Moving On...

Moving On…
April 22, 2003

Hi everyone,

While it is the end of April and was previously in the 90's around here, we've gotten a sudden chilly spell. I need to wear my mittens to sit here and type. We are in the cycle of dust storms followed by rains, then summer will truly be here. The trick in housekeeping is to use the rainwater to squeegee off the roof and floors before it cakes on impermeably.

Anyway.

Retreat time in Latroun was very good and much needed. It required brain cells I haven't used here for a while, such as those required for chanting in German and a little ancient Hebrew, plus speaking a little of both languages and quite a bit of Arabic, and picking up some Russian (it's an eclectic community). Also with lots of time to paint and cross-stitch as well, I felt like a million bucks up there. I reflected on the fact I have been in the field three very long years, and these past twelve months have been the longest. I still have a year left to go. Uff-da. It is a little strange to have a week's vacation and come out of it feeling like you really need...another vacation.

So in two weeks, I am accepting an offer for time away from this project, to help a little in the CPT office in Toronto, for about five weeks. Now, I know what all of you are thinking: Iraq is less dangerous at the moment, couldn't I go there instead? Well, maybe not all of you are thinking that, but I did just read the paper yesterday about Toronto's particular problems with SARS. After advising my friend Erin last week to please not breathe the air in China where she's working, I promise not to do any hospital accompaniment while I am in the north country. ;) I also promise not to walk up to any air vents in the airport and inhale deeply.

At any rate, the decision to depart here a month early was difficult, but once made sounds better and better all the time. I always fly through Toronto, only got to actually visit for about six hours once, when a teammate picked me up for a whirlwind tour between flights. I've got lots of CPT friends up there I'm looking forward to seeing. I'll be back in Iowa at the same time as previously planned, I expect, and will hopefully return to the Middle East in August, as previously scheduled. I still want to be here the next year, but I'll be much more energized for it if I do something different for a while now.

Ha, ha...I realize I have just achieved what 90% of Americans never do, according to the magazines...accepting the reality of the need to do less in order to live more...........and then doing it.

Before then though, I will be attending my Bethlehem friends' (Naheida's family's) land confiscation court hearing this Sunday. They could use your prayerful support. Hundreds of Wartburg students, Lutherans, and dozens of CPTers have spent time working on their farmland, which is now surrounded by Israeli settlements. Settlers have been harrassing them particularly this spring, and now they are going to court to challenge the land being taken for yet another settlement. The following Sunday, I will attend my friend George Rishmawi's wedding in Beit Sahour, which promises to be an event. He is one of 27 George Rishmawis in Beit Sahour, but I think he will be the only one with possibly more foreigners present than Palestinians. George is a long-time, very popular tour guide and peace activist here. I saw the Tannous' this weekend for their Palm Sunday (all of Ramallah is on the Eastern calendar for Easter this year) and they are well; I tried to help in making Mamool (date cookies) which are decorated very daintily, but it was easy to tell which ones were my not-so-handiwork.

Time to mop floors and clean up the rest of last weekend's dust storm, so we can be ready for this weekend's....

with peace,

Le Anne

Exhaustion

Exhaustion
April 13, 2003

hi everyone,

After receiving several "Where are you?!" notes, I am finally checking in. The tension of the war build-up, the grief from reports of friends' houses destroyed by bombing, the situation here including several deaths of colleagues in the past month, and other unfortunate encounters have left me exhausted and on edge, not really in a writing mood. It has been good to pass on reports and action alerts and have people respond that they've been helpful.

I am spending most of Holy Week on retreat in a German Lutheran community at Latroun, which is grassy, flowery, and has neat Crusader ruins. Probably I will be incommunicado (lost the cell phone yesterday, ending my two year championship title for not having lost any of our equipment.) I'll come back to Jerusalem Friday afternoon and rejoin the team for the holiday weekend.

A contemplative Holy Week to you all, and a blessed Easter...

Le Anne



"Why of course the people don't want war. . . That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the
bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

~ Hermann Goering,
Nazi officer, during his Nuremberg war crimes trial.