Ramblings

Welcome home, is what i feel, as i entered the apartment in Hebron. Home. A place with walls, a squatty potty, running water, but no warm water, and a place to sit and enjoy the cool air of Palestine. Home has a whole new meaning, today, than it did yesterday or the day before. Home. Makes me question so much of what i assumed for so long. Home. It truly emerges where the heart is.

We spent the last two days in what i would call the "wilderness." I wish i could go into detail with all that the people of Al-Tawani have faced, as well as the other villagers that live, in fear, wondering when the next settler attack or police attack will happen. But there is simply not enough space nor time for me to detail the stories. So i will simply share what Christian Peacemaking Teams do there.

Josh, who is sort of the leader of the team, spends his day with Ann and a famous Church of the Brethren person: Art Gish, walking with schoolchildren and shepherds, making sure the Jewish settlers and soldiers know that there is a presence, keeping an eye on the safety of the children and shepherds. More than that, the team follows the lead of the people of Al-Tawani, who are trying to rebuild their houses and their lives after numerous demolitions destroyed so much. As i stepped into their village, i sensed a strong feeling of hope and promise, as they refused to let the tyranny of hate and prejudice destroy their lives.

They don't have much, as for material possessions, in Al-Tawani, but they seem to have so much more than we do. They fed us so much. They welcomed us in. They took us on a tour, sharing their stories of pain and joy, believing that we, in turn, would share their stories with the world. And we will. We must. It is a crime, no it is a sin against God if we, as the CPT delegation, do not share their stories. So we will write, we will speak, and we will make sure that our friends and family know the plight of these courageous people.

From Al-Tawani, we went to a village where it felt like we stepped back in time. Our cab driver said, "I don't see a road, so i will make a road." Now this isn't the flat, dirt paths of Kansas, that this cab driver is speaking about. No. We are on top of a rocky hill/mountain, with nothing but limestone and big boulders all around, and he intended to drive over a slick rock, making sure we got to our destination. Of course we all got out and said, "We will just walk from here."

This village has about 20-30 people, maybe six families, and they share everything. They have a community center, where we slept, that the meal was prepared and served. We ate with the elders and the chief, and heard the stories of these people. But we also heard their needs. As they depend, totally, on the rainy season to give them water for the year, and it has been dry the last two years, they face some serious life and death situations. As i listened, i realized how much we worry about stuff that simply doesn't matter. We have bills to pay, but these people genuinely worry about how to survive. I will miss a bill. They can't go without water.

It puts it all into perspective, being from the states. And in some small way, it also unites us, as we offered peace and thanks to our sisters and brothers from this village time has long forgot. Because at the root of all we are, we are family, children of God. I think it is a sad statement that our country uses fear to create an enemy of anyone, when in reality that man or woman, of Arab descent, is no different than we. They are our kin, and we should be blessed to call them sister, brother, friend.

I miss you all very much. I will be in Jerusalem tomorrow and heading to Nazareth and Galilee on Monday. See ya soon.

Salaam,
jerry