It's getting late here, nearly midnight on Saturday night, but I wanted to write a bit about our week and where we are now since I have internet access tonight. And I wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter tomorrow morning. Christos anesti! Alythos anesti! Christ is risen, truly risen! That is the Easter morning greeting here in Greece. Of course, here in Greece that greeting will not be heard until April 27, which is the Greek Orthodox Easter date this year, the last day of our stay in Greece!
We has a marvelous week in the Holy Land. Monday we rented a car and drove down to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, and then up the Jordan River to Nazareth. Tuesday we visited Nazareth Village, the recreation of a First Century Palestinian village in the middle of the busy city of Nazareth. Nazareth is unique in being a predominantly Arab city with Israel, composed of about 30% Arab Christians and 70@ Arab Muslims.
Wednesday we traveled to the Sea of Galilee and visited a number of archaelogical sites on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, the center of Jesus' ministry. Wednesday night we stayed in a YMCA Hotel south of Tiberias on the coast of the Sea of Galilee, a most beautiful setting. That evening we ate fish from the Sea of Galilee in a local restaurant. Thursday morning I got up early and watched the sun rise over the Sea of Galilee as a part of my spiritual retreat. After breakfast we went to the Church of the Beatitudes on the north coast of the sea and I continued my retreat by walking down through the country side through wheat fields from the church to the sea shore! It was such a moving experience to walk in that setting, listening to the birds and watching the boats of the lake.
Thursday night we took a bus back to Nazareth and stayed at the home of Nazareth Village personnel, preparing for our departure from Israel A taxi picked us up there at 2:00 AM and took us to the airport in Tel Aviv to catch our 6:00 AM flight to Athens. In Athens we rented a car and drove some 200 or 300 miles north to the mountain area around Trikala, Greece. Here we are in the home of our friends, Tini and Thanassi Apostolou. Tini was a Dutch member of our team in Iraklion almost 40 years ago. She married a Greek man, Thanassi, and they lived in Holland most of their lives, but now have a home also here in Thanassi's home village, high in the Pindus mountains of Central Greece. Thanassi was a member of the Dutch parliament for 12 years. So here we are having a marvelous time reminiscing about our years of service in Greece 40 years ago. And it is such a beautiful scene in the mountains, with the trees just beginning to leaf out. Today Thansssi took us to Meteora, a very famous place where monks built monasteries very high on some rock formations that resemble huge ships. How to explain it all! We will try to post pictures later.
We will be here yet tomorrow and go to Greek Orthodox services with Thanassi in his village in the morning. Monday we will go back to Athens with our rented car and then fly to Crete where we will be for most of the rest of our time in Greece and for the rest of our Sabbatical time.
May the news of Christ's resurrection and triumph over sin and death bring you all great joy and happiness in the next few days. We have thought often of you all as you have gone through the Holy Week during this past week. Wishing you the joy and peace of the risen Christ, Roy
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
CPT Delegation completed!
Sorry to be out of touch for a few days. I have immensely much to write about,but the hostel we stayed in at Jerusalem didn't have wireless internet access, and I didn't have time to go to an internet cafe.
Loretta and I have had a most amazing and tiring last 12 days on our CPT delegation. The last four days or so we were in Jerusalem, and I'll just tell you a bit about our final day on Sunday, which was Palm Sunday.
Our delegation joined the CPT team and their Palestinian partners in an action at Bethany, the place from which Jesus began his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. We had to take a bus way out into the country to get there, as Palestinians do every day. Why? Because the Israeli government has built a wall separating Bethany, where Palestinians live, from Jerusalem. If Jesus were here today, he would not be able to walk from Bethany to Jerusalem as he did during the first Holy Week. So our action was named, "Where could Jesus walk?" We held banners with this message and had leaflets to give people explaining our action. In the morning we walked up past the tomb of Lazarus, where Jesus raised Lazarus, to the top of the hill where the wall is. We came up to the wall and then began a prayer service. An Israeli officer came out from the check point and told us to leave, but the Palestinians in our group bravely said that we were on Palestinian land and had a right to pray there. So we continued our readings and prayers. At one point, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, retired Roman Catholic bishop from Detroit who has been a tireless worker for peace and justice, went up to the officer and spoke with him. When we finished our prayers there, we went down a little ways into the garden of a convent to have more prayers, but the Israeli soldiers followed us there and again told us to leave. We finished our prayers there and left. On the way down we had a lunch of Palestinian bread and spinach pockets at a Palestinian home across from Lazarus' tomb. Then we took buses back to the Old City of Jerusalem on the Israeli side and up to the Mount of Olives where the traditional Palm Sunday procession begins at the Church of the Pater Nostre (Lord's Prayer). Again we stood with our banners at a place where many of the thousands of pilgrims were passing by on their way down the Mount of Olives. Many of them stopped to take pictures of our banners and to take a leaflet. Then we joined the procession ourselves with our banners and went into the Old City of Jerusalem. It was very moving to observe the thousands of pilgrims singing and chanting Palm Sunday hymns in all the many languages of the world.
Later that evening, our twelve member delegation went out for our final dinner together, only the second restaurant meal we had in these days together. (We often made our own simple meals.) And so we came to the end of our CPT delegation.
Yesterday,(Monday), Loretta and I got a rented car, drove down to the Dead Sea, and then up the Jordan River Valley to Galilee. We got into Nazareth and were able to find Nazareth Village in this crowded confusing city. Nazareth Village is the recreation of a First Century Palestinian village. We had a tour of the village today, and then a meal that Nazareth Village serves for guests, reflecting First Century foods.
Tomorrow we will go to the Sea of Galilee and we plan to do a spiritual retreat by the lake on Thursday if we can. Friday we will fly to Athens! We are grateful to all of you for your thoughts and prayers during this past week. I have many more blogs to write about our intense CPT experience, and when I have time along the way I will try to share more of our experiences. I also hope to add a few pictures to these posts when I have a more stable situation, but I think this is all I have time for today.
Roy
Loretta and I have had a most amazing and tiring last 12 days on our CPT delegation. The last four days or so we were in Jerusalem, and I'll just tell you a bit about our final day on Sunday, which was Palm Sunday.
Our delegation joined the CPT team and their Palestinian partners in an action at Bethany, the place from which Jesus began his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. We had to take a bus way out into the country to get there, as Palestinians do every day. Why? Because the Israeli government has built a wall separating Bethany, where Palestinians live, from Jerusalem. If Jesus were here today, he would not be able to walk from Bethany to Jerusalem as he did during the first Holy Week. So our action was named, "Where could Jesus walk?" We held banners with this message and had leaflets to give people explaining our action. In the morning we walked up past the tomb of Lazarus, where Jesus raised Lazarus, to the top of the hill where the wall is. We came up to the wall and then began a prayer service. An Israeli officer came out from the check point and told us to leave, but the Palestinians in our group bravely said that we were on Palestinian land and had a right to pray there. So we continued our readings and prayers. At one point, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, retired Roman Catholic bishop from Detroit who has been a tireless worker for peace and justice, went up to the officer and spoke with him. When we finished our prayers there, we went down a little ways into the garden of a convent to have more prayers, but the Israeli soldiers followed us there and again told us to leave. We finished our prayers there and left. On the way down we had a lunch of Palestinian bread and spinach pockets at a Palestinian home across from Lazarus' tomb. Then we took buses back to the Old City of Jerusalem on the Israeli side and up to the Mount of Olives where the traditional Palm Sunday procession begins at the Church of the Pater Nostre (Lord's Prayer). Again we stood with our banners at a place where many of the thousands of pilgrims were passing by on their way down the Mount of Olives. Many of them stopped to take pictures of our banners and to take a leaflet. Then we joined the procession ourselves with our banners and went into the Old City of Jerusalem. It was very moving to observe the thousands of pilgrims singing and chanting Palm Sunday hymns in all the many languages of the world.
Later that evening, our twelve member delegation went out for our final dinner together, only the second restaurant meal we had in these days together. (We often made our own simple meals.) And so we came to the end of our CPT delegation.
Yesterday,(Monday), Loretta and I got a rented car, drove down to the Dead Sea, and then up the Jordan River Valley to Galilee. We got into Nazareth and were able to find Nazareth Village in this crowded confusing city. Nazareth Village is the recreation of a First Century Palestinian village. We had a tour of the village today, and then a meal that Nazareth Village serves for guests, reflecting First Century foods.
Tomorrow we will go to the Sea of Galilee and we plan to do a spiritual retreat by the lake on Thursday if we can. Friday we will fly to Athens! We are grateful to all of you for your thoughts and prayers during this past week. I have many more blogs to write about our intense CPT experience, and when I have time along the way I will try to share more of our experiences. I also hope to add a few pictures to these posts when I have a more stable situation, but I think this is all I have time for today.
Roy
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