"O Little Town of Bethlehem..."

"...The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight". 

Here is a thought my leader, Linford, shared with us the other day. 

"He [God] brought His son into the world to save the world from their sins and teach people to live in peace and justice where there is the most non-peace and injustice happening (both then under Roman occupation and now under Israeli occupation) *. He could have had Jesus' birth happen somewhere else, it would have been easier. But maybe the reason He did that was so that they/we would fully rely on Him".

*Disclaimer: I'm not saying that I am picking sides in the current political situation here in Israel/Palestine. I am simply stating that there is a lot of conflict and injustice happening..

These past two weeks here in Palestine have been some of the most challenging, unsettling, confusing weeks of my life but it has also been 2 of the best weeks of my life. I have encountered some truly beautiful people and am truly experiencing God in real and intimate ways. It is so amazing to be where Jesus was born, climb the mountains King David climbed, and to live in the town Ruth lived in. However, when I am in these places, right beside them are Israeli settlement/segregation wall. It's very unsettling to me to see such conflict and devastation going on around me. It feels like such a contradiction to be in the Holy Land and see this. There is story after story from both the Palestinians and the Israeli's that just breaks my heart in a way that I have never experienced before... especially stories from my own host family. I am embarrassed at how un-informed I was before coming to this beautiful place. My heart has broken for these people and I will never be the same. Sometimes I find myself wondering where is the hope? Then I remember....Jesus is the hope. Recall from the hymn, O little town of Bethlehem, the phrase, "the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight". Past, present, and future, Jesus is the hope. Jesus is the one I cling to.. He is my hope! I am not sure what the answer to this Israeli/Palestinian solution is and I don't know if anyone truly does. However, I see hope in people searching after God and following the teachings of Jesus. I think it's important to mention that I am not taking sides in this horrendous situation. Before we left someone shared the quote that "choosing a side only adds another enemy" and I am holding true to this statement. Do I love the Palestinians? Yes. Do I hope for a state for them? Yes. Do I love the Israelis? Yes. Do I hope for them to have a state? Yes. I just see injustice happening (from both sides) and that I am not okay with! It frustrates me how inapt I am at articulating how I feel/what's going on so if you have any questions please ask. So what is my role as an American? Stay tuned... I'm doing a research project on this very question that I will share with you all when I'm finished. 

To end, I want to share with you another amazing God moment I had based off of Psalm 23. It says:

A psalm of David.

 ¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 

 ² He makes me lie down in green pastures, 

he leads me beside quiet waters, 

 ³ he refreshes my soul. 

He guides me along the right paths 

   for his name’s sake. 

⁴ Even though I walk 

   through the darkest valley

I will fear no evil, 

   for you are with me; 

your rod and your staff, 

   they comfort me.

 ⁵ You prepare a table before me 

   in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; 

   my cup overflows. 

⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me 

   all the days of my life, 

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD 

   forever.

The other day, we took a hike that supposedly this passage is based off of. It is the ancient road from Jerusalem to Jericho where the story of the good Samaritan is thought to have happened. It was a gorgeous day and such an amazing hike! Based on Psalm 23, it was not how I pictured it! Instead of lush green pastures, there is beautiful greenery (such as bushes and trees) that just provide this amazing contrast to the harsh desert and mountains that surrounds it. The verse He restoreth my soul truly came to life when I sat by a small river bed and just talked to God. It was an amazing experience.

To really end, I celebrated my birthday in Christ's birthplace! How cool is that? I also experienced my first surprise party.... I'd say it was the best birthday ever. Here is a picture of my delicious cake! 

That was a long post, hope to update you more soon! (Special thanks to my friends who keep reminding me that I need to update-love you guys!) 

Till next time...Salam (peace).

ps. random highlights of the past two weeks: dancing the cotton-eyed-joe in my kitchen with my siblings, coffee at stars and bucks in Bethlehem, birthday song in arabic, my wonderful host family and reading bible passages and then looking out my window and seeing where it took place.