Sleep in the desert and in the morning open your eyes to a clear blue sky. Lift your stiff body from the ground, and find yourself surrounded by people snuggled in dusty sleeping bags. Our group of 27 teenagers had spread themselves out in last night’s darkness and found places to sleep on the desert floor. "Also if two lie down together, they will keep warm. How can one keep warm alone?" (Ecc. 4:11)

Many of them had stayed near their friends, in their groups, not ready to cross the social and cultural lines that separated them. And yet here we were, a small group in a large desert; every morning packing our things onto the camels, taking a break to avoid the afternoon heat, hiking again, and settling down for a night’s rest."If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

Try to get onto a standing camel alone, and you will understand in a new way the need for help! Our theme for the trip was unity, and it was interesting to see how the desert had very subtle ways of putting us together and causing us to need each other. The youth, although almost all Israeli or Palestinian, had such different backgrounds and languages. Some were hestitant, even reluctant to reach out to one another, and yet others were quite eager to get to know new people. "I want to know what it is like for you to be an Arab and a Christian. How do people treat you when you’re walking down the street? Is it hard for you to be a Christian?" asked one girl during an evening sharing time. In other small ways, such as an impromptu prayer group, or a shared love of music, or a dance to the beat of the durbeke, people took steps towards each other.

"A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." (Eccl. 4:12) Not only do we need each other, but we are intertwined with the Almighty. Often our plans as leaders’ plans fell second to the preparation for the meal or to tiredness or to the desert experience in general. However, I realized that part of impact of this experience is the desert itself - and God’s work during our time there - that gives us reasons to be together, to help each other, that gives time to think, and an atmosphere of peace and stillness. The desert is quiet, as often God's work and voice are so subtle in our lives, and both have an impact that is not always visible, but certainly real.

An hour before returning to the base camp, we stopped on a rocky hilltop. There we read these words.

"This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another…. There is no fear in love..... We love because he first loved us" I John 3: 11; 4:12, 19.

by Brittany Browning