"Walking Ancient Paths - Israel Study Tour"

May 10-24, 2018

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The People of the Land

Written by Erin McCallum

Wow. Where do I even begin with today? Today was arguably our most packed day thus far and we are tired, but it was all so incredibly worth every ounce of physical, but mostly mental and emotional energy that was needed. Today we got to study the “living stones” of the land of Israel and Palestine- the people, as our friend Daoud likes to put it. So far, we have only studied the “dead stones”- the sights that mean so much to us but are not functioning parts of the land anymore.

Before we did this though, we began our morning with a beautiful overlook view of Jerusalem, where we were able to point out Herod’s temple and other significant sights Ben and Stacie have been teaching us about. We are so privileged to be learning about this city from leaders who know it so well! We then traveled to Herodium, one of Herod the Great’s fortresses, near Bethlehem.

Herodium

Herodium is 3 miles southeast of Bethlehem and 8 miles south of Jerusalem. Its summit is 2,460 feet above sea level.

Herod built or re-built eleven fortresses. This one he constructed on the location of his victory over Antigonus in 40 BC.

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There we learned about the story of Jesus’ birth and really focused on the Magi, who we learned traveled approximately 900 miles to come and see the Messiah! We then traced back to what may have influenced their devotion to God, which surprisingly may have been Daniel. We pondered the question of what legacy we will leave behind- will our faith be a pillar of influence for our ancestors? We then traveled to an organization called the Tent of Nations, which is owned by Palestinian Christians. There we heard from Daoud who taught us much about loving our enemies and what it looks like to be a light for Christ in a dark place. Then we traveled to Bethlehem Bible College right in downtown Bethlehem where we heard from two workers of the Military Court Watch. It felt like we were at a ted talk- they gave us so much helpful information about what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict tangibly looks like today and also the physical and psychological toll it takes on the people of both sides. Next, we were sent on a “mission” of sorts in the Old City of Jerusalem. With our groups, we were given 20 shekels (5 dollars) and sent out to talk to a shop owner, and then buy something in his shop that represented something about our conversation with him or who he is. After this, at our hotel we got to hear from Rami and Iasha who work for The Parents Circle, a bereavement group for both Israelis and Palestinians. After all of these wonderful and rare opportunities, our minds are full and our hearts are stirred.

I’ll never be able to express the gratitude I feel to have been able to meet and hear from people the Israeli-Palestinian conflict directly affects every day. I could honestly write pages about all of the emotions and thoughts I have, and although I cannot, I can talk about our friends Rami and Iasha. Never in my life did I think I’d be able to sit in a room with both an Israeli and a Palestinian and see them hug one another and call each other brother and sister and one another’s greatest teacher with such deep respect and genuineness. Both Rami and Iasha have had a close family member killed because of the conflict, and yet they sat before us today promoting peace and encouraging us not to take sides. Not only this, but to love one another equally, as we are all humans before we are anything else. It was a truly remarkable picture of hope.
Although we may wrestle with the stories and accounts we heard today for a while, one thing is certain- we as humans all long for peace. Our blood is the same color, our tears taste the same, and we all yearn to see a day where peace is greater than conflict. For us personally, we are realizing that the more we learn, the more we do not know. We do not have the answers. One thing we do have, however, is our stories. We have stories of these people and stories of this land, and as Christ leads us on we will tell them one by one, praying that our words are used for His glory and the peoples’ good.

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