Praying for the Holy Land

At this time of year the Holy Land is very much in people's minds, as we think about the first Christmas, and the events that happened in that place at that time.
But this year President Trump's recent announcement has put the Holy Land even more on people's radar, both through what he said, through what other countries have said in response, and through what the response has been from those living in the country.

I went to a Bethlehem Carol service yesterday  - in Bristol, but hosted by the Amos Trust, and with guest speaker Sami Awad from the Holy Land Trust.

Some beautiful words, prayers and thoughts were said, of which I'd like to share a few.

First a prayer:

Leviticus 25:10 says 'You will declare this fiftieth year to be sacred and proclaim the liberation of all the country's inhabitants'

In this 50th year of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories we pray:

Gracious God, we long for a year  of Jubilee for Palestine and Israel
When all the inhabitants of the Holy Land will know liberation and hope
That there will be a long-term peace

We long for a time when neighbours will no longer live in fear of one another
And difference will be celebrated

God of Justice we ask that equal rights will flourish
under just laws that protect all people
So that all who call the Holy Land home will be able to
celebrate their freedom and security alongside one another

We pray that the strength and vision of Palestinian and Israeli peace activists will be renewed
and that we will continue to stand with those who have so inspired us

We ask this in the name of the one who is able to lift us from the valley of despair
to the bright mountaintop of hope

And then a perspective on the response to the past week (and these are my words, based on what I heard, not a word for word transcription of what was said):

'To say 'what will happen after the declaration by President Trump', implies that everything going forwards is as a result of this declaration. It implies that things were OK before, and now they aren't.
The truth is things weren't OK before, and we mustn't forget that, or pretend that they were.

Rather than dwelling on 'what will happen now', let us continue the journey we were on - a journey of seeking non-violent means of resistance to violations of human rights, a journey of seeking justice, of standing up for human rights for all, and for moving towards unity and living alongside each other.

That journey has to come from a place of love for our fellow human beings who inhabit the land, not from a place of fear and suspicion.

So we have to build bridges, work together, get to know each other, understand each other, love each other.

And we can't do that alone. We can only do that when working with the Prince of Peace, the God of Love, the King of all  - in us, alongside us, before us, behind us.

So let us all, wherever we are, speak that love, live out that love, come alongside the other in acts of love and kindness, without fear or suspicion.

And may we all pray, for the Holy Land, for all those who live and work there, that peace and justice, love and unity, may prevail; and that fear, suspicion, revenge and division may cease.

PS - thanks to the Amos Trust for the photos!

Yad Vashem Memorial Museum

Powerful, tough, emotionally and mentally draining.And yet it has to be included as part of the itinerary if there is to be any hope of trying to understand this land

Yad Vashen is a hard hitting, very visual, very personal, and very well presented memorial museum to the holocaust. Obviously it's from a Jewish perspective but by the end of it you certainly have a better insight into why the desire for an exclusive Jewish homeland is so strong

So many hundreds of thousands of lives lost just within that period in history. And when you add it to the list of other e ampules of Jewish persecution and expulsion - yes, I get a bit more where they are coming from

That doesn't mean I feel happy about the current situation and the oppression and violation of human rights etc. But you can see what is fuelling their underlying emotion of fear. 

I think back to the Genocide Memorial museum in Kigali Rwanda and how equally tough it is to go round. 

But the difference between the two is how they have responded 

Both are saying no more, never again. 

But Rwanda says no more never again by saying no more tribal barriers, we are all one nation, let's live together

And Israel is saying no more never again, but because there is still a strong element of fear of the other, they put up walls and barriers which in turn make unity and cooperation very hard to pursue

Yes, I know there are lots more angles and issues to take into account - the attacks by Palestinians, corruption by those in power on all sides, the role of other nations in the history of the land etc

But I wonder how different it could be if there was a way to heal the fear, to build an identity that isn't based on fear of other, an underlying principle of 'let's not do to others, as others have done to us' or as Jesus more simply put it 'love your neighbour as you love yourself'. 

Back to the olive groves

Our final day in Bethlehem was spent picking olives. Such a great way to decompress after all that has happened this week

We visited an olive press owned and run by a cooperative of local farmers - 950 or so - and thus saw the process of turning olives into oil. 

I'll not go into details now, but suffice to say it includes a machine that sucks the leaves and twigs out, another one that cuts the olives, one that washes and mashes them, and one that separates oil from water

And if you want to know the difference between normal and extra virgin olive oil? well, just ask - I've kind of got the hang of it ;-)

And the rest of the day was picking olives - black and green, the low hanging ones and the ones at the top of the tree and all those in between. 

Feet on the ground, then up ladders and also climbing the trees - I'm delighted to say I've done all three and not got any injuries along the way. 

Space to breathe, space to think, space to reflect and space to just gaze out across the landscape that is the same as Jesus would have walked in, that David would have herded the sheep in, that Ruth would have gleaned in. 

And amidst that was time laughing and eating and drinking with Basheer, and a couple of his friends. 

A calming, beautiful day to end an incredible week. Just the Yad Vashen Memorial museum tomorrow and then home to mayoral, council and 'rest of my life' duties, engagements and activities. 

Two sides of the story

Lots to process today. 

First off a visit to Hebron - a town in the West Bank well known for being one of the more volatile places. It's also the site of Abraham's tomb which is housed in a massive church that has been split down the middle to become a mosque on one side and a synagogue on the other. It used to be that both Jews and Muslims used the same shared space, but as tensions have risen and security measures increased that has no longer been possible, hence the wall down the middle. 

Whilst in Hebron we met with two of the Christian Peacemaking Teams, who monitor and observe proceedings at the many checkpoints and other physical obstacles that there are in the town. It was tough yet insightful to hear some of their experiences, watch footage of some detentions and treatments of local Palestinian boys, and hear testimony from a 12yr old who had been caught up in a situation where 14 boys and 2 adults were detained, cuffed, beaten and threatened by the authorities before being released with no charge. 

We also had lunch on the rooftop terrace of a Palestinian family, supporting their income whilst enjoying the view. 

And we went into the mosque (involving going through 2 checkpoints to get in and 1 to get out) and the synagogue (no checkpoints in or out) 

A fascinating, insightful, thought-provoking visit

But just when you feel like your brain is at capacity, we went and met with a Jewish man who moved from USA to Israel 32 years ago and lives in a Jewish community a short way outside Hebron. 

He generously shared hospitality with us, as well as his story and his perspective. Until now the narratives we have heard have definitely been more from the Palestinian perspective so it was good to hear the other side, albeit one man's take on it all. 

I'm still trying to work through it all, and to  process the various viewpoints, and I know that will take quite some time, and possibly another visit at least to get beyond the very very tiny tip of a massive iceberg of an issue

But what I am clear about is that for me the key thing isn't about the political ideology, or the religious angle. 

For me what makes me want to weep is the violation of human rights. It is seeing what one human can do to another, what one group can do to another, in such oppressive, violent, dehumanising and violating ways. 

No matter which side is doing the violating, the oppression, the violence - it is certainly not the response that Jesus would call for, or practice

This land needs so much prayer. Thank goodness for all those who are doing their best to practice non-violence, unity and peace. 

May prejudice, assumptions, fear, corruption, power and judgement not get in the way of the pursuit of a better way - whatever that might be. 

Tent of the Nations

Today we visited The Tent of Nations. Situated on the only hilltop in the West Bank not occupied by Israeli settlers, it is run by the Nassar family who are Palestinian Christians. 

For 26 years the Israelis have been trying to claim their land to build on, but through legal and peaceful means the family have resisted and remain on the land. 

Their story is amazing, inspiring and very challenging, especially when I consider their attitude to life and then compare it to my paltry efforts. 

Here are a few sound bites of their perspective and story: 

'We refuse to be enemies' 

'Peace is not just the absence of conflicts. It's the art of experiencing inner peace, in the midst of conflict'

'our land is like our mother. We care for her. We won't sell her. We will never leave her alone' 

'we follow the fourth way with regard to how to respond to the Palestinian situation - not violence, not passive inactivity, not giving up, but active non-violent resistance'.

'We want to use our frustrations and disappointments constructively; to transform this into energy we need to do things positively, rather than becoming a seed-bed for anger and bitterness'. 

'We don't need outsiders who come and tell us what to do. We need friends who come and join us in our struggle and vision. 

They help us keep the hope alive'. 

Harvesting olives, in solidarity...

Today we picked olives with Bashir. 

Bashir is a Palestinian Christian whose family has lived and farmed the land for many generations. There are olive trees, a vineyard, apple trees and pear trees; passed down from father to son time after time 

Bashir lives just outside Bethlehem, in a beautiful valley. His house is one side of the road that runs up to Jerusalem; his fields the other. 

Along the side of the road runs The Wall, allegedly built to define boundaries and provide protection from 'the Other', whoever the other may be

What the wall actually does with regard to Bashir is make it incredibly hard for him to reach his fields, and increase the chances of him getting stuck the wrong side of the wall. If he can't get to his fields regularly, the Israeli occupying authorities will declare the land unoccupied and hand it over to Israeli settlers. And that will be the end for Bashir and his life on the land 

So picking olives with him today was incredibly special. 

It wasn't just a chance to be out in the country doing something simple and practical. 

It was also a chance to show Bashir, and farmers like him, that we care about their future

And about their past, and all that has happened. 

And about their today's and what they have to endure. 

And it was a chance to be visible as international supporters; and to the authorities here, who watch everything, that is good for them to see. 

So much more to say, but that can wait for another day. 

For now I raise a bottle of olive oil to Bashir, and all his fellow olive farmers, and I pray that they will be able to live on the land for generations to come. 

Balfour - 100 years on

An interesting day to be in Bethlehem today, on the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Agreement that essentially said the British government supported the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Israel

Today has been spent with some Palestinians: in particular 2 Christians and 1 Muslim.  One of the Christians was our tour guide, a fascinating guy who ended the tour by saying the Lords Prayer in Aramaic ie the language Jesus would have said it in, whilst looking at the Segregation Wall and the refugee camp beyond. The words of Jesus were so powerful in that moment. The other two guys are each the founder of a local NGO. Both organisations use non-violent means to speak into the situation and work to engage their user groups in positive ways of achieving a better future. 

I'll blog more about each of them at another time, but it has been interesting to hear the personal stories woven into the narratives. 

And also to walk through one of the refugee camps in Bethlehem, to meet people from the camp, which has been in existence since 1948, and to get up close and personal to The Wall. 

Nothing can prepare you for the impact of that oppressive and divisive structure. And I have to admit that today I don't feel that I can go along with Teresa May's sentiment that the Balfour Agrreemrnt is something to be celebrated

Jerusalem - 'and Jesus wept'

Have spent the day in Jerusalem today with team. A self guided walking tour, trying to get my head round the mass of conflicting thoughts and emotions that have been swirling round and round in my mind. 

Jerusalem - a place of so much religious focus for three of the biggest faith groups  in the world. Christians, Jews, Muslims - each claiming their portion of the city and its historical significance. 

And therefore Jerusalem - a place of such tension, awareness of other, conflict and prejudice

But at the same time Jerusalem - the place where Jesus came, as a boy with his parents, and then as a man, to be betrayed, crucified and buried. And from where He rose from the dead. 

And day by day, Jerusalem - a city where people live, work, get educated, grow up, have families, just do all the normal things in life

Jerusalem - a place of so many contrasts, so much hope and so much passion. 

And a place where it felt like sometimes all the hope of this city gets sidelined amidst the present day conflicts and arguments. 

As I looked over Jerusalem this morning, I couldn't help but remember how Jesus had looked over it in a similar way - and wept

I wonder how much He looks down on it now and weeps. It feels like a city of such potential for hope and peace, but how much is that potential lost amidst the

politics. 

It's Enough to make you weep

Introducing the next week

Today I’m going on an Olive Harvesting trip to Bethlehem, along with 6 others, and will be doing a mixture of bits alongside the olive harvesting.

The goals of the programme are:

- To deepen our understanding of the situation in Israel-Palestine and the issues that affect people’s lives there

- To build friendships with people of another culture and faith, and by doing so to challenge our own stereotypes and prejudices

- To give practical support to farmers as they harvest their olives

- To be an international presence during the Olive Harvest

- To deepen our understanding, appreciation and respect for the culture, language, history and religious beliefs of others

And the itinerary is

- Tues 31st: fly to Tel Aviv, overnight in Jerusalem

- Wed 1st: tour of Jerusalem, travel to Bethlehem. Accomodation in Bethlehem for rest of trip

- Thurs 2nd: orientation and tour of Bethlehem

- Fri 3rd: olive harvesting

- Sat 4th: olive harvesting and visit to Tent of Nations

- Sun 5th: Olive harvesting and visit Hebron

- Mon 6th: Olive harvesting

- Tues 7th: visit Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem, fly home

Prayers please if you have time, for safety and security, for wisdom and sensitivity, for ability to build friendships across the language barriers, for all those we meet – both Palestinian and Jews, and for the rest of the team.

I'm hoping to blog as we go but have no idea about Internet. So if you don't hear from me assume it's due to lack of Internet access, or too busy picking olives, rather than anything else and I'll do some reflective updates when back

TTFN!!

H

So many broken people in the world

So many broken people in the world
Who have been told lies about their identity
- you're stupid
- you're worthless
- you're not wanted
- you'll never achieve anything
- you're a waste of space
- you're unloved
Etc etc

Told these lies so often that they start to believe them, 
To live them
To construct their lives around them

And they end up with identities that harm,
That damage
That break
That destruct
That lead to people living out broken, damaged, dysfunctional, negative lives
Full of bad life choices,
Made because they don't believe they have any other choice

We need to put into practice a theology that preaches an identity that heals.
That tells people how loved they are
How special they are
How perfect they are
How they are a child of God
And how God wants the absolute best for them

We need to be showing that theology in how we are with others
In the welcomes that we give
In the unconditional acceptance that we show
In the non-judgmental approach that we bring
In the 'just coming alongside and being there for them' 

We need to help start that healing process
Through what we say
What we do
What we think
And through introducing others to our living loving Lord Jesus Christ

But we also need to start living it out ourselves
We need to believe it for ourselves
We need to allow God's love to heal our broken identities

So that from that place of ongoing healing, 
We can reach out to others

Whether it be the woman working on the streets
Or the student who has given up on school, and been told they will never achieve anything
Or the mother struggling to make ends meet for herself and her children
Or the carer consumed with looking after an elderly relative
Or the child who has additional needs and finds it hard to relate to people
Or the businessman who feels trapped in a relentless rat race of work
Or the person who feels as though they are circling the edge of a big black hole of despair

Whoever they are,
Wherever they are
Whatever their circumstances 

When we come into the same space as them, 
We need to be 'preaching' 
(In the gentlest and most non-preachy way possible)
A theology of identity that heals

And by preaching I don't mean standing in a pulpit and just saying it
I mean living it
Showing it
Getting our hands dirty with it
Hugging it
Listening it
Holding someone's hand with it
Letting the tears come in a safe space

Doing it in the myriad of practical ways that we have available to us, 
if we just stop and look around

To show it through serving
And through allowing others to serve us
That some of their healing will come as they find new ways to live
And to be rebuilt through getting the chance to serve

We need a theology of identity that heals
In our own lives
In the lives of our communities
In our nations
In the world

And we need to be the people who are bringing that theology to bear
Not letting others do it
But taking it forward ourselves

Lord open my eyes and my ears
Open my heart and my mind

To see the world as you see it
To see how you would have me live out this theology
In ways that bring healing
That bring true identities
That bring hope for a better tomorrow 
To people today.

The power of a home-made welsh cake

I made some welsh cakes last weekend - about 240 of them in all. It took me most of an afternoon to get them all made, and I have to say I'm not hankering to repeat the process soon, but I'm glad I did it.

I made the welsh cakes for the staff at our local secondary school, and I made that number because I wanted to ensure that there were enough for every one of the 219 members of staff to be able to have one. Teachers, admin staff, learning support, grounds and maintenance staff - I wanted them all to be able to have a welsh cake - hence the massive bake.

The thought came about when I was chatting to a friend who works at the school and who mentioned that the staff were all so very tired - as is the case in most staff rooms across the land due to the impact of cost cutting and curriculum-based changes being imposed year after year. There's not a lot I can do about stopping the cost-cutting, or the requirements of curriculum changes, but what I could do was make welsh-cakes, and write a card with encouraging words.

So I did!

They went in on Monday, and I didn't think anything more about it. Life moved on to other items on the to-do list. But what I hadn't anticipated was the response to the welsh-cakes.

E-mails from staff I don't know, as well as staff I do know, saying thank you, and commenting how special it was to them that someone from outside school was thinking about them. And texts and other messages from friends within the school commenting on the conversations that have come about as a result of the appearance of the welsh cakes.

Apparently, the fact that I had gone to the effort to make the cakes, and not just buy them, made a big impact. And some staff members who don't know me at all were particularly impressed that it was the mayor who had gone to all that trouble! I have also been told that there have even been conversations off the back of the welsh-cakes about faith, and some staff who are of no faith linking my actions to the fact that I am a Christian, in a very positive way.

It hadn't occurred to me to blog about the welsh-cakes, because for me, making cakes to bless people is just what I do. But this past week, the response has been such that I felt it was worth sharing. Not to big me up, but to put the idea out there as a simple example of how we can bless others.

I'm not suggesting everyone needs to start making hundreds of welsh-cakes. But is there a staff room in a school / doctors surgery / hospital near you where you know there are lots of hard-working, beleaguered, 'hanging in there' staff, and who could benefit from knowing that they are remembered, and loved and thanked. Cakes (especially if they are home-made) can go a long way in saying all those things.

Just putting it out there!!!

Solar phone charging – a good news story from Acholi

Over the past few years I have had the privilege of visiting with, and supporting, the Lubanga Ber group in Acholi Quarters, and seeing them grow from a disparate, surviving, not very hope-filled group to the empowered, visionary, cohesive group that they are today.

The involvement of CRED teams in coming and running activity weeks for the children, the wider impact of teams buying beads and paper goods made by the ladies, the continued support from individuals when they return to UK, and the increased awareness of the plight of this previously unheard of group – all these facets have resulted in the Lubanga Ber members believing in themselves, having a sense of self-worth, and feeling part of a wider community than just the square mile or so in which they live day to day.

Until last week, their group would have listed the Hopeful Haven children’s education as one activity that they run, with adult literacy classes and a savings group as the other two, plus of course their beads, bowls and other paper products as the underlying money spinner (albeit on a very ad hoc basis).

One thing they are keen to do is have some sort of microfinance scheme, so that individuals can take out small loans to help start new income generating activities, or develop further ones that are already in action.

But their challenge has been where to get the money for the ‘loan pot’ so that they can get started. The savings scheme doesn’t generate enough money for it, as the members struggle to have anything spare to put in it. What they need is something that will generate some income for the group, at a steady rate, that can in itself turn into the ‘loan pot’.

Enter the multi-port solar phone charger!

I had the joy of introducing the group to the concept of this idea earlier in the week, and taking along an example piece of kit that, if they can work out how to run it as a successful business, could make them a steady stream of income.

It was with great interest that they learned how the solar charger works and how to connect the phones to the charger. As they watched their phones charging, you could see their minds whirring with thoughts on how to use the equipment in such a way that they can protect against phones being stolen whilst on charge, how many phones could be charged per day, what profit they could make……

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to leave the equipment with them as it was actually en route to another project, but it certainly provided them with food for thought, and as I left the group were discussing a number of ideas on how best to utilize it  - for phone charging, but also for add on ideas to get even more benefit from it.

It was lovely to be part of the process, and to see the group members taking a further step into the world of having hope for the future, and knowledge that they aren’t on their own in their personal fight against poverty.

The positive power of Facebook

Saturday lunchtime: visit a very sick lady in Acholi Quarters. Single mum, two young sons, no near relatives, too ill to make food or earn money, 3 days until eviction from the shack they call home due to non-payment of rent for 4 months (been ill for 3 of those months). Has medication but unable to take as needs sufficient food for it to work. Downwards spiral. 

1hour later I post a simple request for prayer for the family on Facebook. No photos, no names, just a simple outline of situation

Three days later I have the privilege of being able to return and give the lady a host of good news: 

- some clothes that a lady from uk had made and sent it with me 'for whoever I felt needed them'

- some cookies I had baked on the new cooker at my hosts house

- enough money to pay the rent arrears donated by someone who read the post

- money to pay the next months rent, also donated by a Facebook follower

- money for food for the family and milk for the youngest child, who isn't thriving as weaned too early due to mums illness, also donated by a Facebook follower

- news that the older lad can now go to school as someone has offered to pay his school fees

- assurance that there is more donated money to be able to cover subsequent months rent so the mum can focus on getting better. 

It was a very special time being able to give all that news, and tears of relief and joy were wept on both sides. 

Prayers were definitely answered thanks to the power of Facebook, and some of the conversations I had via that medium during the donation discussions were very precious in many ways. 

I know some people have suffered badly as a result of Facebook posts and messages, but in this instance God definitely used it as tool for very positive change. 

This is Betty, she’s a Fair-trade, mercury-free gold miner

Betty – mother, wife, and Ugandan small-scale gold miner. And yesterday she told me how her life has changed for the better over the past few months, thanks to wonderful piece of kit called a Gold Kacha.

Betty’s role within the gold mining process was to do the sluicing of the sand, to try and extract the gold. Hours spent bent over, swilling the sand over and over, little by little, hoping to find some gold at the end of the process.

It would take 8+ hours to sluice 4 basins of sand, and as a result Betty’s options were either to take the children with her to help speed up the process using the ‘many hands make light work’ principle, or to leave them at home to fend for themselves, get themselves sorted for school, and try and find their own food until Betty would get home tired, late, and with little energy to prepare the single meal of the day.

But all that has changed thanks to the Gold Kacha, which utilizes centrifugal force, looks like a top-loader washing machine, and has carefully designed insides that catch about 95% of the gold, Betty can process the 4 basins in a fraction of the time it used to take her and have spare hours in the day to give to family life

The outcome: Betty gets to spend more time with the family, looking after the house, tending the garden, and providing at least 2 meals per day; the children get to reliably go to school as they aren’t required to help with sluicing, or stay home to care for younger siblings and do household chores; the household income has gone up thanks to the increased percentage of gold extracted from the same amount of sand.

The other massive positive about the Kacha and associated equipment is that the need for using mercury in the extraction process is negated. The miners had not been aware of the dangers of mercury before the Kacha was introduced, and as a result were using it in scarily slapdash ways. So the health of humans, livestock and the environment were being heavily compromised.

But now, through increased awareness about mercury toxicity, and with a technology that allows the miners to stop using it, the water sources are cleaner, the livestock are living longer, and the miners are no longer putting themselves, and their families at danger.

All in all, a hugely positive story all round (unless you are a mercury seller I guess, but I have no sympathy for them!). And the Kacha - well no wonder they call it the wonder machine!

Proof yet again that fairtrade really does make a difference to the producers, and that we, as consumers, really do have the opportunity to change lives for the better through our shopping choices