Yesterday was interesting and inspiring and depressing. The morning was spent touring some more ELCJHL schools and also their environmental education centre. There is a lot of cutting edge educational work being done, i.e. water from the bathrooms is recycled through to the botanical gardens which grows plants for various types of research. The church [...]
Archive for the ‘In the Holy Land’ Category
In the Holy Land – The Struggle for Justice and Peace
Posted in In the Holy Land on January 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
In the Holy Land – Olive Tree a Symbol of Hope
Posted in In the Holy Land on January 12, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Today was another emotional day. We saw a Palestinian home that is completely surrounded by the Israeli security fence with a six foot area around three sides. On the other side are Israeli settlers. Settlements are illegal under article 4 of the Geneva Convention but there they are.
We went to the Lutheran School of Hope [...]
In the Holy Land – A Quieter Day
Posted in In the Holy Land on January 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Today was a quieter day. We walked to worship at Church of the Reformation in Beit Jala. The congregation is small but full of children. They sang during the offering, a very familiar song, Seek Ye First. What a wonderful sound in Arabic. We followed with the singing of the Lord’s Prayer in Arabic. It [...]
In the Holy Land – Where is God? Who is my Neighbour?
Posted in In the Holy Land on January 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday we had a tour of Augusta Victoria Hospital, an LWF hospital and were inspired by the work they do. We also saw the geriatric ward that is being paid for by CLWR and CIDA. The director was most appreciative of our Canadian contributions. There is a plaque with a Canadian flag on the wall [...]
In the Holy Land – Viewing the Same Events Differently
Posted in In the Holy Land on January 9, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Today we spent the day in meetings with Israeli officials and guides where they shared their perspective. It is interesting to see how people view the same events differently, depending on their context. Our second purpose for this study tour was to become more fully aware of what the people in the Holy Land encounter [...]
In the Holy Land – The Importance of Accompaniment
Posted in In the Holy Land on January 9, 2009 | 1 Comment »
It has been inspiring to meet leaders from all across North America, committed to this study tour. Being here re-emphasized the importance of accompaniment. I have been living a white middle class faith, occasionally tested but never to the point where I had to make a choice between preserving my life or taking a risk [...]
In the Holy Land – A Prayer at the Wailing Wall
Posted in In the Holy Land on January 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Intertwining between religious, political and personal life is reflected in our schedule- we worshipped with Holy Communion at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer; we walked to the Temple Mount but were refused entry because of political and security concerns. Police and armed guards are clearly in evidence; a walking tour of the holy sites [...]
In the Holy Land – Caught Between the Ancient and the Contemporary
Posted in In the Holy Land, Uncategorized on January 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
From the plains of Tel Aviv we climbed towards Jerusalem. The roads became steeper and steeper. Biblical imagery of the fortress of Jerusalem came to mind often. As we looked out of our vehicle we saw terraced housing, a remnant of a time past but as we came closer to the city we found modern [...]
