by Laura | Jan 31, 2012 | Bethlehem, friendship
I know… it is high time I write a post! It is always easier for me to write about new things… places I’ve gone, etc, than about an experience that feels more “normal.” I guess that’s the nature of an adventure blog. I have had a wonderful month of homecomings, which have in fact felt pretty normal… a WONDERFUL thing! I am now back in Bradford. Although this month has involved plenty of travel, they have been comfortable, getting settled in places I know with people I know.
I feel really blessed to have friends around, work to do, and a great place to stay. Here are some pictures from the last month.
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| Deb, Katrina and I went to Arundel Mills Mall in MD. We found these CRAZY fluorescent patent leather shoes there. I’m sure they’ll be all the rage soon — we had a great time playing around in them. |
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| After doing a pretty good workout we decided to go to a local restaurant for a huuuuge late lunch. It was spectacular. I love and miss these women too much… they make my life amazing. |
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| And of course, it is absolutely wonderful to be back in the same location with Kagi:-). |
by Laura | Aug 6, 2011 | American, Bethlehem, culture, friendship, international, Israel, Palestine, reconciliation, thankful
Here’s the promised Part 2 of the things I’ll miss…
I really like spending time with people who are from different places, and the reality of the culture of the Land is that people are from everywhere, or from there and have lived elsewhere at one time or another. It’s fun to meet people all the time from so many places, which helps me to constantly think about my cultural assumptions, leading me to learning opportunities about myself and others.
I really missed my car. I mean really, freedom of movement is one of my favorite things and highest personal values. But I really enjoy walking as well and often took the opportunity for the hour-long walk home from work. I know that with the distances in the US and fast-paced lifestyles it just isn’t as possible to be a full-time pedestrian. I’ll try to keep walking when it makes sense though.
Pace of Life… Work/Life Balance
This is one of the things that I think I learned most about while overseas — in England and then even more in Palestine and Israel. I’ll note here that I think we are crazy in our expectations for ourselves and others in American culture. This is from personal experience, but I think it is a cultural reality for most middle-class Americans. And I’ll write a full post about this soon.
by Laura | Aug 5, 2011 | American, Bethlehem, culture, friendship, international, Israel, Palestine, reconciliation, thankful
Now that I’m home with some time on my hands, I’m looking forward to getting caught up on the last few things I wanted to write from Palestine and Israel. I’ll continue to share some more thoughts in the coming weeks/months as I reflect.
These are some of the things I wrote down as I anticipated leaving which I knew I would miss about life in the Land. Since I want to keep it short, I’ll just put the first two today, and then I’ll share a few more tomorrow.
The challenge of faith… needing to be so intentional… needing to rely so much on Jesus!
For me, it was spiritually very challenging in Israel and Palestine. Because there are so many strong opinions everywhere, I felt very guarded for much of my time there to share faith related stuff. This was silly, but still real. I also struggled to see so much religiously-based conflict everywhere. At first, I almost didn’t want to be labeled as a person of faith. Later, though, I started thinking about Jesus, and came back to understanding, with new enthusiasm, that he didn’t like religiousness either. I remembered how unbelievably hard and how opposite of human tendencies his commands are, and came back to the belief that His way is the only way. We must be humble to the point of death (Phil. 2), courageous in reconciliation, bold in faith, and committed to trusting Him, not ourselves, for the power to act in accordance with His will and for the results. In some ways, although learning these things can be incredibly exhausting, the battle can be more meaningful than the sometimes artificially easy way it can be for me to be “faithful” at home. (Please ask me if this doesn’t make sense to you, I’d love to discuss!)
My friends
I was so blessed with wonderful friends in the Land. It’s amazing how people can become like family — trusting and taking care of each other in such a short time. I will truly miss my friends and am thankful that I really expect to spend significant time with many of them in the years to come. Some friendships are like that… you strongly suspect that they aren’t just for one season.
Real, Yummy Fruits and Veggies
Fruits and vegetables in season, for great prices. Tomatoes that are really red. Apples that are normal sizes and flavorful, persimmons, pomegranates, figs, dates, orange juice squeezed in front of you. Amazing, healthy, affordable, always available. Heavenly!
by Laura | Jul 15, 2011 | Bethlehem, friendship, hope, Israeli, Musalaha, Palestine, reconciliation
Saturday I attended the weeding of some friends of mine in Bethlehem. I sat across from an Israeli and a Palestinian friend. They were getting along great. I kept hearing, “I love you sister!”
Eventually, the conversation turned to Musalaha, where they concluded together: “This is the real Musalaha.” Sitting at a table, doing life together, enjoying each other.
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| My beautiful friends. |
I’m thankful that the work we do is laying the groundwork for these relationships to begin. May more continue beyond our programs and into normal life.
It is my hope that someday these friends will not have to wait for permits and special events to see each other.
by Laura | Jul 14, 2011 | Bethlehem, culture, Israel, Jerusalem, Palestine, Palestinian
I’ve been meaning to write this for a long time. One thing I appreciate about Arab culture is that, when I get on a bus, a man often gives his seat up for me (or any other woman who gets on-board). This is especially nice because the buses are small and standing is very uncomfortable.
So here’s a shout-out to Arab gentlemen. I know you guys often get a bad rap, and I want you to know that I appreciate your kindnesses!
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I was with my photojournalist friend when he took this picture of our bus driver right by the checkpoint.
Photo credit: Barry Rodriguez, www.worldnextdoor.org. |
by Laura | Jul 1, 2011 | Bethlehem, conflict, friendship, Musalaha, reconciliation
This is my post of thanks that God has put some wonderful people in my life here in Israel and Palestine.
Yesterday marked the beginning of the end of this life-phase when my lovely housemate and co-volunteer Judith left to go home to Austria. For the last five months she has been a huge blessing to me, sharing both my home and office… the younger sister I didn’t expect to have here. It has been so helpful to have someone to process with, and she has been so gracious in being my primary sounding-board through lots of big issues needing to be worked through as I’ve experienced life here.
I am incredibly impressed with Judith’s ambitious and adventurous spirit, her diligence, servant heart, intelligence, and kindness. I expect this twenty-one year old to leave a tremendous mark on the world, and am thankful to have her as a great friend!
Here are a few memories we have shared:
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| Lots of fun and laughter in Bethlehem and Jerusalem! |
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Sharing great friends (and YANIF)
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| Riding this “British awesome” camel… |
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| Working for Musalaha, going on the Youth Desert Encounter, learning a lot about cultural differences in organizational structures. |
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| Having our eyes opened to the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, experiencing the confused phases of understanding , grief, frustration, and the beauty of reconciliation. |
Thank you, Judi. God bless you as you transition home. My prayer is that you will have a wonderful time and find contentment in Him wherever you go. I look forward to seeing you soon.
