Hope Abounds

Now that we're back in the USA after our travels in Palestine and Israel, I am frequently asked, "How was it?"

It was painful to see the separation between Israelis and Palestinians and to witness the oppression of the Palestinian people.

It was sad to witness the security measures at every turn, even at the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque, the Muslim holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem.

It was inspiring to see the efforts of grassroots Palestinian leaders to bring hope out of despair in refugee camps, in the Golan Heights, in the harassed city of Hebron, and in the Palestinian National Authority headquarters in Ramallah.

It was unforgettable to walk where Jesus walked, to sail in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, and then to be invited to baptize Laura Shawn Pinnsonault in those same waters. Laura was one of our group members who decided to begin her new life in Christ at age 31.

It was joyful to dance with strangers who invited us to join their Palestinian Christian wedding reception in a hotel courtyard in Nazareth.

It was beautiful to be accompanied on the journey by my 20-year-old daughter Rachel, by wonderful church members, and by new friends we made along the way.

Hope abounds! Palestine and Israel live in the midst of brokenness, yet faith, hope and love will never die . . . in fact, these are the powers that carry us forward into God's new future. I give thanks that the wind and fire of the Holy Spirit push us in the paths of justice.