P.P.P.S The Journey continues

November 19, 2014

We've been home for 16 days now--and in the midst of winter.  A remarkable shift of life for us, but the journey still continues in many ways.  Our perspective how people of opposite sides of an issue understand each other (or fail to do so) applies to just about all of life.  The recent news of violence in Jerusalem helps us see how it has happened, and saddens us to see the opposite sides growing more polarized because of it (and the violence and oppression that preceded it).  We continue to pray for peace and reconciliation--the only real hope for resolution of this strife.

One of the agents for that kind of resolution that we had mentioned in earlier blogs is Daoud Nasser, founder of the "Tent of Nations"  (http://www.tentofnations.org/)  an "educational and environmental farm."   Our one regret on the trip was that we had not connected with him and his ministry--based on their family farm of over a century that is currently being pressured to close by the Israeli settlements that surround it.  His family has responded by digging their own well and setting up solar panels after the Israeli settlers cut off their water and power.  They have continued to make their farm into a kind of retreat center--truly lighting a candle in the darkness.  We heard about this in our last few days in Bethlehem and weren't able to make a visit, but resolved to learn more about it and support it in the future.

On the weekend of November 8-9, David was privileged to be one of six guest conductors for the "Singers in Accord" Twin Cities choir.  It was once again a marvelous experience.  Before the Saturday night concert, David mentioned to one of the other conductors, Nancy Grundahl, that we had been in Bethlehem recently.  She said, "Oh, we have a guest speaker coming from Bethlehem to our church tomorrow--he has this farm where people can come to work for peace."  Yes, it was Daoud Nasser, and he was speaking on November 9 in the morning at Mayflower Congregational UCC in Minneapolis--a 1/2 mile from where I would be on Sunday morning at Bethlehem (!) Lutheran Church.

David was able to go to Mayflower at noon when he was done on Sunday at Bethlehem, and there was pleased to see this bulletin cover by a Dar al-Kalima grade school student  (scroll down to the "Scan to Me" file in this drive:

https://drive.google.com/a/csp.edu/?tab=mo#my-drive

Daoud and David visited for a bit after the service was done at Mayflower.  He actually had seen and heard us at the October 19 service at Christmas Lutheran Church.  David appreciated hearing about Daoud's work, and the two agreed to keep in touch.  It was a great gift to get to connect, and we hope to stay connected.  Somehow all of the remarkable happenstances of this adventure--we believe them to be the hand of God in our midst--make us believe that we will stay connected, spiritually, emotionally, and maybe even in physical presence.  The journey has shown us that our faith is truly incarnational--that God appears to us in the people of the Body of Christ throughout the world.  We are blessed to be part of that Body, and desire to be "hearts and hands and voices" in that Body (from "Now Thank We All Our God"--which we sang at church choir at Bethlehem (!) tonight.

Soli Deo Gloria!  Amen!

P.P.S. Reflections on the Journey

November 6, 2014

We've been home a few days now and are starting to process our experience of the last several weeks abroad.  This was the trip of a lifetime, and it will continue to inform who we are and how we live for years to come.

Some things we observed/learned:

--We believe there is an objective reality and truth, and cling with hope for its full revelation in Christ.  In the meantime, it is clear that the reality that people live and act upon is the reality of their own perceptions and feelings.  For people on the opposite sides of an issue, those views of reality are widely divergent.  This is particularly the case when one side is in a dominant position, often leading the other side to being oppressed, and the oppressor going to great lengths to retain its position of privilege.  

--All people share a core of hopes and dreams for life;  the vast majority of people do not want conflict, and they reject extremes on either side of an issue that would seek to use violence to advance their side's agenda.  We are grateful for all of these people who simply want to raise their children in a healthy environment so that they can grow up to be decent people.   We pray that this moderate center--based on a future for their children--can ascend throughout the world.

--It is understandable that people who are dominated by others will want to react with physical resistance.  This is the case with the Palestinians who throw rocks or fire pipes into the air in rather futile, impotent gestures;  they are acting out their frustrations, and trying to show the Israelis (and the world) that they will not accept the situation.  It's an emotional response of the powerless trying to show they have power, but it has proven to be ineffective--and it has been met with an overwhelming and violent response from the Israelis, who react out of fear to what they see as a threat to their life in the land.  This polarized situation leads each side to dehumanize (even to demonize) the other, which only leads to more tragedy and deeper division. 

--The path to peace will be one that develops understanding through intentional connections and dialogue, where the people on each side begin to see the humanity that they each share with each other--humanity as fellow children of God, who need to forgive and be forgiven.  We witnessed many ways that this is happening:   

•  through arts (such as the Jerusalem YMCA Youth Chorus and its dialogues)
• development of culture and positive opportunities for a rich life (the mission of the Diyar Consortium and its Dar al-Kalima University)
• answering oppression by creating life and community (the path of the "Tent of Nations") 

These may seem like "pie in the sky" idealistic approaches, but they are the only real path to peace.  They each are lighting a candle in the darkness--and the darkness has not overcome it.  We believe this is the message of the Gospel in Christ--that we are all guilty and in darkness, and we all need to be at the foot of the Cross, admitting--not glossing over--that guilt, being forgiven, and then we can accept and offer to others that forgiveness.  We then are made open to understanding and reconciling with our neighbors, which will lead to the abundant life of righteousness, justice, and peace as God has intended for the world.  This path is the best (frankly, the only) hope for peace, where individuals hearts and minds are tranformed, leading to society following along.  It was a path that has worked in places like South Africa, the American Civil Rights Movement, and the Baltic Republics (all patterns of peace in which music was intertwined)--and it is a path that was inspiring to the students we shared it with at Dar al-Kalima.   The great challenge is that the current atmosphere is blocking attempts at this kind of reconciliation.  We have the opportunity to support  building God's Kingdom of peace;  for this path to succeed in this time and place, it will require the support and nurturing of outside powers--most notably the United States--to provide the framework in which reconciliation can begin.

--We were being watched over every step of the journey;  whenever things could have gone very wrong, an angel in the form of a stranger or friend stepped in to help us.  We are grateful for the kindness of those strangers.  We are also grateful for these evidences of God's love and protection.

--David has learned the value of slowing down his pace and taking the time to observe and enjoy his surroundings and the people in them.  He hopes to carry it into his work and life back home.

--Kathy has learned the value of going with the flow and trusting that all will work out in the end.  She, too, hopes that this will give her the encouragement she needs for life here.

--As people get to know each other more, they treat each other with more respect, trust and generosity (e.g., the longer we lived in the neighborhood, the more people reached out to us and offered support--we moved from being tourists/strangers/intruders to neighbors/friends).

--Music is transformative:  individuals can be renewed, communities can be formed, and chasms between peoples can be bridged.  For it to be lasting change, though, there needs to be intentional dialogue and truth-telling.  This was a major insight we gained from Micah Hendler of the Jerusalem YMCA Youth Chorus--the video they produced speaks volumes:  https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=cm#label/Sabbatical-Bethlehem/1490fa2437a7f836?projector=1

--David gained a wealth of music source material and performance practice ideas that he will be able to tap into for creative purposes for a long time.

--Kathy regained piano skills, playing with confidence and effectiveness in our public performances.

--Surprising connections with people will occur, even half way across the globe--but perhaps those connections are not so surprising--the network of the Body of Christ is both tangible and spiritual, and connections will appear that are beyond our understanding.

We are also grateful that we were able to have a positive impact through the clinics with the guest choirs, our teaching at Dar al-Kalima University, and performances at the churches.  We particularly cherish three compliments on this work that people shared with us indicate some of this impact:

1. From Micah Hendler, founder/director of the Jerusalem YMCA Youth Chorus (Palestinian, Jewish Israeli, and Arab Israeli Youth), following our clinic with his group:

Dear David,

I had to write and thank you for an incredible workshop yesterday with my singers.  I'm sure you could hear the difference before and after - but for example, Evyatar has never sounded better (and we've been struggling with his vocal habits despite his talent for two years now).  It is due not only to your extensive experience but also to your person - learning all the names of the kids, tailoring your explanations to them, making it memorable - I can't tell you how valuable the experience was for us.  And it set up a paradigm of attention and focus that lasted for the rest of the rehearsal (another 2+ hours), making this rehearsal one of the most amazing we've ever had.

I am so grateful to you for reaching out and for contributing your expertise and art to our cause.

In song, 

Micah

The Jerusalem YMCA Youth Chorus

 2.  Students at Dar al-Kalima University who sought David out for additional private voice lessons and coachings beyond their regularly scheduled lessons--and the students calling him "Dr. David".  Several students asked him about coming to Concordia St. Paul to finish their music degrees.  The administration at Dar al-Kalima has asked David to return for a longer time in the future.

Some students at Dar al-Kalima University

3. An email from Pastor Mitri Raheb after our performances of a Schutz piece and a Spiritual for Sunday worship:

 David, 

The contribution to the service yesterday was special. Thanks. 

 Thanks for support with the college. Any feedback you can offer on how to improve the music program is highly appreciated. 

Blessings and safe travel

Mitri 

Kathy, Mitri Raheb, and David

We are grateful for these connections and new friendships.  Clearly, it was the people we met (rather than the churches we saw, museums we viewed, or old rocks we visited that used to be buildings) that made our experience significant.  They each were a gift from God to us, and we cherish the time we shared and hope to continue to connect in the future.

Our world has been broadened by this experience.  Thank you for reading our blog and following our adventure.  May you know God's blessings in your journey.  We now close this blog with "Deo Gratias"  and "Soli Deo Gloria"!

Star Street in Bethlehem--coming and going on the path of Jesus' entry to the world

--

Dessert in Italy

November 5, 2014

This is David writing;  Kathy and I got home safely on Monday, November 3 from a delightful week in Italy--an extension we funded ourselves to celebrate (belatedly) our 30th anniversary.  A few highlights of that week:

--10+ miles of walking in Rome to see the major sites over two days

Piazza Navona in Rome

--an afternoon coffee/dessert meeting in Florence with musical colleagues David had met in Korea at the World Symposium on Choral Music in August.  We talked with Federico (a conductor) and Leonardo (an opera singer),  directors of a choral festival in Florence.  We talked about possible collaborations in the future.  The delightful conversation led to Leonardo hosting us at a friend's restaurant for the most fabulous meal we have had in our lives (seven courses, with plenty of prosecco and Chianti)--complete with conversations with the Italian neighbors and friends in this popular, small neighborhood restaurant:

Leonardo, Kathy, and David feasting on Florentine cuisine

--Worship on Sunday, November 2 (All Soul's Day) at the San Marco Basilica in Venice, where we by chance met a group of St. Thomas University students--including one that David had worked with last year when subbing for their director.

San Marco Basilica in Venice

 This week was a real gift to us--a real vacation when we didn't have an agenda or responsibilities (just to get to the next place, which is always an adventure in travel)--but truly a dessert and decompression for us before returning home.

Post Script

October 26, 2014


This is David writing today.  The last couple of days have added even more to our adventure--truly a bonus "P.S." to our time in the Middle East.

Saturday was a calm day--no classes because of the Islamic New Year.  We spent the morning and early afternoon cleaning, doing laundry, packing, and planning how to get the exact number of shekels, dinars, and Euros we would need for the various crossings we have coming up.  We then set out on a final walk around Bethlehem.  First stop was at a friend of Hejazi (our guide to the Dead Sea on Friday night), who said to just ask at the phone shop on Star Street for his friend.  We did that, and the store owner pointed at the apartment across the street, and phoned the person--Nabil--who dropped what he was doing to come and share mint lemonade and conversation with us.  He is a delightful person, and our visit was enriched by another person--a young American named Michelle who is teaching at a school in Jerusalem.  Turns out that she knows Micah Hendler of the YMCA  Youth Chorus, and spent time in Willmar and Benson, Minnesota and knew people we knew there.

With our new friend, Nabil

Michelle and Nabil

Our conversation was, as has always been the case in talking about the occupation of Palestine, animated and enlightening.  One of the amazing stories we talked about (a situation that Kathy had heard about from others earlier in the week) is a Palestinian farm south of Bethlehem owned by a family from Christmas Lutheran Church--Daoud Nassur.  Their farm (which they have had as deeded property since Ottoman times--and which the Israeli Supreme Court has ruled is theirs and that any encroachment on their land is illegal by Israeli law) is surrounded by Israeli settlements--putting them in a donut hole.  The settlers, with the help of the Israeli army, have cut off Daoud's electricity and water, and have bulldozed trees in their olive grove in an attempt to move them off of their land (this is typical).  Nassur's response has been to set up solar panels and dig their own wells, and to establish a peace center, "Tent of Nations" where volunteers can come and plant trees, and youth can have camp-like activities.  One can find links to them by googling "tent of nations."  It is a remarkable story of peaceful resistance, and we pray and hope that it will be successful--not only in keeping their family farm going, but in opening the eyes of the world--including the Israelis--that violent actions and oppression destroy not only the oppressed, but eat away at the soul and the humanity of the oppressor.  

We moved on with our walk to return a hymnal we had borrowed from Christmas Lutheran Church, and Ewa and Boulos gave us some directions to other places we wanted to find--a dessert place that made great kenafa, and a nearby refugee camp.  We found both--decided against dessert even though it looked great (we were hoarding shekels at that point), and walked through the refugee camp--essentially a slum area of Bethlehem established by the UN in 1950 for refugees from the 1948 War--which the Israelis call "The War of Independence"  and which the Palestinians call the "Nafka" ("The Catastrophe")--again--two vastly different perspectives.  It seems that inertia is a powerful force--people--and even more, nations and institutions--become used to the status quo, and structures, lives, expectations conform to that--either painfully accepting on one side or blindly happy on the other.   Despair on one side and fear on the either all too often leads to violence.

The walk continued with a swing back up Star Street past our apartment and on to Manger Square.  We followed up on an earlier invitation from a man in the street, Pastor Issa, to stop by their house church--"House of Bread"--an evangelical Palestinian church.  Our brief visit was pleasant, and delightful in seeing these people who were deeply religious and fervently praying for and expressing the power of God's Spirit in their lives and for the transformation of the world.  He gave us the contact information for a person he had met in Hugo, Minnesota (just north of St. Paul) on one of his mission trips.  We appreciated Pastor Issa's closing prayer with us, and his gift of a hymnal.

Pastor Issa and David in the House of Bread church

Pastor Issa at the entrance to his church

The next morning was final packing, finishing up the food, and catching a ride into Jerusalem with a friend who works with a church-related NGO that sponsors and trains support teams that come to Palestine.  We took an alternate route into the city, passing by a section of the Israeli Wall (with graffiti on the Palestinian side).

The Israeli wall in Bethlehem

She also pointed out the many Israeli settlements on the way from Bethlehem to Jerusalem.  She had an interesting observation about what has kept the conflict going for so long--money and power (no surprise there if one reads Scripture.)  It is in Arab countries' interest to keep the conflict simmering, as it takes the minds of their people off their own domestic problems and oppressions;  it is one of the few things uniting Israel, which is fractured in its politics;  and it provides money for military contractors and even the many ngos that are there working for peace.

We carried these thoughts into worship, where Kathy and I performed the spiritual "Religion is a Fortune"--again a hit.  The Gospel text was "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. . .and your neighbor as yourself."   The sermon was thoughtful, engaging, and compassionately presented, but, as so often seems to be the case, it focused on social justice issues, the political situation here, and what we need to do about it (or what God is telling us to do about it.)   While we agree with the  tenor of those thoughts, Kathy and I are disappointed when pastors in the pulpit--and faithful lay people, for that matter--fail to connect this to what God has done for us in Christ Jesus--for the true Kingdom of God's grace and love that surpasses any human political or social justice agenda, and makes a deeper, fuller, more complete transformation possible.   A couple of scriptural passages point out the need to avoid this trap of us trying to usher in a Messianic age that matches our own human agendas--

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the Name of the Lord our God." (Psalm 20:7)

(Jesus:) "You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me among you." (Matthew 26:11, Mark 14:7, John 12:8)

(Jesus:) "My kingdom is not of this world." (John 18:36)

This doesn't mean we ignore the needs for us to be Christ's hands for social justice in the world.   We just need to let the the horse be before the cart--remembering it is not us who are on the hook for this, but that Christ already placed himself on the hook of the cross to redeem us from human condition of sin.  Christ's redeeming love and grace must be the starting and ending point from which we live--which leads us to the abundant life God has in mind for us--even when it is in a painful world that seems to always fall short of God's plan for us.

After church, we swung by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and finally (on our fourth try) got to visit the Sepulchre altar itself--a way for us to put our time in the Holy Land to rest, and to look ahead to the daily resurrection to new life that we will continue to gain from this experience.

Out of focus picture of the Holy Sepulchre altar (jostled in line!)

Inside the Sepulchre shrine.

We moved on after a final shawerma/falafel lunch, rolling our luggage over the cobblestone streets (and hills) of the Old City, to meet a driver we had lined up to take us to the Allenby/King Hussein crossing by Jericho. It turned out that he knew other friends we had met--Mark and Susanne Brown from Lutheran World Federation.  It felt good to be in the hands of yet another angel God had sent our way without our planning.

At the border crossing, we met a delightful and VERY outgoing Jordanian-born (but grew up in Atlanta) body-builder and man of faith named Fadi.   We had a great conversation--he is a man who is eager to put his faith into action through acts of service.  He was pleased to hear that we have been married 30 years and asked how we did it--our response was that we shared the same faith and the values it carried, and that we freely forgave each other.  He was inspired by this and wants to apply that in his own life.  (I'm bummed I didn't get a picture of him with Kathy before we parted--he actually approached her first for a conversation--he has good taste).  Here's a picture of him from his email thumbnail  (His personal trainer business is titled "Body by Fadi"--he's obviously good at what he does:

Fadi Malouf in action

Fadi Malouf

In yet another wonderful happenstance, we bumped into Pastor Mitri Raheb at the Jordan border crossing; he was returning from the release in Germany of his latest book translated into German.  As we have mentioned before, he is pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church, founder of the Diyar Consortium, and President of Dar al-Kalima University.  Early in his ministry, he tried to work through the political process to bring about positive change as the Church.  He found that this continually came up short, and he has sought the path of beginning from faith and then going to action.  The goal of Diyar is to help people receive the abundant life that God wants for them, and to do it through opportunities in the arts, culture, health, and faith--ways to build the community, but on the foundation that is Christ the solid rock.  His work is inspiring, and he was a gracious host for us.  It was delightful that he was our final goodbye to Palestine (and that we got the picture we had earlier missed with him!)

Kathy, Mitri Raheb, and David at the Jordanian border crossing

On the Jordan side of the border, our driver friend, Khader Douad, picked us up and took us to his home for supper.  He and his family were very kind to us--particularly striking as they were dealing with a couple of family medical crises.  We hope and pray that their family is well.  He took us to the airport, where we waited for our 2:15 am flight.  We managed to get through security at the airport after a bit of an argument--we learned the need to be forceful by this point--and had a comfortable flight to Rome, via Paris. 

We'll be adding one more reflection blog after we return to the US.

Sunrise, Sunset--closing days in Bethlehem

October 25, 2014

We're spending the last three days in Bethlehem mostly wrapping things up.  Thursday night we were delighted to attend a dance concert at Dar Annadwa (the International Center of Bethlehem complex connected to Christmas Lutheran Church)  that was part of the Diyar Theatre Week. 

Christmas Lutheran Church on Madbasseh Square--part of the International Center of Bethlehem complex

 The 12 member Diyar Dance Theatre troupe was wonderful.  Our friend, Diyar Communications Director and CSP grad Angie Sabaa served as emcee:

Diyar Dance Theatre troupe October 23 to open Diyar Theatre Week

 Friday, October 24, we spend most of the day being ahead--not realizing that Palestine/Israel moved their clocks back to end DST.   David got a couple more pictures from the neighborhood:

George's Supermarket (down the hill from our apartment)

Sesame breakfast rolls hot out of the oven (100 feet from our apartment).

On his last day of teaching, David got photos of his music colleagues at Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts:

David with Dr. Mutasem Adileh, chair of the department and teacher of theory, history and Oriental instrumental music, outside the music department rooms.

Hassan, David's colleague for voice lessons and music ensemble--a great keyboardist and composer in the "Colorado Room" where we met for lessons and ensemble.

David with Prof. Najwa Raheb, piano professor and interpreter for David's Music Appreciation classes, along with one of the Dar al-Kalima music students who wanted to be in the picture :)  in the hallway of the music area.

Goodbyes were shared, with disappointment expressed on both sides over the shortness of our visit.  We are hopeful to stay in touch with these new friends who have enriched our lives.

On a last minute lark, we decided to follow up on a lead that David's Concordia St. Paul colleague, Dr. Debra Beilke, had shared with us (she had also taught here a couple of years ago on her sabbatical).   We went on (another) 4 x 4 trip into the desert.  Our guide was Hijazi Eid, who, with his wife Raouda, served as our hosts to see the sunset over the Dead Sea , have supper with a Bedouin family, and see the stars from the dark of the desert.  Hijazi is warm, engaging, and keenly articulate about the history and politics of the region.  (He is also really good at changing tires.)  We felt privileged to add him to our list of friends on this adventure.

Hijazi and our Bedouin driver fixing a flat tire (a common experience on the desert "road" we were on.)

A Bedouin with his herd of goats in the desert southeast of Bethlehem.

Raouda and Kathy at the Dead Sea overlook ( the Jordanian mountains are reflected in the opposite side of the Dead Sea)

In the Bedouin tent after supper with our driver, his father--the tribe's sheik--and Hijazi.

The Bedouin family's herd of sheep safe in their pen for the evening (reminded us of an Archbook story of the Lost Sheep).

 Hijazi is a devout Muslim who was a classmate of Dr. Nuha Khoury's at Bethlehem University, earned an MBA, and has travelled widely.  He has had a travel business for over thirty years, specializing in getting people connected with people (rather than just looking at sites).  He was delighted that we knew Debra Beilke and remembered her fondly.  Our conversations with him deepened our understanding of the issues here.  He pointed out the many Israeli settlements that have been established in this area--always introduced first by setting up an army outpost. (I note that there are about 440 of these settlements in the West Bank--all of them illegal under the international law that the US has agreed to uphold).   He shared keen insights on how the conflicts throughout the region have impacted the lifestyle of the Bedouin--nomadic tribal herders who at one time roamed the entire Middle East, irrespective of borders, but now must keep their tents and lives in one place and keep their animals from crossing security boundaries (or lose them in the courts).   The parallel with the US forcing Native Americans onto reservations is striking.

The remarkable thing in our conversation was that Hijazi feels hopeful for the future.  He sees many changes throughout the world--the fall of the Soviet Union, the end of apartheid in South Africa, even the election of an African-American president in a US that continues to confront racial issues--as hopeful signs that the world is moving ahead.  He believes the long term military occupation here will have to end eventually for the sake of both the Palestinians and the Israelis. 

The evening gave us a chance to rest, reflect, and gaze at the stars--while also seeing how close the lights in the distance of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Amman were.  Perhaps the hearts of those places can become similarly close in the future through the many we have met here who are lights shining in the darkness. 

Sunset in the Dead Sea desert--a suitable bookend to the sunrise we saw over the Dead Sea a month ago at Masada at the start of our adventure here.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood--part 2--daily life

October 23

We have been blessed to live in a quiet, pleasant neighborhood on Star Street, surrounded by friendly neighbors and with resources for all of our basic necessities close at hand.  Again, the longer we have been here, the more people have welcomed us.  It has been wonderful to be here long enough for that to start to happen.

It has also been interesting for David to compare what he remembers of Bethlehem when he was here in 1980 to the present.  Back then, it seemed that Bethlehem had Manger Square, and not much else--a very small, undeveloped town.   With the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994, there has been the opportunity to build, to dream, to develop the city.  We see much entrepreneurship in the Palestinians--the most highly educated people in the Arab world--coupled with foreign investment. The result is many new buildings and continual growth to making this an attractive small city.

Here are a few more pictures of our neighborhood--more in the proximity of our living space:

The meat and produce market where we bought our fresh food (the manager was giving us freebies by the time we left).

Our favorite pita bread place--drive thru bread to pick up on the street.

Tagrid gave me a great haircut (and coffee and a visit after).  Yusef is in the background.

A pleasant afternoon at a local Olive Wood factory  (David earned a "dumb quack" that day when he looked at the wood and said, "Oh, is this cedar?"  Much laughter resulted, continuing over tea later).

Paul VI street, looking down towards Manger Square

Paul VI Street, looking up towards the International Center of Bethlehem (Annadwa) and Christmas Lutheran Church.

The Grand Park Hotel (who let us use their Wifi when we arrived)

The  two trees sculpture in the King David/Star Street roundabout 1/2 block from our apartment.

Looking down Star Street at night (our apartment is on the right across from the first light;  a mosque tower of Manger square is visible in the distance.)

A Beautiful Day(s) in the Neighborhood--part 1--Dar al-Kalima

October 22-23 (and previous days)

It has been a joy to live in our Bethlehem neighborhood--which we take to include all of our experiences in Bethlehem.  The people have been gracious and welcoming, and we have found that the longer we are here, the more they see us as neighbors and treat us as their own.  We are grateful for these people and their support.  Below are some of the people and places that have made us part of this neighborhood of Bethlehem.  Here are a few more pictures of people and art at Dar al-Kalima, our place of work.

The Music Appreciation class I taught at Dar al-Kalima --they brought insights and ideas to the presentations--particularly on the power of music to help transform people.  Prof. Najwa Raheb is on the right;  she teaches piano, translated my lectures, is the Finance Officer at another institution, and provides continual support to her husband, Pastor Mitri Raheb

David with Dr. Nuha Khoury, Academic Dean at Dar al-Kalima who set up our teaching here and housing in Bethlehem.

student art work at Dar al-Kalima (on the floor of the music department):  Crucifixion

student art work:  Jesus Baptism, with the animals of Noah's Ark