Note: our Director of Christian Education, Michael Farmer, is on a trip to Israel through his studies at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio. While there, he is sending periodic updates about what he's been doing.
We are still in Jerusalem but have been doing lots of lectures. Most notable was an 83 year old Palestinian Christian woman who works for a theology center. It was facinating how their struggle is justified by some people through pointing to the Bible. She had more of a liberation Theology and it was very good.
We also had a tour of the Albright center which is where the dead sea scrolls were analyzed. That was really cool! Last thing to report on was going to the Holocaust memorial/museum. It was different than the one in Washington DC but still really powerful. The hardest part for me was the children's memorial. I think it was more powerful because of me missing my family and the girls.
Our hotel is right outside the wall so in the evening we went for a walk. It was the first Friday of Ramadan so the city was packed. There were all sorts of different people walking the city. Jews, Christians, and Muslims all respecting each other and living together as they traveled and shopped in preparation for different religious activities this weekend.
This morning we sang in the Church of St. Ann which was gorgeous. Our tour guide is a Palestinian Christian so he sang in Arabic. We are heading to the Mediterranean for lunch and the afternoon. Then tomorrow we get a free day in Jerusalem before we leave Monday to Bethlehem.
Blessings,
Michael
