May you be blessed this Christmas as you enjoy your time with family and friends. May you celebrate the birth of the Christ, who was given so he could give himself for us, with great joy!

Have a very blessed, safe, and happy Christmas. God Bless!

Ok! Wow! A lot has been happening very quickly!! Today we were on NPR and had an interview with NBC6 in South Florida. The reporter told me the segment will air on Christmas Eve. I’ll keep you posted.

At around 7pm, believe it or not, we got an email from Brant Hansen at 88.1 Way FM! To make a long story short, Ali is going to be on the morning show with Brant tomorrow. Listen-in if you get chance.

Here’s the link if you want to listen online.

By the way, we’ll be posting the NPR interview on the site once it’s available.

Earlier today, Ali had a brief (5 minute) interview with Mike Thornton from KVMR 89.5FM Nevada City and 105.1FM in Truckee and Tahoe. The interview is scheduled to air sometime between 8pm and 10pm EST (i.e. 5pm and 7pm pacific). You can listen-in online at the following link: http://kvmr.org/webcast.html. We’ll try to get an MP3 to post on the site once it’s available.

Also, tomorrow, we’re scheduled to have an interview with NBC 6 WTVJ in South Florida. That is, unless a major news story pulls the reporter away. Pray for South Florida to be quiet tomorrow!

Don’t forget about NPR tomorrow at 1pm EST: Topical Currents with Joseph Cooper on 91.3FM in South Florida. Here’s the link to listen in online: http://www.wlrn.org/web/. The call-in Number is: (800) 743-9576.

Finally, We’re scheduled to be on the air with a station in Pittsburgh on 12/26. We’ll post that info as we get closer.

We’re back in town! I know you’re happy we’re safe but I know you’re also wondering what happened with the rest of the blog entries?

The last time we wrote was on Wednesday the 12th right before we headed to Nazareth. We spent that night in Nazareth after stopping in Bethany, Qumran (aka location of the Dead Sea Scrolls), and Yardenit (where we dedicated our son Jonah at the Jordan river). We traveled back down to Bethlehem on the 13th after visiting Capernaum and Mount Arbel. We got in pretty late that night and just fell into bed.

Friday we had dinner with our amazing Bethlehem project coordinator: Shireen and didn’t realize what time it was until about 11:30pm! We had to start packing when we got to the Bible College so no time to write that.

Saturday we visited the Mount of Olives, the Temple Mount, and East Jerusalem. Later we returned to Bethlehem, finished packing, and headed to the airport.

There are stories in all these days that will be told in the days to come. I will be writing several entries in the next few days and Jenni will also be writing at least one entry about her checkpoint experience with Dana.

Bear with us. Also, be sure to listen to NPR’s Topical Currents with Joseph Cooper on Thursday 12/20 at 1pm. Those of you who are outside of the United States can listen-in online. Ali will be on the air to discuss the project and reconciliation work between Israelis and Palestinians.

Click here for WLRN Website
Click here to listen online keep in mind the show is on 12/20/2007 at 1pm. The call-in number is: (800)743-9576

Let me tell you about how God works. On day 4, the team delivered gifts to two locations: Holy Child Program and House of Hope. In this entry, I’m going to tell you about Holy Child.

Today was run-run-run because of time restrictions at the delivery locations. Also, no vans today, instead, we all piled into several cars and a couple of cabs. This made things a little more difficult logistically.

We were also joined today by Dr. Cecelia Lynch from the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Lynch was an observer for her research on NGO actors in conflict. Between gift delivery and setup time the team talked with Dr. Lynch about the project, the meaning of the gospel and how we applied it, and our hopes for the future. The day, to say the least, was packed.

Our first location for the day was “The Holy Child Program”- a program of intensive therapy and alternative education for children suffering from psychological trauma from living in extreme tension and prolonged conflict.

Once we arrived and got everything unloaded, we headed inside where we were greeted with singing by 30 or so cute-as-a-button children dressed up in identical school uniforms. To make us feel welcome, the songs were in English. It was very sweet- the kind of moment that just makes you smile and want to say: awwwwwww.

Like the other locations, each of the children received a gift, some chocolates, and a Christmas card. We called each child by name and waited for them to run-up. This was something they were very happy to do, especially after being all riled up watching Stardust the clown and her amazing magic tricks (alas, no kazoos today).

Everything was going great until we realized that we were short on gifts! There’s no other way to say it, we felt BAD. Luckily, we were only short 3 gifts but still, how would you feel if Santa said: ‘Oops, I miscounted’. Ok, it wasn’t so bad because later on we were told there was a mix-up by the store that wrapped the gifts and that some children had received two gifts instead of one (whew). All resolved…right? Nope!

After a briefing on the program by the center’s director and some delicious Arabic pastries, we made our ways to the cars where we realized one of the cars hadn’t been unpacked. That’s when we discovered 10 gifts in the trunk. I think the center was being gracious and didn’t want to tell us we had forgotten to get gifts for a third of the children. So, instead of being short three gifts, we were actually short 10 gifts. All sorted though (this time for real).

Now, listen to how God works; this is the story I promised to tell you yesterday, apparently, every year, a group comes in to deliver Christmas gifts to the children at Holy Child. Every year that is except this year; this year, they weren’t able to make it. But, there we were to meet them in their time of need. Just another confirmation of God’s hand in the project. God just made it all work.

I felt like the apostle Mark; as you may know, the Gospel according to Mark is short and if you look closely, every other paragraph ends with something like this: ‘and they were amazed’ or ‘they were astonished’ or ‘they were totally blown away’ (ok maybe not that, but at least you see why I call Mark the ‘Like Whoah’ Gospel: I was amazed, astonished and happy for being used to serve Holy Child in their time of need. It was an awesome moment.

No pictures tonight (sorry). Also, I might not be able to blog tomorrow because we’re heading up to Nazareth and I’m not sure I feel like lugging the computer, camera, and suitcase on foot through the checkpoint. If I don’t blog tomorrow, you’ll know why.

The best is yet to come…

It’s late again 11am and we’re heading out to the Old City tomorrow at 9 am (which means we have to get up at 7 to get ready and allot time to go through the Bethlehem checkpoint). I just need sleep; but, enough whining! I want to catch you up on the afternoon of Day 3. I’ve uploaded some pictures which will give you a feel for what we have been experiencing.

After spending the morning at Al-Basma, we headed over to SOS Bethlehem. SOS is an organization which cares for orphans all around the world. The SOS center is a small village (think subdivision) in which several orphans are assigned to one ‘mother’. The mothers go through a two year training program to determine if they are willing to commit to the children they will be serving.

The women must be unmarried, do not have children, and are required to commit themselves to their children. We delivered gifts to 100+ children at SOS; each child received a watch, a card with the name of an American who helped make the project possible, some Hershey’s kisses, and a kazoo. Yes, I said kazoo!

Mental note for those of you considering starting a non-profit. In planning, you may want to consider the ramifications of giving 100 children in a small village kazoos!!! Let’s just say that somewhere in Bethlehem there are several women reaching for Tylenol as we speak…I also have a feeling that many kazoos will unexpectedly go missing in the next few days (hehe). I must confess to the moms and staff at SOS: we did talk briefly about what would happen if we gave each child a kazoo. We thought it might get a little loud in each home but we didn’t think the entire village would be using them simultaneously. Either way, the kids just loved it.

They were running around happy, whistling away, while watching Stardust the clown make balloon animals and crowns. It was amazing watching Palestinian children and Israeli women running in the streets playing together as an American clown entertained them. Like at Al-Basma, it was difficult holding the emotions back at times.

By the way, if you’re reading this from SOS, fear not, next year each child will receive an accordion instead (heh)…or maybe a harmonica. I’m also thinking this must be the Bethlehem Christmas Project traditional prank; each year, one location gets gifts and kazoos.

Well, that was it for Day 3. Jenni is in bed without me again and I’m determined to get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow is the first of several days seeing the sites. We still have some filming to do in Nazareth, but tomorrow is a day of walking around in the Old City in the morning and Bethlehem in the afternoon. Thank you again to all of you who have been praying for. I have an amazing story about how God works to tell you tomorrow. I’d tell it to you now but I would have to rush through it and wouldn’t give it justice.

God bless…Ali

I can best describe today as the day in which concept became reality. Early in the morning Israelis and Palestinians started arriving at the Bible College. There we were, individuals from all nations, cultures, and tongues, united as one Body in Christ ready to do God’s work. It was surreal watching the project, which began as a concept last year, suddenly go from concept to reality.

Once we were all accounted for, we headed down to the College’s library for a briefing on the day and our delivery locations. We started out with prayer, followed by introductions around the room, then we all loaded up into vans and cars.

The first stop: Al-Basma Special Education Center. Al-Basma is Arabic for: “The Smile”. Every student at the center is mentally challenged. We arrived around 10am and were welcomed with music, balloons, sweets, and the Center’s Director Emeritus: Abdullah Awwad- a man whose genuine love for his students shines through his eyes as he passionately describes the center, its staff, and students.

We started with a tour of center’s programs where we watched teenagers and young adults create intricate olive wood Christmas ornaments, recycled-paper Christmas cards and hand woven carpets.

We watched as Abdullah told us how students recycled paper by finding it wherever they can, washing it, ironing it, then cutting it to size. The students watched us with curiosity, often smiling at us, sometimes shyly, sometimes coyly, as we walked by.

The center is proud of its ability to be self-sustaining. Many of the children in the center are talented in one way or another. “We are not beggars”, Abdullah told me. “We teach them to fish”. He and the staff are proud of the fact that several of their members had left to work in nearby workshops. “Our enemy is poverty and ignorance” he told me.

The tour of the center’s small but efficiently utilized rooms was followed by dancing to Arabic Christmas songs in the courtyard. It was an amazing experience and I must admit it was hard for Jenni, Dana, and I to hold back the tears.

Dana came in-character as “Stardust” the clown. The students just loved her. We all danced and kept asking for more songs to dance to. We must have looked like a strange site: Americans, Israelis, Palestinians dancing, doing the dakeh (traditional Arab Folk dance). A farmer in a tractor drove by looking at us all the way.

Following the dancing we gave the students their gifts. They were very excited about receiving their clothes and proudly displayed them to their friends and classmates.

It was hard to leave, but we had to go. We needed to make it to SOS children’s orphanage. Which I will tell you about tomorrow. It’s almost 12:30am and I simply must get some sleep. There so much more to tell but my body betrays me.

It’s after midnight and we’re absolutely exhausted. I hope you’ll forgive me for not giving you a narrative of the day but rather allow me to run you through the images swimming in my mind from today’s travails.

Today was a maelstrom of experiences: Eating breakfast with believers from England, the US, and the Netherlands, all of whom are doing work in the West Bank. Discussing the advantages and disadvantages of various checkpoints we could use to leave Bethlehem. Waiting in line at a checkpoint going out of Bethlehem. Navigating through the maze that is the old city (of Jerusalem that is) to find our way to an Arab church. Hearing worship songs set to Arab music (I have an mp3 clip I’ll have to share). Eating lunch in the old city and having groups of tourists walking-by stop to pinch Jonah’s cheeks and tell us how cute he is in various languages and accents.

Watching a Palestinian man use a bulldozer to clear the rubble from his demolished home in East Jerusalem. Seeing settlers move about. Saying hello to Hassan, a store owner in Ras El Amud who I met last year. Getting dropped off at pedestrian checkpoint at the same time as Palestinian men returning from work to Bethlehem were coming in.

Trying to catch a cab in Bethlehem after walking through the checkpoint. Having our driver tell us to pay him whatever liked. Seeing the resilience of the people. Going to a memorial service and Christmas concert for a Christian killed in Gaza (A Christmas concert!! See what I mean about resilience?). A believer from Gaza opening the ceremony by thanking everyone for coming and telling us that if things got really bad in the West Bank to not worry, we’re always welcomed in Gaza….Everyone laughing…

Rushing back to the Bible college to connect with the film crew. Taking over the living room of the Bethlehem Bible College to assemble gifts. Watching as lighting got set up for filming. Meeting Alex, an Israeli, Russian Jewish Christian who was in the West Bank for the first time and hearing of his nervousness and marveling at his courage. Assembling some of the gifts and working with the film crew. Watching Jenni take care of Jonah as we were trying to film.

Having to wrap up filming asap because of a guest house rule requiring everyone to be as quiet as possible at 10:30pm. Bending the rules by being quiet at 10:30 then having the room returned to normal before midnight.

Trying to call the kids back home. They were at the mall with Grandma…Thinking about the contrasts between our day and theirs. Writing you. Wondering how bad my grammar is right now…

Tomorrow we’ll start gift delivery. Pray for us, we’ll write more soon…It’s almost 1am…

It’s been a long day. Jenni, Jonah and I made it safely to Newark where we connected up with Dana (another member of our team). Both our flights into Newark were delayed and we were nervous about missing our connection. We had an hour (which should have been enough time, but we knew we had to make it through security again). We walked briskly from gate C75 to C138 and made it to the gate just in time. After a brief security check and another check-in at the counter, we were ushered on the plane. We were last ones on.

It took a little over 9 hours to travel from Newark to Tel Aviv. We arrived in Tel Aviv at 4:10pm tired but surprisingly relaxed. After a year of working on the project it seemed surreal that there were at the precipis. We were excited and happy. Jenni and I were happy baby Jonah did well on the plane (he only cried for a few moments during descent.) We were in high spirits, but our elation and relaxed mood didn’t last.

Ben Gurion airport is BIG and it takes a while to get from the gate to passport control (just enough time to start getting worried about how long security is going to take). Jenni and Dana were looking around the airport happy about being on the ground and marveling at the mosaics hung on the wall.

I, Ali, however, was nervous about getting through. You see, last year, I landed in Tel Aviv 3 months after the Lebanon war. I had traveled alone and it was my first time in the country. Being born in Lebanon (as clearly indicated on my passport) did not help my case for a “wave” through security. As I said in my last blog entry, I was held up for an hour or so at security. I was fearing the same this time (perhaps even more).

At passport control we handed over our passports to the 20something girl behind the glass and waited…A few moments went by before she started using her stamp. We’re in good shape, I thought- this should be easy. Then, she picked up the phone and started looking around for someone to come. Here we go, I said to myself… Then she said: “Jenni, Dana, Jonah, you can go through but I need Ali’s passport”. I told Jenni to go ahead and not worry about me. I was ready for my hour.

Another flight arrived (from France this time) and people were piling up behind us looking somewhat annoyed by me taking so long. A few moments later a middle aged man dressed up in security garb came up behind me. “20something behind the glass” said something to him in Hebrew. They went back and forth. She looked down at my passport while I tried to look as “approvable” as possible. A few moments went by and then I heard the sweet sound of the stamp followed by: “you can go”.

Miracle of all miracles!!! No time with Israeli security! Smooth sailing from there! We went out and waited for our driver George. He wasn’t slated to arrive for another hour (everyone was expecting some questioning) But, hey, no complaints. Luckily, George had made it early so we were in good shape.

George wasn’t very talkative. Apparently he was given a hard time coming into the airport. He’s a Palestinian from East Jerusalem. He expected it, but still. I tried talking politics and what not, but most of the ride was silent from the front seat as Jenni and Dana carried on in the backseat.

An hour or so later we made it to Bethlehem. On the way in though the checkpoint the soldier took a brief look at our passports then asked for George’s ID. After that, we were cleared to go in through the gate (I’ll try to get a picture tomorrow). Nice, I was thinking we were going to have to walk through the checkpoint but, apparently, George is allowed in so we didn’t have to unpack the luggage. We saw a long line of cars waiting to leave the checkpoint and wondered how long they’d be there.

Before long, we arrived at the Bible college and met-up with Shireen (our friend from Musalaha who’s been doing a lot of the coordinating on the ground). We chatted, got settled in then headed out to buy a SIM for my phone so I can use it while here. I bought the card only to realize my phone was locked to Cingular’s network and it takes 5-7 days to get it unlocked (ouch). I had already paid for the card, but what can you do.

Alas, decided to go for dinner and then returned to the college to get some sleep. It’s about 1am now. I’m off to bed. We’re scheduled to worship with the church in East Jerusalem tomorrow.

I’ll leave you with a photo of a dove in a flack jacket. It was painted on the wall facing the restaurant we ate at. It perfectly describes the region and the little town of Bethlehem through the eyes of its residents. Pray for peace, goodnight, and thank you all who have been praying for us so far.

In just a few moments we’ll be heading to the airport. We’ll be flying from Fort Lauderdale to Newark then Newark to Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is 7 hours ahead of us, so by the time we get there it will be 4pm (give or take a few minutes) on Saturday.

If you’ve never flown to Tel Aviv, it works like this: first you check-in at your point of departure, go through security, get on the plane, and fly out to the major international hub where you’ll catch your connecting flight to Tel Aviv (in our case Newark). Once at the international hub, you’ll have to go through another security screening in the terminal. Basically, a part of the terminal is roped off for the flight you’ll be taking into Israel.

Once you arrive in Tel Aviv you’ll have to go through passport control where you’ll be screened again and if necessary, searched, then questioned, before a decision is made to allow you into the country.

Pray for us to make it through easily and comfortably. We’re traveling with baby Jonah, and, while we can deal with any unexpected situations, he is not as amenable to variations in his schedule. We will write you again soon. Definitely from Bethlehem, if not before.

As I write this, we’re still running around the house getting everything prepared. Last minute phone calls, instructions to grandparents, not to mention packing. We’ve been packing for days, but there’s still a lot to do. We’ll get it done (we have to!)

Off we go…