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<\/a>An afternoon’s trip home<\/u><\/p>\n
-Caleb Schrock-Hurst 2\/17\/17<\/p>\n
“I walk on streets I thought abandoned,
\nconcrete over ancient stones.
\nBoys on bikes wheel away,
\ntheir laughter white in the winter air.
\nStray dog packs hop from trash to trash,
\nsearching for something deemed unneeded by higher beings.
\nThey are rewarded for their diligence. Bones snap.<\/p>\n
Here, the trees grow out of pavement,
\nand pavement grows silently into houses.<\/p>\n
The world, it seems, is being squeezed.
\nOne side of the monstrous clamp is settled snugly on Jerusalem,
\nthe other is somewhere in the pacific, I assume,
\npushing.
\nEarth will give in eventually,
\nand from the poles will burst lava, red,
\nhot with fading life.<\/p>\n
I wrap my khafia tighter and watch my feet.
\nI move the dust but do not change it.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Reflections<\/u><\/p>\n
-Christina Hershey, 2\/19\/17<\/p>\n
Psalm 23:<\/p>\n
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.<\/p>\n
He guides me along the right paths<\/p>\n
for his name\u2019s sake. 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me<\/p>\n
all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”<\/p>\n
On Sunday, we hiked through the beautiful Wadi Qeit, an area between Bethlehem and Jericho where David may have shepherded his flocks. We stopped to read Psalm 23 together, thinking about the environment around us as we listened. We walked alongside a valley traditionally called “the valley of the shadow of death.” We passed green hills covered with “paths of righteousness” that the animals have carved into the grass for generations. We walked alongside streams of water and even stopped for a quick dip in quiet waters.<\/p>\n
As we have listened to many stories from Palestinians in the West Bank, it seems to me that they are truly in the darkest of valleys. What has continued to amaze me, and bring me to tears, is the steadfast hope they hold on to even in this dark valley. While I tend to find myself giving in to despair, our new Palestinian friends have showed us to follow the shepherd to the overflowing table in the presence of our enemies and to accept the abundance God is offering there.<\/p>\n
-Compiled by Sierra Martin and Elizabeth Resto<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hope and hospitality; the two words that I feel best describe our time in Beit Sahour, Palestine for the past three weeks. Given the opportunity to stay with local families while we’ve studied and explored here has opened my eyes to an exciting culture and to the challenging realities of living in this land. I … Continue reading Hope and hospitality<\/span>