We hope you will keep us and the communities we visit in your prayers, realizing that while we travel in their towns for 16 short days, these communities live daily in the face of much uncertainty. We pray for all of the people of Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, regardless of their religion or nationality, and for peace and justice in their communities.

- Sarah

Follow Us to the Holy Land

2006-05-14T03:58:00.000+03:00

In June, a team from Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church will travel to the Holy Land as Volunteers in Mission.

You are invited to follow them "virtually" as the serve - by reading their online blog from Israel and Palestine.

- Rev. Faith Lewis