Awareness

It was an enlightening morning for us. Husan, one of the staff at the International Guest House, took us on a tour of the center and shared with us some of his feelings and thoughts about the situation faced by the Palestinians as a result of the Israeli occupation and the shrinking of their territories. He answered our questions honestly and as objectively as he could. He stressed that awareness is the most important gift the International Center schools and programs can give the Palestinians that attend them. As he grew in awareness of the world and learned how he can make a contribution in it, his life became more meaningful.

Husan and Nativity alternative

He also took us on a tour of a cave that was found underneath the International Center and added a description of how a first century house would have been a cave such as we were in, with an area a step down or so where animals would have been kept and a feeding manger carved out, such as can be seen in this picture. We agreed that this was a much lovelier scene to take with us from Bethlehem of a possible birthplace for Christ compared with the one we saw on Sunday, overly commemorated and difficult to see.

As we prepared to leave for other tours, I caught some in the group in some cute scenes. You'll see below Sarah Wilson visiting with some women at the center in her usual curious and friendly way. And we thought Tom Salisbury was looking pretty spiffy in his cool hat.

Our morning tour moved to the Dar al Kalima Center, housing both a school for children ages 3 to 18, the Health and Wellness Center, and the developing college. The buildings were bright and cheery and house a very fine program for both Palestinian Christians and Muslims. They teach respect for all people, including their Jewish neighbors. For my teacher friends, one charming part of the school was the bell system, each time it rang it was a different nursery rhyme tune. Fun!

After a lunch of falafels, we headed for another climb up to another of King Herod the Great’s palaces, Herodian. It sits on a mound about 2400 feet high. About two years ago Herod’s tomb was found to be at this sight. We walked through an intricate tunnel path under the mound, also fun.

After this site, we enjoyed a bit of respite at the Shepherd’s Field, a park setting that includes a grotto and a Roman Catholic chapel, established to commemorate the shepherds in their field outside of Bethlehem on that “holy night.” It included these lovely wood carved shepherds. As these sites go, it was one of the loveliest we have seen.

We also stopped at the Separation Wall that has been going up between Israel and the Palestinian Territories. It is disappointing to see this daily insult thrust into the lives of the people of Bethlehem. We understand the fear of violence that prompted the wall but wish there were other ways to deal with the issues underlying these tensions.

Our evening meal was in a Bedouin tent and we again enjoyed the traditional salads and meats of this part of the world. We pack up tonight to prepare for our move into Jerusalem for the last two nights. The International Guest House here at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem has been a wonderful place for all of us. We have enjoyed the warmth and hospitality of everyone we have met.