May 6. Words cannot begin to express what we experienced in Hebron; with the
aid of a guide from Christian Peacemakers Team (CPT), we walked through
the Old City, experiencing vibrant markets, overshadowed by settlements
on either side. The market streets are covered with a cage-like
structure to prevent the debris sometimes showered from above from
hitting the people below.
We passed through two consecutive checkpoints to enter the mosque
which houses the traditional grave sites of Abraham, Isaac, and Rebekah.
Then, we continued on to market streets that have been closed off from
Palestinians, with many of the buildings’ doors welded shut. We were the
only people on these streets.
We completed our tour of the city on the roof of the CPT volunteer’s apartment (just overlooking this street blockade), where we were reminded by Israeli soldiers a couple of rooftops away that we were not to take any pictures; we felt encouraged to leave somewhat quickly.
We ended our day with Pastor Mitri Raheb. In contrast to our visit to
Hebron, he shared how he and the other leaders of Christmas Lutheran
(and related ministries) are intentionally developing young leaders and
exporting HOPE.
Their vision may be best captured on a banner we saw hanging in the art room at the current site of Dar Al’Kalima College:
Destruction May Be… Creativity Shall Be…
(Matt Johnson)
Re-post from http://www.bethlehem-church.org