This week

Tomorrow morning, Chris and I will leave with a few Norweigan volunteers who arrived here to Elat, which is in the southern tip of Israel, at the Gulf of Aqaba. We are going with some members of the Bible Society who work with children to a Sudanese refugee camp.
On Friday, we will go with a bunch of students from the Living Stones Center to Jericho.

On a more funny note, Chris and I had the unfortunate experience of having a mouse in our apartment. Below is the video that Chris shot of the encounter!

www.cjlewis.wordpress.com


Besides catching mice, Chris and I have spent a substantial amount of time teaching English to students in the surrounding villages - mostly boys between the ages of 10 and 12. They come to the schools as kind of an after-school class. We teach about 15-20 at a time, 2 hours each class, four times a week. In addition, we're volunteering at the Catholic school in town, four classes a week - integrating english into a phys ed class for 5th and 6th graders. About two times a week, we teach an english class with university students from the University of Birzeit who come to the Living Stones Center. We've been forming substantial relationships with these students - trusting God with the fruit of these labors!

South Africa - Rugby World Cup 2007

YEAH SOUTH AFRICA!!

A Passage

The following is a passage out of Henri Nouwen's book, "Creative Ministry." This book has been very helpful to me, as he encourages ministers (basically every Christian) to not shun thinking deeply about the state of this world, and the power of Christ to deeply and mysteriously transform the suffering and shallowness that surrounds us. He challenges us to be real agents of change - wherever we are - to not separate change of the soul from change that also takes action. These are things I still continually seek to work through...

"For Christians are only Christians when they unceasingly ask critical questions of the society in which they live and continuously stress the necessity for conversion, not only of the individual but also of the world.
"We are only Christian when we refuse to allow ourselves or anyone else to settle into a comfortable rest. We must remain dissatisfied with the status quo. And we believe that we have an essential role to play in the realization of the new world to come - even if we cannot say how that world will come about.
"We are only Christian when we keep saying to everyone we meet that the Good News of the Reign of God has to be proclaimed to the whole world and witnessed to all nations (Matthew 24:13). As long as we are alive, we must keep searching for a new order without divisions between people, for a new structure that allows every person to shake hands with every other person, and for a new life in which there will be everlasting unity and peace.
"We must not allow our neighbors to stop moving, to lose courage, or to escape into small, everyday pleasures to which they cling.
"We must be irritated by satisfaction and self-contentment in ourselves as well as in others, since we know with an unshakable certainty that something great is coming of which we have already seen the first rays of light.
"We must believe that this world not only passes but has to pass in order to let the new world be born.
"We must believe that there will never be a moment in this life in which we can rest in the supposition that there is nothing left to do.
"But we will not despair when we do not see the result we have wanted to see. For in the midst of all this work, we keep hearing the words of the One sitting on the throne: 'I am making the whole of creation new' (Revelation 21:5).

Mar haba

That means "hello"!

Two days ago Chris and I started our English teaching. Neither of us had ever taught English before. I was seriously nervous, but of course it was more fun than we thought.

We began with a 5th grade phys ed class at the Catholic school in town - incorporating games with English learning. Simon Says was the most successful game - this was after trying to teach them a version of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot using animals - the kids just started acting like crazy animals all over the room - it was hilarious! After we reviewed some of the vocab with the kids at the end of the class period (like numbers, body parts, and animals), the kids started singing "We will, we will, ROCK YOU!!" - complete with hand clapping. Did they even know what they were saying? It was a sight that will keep me laughing for months.

Later that night, Chris and I began our English classes with the university students that come by the Living Stones center from BirZeit University. We broke up into separate groups of about 6 each. The enthusiasm of the students to learn new vocab and have better pronounciation really encouraged me! After telling them a bit about myself (complete with a map of the US on the board), we worked through an article I printed out from the Philadelphia Inquirer about China's stance on the crisis in Burma and how it might affect their ability to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. It could have sounded like I was teaching them about political insurrection - introducing them to words such as "protest," "campaign," and "advocacy" - but that's ok I guess :)

After our class, a couple of the students invited Chris and I out to a "club" down the street - it's actually what looks like an abandoned house that two guys sell hagila (hubbly bubbly) and drinks out of. We chilled outside in the courtyard around some tables - laughing and talking. I think the English speaking really helped us bridge some gaps with one another - it was a lot of fun. These are some of our friends we hung out with: Hassan, Renad, and Samuel.

Well, I must get back to some paper writing - Chris and I are trying to psych ourselves up by listening to a Jurassic Park soundtrack... Maresalam (good-bye).

God's Timing

"If the desire for silence, for moments of contemplation and meditation, is not born out of our concerns for this world, we will soon become bored, not understanding why we have to be subjected to so many pious exercises."



The passage before this in Henri Nouwen's book, "Creative Ministry," talks about the interconnectedness of prayer and ministry. I have had a lot of time for contemplation lately.



Two days ago, Chris and I took a walk around town. We saw some interesting things. For one, little kids, all over the place, played with toy guns - like M16 looking guns. Is there nothing else to play with? What have these children seen that causes this to be their main source of recreational activity? Secondly, I'm trying to understand the politics. Where does the "terror" of Hamas come from? What is going on in Gaza and how are people coping with the uncertainty of the next few months as the "peace" talks procede? Thirdly, where is my life going? Well, i guess that's typical thoughts of a 25 year old.. :)



This weekend, Chris and I went with Nash, Nisreen, and their daughter Nourel to Nazareth. We drove through the ancient sea coast town of Caesarea which Herod built up around 30 B.C. It was my first view of the Mediterranean Sea and my first view of Roman ruins. Seriously, one of the coolest sites I'd ever seen. After watching the movie "Taxi" with Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah almost twice on the Jordanian movie channel from the apartment we were staying in, in Nazareth, we set off on Sunday for a day FILLED with sites (or maybe it just seemed like it b/c there was so much to take in).

From the window in the apartment, Nash showed me the view of Mt. Tabor - where the Transfiguration took place (where Jesus went up on the mountain and met with Elijah and Moses - and Peter said "we should stay up here!" I could see why he would say that - it surely is a cool mountain/hill that commands an impressive view). We went to the Church of the Annunciation (where Catholics believe the angel Gabriel came to announce Christ's birth to Mary).. then to the Church of St. Gabriel where Eastern Orthodox christians believe Gabriel came to Mary. Whether the other is "correct" or not, both had ancient ruins. It was out of this world.

We drove through Haifa and then down the Mediterranean coast line. I have to say that the way the sun shone on the shoreline was perhaps one of my favorite things about the trip. It was like California, but more mystical.

Then, probably my second favorite site - driving through Jerusalem at night. It's a mixture of the old with the new - and the way the spotlights light up the old wall of Jerusalem is unbelievable...


Finally, as the peace talks loom on the horizon, sparking much uncertainity, fear, and resentment among people here. Chris and I were supposed to go to a peaece concert later this week in Jericho with students from Birzeit University. That concert was canceled b/c of security threats. - I will close this entry with words from another book I finished a little while ago - "The Church was the only hope for the Middle East, not because she had a better programme or more political insight. She didn't...Surely there were those who realized the bankruptcy of a peace process that had brought no peace for fifty years. For those who were willing, they could see the answer - Palestinians and Jews meeting at the foot of the cross."

Some recent pics

The center round-about in Birzeit

In the center of Ramallah
Above is the entrance to the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) headquarters

Ramallah

With Imad (one of the directors of Living Stones), his wife, and son

Chris and I were running a little low on food...

So he made a hot dog, cheese, and turkey slices omelette.. it was delicious!

At our nextdoor neighbors for dinner!

Sandra - their youngest daughter - SWEETIE!

And finally - the Living Stones center - where we hang out with students from Birzeit University, and where Chris and I will teach english and CV-writing courses. In Arabic - Bet'el Hadja

Salem (peace)

It feels strange to drink sweet tea and eat falafel at the same time. However, that’s what I feel like doing after a strange and somewhat emotional day.

After my first Catholic mass at the Catholic church in town with the English archbishop (the service was in both English and Arabic), Chris and I decided maybe we should take a walk around town. It was a beautiful day – clear sky, bright sunshine. We realized, before we left our apartment however, that our phone was locked and we didn’t understand the Arabic instructions to unlock it. A friend we met lives next door with his family, so we decided to ask him. They invited us in for some coffee. Pretty soon, Ahmad called and said he needed to talk with us.

That’s when we heard the news. Yesterday, a Bible society worker in Gaza was killed. He was 26, had two children, and a child on the way. Chris and I both looked at each other. “Don’t worry, don’t worry…” This is usual. This is life. Birzeit is safe they kept saying. The West Bank situation is definitely different. However, we were warned to be careful.

Again and again I am stuck by the “usual” courage of these Christians. They risk their life for the Gospel, and they can’t even speak the name of Christ but they could receive threats... Our situation as outsiders though is a little different… It reminds me strikingly of Paul’s exhortation and example to the Philippians – “for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Never before my eyes have I seen this so clearly portrayed.

So instead of our walk, Imad (one of the directors of Living Stones, where we work) and his wife, took Chris and I and his 1 year old son to Ramallah, where we walked around many of the city center’s streets, bought fruit, and tasted falafel. That was today.

The Third Day in Palestine

(the view from our apartment)

Chris (my classmate from my program) and I have been here almost three days. It’s different than I expected – more dry, arid – like another planet. Arabic is spoken everywhere. Five times a day, we hear a call to prayer from the nearby mosque. It woke us up the first night at 4am.
Yesterday morning we heard what Ahmed and Imad (the directors of the Living Stones center) want us to do. The Living Stones ministry has four components. Two of which, we are called upon to assist. The first involves helping the children in the local schools. This was called a “miracle” by Nash (our contact here, and fellow classmate as well)– that the Palestinian government would allow the Palestinian Bible Society into the schools. Christians consist of only 1% of the population. Chris and I will help motivate students in English skills, as well as assist in applying curriculum that focuses on helping kids deal with and express emotionally some of the trauma they encounter. Ahmed described the trauma like a domino effect. “A child sees his father beaten by a soldier. The child thinks his father is not powerful. The child sees the father beat the mother. The mother beats the child…” Basically, the children in the Palestinian schools need positive reinforcement to complete their studies.
The second dimension of work will be with the university students that come to the Living Stones center in the town of Birzeit, where we live. The University of Birzeit, ranking as the best Palestinian university, has about 7,000 students. The Living Stones center provides a place for students to hang out (Muslim, Christian, or whatever) – with coffee, free internet access, and a TV with a projector. Chris and I will lead workshops on how to write a CV, provide some English training, as well as probably presenting some of our North American culture on “culture nights.” The Bible Society sees this as a great indirect way of sharing the Gospel. Bibles are there for the students. The busiest nights of the week will probably be Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights.

( looking out onto the street from the Living Stones Center)

Tonight, Chris and I met a couple of these students from the university. After our meeting with Ahmed and Imad, we talked to a few students about their perceptions of North American culture. One of the guys, Tony (?) was very reluctant to speak English, although he was very good! Another guy, Samuel, joined right in the discussion, talking about how his perceptions of North American culture changed drastically when he went to the states to study abroad during the summer for peace and conflict resolution program. Because of US’ massive media industry, he thought American culture was highly immoral. However, he saw that many Americans are actually very religious. Conversely, he saw that their (or our) religious views often get in the way of regarding people from a human point of view. American’s Christians’ obsession with Israel, for instance, he saw as a reaction of religion and a complete disregard of humanity. In this way, he said, extremist Christian are like extremist Muslims.
After our discussion, students poured into the room to watch a special one-hour series that shows every night during Ramadan. The series takes place during the second intifada in 2002.
Finally, a couple of friends were gathering together for a surprise birthday party.

(with Aishish, apparently a "new" girl to the center - Ahmed had never met her before)

At the end of the night, Chris and I followed Imad and two other students back to his apartment where they introduced us to the “hubbley-bubbley” and some Arabic coffee. Unfortunately, we knew that coffee would keep us up until the first call to prayer at 4am, so we decided to get our sleep, and save more of that experience for another time.

I am still perhaps in culture shock, taking in one thing at a time, but I am really enjoying my time here. I am also grateful Chris is here – it means a lot to have another North American nearby (even if he is Canadian – jk Chris!).
Thanks for reading :) (as Shannon, our infamous blog-writer from our cohort, would say)

I'm about to leave...

I have a couple more things to put away in my carry-on. It's really surreal. I'll send out an email later with prayer requests.. but here are some thoughts:
- I pray for humility, to know these people well, to gain insight and vision into what is going on.
- I pray for humility also, to know that I can never measure the "work" I will do there
- I pray for the strength to be faithful in "the next thing," (as Elizabeth Elliot says) whether that is making dinner, entertaining, meeting students, children, townspeople, or co-workers.
- I pray for strength to make right decisions about when to rest, when to run hard, and when to wait
- I also pray for God to be made known. There is clearly no reason for me to go unless the Lord is hugely gloried. Like many things, I don't know how this will be accomplished, but through obedience, I'll follow Him to where He wants me to go
- Finally, it's not quite on my doorstep yet, but I need to make a decision about what to do after Christmas. There are several options floating around in my head that I ask God to make His peace clear about. I need wisdom.. and a great deal of John's attitude of: "I must become less, He must become greater". The more I enter this world of adulthood, the more I see how easy it is to get caught up in the game of "what I'M doing" and "how this will advance MY career". I need to toss that rubbish aside and run hard toward the GOAL.

Please Lord give me direction and peace. You LITERALLY walked the land I'm about to land on. And that blows my mind. Be with everyone I love.. and bring me back safely again if it be your will. Amen.