One year ago, 2 chaperons and 3 youth from the Diocese of Olympia joined in at the Youth Course at St. George's College, Jerusalem. There we were joined by 7 youth from the Diocese of Jerusalem, Fr. Nael (a priest from the Diocese of Jerusalem), and George our wonderful guide.When we first met, everyone was anxious and quiet. We spoke no Arabic, and our Palestinian friends were a bit unsure of their English. But Irene, the other chaperon from the Diocese of Olympia, had brought along a wonderful tool for breaking the ice- the game UNO(tm). Suddenly- barriers began to come down, and the group started to have fun as we played the game for hours and hours in the Courtyard at St. George's.
Our trip was filled with experiences that brought us closer together, and closer in Christ. There was the Saturday Morning that we walked the Way of the Cross. There was our trip to a refugee camp, where we wandered the tiny streets with Palestinians who, because of where their families ended up, lived vastly different lives than other Palestinians and were suddenly faced with that reality. There was the morning we visited Yad Vashem, and struggled with the heritage of antisemitism.
Last year's trip changed all of us- and I know that the journey we are about to start will do the same. - JR
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