Musalaha Newsletter

December 2004

Voices of Reconciliation: Highlights from 2004
Musalaha in 2004
Young Adults Desert Encounter
Songbook Published
Upcoming Activities 2005
Staff Notes

Voices of Reconciliation: Highlights from 2004

People often ask, "How can Palestinian and Israeli believers coming together change anything?" Each year we are grateful to have been able to complete programs, that we have grown as an organization, and that more people are catching the vision of reconciliation. Still, the question remains: does it make a difference in our context?

In Middle Eastern cultures there is communal emphasis. The individual is representative of their family, their background and nation. It is reflected in the local saying that, "If you save one life, you save an entire world." This sentiment resonates greatly in our context and in our pursuit of reconciliation. When believers from different communities come together, they bring with them their entire worlds. They bring the pain, the pride, and the issues that they face as part of a nation, and experience on a very personal level. People who come to Musalaha events have had a wide range of encounters and perceptions that affect their attitudes toward the other side. Or in some cases, they have had little interaction, and that lack of contact has allowed misperceptions to form. We find that building relationships is a transforming exercise, wherein participants gain perspectives that impact their outlook and actions.

One poignant example from this year was the Youth Encounter in Holland . Two of the youth who participated had very deeply felt the impact of the conflict, one Palestinian and one Israeli, both having lost close family members during the conflict. The Israeli participant, H., wrote about her experience:

A week before the flight, a meeting was held with all the members of the group and the leaders. The cultural and lingual barriers were felt right away. I felt like a part of an astronaut group about to leave on an impossible mission to Mars.

I think my favorite thing was that we didn't feel the need to be "politically correct" with each other. We were very honest. .We talked about fears, bitterness and our hate. Near the end of our stay, L. said to me, ' You know, when I met you I really didn't like you.' 'What? We didn't even talk.' 'I know, but I thought you have eyes like a soldier at a checkpoint.' That sentence, that seemed natural to her, shocked me. Okay, a soldier, big deal. Next year I'm a soldier. But the fact that she said this forced me to step into L.'s shoes what is a soldier at a checkpoint to her? Fear. And even terror.

It was very hard to say goodbye to everyone and go home. It was a deep, meaningful and even shocking experience. I would definitely say that my eyes opened in many aspects. The expression of the reconciliation success to me was actually after we came back. There was a bombing in Be'er Sheva that took many lives. I was angry. Hurting. I connected to the internet and was talking to an Arab girl from the trip, and before I said anything she typed, 'About the bombing- I'm sorry.' That was a simple, selfless act of love. I was truly moved. Maybe this will sound like a cliché to you, but sincerely: love breaks down all walls. Really. And the walls in this case are big and strong, and each day there is another row of bricks added to them, but it's possible to break them down."

Another highlight of this year was the Leaders and Family Conference. As we worked through a Biblical curriculum on conflict-resolution, a figure that emerged was that of Rizpah from 2 Samuel. This "grieving, angry mother," whose sons were killed and not given proper burial, attended their open graves until King David saw her plight and put things right. Rizpah reminded each of us that our grief and perseverance in drawing attention to injustice can indeed make public changes; that our voices for reconciliation can be heard amidst the clamor of hatred and conflict; that our coming together can be a powerful testimony and ministry.

Musalaha in 2004

Women's Conference and Retreats. Musalaha conducted a Women's Conference that focused on worship, and 2 Women's Leadership Retreats. A participant shares this about her experience: "The simplicity and the depth of women praying and worshipping together [at the conference] was very moving and meaningful for me. A particularly moving time for me was after we all sang, "You are the Lord of glory....with healing in your wings" in our own languages. When one of my sisters began to cry and pray, in Arabic, I felt as though I understood her completely, based on just the few significant words! At least, I understood the cry of her heart, which is my own. Our spirits leap within us when we recognize each other, and seeing the faces of some of my sisters is as though I see the face of God."

Leadership Activities . Professor Miroslav Volf of Yale Divinity School , joined us for a Theological Seminar with congregational leaders. We discussed issues raised in his book, Exclusion and Embrace, concerning justice, memory and reconciliation. Volf's insight encouraged us in the reconciliation process. "Forgiveness cleans up the mess, but reconciliation takes another step. It is a movement towards the other. I have to discover in the other person, a human being, with whom I have to be and should be in a relationship."

In August, Musalaha was hosted by EDI for a Family Conference . Over one hundred people, leaders and their families, participated. We were able to work through an excellent Bible study curriculum on reconciliation and added to that family fun and fellowship activities. A participant shares,"With only 48 hours to go we reached a point where we could step into the 'discomfort zone' and share our hearts with one another. We began to speak of painful matters of abuse at the checkpoints between Jerusalem and Bethlehem and the mistreatment of our brothers and sisters at the hands of military authorities. We spoke of our fears and the effect of burying our dead as the result of terrorism. We spoke of the sense of hopelessness of our young people and our powerlessness to really affect change. The greatest challenge was to be able to really hear one another, and yet love one another all the more. When one witnesses this then God's presence is very strong."

Youth Activities. Over 30 high school kids participated in this year's summer camp , where the focus was on facing prejudice. Several youth reported: "The fact that we got to know the Israeli believers is very encouraging because we got to learn to put our differences aside and see that although we are so different we are more alike. I personally love and cherish each moment in which I get to praise the Lord and pray with people that have a different background but the same faith." "The camp will affect me personally in the future in that I will love my Arab brothers and sisters more. As time goes by I get to meet more Arabs and that has brought me closer to them."

Youth Encounter, Holland . Tabitha Ministries invited Musalaha to bring a group of 14 Palestinian and Israeli teenagers to Holland for a two week program. The youth had fun activities and deep discussions together, and also shared in Dutch churches about their faith and their experiences as believers in this context. It was a powerful time both for the youth and the Dutch people who they encountered there.

Youth Leaders Training Conference . Youth leaders who participated in our past training conferences with Youth for Christ participated in an advanced training in Jordan in April. It was encouraging to see how many youth leaders were still involved in ministry and also active in reconciliation.

Young Adults Desert Encounter

Thirty young adults ventured to Dana , Jordan in October. This was a new location for Musalaha , and the participants enjoyed the hiking in the area and visiting Petra . "The last night we shared the communion together. One of the leaders asked us to take the wine that represents the blood of Jesus and share it with someone from the other side and pray together. It was great to see people getting up from their places, going to other people and praying, hugging, crying. In my heart I was so happy but also sad . sad because the situation divides us, makes us look at each other and treat each other as enemies and strangers but the good news is that God is still working and doing something."

Songbook Published

After over three years of work, we were able to publish the songbook of worship songs in Arabic, Hebrew, and English. As far as we know, it is the first of its kind, and we anticipate and pray that it will be a blessing as people from all backgrounds worship the Lord together.

Upcoming Activities 2005

- Youth Desert Encounter, January

- Youth Encounter, March

- Leaders Desert Encounter, April

- Summer Camp, July

- Summer Camp , USA , August

- Young Adult Desert Encounter, October

- Women's Retreats and Overseas Conference

- Youth Leaders Training Conference

- Leaders Gatherings

- Follow-up Projects

Staff Notes

Season's Greetings from the Musalaha team.

This year has seen several changes in Musalaha's staff.. Dania Minor , student projects coordinator, finished nearly 3 years with Musalaha and left to have her first baby, Sean Wesley Minor, in May... Tanas Qassis joined our staff in November. Tanas is from Bethlehem and has had a long time relationship with Musalaha, participating and leading trips since our beginning in 1990. Tanas worked with World Vision and brings years of experience. We are sure he will contribute tremendously to our projects and organization.. Eva Kopp completed her job as songbook publishing coordinator and will continue on as a secretary until she and her husband move to the US next year. Brittany Browning , continues to work at Musalaha in project administration and writing. This summer she began to study Hebrew part-time and continues to serve as a youth leader at Narkis Street Congregation... Shadia Qobti has been very involved in our youth and young adult projects. She continues her studies in English and International Relations at Hebrew University in Jerusalem . Two volunteers from Denmark have joined Musalaha this year. Louise Thomsen came in January and is working as Musalaha's administrator. She grew up here when her father worked for the Danish Israel Mission and has been back several times to volunteer for various organizations. Simon Skårhøj joined us in September as part of our youth leaders project with the Danish Israel Mission.

The Munayer family is keeping active and well. Jack is already 15, doing well at school and playing on a volleyball team. Daniel , 12, is still a star swimmer despite breaking his thumb in a soccer accident. He is very excited to have joined the youth group this year. John, 10, is a talented runner, coming in fourth in a city-wide race. Sam , 6, is blossoming in first grade. Salim continues as academic dean at the Bethlehem Bible College and teaching in its Nazareth extension. Kay is very active in raising funds and collecting contributions to help the Shepherd society, a charity in Bethlehem .

May God bless you as you celebrate the birth of Emmanuel, and may the coming year bring His joy and peace.