Newsletter: Vol. 11. Iss. 1
April 2012
Mission Work in Palestine
The Rev. Jil Jennewein
10 days in 2010 with The Society for Biblical Studies, I knew I had to return someday. Unlike traveling with a commercial tour company, our S.B.S. group spent the majority of our tour not only retracing the life of Jesus by visiting the places where he ministered, but more importantly seeing what living is like for the Palestinian and Israeli people today and applying our biblical learning's to the world we live in.
My opportunity to fulfill my dream of mission work in Palestine came in between job assignments. The Reverend Peter Miano, Executive Director of The Society for Biblical Studies, offered to support me in my mission work and made the arrangements with the Tent of Nations for me to work at the Women's Project in Nahalin. I arrived in Beit Jala on January 22, 2012.
I knew this was not going to be your average, or typical mission trip. Rather than building a medical clinic (like I had done in Haiti) or some other “hands on” project, I knew this was going to be a mission of love and a ministry of Christian presence. My goal was to make my pilgrimage a form of mission in itself by building bridges of understanding through the relationships I formed while in Palestine.
Winter is the rainy season in January, therefore upon arrival the weather was quite cold and miserable, but the rain did not stop me from venturing over to The Hope School. Over the next 4 weeks I got very acquainted with the staff and students who live and work there. The first thing I realized upon visiting their chapel is that there were no hymnals. "How can you have chapel without music I asked?" This led to many visits with the students. We picked out 3 songs they wanted to sing together and rehearsed until they felt comfortable participating in the worship experience, which we did before I left.
I also made the drive to Nahalin with Daoud and Jahin Nassar three mornings each week. The Women's Project, a grassroots movement created by Jahin for the rural Muslim women in the village of Nahalin. I was told I would teach these women English. "Teaching English" turned into a last minute creation of a 4 week Women's Empowerment Workshop designed to be implemented and used beyond my time on the project. Each morning there were between 12 and 20 young Muslim women whom would attend these free courses. Jihan utilizes the expertise of not only the professional women in her area but the many internationals who travel through. In this way these young women are learning about health care, hygiene, their legal rights, and resources for counseling and domestic violence advocates, nutrition, education, employment, learning better English speaking skills, and much more.
I have never met more hospitable, kind and generous people in all of my life than those in the Palestinian communities. I felt welcomed, safe and protected and saw the living spirit of Christ daily. I learned more about myself during those short 30 days in Palestine than the rest of my life put together. Each day I felt that my life and contribution was appreciated and valued more than I have ever felt it here in the United States.
And this all started with a desire to "walk in the land where Jesus walked". Yes, I hear those words many times from people wanting to tour the Holy Land. To visit the land of Jesus’ birth and life, is worthy of adding to your Bucket List. One simple tour turned my life and perception of the world upside down. I had no idea what was really going on in Jesus' home country. I would venture to say that most people here in the United States do not, and will not know the truth unless and until they go "Visit Palestine" (as the poster says). I will never forget my friend and mentor Rev. Don Messer (former President of Iliff School of Theology), telling our class during Iliff Week of Lectures, that we each have a responsibility to # 1 “go” and # 2 come back, and # 3 to tell others what we saw and experienced.
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” asked Nathanael. “Come and see,” said Philip. John 1:46. Jesus asked his followers “What do you want?” and they answered, “where are you staying?” And he responded, “Come and see.” John 1:38-39. I am very grateful to have been led safely by The Society for Biblical Studies, which encourages all travelers to consider that we have a responsibility as Christians to keep our biblical studies in context and that we owe it to ourselves to spend more than 3 hours in Bethlehem and behind the ominous wall that separates the so called West Bank. I know I am grateful I did and I now look forward to visiting my new Palestinian friends again and again.
The Rev. Jil Jennewein: The author is a United Methodist minister. She traveled to the Holy Land and Turkey with The Society for Biblical Studies and returned as a short term volunteer in January 2012.
