Visit to Ramallah and More Info About Galilee Trip

What a day we have had! My class, Palestinian Society and Politics, visited Ramallah with Professor Bernard Sabella. We were treated like VIP's. Ramallah is the current headquarters for the Palestinian National Authority. We were able to meet with Dr. Sabella's daughter who works for Al Haq, a non-profit human rights group monitoring human rights violations in Gaza, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The very dedicated staff explained their mission to us and gave examples of how they document violations and how they distribute the information. From there we visited the Holy Family Catholic Church and met with the priest who treated us to Arab coffee and cookies while explaining some of the issues his parishoners encounter. From there we visited the PNA Headquarters and met with four of the Parliament members and we were allowed to ask questions and hear their reasons for why they feel the recent peace talks have not succeeded. The facilities there are very new with a lot of security. It was fascinating to hear from these individuals including a woman who works in the areas of education and promoting awareness of women's issues. We were taken to several different locations and found Ramallah to be a thriving city--congested and under a great deal of construction. I remember being here in 1968-69 and there is little that resembles that small town then.

Dr. Sabella wanted us to visit Yasser Arafat's memorial so that was the next stop on our tour.
The Japanese government funded the construction of the memorial that overlooks a reflecting pool and military guards surround the tomb. A wreath was provided to the class to place by the tomb. I must admit I had mixed feelings about this aspect of the trip. Arafat is considered to be the "father" of the Palestinians. Again, I was impressed with the personnel they had at each site and the Director of Protocol who was with us the whole time. They dress in suits and ties and maintain a professional attitude in all they do. We were just a group of students dressed very casually but we were made to feel very welcome. We then proceeded to the office of the Negotiations Unit who provide information and position papers for the Palestinian peace negotiators. They gave us a power point presentation while we drank delicious sweet tea and they reviewed all their points justifying the Palestinian cause and the issues they confront with the Israelis. These two sides are still very far apart and in a conversation with one of the staff I was told one of the greatest obstacles is the lack of respect shown to the Palestinians by the Israelis at checkpoints, by the military, and some of their leaders. I personally feel that it is difficult for the Palestinians to grasp how concerned Israelis are about their personal safety in light of their history. It's certainly a dilemmna that should call all of us to prayer for both the Israelis and the Palestinians. So much good could be accomplished in this land that would benefit everyone. May God grant wisdom, integrity and justice to all those who make day-to-day decisions for both peoples. I really felt privileged to have the opportunity to hear the longings and desires of the Palestinians while also trying to understand the importance the Israelis attach to their security after surviving the Holocaust and believing there are leaders and nations who threaten them and want to see them destroyed. We ended our day with a wonderful Arab meal in a restaurant in Ramallah featuring barbequed kitchen Middle Eastern style. Very tasty.

November is upon us with a rush of activities. Sunday night at JUC's Fall party we were judges for the costume contest. The students were really creative and it was fun to see what they put together. The "party" included a walk through the Protestant Cemetery right behind the school where famous archaeologists are buried along with many British soldiers, and the school's founders, Dr. and Mrs. G. Douglas Young--president when we were students here. With flashlights in hand we maneuvered our way to various areas while listening to Dr. Wright's many stories about those who are buried here.

Monday we toured the Israel Museum and the 2nd Temple model of Jerusalem with a Rabbi who teaches here at JUC. The Israel Museum is very modern and recently renovated with great displays. The temple model is amazing and gives one a great perspective for the size of Jerusalem during the time when Jesus would have visited the Temple. I'm sure you can find some photos of this on the Web.

As a follow up to our Galilee trip, I just wanted to mention a few things that I thought were humorous, at least to me. While we stayed at Kibbutz Ein Gev they provided delicious meals for us. The first night Larry and I had wonderful roast beef in a great sauce, at least we thought it was roast beef. The next morning the students told us that we had eaten "tongue." I was surprised, needless to say, but have to admit it was very tasty. Chalk up another "interesting" experience. My other funny experience has been with the W.C.'s in Israel. In other words--the Water Closet. When we were at Capernaum I had to pay two shekels to use the WC and when I went inside I thought it was a little messy but knew they had over 1,000 tourists that day so wasn't surprised. What did surpise me, however, occurred when I was just getting ready to leave the stall and the door flew open and here was the man who took my two shekels with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth asking to add more paper to each stall. Not even a knock on the door! When I visited the Israel Museum which had very modern and nice facilities I came out of the stall and almost bumped into a young man mopping the floor in the ladies WC. Everything is so laid back here that it takes a little getting used to, but I'm learning to go with the flow and feel that's all part of the experience! C'est la vie!

I finally had tea and croissants with my artist friend, Annie. Her photo taken in September is posted on my blog. She still plans to leave Israel and cannot decide between Belgium and Japan. She is coming to have Shabbat dinner with us this week and we look forward to hosting her.

We leave for Jordan next Thursday and will be gone for four days--our last field study trip. This Saturday JUC is hosting a tea for our women students and I will be sharing "Seven Tips I Wish I Had Known When I Was A JUC Student." Several of us are preparing food and I will be baking a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll. Dianne Wright's kitchen is great for cooking for large groups. The weather now feels like an Indiana fall to me and it's getting cooler but still in the low 70's. We miss our kids and grandkids and enjoyed Skyping with them over the weekend.

I want to wrap up this segment of my blog by sharing with you an experience I had last week that reminded me again of how much God cares about us even in the little things in life. Last Wed. morning as I went to insert my right contact lens I discovered it was not in my case. The left one was there but not the right one. I was shocked and wondered what did I do? After our return from Galilee, I was so tired that I thought I must have dropped it without realizing it. Needless to say, I searched several restrooms to see if I had dropped it in one of them. No contact lens. I even found out which eye doctor I would go to about a replacement and wore my glasses all day. About 5:30 pm when it was dark I went back into the restroom and a glint caught my eye. There on the counter was my contact lens! All I could say was Thank You, Lord. How it got there I do not know. The cleaning lady had cleaned the counters that day, I had been in and out and never saw it but I did that evening. God was merciful to me in my tiredness and sloppiness. Isn't it great that nothing escapes God's attention. As a tender-loving Father he takes care of all our needs. I am so grateful!