The DIocese of Olympia Youth Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

One Year Later- Reflections from Alex

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:44:00 +0000

My trip to Israel last summer had more of an impact on me than anything else I've ever done. Experiencing the culture was incredible. I would do it again in a heartbeat, and I want to go back to the Holy Land as soon as I have the means. Israel is an amazing place to learn about the history of Christianity, to learn about different cultures, and to learn about yourself.

One Year Later- Reflections from Kendra

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:09:00 +0000

I find my self really missing Israel. I've been thinking about it a lot this summer, mostly this July month. I miss the culture and the people and the experiences I got to have there. I'm so thankful that i could have the time ihad there and i don't regret anything. I also wish I could have still kept in touch with the people there because they unknowingly taught me so much. Last year's pilgrimage was one for the books, especially for me. I never thought i would get an opportunity like that in a lifetime. Some of my favorite places were where we saw Jesus perform the first miracle and the place where the Lord's Prayer took place. I miss Israel so much and i can't wait to go back.

-Kendra Okereke

One Year Later- Reflections from Kate

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:06:00 +0000

It has been one year since we returned from our pilgrimage to the Holy Land and I find myself reflecting on the significance of the entire experience, but particularly the relationships formed and developed over the course of those weeks. We started truly forming community on the way there during our nearly 24 hours of travel from Seattle to Tel Aviv. By the time we landed on a hot, sweaty afternoon in Israel, we were friends.

Those friendships quickly grew and stretched during our home-stays in Raineh where we extended our web of relationships to include the Episcopal families who hosted and cared for us in our early moments of culture shock and adjustment. From there, we met the six Palestinian Christian youth who were to travel with us for the remainder of our pilgrimage and another new community was born.

As these relationships deepened we shared our faith, our music, laughter, and ourselves. We shared the experience of learning new places and peoples. We shared card games, shopping, hide-and-go-seek with the grumpy nun, hot afternoons hiking through ruins, and icy relief in dozens and dozens of popsicles and cokes.

So one year later, the things that stand out for me the most are the relationships with one another and with the land through our shared experience of transformation in the land of our common story, the story of Christ.

One Year Later- Reflections from Daniel

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:04:00 +0000

This trip was one of if not the most memorable, most moving, most spiritual, and most educational experiences of my life. Not only did I have more than a ton of fun, I also was strengthened spiritually. Learning more about the life and events that occurred during the time of our Lord Jesus Christ really opened my eyes. Now that I have learned so much more from the trip, I feel closer to God. So you could say that this trip was also and bonding time with God. If the future people who are going on this trip are worried that all it is is visiting churches and praying a lot, they are mistaken and should worry. Yes we did visit quite a number of churches, but we also visited many ancient and fascinating historical sites fro biblical time, swam in the Dead Sea, and had quite a bit of free time where we could also get see the modern day Israel. Jerusalam for me was my favorite city of them all.

Now, I don't know if the kids who will be going next year heard or should be told, but there was a bad part of the trip. However, I feel, as scary as it was, that it was also a learning experience. So the kids should not worrry. It is very unlikly that it will happen again. Just a couple days ago, I saw a news clip of Palestinean kids from the West Bank who had never seen the ocean before, be taken to the beach on Bat Yam where we were, and have a blast playing in the water! It was very nice and moving to see. All in all, this trip will stay with me for the rest of my life. It has produced hopfully life long relationships both here in Wasington, but also over in Israel. The people who were on this trip with me all hold a special place in my heart and I thank them for the priviledge and honor of going on this trip with them. for all the great times, and sharing such fond memories. The memories are great, but the lasting impression it leaves is just as great, if not greater. This is an opportunity of a lifetime, one that may never come again, and should be taken advantage of. I think about the trip frequently and wish to go back someday. I cannot express enough how gratful I am to God and to everyone else who made this trip possible for this opportunity. Thank you!

Peace to all,

Daniel Perrine

Planning for 2010 Pilgrimage Underway

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 04:29:00 +0000

A new group from the Diocese of Olympia, known as the Committee for Youth Exchange and Mission, has been formed to provide opportunities for our young people to live out their faith through interactions with young people in other cultures. The 2010 Youth Pilgrimage to the Holy Land will be the launch project of this new committee. The initial schedule for this journey is:

July 8th - Departure from Sea-Tac

July 9th - Arrival in Tel Aviv, transfer to Raineh, Israel

July 9th-11th - Raineh, Israel

July 11th - Transfer to Jerusalem

July 11th-21st- Youth Course at St. George's College, Jerusalem

July 21st- 23rd - Tel Aviv

July 23rd - Return to Sea Tac

The cost per youth of this trip is expected to be about $4000

As with the 2008 Pilgrimage, we hope that this will be funded through three primary sources:

1) Parish Fundraising (at least $1000 per youth)

2) Family Funds (We ask families to pledge what they are able, up to and beyond the $3000 difference)

3) Diocesan Fundraising (We will work to raise the balance of funds needed, so that no young person will be denied participation due to family circumstances)

If you know a young person who might be interested, please have them contact JR at jameslander@gmail.com.

1 Year Later- Reflections from Flora

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 04:25:00 +0000

The trip last year for me was such an amazing experience. Not only did I get to see the sites I had read about in the Bible and heard about in church, but I also got to meet Palestinians and hear their perspective on the things that they have to live through that we only hear about on the news. It was entirely eye opening, and I got to see how different the culture is from our own. It is a trip and experience that I will never forget and it has truely helped my faith to grow so much over this past year. I completely recommend it!

Home Safe and Sound

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:41:00 +0000

After nearly 24 hours of travel, we all arrived home last night at a few minutes past 11PM. We were greeted at the airport by family, friends and leaders of the Diocese. I'm sure our young people will be processing everything they experienced for months to come. Keep checking the blog, as I'll be asking them to write some posts about their thoughts. - JR

Not a Happy Ending

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:08:00 +0000

I am very saddened to write that our trip has ended on a very sad note.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1006341.html

There was a shooting at the beach across from our hotel this afternoon. Apparently, the shooter intended to kill a person with a known criminal record. Unfortunately, he hit a woman dining nearby. And more unfortunately, six of our young people where in the immediate vicinity of the shooting. Four of these were apparently right next to the woman who was shot.

As chaperons, Kate and I immediately found all of our group. Robyn and Alex, who had been inside the hotel, looked after the rest of the group until we had all of us collected into one room. People called parents, and we sat with each other as we began to process what had happened.

After awhile, we went out to dinner. People were somewhat fearful of going out of the hotel. We had a group reservation at a nearby restaurant (two doors down). We felt it important to eat there. One- people needed decent food in their stomachs. Two- the group needed to see that the life on the street and beach were returning to normal.

At dinner, Flora asked me if I would do this trip again given what happened this afternoon. I told her yes. Such violence is a part of any city. Similar criminal shootings happen in Seattle, too. As Kate pointed out, this could have happened on Alki.

However, I think that everyone will be glad to head home tomorrow. This was not how we wanted to end this journey. But I am thankful that we are all safe and sound. I ask your prayers for our safe travel, and for the family of the young woman who lost her life today.

A Day in Tel Aviv

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:48:00 +0000

On our last day here in Israel, Kate and I took the crew into the heart of modern and secular Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv reminds me, in many ways, of a South American city. There is the energy and creativity of any European city, but the era of architecture is very similar to cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires.

We were most interested in taking the young people two specific sites we felt were important- Ben Gurion's house and Rabin Square. Ben Gurion was the first Prime Minister of Israel, and a major architect of its ethos. His very modest house is mostly as it was when he left it. While there, we watched a movie about his life, and Kate shared some of her admiration for all that he accomplished in his lifetime.

Rabin Square is where Itzak Rabin was assasinated following the peace process in the early 1990's. Kate and I both remember this event clearly, as she was a high school student and I was at college. However, our young people were under the age of 5, and don't have that clear memory like we do. For me, that square is a reminder of the risk of standing up and trying to do what is right. It is also, clearly, a testament to all that Rabin accomplished in his life.

Not too long ago, Kate and I were at a conference and training hosted by Reconcilers.net discussing the Episcopal Church do to help foster peace in the Middle East. We discussed the issue from a myriad of perspectives. At one point, we were asked to say what gifts Israel has to offer the world. For me, Tel Aviv is somehow a symbol of a secular and vibrant city. It plays hosts to world-class performing and visual arts. It has a vibrant economy. It is an exciting city to be. It was important to me that our young people see a bit of this. I hope that as we wondered through the downtown of Tel Aviv, they did so. - JR

Sunday - by Daniel

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:24:00 +0000

Yesterday, we all packed up, had breakfast, and headed to Tel Aviv. Before we got to Tel Aviv however, we stopped to attend the church service at the Church of The Holy Family where some of our host families worship. It was fun to see some familiar faces. After church, we stopped at a restaurant and had lunch. It was sort of sad though because we had to say good bye to our friends Dina and Christina. All of our friends that we made were so friendly, and we bonded so well, that it was very hard to say good bye. My good friend Hanna had apparently told his parents a lot about me, and when we said good bye to him the previous night, his mom came up to me, said thanks for being such a good friend to Hanna, and told me that whenever I came back to Israel, I would always have a home at their house. It was very sweet.

Anyway, we started to Tel Aviv. Once we arrived at our hotel, we unpacked, got settled, and us teens went to the beach to swim, and work on our tans! It was tons of fun. The waves were tons of fun and were better than Haifa. The disappointing part about the beach was that the chairs were 50 shekels to rent! What a rip off ! After swimming, we showered, had dinner, and headed to town to explore. There wasn't a whole lot to do so after about 30 minutes, we went back to the hotel, and went into Sasha and Flora's room, and watched some really weird European MTV. Finally, we went to bed to get some much needed rest. At least we get to sleep in. Today, Kate and I got up at about 7:30 a.m. to run. It was pretty pleasant. Today is our last full day in Tel Aviv. It is pretty much a free day. I do, however, think that everyone is at least a little anxious to get home. We're all tired of the food here and can't wait to get back to our own refrigerators. - Daniel

Saturday Night at St. Paul's in Shefamer

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 20:06:00 +0000

As a way of marking the end of our time together here in the Diocese of Jerusalema, we were invited by the wonderful people of St. Paul's Church in Shefamer for dinner. St. Paul's is a companion parish with St. John the Baptist Church in West Seattle, where Kate is on staff and where Shelby and Daniel are members. Hannah's family, who live in Shefamer, are members of this wonderful parish, so there were many connections to this wonderful community of faith.

For me, it was particularly wonderful because two members of last year's youth course, Raji and Nizar, were present for the dinner. I got to catch up a bit with them, as our group of youth got to know some of the youth from Shefamer.

The youth group ordered a type of Palestinian pizza for us for dinner. Kudos to Alex! She was the only youth in our group who figured out to fold the thing in half to eat it!

We hope that new connections between our two dioceses might come from this event. Kate and a young adult member of the parish, Kamir, are going to start a Facebook group for young people from the Diocese of Olympia and young people from the Diocese of Jerusalem. Hopefully this will be a wonderful new means of cross-cultural communication and friendship. - JR

Saturday - by Alex

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:58:00 +0000

Today we went to Megiddo and Beth Shean. Beth Shean was my favorite of the two. It was very interesting to see the ruins of the Roman-Byzantine city, because they are so well preserved. We sat in a huge theatre, capable of seating 7,000, and took a bunch of pictures. Then we seized the opportunity to climb some more. All of the kids were feeling unchallenged by the flat terrain we were moving across, so we decided to climb up a hill, in order to get a better view. JR and Kate were a little whiny about the prospect of climbing more stairs, but the youth in our group urged them on, since, after all, today was our last day of touring!

I am, of course, joking about that last part – as lazy teenagers we have been less than thrilled at the notion of exercise, but once we get to the top of a mountain, whether it be Masada, or Herodion, or Tabor, we are always very happy that we made the trek.

Megiddo is the place where John predicted that the war to end all wars in the ‘last days’ would be. (Armageddon.) Fun fact: Armageddon is derived from Har Megedon, meaning the mountain of Megiddo. At Megiddo, we climbed 183 steps down a shaft into a tunnel that was used to supply water safely to the city, so that the citizens could drink without having to leave the security of the walls. Then we climbed 80 steps back out of the tunnel, and headed to lunch, after making a stop to look out at the entire Sea of Galilee from the Golan Heights, which was one of the most breathtaking views I’ve seen in Israel. The Golan Heights was taken by Israel from Syria in the 1967 War, and is still a point of contention to this day. We made a stop at a bunker along the roadside, a reminder of the conflicts in this land in the last 40 years.

After lunch we headed back to the Convent, and hung out very quietly for a while. Now we’re heading to Hannah’s home town, a place that I can’t pronounce and therefore will not even try to spell. Hannah’s going to Turkey, so we’re saying good-bye to him tonight after a dinner we were graciously invited to attend at his church.

Friday- by Shelby and Flora

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:17:00 +0000

Today was a calmer day than we’ve had recently. At the beginning of our hike we visited the Grotto of Pan, which is where they had sacrifices and the blood ran into the river, which was pretty tight. The beginning of the trail was located at Caesarea Philippi, which is where Jesus asked the important question “who am I?” and Simon Peter answered “the son of the living God”. Hiking through the vegetation reminded us of home because of the green all around us, which felt like hiking in August in Seattle, and there was actually shade! After a nice lunch by the river we went to see the beautiful Banias Waterfall, which was tiny but prettier than we expected. We were disappointed when we found out when couldn’t swim in the river, but luckily we were given the option to go to a pool, which was much appreciated. Like we said we didn’t do all that much, except Shelby got a little tanner, which made her happy because it is a rare occurrence. It was a nice change of pace (and we didn’t have to go to another church!)

-Flora and Shelby

Thursday- by Robyn

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:44:00 +0000

Today we explored the Galilee region of Israel, and started our day off with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. The ride soon turned into a dance party, as we all got up and started to dance to the music for the remainder of the ride.

Then, exhausted already, we disembarked and got back on the bus on our way to Tabgha, where Jesus fed the 5,000 with only two fish and five loaves of bread. Then we went over to the Mount of Beatitudes, celebrating where Jesus taught about the blessed peoples, the meek, the peacemakers, etc.

Our next stop was Capernaum, where St. Peter’s house is—a place where Jesus lived and preached in the Synagogue. Worn out from weather pushing 120 degrees, we took a democratic vote and elected not to swim in the Galilee itself, but instead went straight on to our next stop, the Jordan river, where we sat in the shade, ate ice cream, and walked down to the baptismal banks of the river itself. We watched a catfish fight, and Alex was playing with the smaller fish, watching them jump from her hands back to the river.

Tonight we will celebrate Eucharist, with Kate presiding, giving the local people a chance to experience a woman presiding over the service. It has been a very busy day, full of sights and opportunities that we may never have the chance to experience again.

What Hanna Thinks

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:39:00 +0000

Hello everyone, my name is Hanna, a local resident from Israel. I’m an 11th grader, who joined the youth group this year to visit all the holy places I have in my country. First, let’s say a few words about myself, I’m 16 years old, and I live in a city called Shfaamer, a city near to Haifa. My hobbies are playing the piano and computers.

It’s very difficult for me to describe our trip here In Israel by simple words. I joined the group from USA 8 days ago, and since then I’m enjoying it more and more. Meeting all the guys from USA was one of the best things that ever happened to me. At the first day I wasn’t used to using English as my main language, but now, after practicing my English more and more I think I’m getting used to it, and I’m really thankful for that, because I feel that I’m improving. Now I feel that I have new wonderful friends, from the other half of the world, which is a very cool thing to have.

I must say that visiting all the holy places and listening to each place’s story is a big enjoyment. but above all that, we combine in the trip other fun things, like going shopping together and exploring now places, which added a whole new dimension to our trip. I know that it could sound weird, but actually I’m visiting places in my country which I didn’t even know existed.

My big problem here is that this trip is going to end. That fact makes me really sad, but I’m sure that I’ll be left with all the good memories. -Hanna

Wednesday - Daniel

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:34:00 +0000

Today was our first full day in Nazareth. It was very hot. We first climbed Mt. Tabor. Some people said that it was harder than Masada, and some said it was easier. I personally thought it was easier. We've climbed a ton of mountains while in Israel! Oh well, it was tons of fun, and great exercise. My friend Hanna and I ran up the mountain for a little bit, and down also. Down was a bad idea because now my shins hurt really bad.
After Mt. Tabor, we visited many churches and shops. The churches were all very elegant and had fascinating architectural designs. The first church was a simple chapel at Nain, where Jesus is said to have raised a widow's son from the dead. It was a small church in a Muslim village, so a villager had to open it for us.

After Nain, we visited Cana. There, the stone water jar similar to the one in which Jesus turned water into wine stood. So, Kate suggested that I put my water bottle on it to see if it would turn to wine. She also took my picture. Unfortunately, the water was the same and had not turned to wine. Oh well, it was worth a try!

After Cana, we visited the Greek Orthodox church over the well where the Orthodox believe that the angel told Mary that she would have Jesus. After that, the group went into the Basilica of the Annunciation. However, JR, Robyn and I were wearing shorts too short to be allowed in.
Robyn didn't want to go in because she had already been there before with her host family. JR and I didn't go in because our shorts were too short, but were too hot and not comfortable with covering up in a shawl. Otherwise, it would look like we were wearing skirts.
I can't believe that we only have one more week here in Israel. It's gone by so fast, yet it also seems like we've been here forever! I love it here and don't want to leave. - Daniel

Tuesday - Evan

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:14:00 +0000

Today we woke up at The Rosery Sisters Convent in Jerusalem and after breakfast we packed our bags into the bus around eight, because we were going to Nazareth. We made several stops along our way, we stopped at the ruins of Ceasarea , the Stella Maris, and a church on top of Mt. Caramel.

Ceasarea was a city built by King Herod in honor of Augustus Caesar. The city was built right on the beach of the Mediterranean and functioned as a sea port for ships traveling to the holy land from Europe. The city featured a theater, a hippodrome for chariot racing, a palace for King Herod with a private swimming pool, and a temple for Augustus Caesar which was later turned into a church. Later, Pontius Pilot ruled Judea from Caesarea, the city was captured by Arabs--who blocked the port, and then was inhabited by crusaders. The city was literally built right up to the the sea. As I looked at the stones from which the city was made I could see why the city appealed to so many people, even today. People seemed much more interested by the stray cat that came up to them than the old city. Although I was amazed by the fact that the part of the city was still there even after more than 2000 years.

After we finished at Ceasarea and ate lunch, we went to Haifa where we looked at Stella Maris which we had seen before, it was still as beautiful as before. Then we went to the spot on Mount Carmel where Elijah competed with Ba'al over which god is the real god. there was a church that we where able to climb the roof of, which gave us a beautiful view of the Holy Land. from the roof of that church I was really able to appreciate the world that God made.

After that we went to the Sisters of Nazareth Convent, which is where I am writing this now.
- Evan

We are all Fine

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:17:00 +0000

You may have heard through the news about the incident in Jerusalem today. If not, you can check out the following newspage at

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/22/israel.attack/index.html

We left Jerusalem this morning, before the attack happened. So we are safe and sound in Nazareth.

Our prayers are with the families of the injured, the family of the attacker, and for the soul of the attacker.

Monday - by Sasha

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:42:00 +0000

This morning we visited the Wailing Wall. The wall is divided into separate areas for men and women. This whole trip I have been noticing people and places that are entranced in their religion, and this was one of those moments. There was a sign on the entrance, from the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, that warned visitors not to enter the place dressed immodestly so as not to ‘cause harm’ to the holy site. There was a woman in front of me praying against the wall, covered in pigeon poo, who didn’t even care. She just kept praying.

Next we got in line for going up to the Dome of the Rock. There was a large sign, again from the rabbi, proclaiming that going up to the spot was forbidden by the Torah. I thought this was interesting because that same land used to be very holy for the Jews. We walked up the ramp and went through a metal detector. Our bags were checked for any Christian or Jewish items. There was a woman in front of us loudly arguing about how she should be allowed to bring in the cross she had just bought, but it wasn’t allowed. And once we were finally on the grounds of the Dome of the Rock, we all had to cover especially modestly. The buildings were beautiful.

The most interesting thing about this whole city is how every inch of land is fiercely fought over by so many groups of people. It seems, from listening to them, that anything worth remembering has only happened in Jerusalem, and all on top of one another, so that every bit of dirt here is holy to Christians, Jews, Muslims, and many groups within those religions. Even though their religions preach love and at the very least respect, the fight to be in control here drives those things away. Churches, controlled by many denominations at once, are too fought over to improve anything. The Jewish leaders still carry hate from the persecution of the Holocaust, and are blinded by this as they persecute the Palestinians. And the Palestinians can see no way other than violence as they are crowed into refugee camps and have their rights systematically taken away.

It’s a circle of misunderstanding and hate here and I find it hard to keep hoping if people don’t change.

Daniel on the Way of the Cross

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:37:00 +0000

Monday - by Alex

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:00:00 +0000

"Okay everyone, remember, I'm going to be on the bus at 5:50 tomorrow morning so we can leave, please don't be late!" - JR, last night after Compline.

"Alex, it's 5:50, umm...we are supposed to be leaving now, yes?" - Christina, my roommate, this morning when she woke me up.

This morning, after getting off to a bit of a late start due to some over-sleepers, (oops...) we set off to walk the Via Dolorosa, or the Stations of the Cross. We walked forever, stumbling blindly over cobblestones as we tried to shake ourselves awake, sporadically enjoying the view of the sun rising over the Old City whenever we thought to look up for a moment.

Walking the path that Jesus took, on his way to die was an intense wake up call this morning. At each of the fourteen stations we stopped, our guide would explain what the station was about, and then someone would read a prayer that had to do with the station we were at.

The long, winding path around the Old City gave us time to meditate on what Jesus must have been feeling, how he must have suffered, while carrying the instrument that would ultimately be the cause of his death. For me, the most powerful stations were the ones where Jesus fell, because the prayers that went along with those stations were so guilt-ridden that it made me feel very culpable.

We also saw the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which holds many sites such as Christ's tomb, the Stone of Unction, and the room where the story of St. Helena finding Jesus' crucifixion cross is honored.

There were too many people in the tomb for us to enter, but we got to see it from the outside. The Stone of Unction, were the anointing and wrapping of Christ's body after his death has been commemorated since medieval times, was really cool to see, but seemed more of a metaphorical representation, at least after JR walked past me and muttered, 'One.'
Meaning, that on the scale which Robyn devised for judging the authenticity of a site, there is nearly no proof supporting that the Stone of Unction actually held Christ's body.

Overall, it was an awesome church to see, though kind of sad as well, because it is not in very good shape. There are six different groups in control of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre: Coptics, Greek Orthodox, Syrians, Ethiopians, Roman Catholics, and Armenians. Because of this, the church is kind of dilapidated, since they are all arguing non-stop about what kind of repairs to make, so nothing ever actually gets done. This was apparent in the dinginess of the church, which one would NOT expect, as it is on the top three holiest places in the world for Christians. It kind of proved that the strifes people have over religious beliefs can cause harm, and it's really not necessary. As cliche as it sounds, if the groups could just join forces and work together to enhance and improve the Holy Sepulchre, it would live up to the label it has been given as one of one of the most holy places in the world.

As Sasha said while we were walking past groups of Muslims, Jews, and Christians all glaring at one another in distrust, "I just want to graffiti it on the walls! Hate breeds hate!" And this is very true. As long as the people in this world keep channeling their energy into the hatred of other humans, the vicious cycle of destruction will continue.

Peace :)

(please!) - Alex

Our Rhythm of Life, by JR

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:42:00 +0000

I thought it wise to share with those of you following our journey a bit about how we structure our days here in the Holy Land. Our daylight hours are often filled with touring and exploring the numerous holy sites in Israel and the West Bank. I am very aware that often it takes a while for our young people to process what they have seen and heard in each day. But we want to help them integrate what they are seeing with their faith, our world, and their lives. So each night, we gather for a period of reflection and prayer.

Kate or I lead the reflection each evening. We ask the young people a question (or two), and then ask for them to respond one at a time. At the end of each person's response, s/he is asked to invite another member of the group to reflect. The depth of these reflections varies significantly. On the days that we visit places such as the Deheshe Refugee Camp or Yad Vashem, the discussions can be amazingly deep and touching. On days when we are having more fun, such as the day we hiked up Masada, the discussion can be more jovial. In either case, the periods of reflection allow our young people to share with each other their thoughts and feelings, and hopefully grow closer to one another.

After the period of reflection, we close each evening with the service of Compline. Even after a few nights, they were so accustomed to this that they knew what responses came when. We are now inviting the young people to officiate at this service, and they are answering that request with grace and dignity, engaging the leadership abilities that I know are within each of them. - JR

Kendra Entertains West Jerusalem

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:13:00 +0000

To help celebrate the end of the Sabbath - Kendra decided to entertain passersby on the streets of West Jerusalem.

What Kendra liked on Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:08:00 +0000

Yad Vashem - by Flora

noreply@blogger.com (J.R. Lander) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:11:00 +0000

After lunch today we all went to visit Yad Vashem, which is the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. Though out my years in school I’ve learned a lot about the Holocaust but nothing even came near to what I learned about and felt while walking through that museum today. I vividly remember pictures of people hanging from gallows, of those whom are literally skin and bones, and also one of a child holding his hands up ready to be shot with a face full of fear. Walking through I felt like I was going to be sick and ready to cry, the fact that anyone could ever do such things is completely unfathomable. These people were just like you and me; they played sports, hung out with friends, spent time with family, and yet were discriminated against to the point where 11,000,000 of them died, 6,000,000 of that number were Jewish. Going to Yad Vashem was an eye opening experience and certainly one that I will never forget, it really made an impact, and it was truly horrifying to see what people are capable of.