Circle of Life

October 17, 2014

We began today with another trip to Jerusalem--this time to work with the Jerusalem YMCA Youth Chorus (mentioned in yesterday's blog).  It was another "back to the future" moment for David--he had sung in the adult Jerusalem YMCA Chorus when he lived here as a college sophomore on the St. Olaf program (see manhole cover below) and now was back as a conductor working with their Youth Chorus.

St. Olaf Lion (actually Jerusalem Lion) in the middle of an Old City manhole cover

David made the connection with the Youth Chorus when he met the director's mother at the October 1 Canadian Thanksgiving celebration at the Mt. of Olives home of Mark and Susanne Brown.  She sent David an email with her son, Micah's contact info.  Micah, a recent music/international studies grad from Yale, founded this chorus a couple of years ago.  He graciously welcome David's email with an invitation to come and work with the choir.  We had a great time with the Youth Chorus. It helped that it was a small group and David was able to learn their names.  He was able to do his vocal foundations spiel with them, then gave them some feedback on music they are working on, with audible improvements that they and their director heard and were excited about.

Jerusalem YMCA Youth Chorus warming up with David

Jerusalem YMCA Youth Chorus singing

We hopped back on a bus for Bethlehem (fortunately catching it at just the right time and place) and got back to Bethlehem.   It was voice lessons and voice studio class today.  It's remarkable how open the students are to trying new things.

Voice studio class at Dar al-Kalima  (the professor, Hassan, is at the piano;  students are using their cellphones for the song lyrics)

At the end of the day, David ran into Angie Sabo (who got her masters' degree at Concordia University, St. Paul and attended Bethlehem Lutheran a few years ago, and now is director of communications for the Diyar Consortium that oversees Dar al-Kalima).  She was ably and engagingly leading a US group touring the facility;  she communicates the tremendous challenges the people face here, but also the great hope that the Diyar programs give to people--sharing her own experience and those of past and current students. 

Angie and David at Dar al-Kalima

Vocal student Ichsan (sp?) singing at the table in the student cafe, accompanied by another student on guitar while Achmed and a US visitor (back to camera) listen

This is the remarkable thing about this place--people are daily faced with injustice, closed opportunities, petty and great obstacles, and even personal pain, yet they still work with a positive spirit and live in hope.  They live out David's confirmation verse:  "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope."  (Romans 15:13)   May we all live in that hope!

P.S. We arrived in Jerusalem a bit early for the YMCA chorus clinic, so we stopped in at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in hopes of missing the huge crowds.  We were successful in that the place was nearly empty--but the shrine of the empty tomb was closed for cleaning--not the usual picture one thinks of for one of the major holy places of Christendom, but a rather nice reminder that the Church does exist in this world, and continually needs cleaning out--literally and spiritually!

Shop-vacuuming the Holy Sepulchre

Sweeping yesterday away from the Sepulchre shrine