As I sit across the table, I look around and see friends gathered together from all across the world, all with different stories and scenarios that led to this particular encounter of friendship. We were sharing a meal, stories and laughter together. Over the table interactions seemed as though we had known one another for a lifetime, and as the drinks came we toasted to the greatness of meeting new friends.
It all started on a farm outside of Bethlehem. My boyfriend, Matthew and I had decided to spend a week helping out at the Nassar family farm, known across the world as “Tent of Nations.” All year around, volunteers come from all over the world to lend a helping hand to a farm and family that has been under threat of confiscation, living in the midst of an area settled by the Israeli government. Through their deep seated faith and the generous support of compassionate friends across the world, the Nassars have been able to hold on to this generational family farm and home. Matt and I were one of seven volunteers helping out during our stay. Our group consisted of us two Americans, a couple from Canada, and three girls from Spain, Germany and Lithuania. Immediately, the group bonded as we dug up thorn bushes, watered acres and acres of plants and trees rolling down the valley to the Nahalin Village, planted trees and harvested almonds and figs in the hot summer sun. We worked hard together, only to come together at the end of the day over a delicious home cooked Middle Eastern meal by the greatly hospitable Nassar family. Conversations, stories, and contemplations over the War lasted far beyond the sunset and sometimes carried out beneath the August moon as the camp fire kept us awake. The friendships made the experience so special. After a week of hard work, together we did some travelling into the West Bank. When it came time to separate ways, it was very difficult. Although it had only been a week, the bonds we experienced made it feel like this would not be the last time we would see each other. And this became true, at least for one of the girls we came to know. Verena, from Germany, stayed around the country a little longer than the others. After her work on the farm, she travelled around Israel and then to Jordan. When she got back from Jordan I received a message from her that she was back for her last week and wanted to get together. So we met in Jerusalem and travelled to the West Bank where she came to stay with me in Bethlehem. Our first night together we caught up on all her adventures she had over the two weeks and the unforgettable people that she met along the way. There is something unique about this place and the people you come across. Every now and then you run into an experience that you could not find anywhere else in the world, and the special hospitable treatment you receive leaves a lasting impression that will stay in your heart for a lifetime. I enjoyed hearing about her encounters like this. The next day I went off to Jerusalem for work as she stayed behind, wandering the streets of Bethlehem. I called her on my walk home from the office to find a place to meet up. She had just ran into a guy who arrived from Denmark and was about to share a cup of coffee with him. I hurried to join them in the Old City near the Manger Square. I caught them just in time and was delighted to meet our new friend, Olav, and also quite intrigued by this unique encounter and friendship evolving. Olav was very tired, hungry and thirsty. But little of this showed as he casually sat outside the coffee shop with us, intentionally engaged in getting to know us and eagerly interested in creating a friendship. He was a humble man, and it took quite some questioning to find out the exciting journey he took to get to Israel. His adventure started when he hopped on a flight from Denmark to Iran, where he travelled all around the country getting to know people and exploring the land. From there he received a call from his friend who wanted to hike through Lebanon, but didn’t have any money, so they thought it might be an adventure to rely on people and the elements for this venture. So, Olav and his friend set out on an 11-day journey through the Lebanon Mountains, under the desert sun, entering villages for a bite to eat. They were overwhelmed by the generosity of families who welcomed them into their home and sat them down for a delicious, warm, home cooked meal. When they couldn’t eat any more, they had to succumb to the Arabic way as the woman pointed to the food and said, “EAT! EAT!” So with full bellies and warm hearts they made it through Lebanon successfully. Olav then got the notion to continue on into Israel. “It was somewhere I had never been before so I thought that was a good enough reason to go,” he said. So through Syria and Jordan he caught ride after ride until he crossed the border in the West Bank. A kind bus driver offered him a ride to Bethlehem where we sat around sharing coffee together. We got on board with Olav’s adventure and decided to continue this friendship as we explored the sites of this country together. Of course, we started with a meal and enjoyed further conversation over the best hommus and falafel in Bethlehem. Olav had a strong sense of wonder and curiosity towards Christianity and the story of Jesus, he truly had a fascination with all religion and had an open and willing heart to learn more. He wanted to discover the history of this land and dig deeper into the stories he had heard about since he was a child. So we took to foot and sought the sites of Jerusalem. I called my friend, Ramzi to come along. I had only met Ramzi nearly a week ago at the Old Train Station in Jerusalem. He was working in a café and I was grabbing a bite to eat. He came up to me, wondering what this foreign girl was doing at a Kosher restaurant. Meeting him felt like seeing a close, dear friend that I had not seen in a while. We laughed together immediately as he sat down and joined me for conversation. I got to learn what life was like being an Arab Israeli, especially during a trying time. We had met again for coffee after that and I got to know more about his loving heart towards people and his faithfulness to the loving father he found in God. I was more than excited to spend more time with him, and especially to integrate him into my new friendships with Olav and Verena. So the four of us wondered around Jerusalem, visiting the Old City, viewing the Western Wall, and observing the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Every place we visited was an adventure and an opportunity to meet more interesting individuals, see unique things happen (you really never know what you are going to see when you set out into Jerusalem), and a chance to get to know one another more through our pilgrimage. We got to go know Ramzi on a deeper level while visiting the Western Wall. We just so happened to walk upon a ceremony honoring the soldiers from the IDF who arrived home from the War in Gaza. Knowing the devastation that had occurred, it was hard to recognize any appraisal from this dark time in the country. My eyes were opened even more to the damaging effects this war has on individuals as I watched my friend Ramzi struggle with the idea of people claiming victory over the loss of his friends and national brothers in Gaza. We left with a heavy heart, but also recognized the power of a hug, support and friendship during a sensitive moment. Olav was such an intriguing and lovable person. He was interested in learning new ideas and his eager sense of adventure gave him an open heart and spirit to embrace new people, places and views. I got to know him as we took a walk through the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. His fascination overwhelmed him in the beauty and magic of this ancient Church. As we viewed the place where Jesus was supposedly laid buried, a light came on inside of him as he took strict and fascinated observance of this tomb. “You know,” he said, “Since we never really know if this is really true, why not give it attention and have an open mind to it?” He greeted every experience with an open heart and open hands to dig in. Ramzi and I laughed as we stood back and watched Rex observe the sites so intently, he had such a strange resemblance to the images we have seen of Jesus, we couldn’t help but make jokes… “So Olav, do you feel like you are in your natural habitat now?” He would laugh and tell us how much he loved it here. After spending the day soaking in the city, it was getting a little late and about time for a meal. Verena, who is so amazing at seeking and nourishing relationships, always making a point to get together with the people she has met along the way, got in contact to two Canadian guys she had met out on the farm. Meanwhile, Olav, called up an old friend who he had met somewhere along the lines of his travel, she was now living and working in Jerusalem. And the three joined us in the Hebron Hostel Tea Room cave for a meal. The three additions couldn’t have been more wonderful! One of the Canadians, Derek, was travelling through the country for the month meeting with theologians and important religious figures doing research and gaining understanding for his studies in theology. His buddy, Tim, who was along for the ride, living and learning with Derek and taking captivating photographs while taking time off of work in the oil fields. Elisheba was working and studying Operational Management for non-profit organizational funding in the Israeli area. The three of them could not have been more fitting for group dynamics. Every one took such interest and fascination with one another and created this interesting web of communication across the table as we all enjoyed the company of one another. It was late, we were tired, but this day was just too good to come to an end. We took our party from the Old City to the New City and found the neatest little bar in the downtown area, Cassette. It’s rumor that it is the smallest bar in the world, as you walk down into the cave and there is a bar, 2 chairs and a guy in the corner selecting jams for the people sitting outside drinking the only one beer on tap. The door walking down into the bar was filled with none other than, old Hebrew cassettes. We pushed two tables together, all got our freshly tapped Kozel Czech brew and toasted to new friends and new adventures. At one point, as we all were rotating chairs to talk to another person a little more intently and sharing past stories, adventures and shared interest together, I looked across the table and smiled so big. Here we were from all across the world- Germany, Texas, Canada, Denmark, Israel, with wildly different backgrounds, beliefs and stories, all with very interesting scenarios to even lead us to this very table. But it was a strange web of friendship as we treated one another with the same love and care as if we had known one another for a lifetime. And then something very special happened, Ramzi, being one of the only local ones among us, silenced us all so he could share something. He then expressed his deep appreciation for all of us and our willingness to come to this country, care about people and try to make a difference. Then he encouraged us that we are making a difference by simply just being here and giving our heart and our time. Words could not expressed the overwhelming sense of love felt in this moment. The night lasted late on into the evening. It took every ounce of will to get up and leave the table, knowing we were walking away from something beyond extra-ordinary. But when the time finally came, we hugged and said goodbye. Elisheba was off to Romania in the morning for a few weeks of vacation, Derek and Tim were leaving the country to go back to school and life in Canada the next afternoon, Verena and I would leave for Haifa the next morning to spend the weekend before Verena set back to school in Germany and I went off to Portugal, uncertain if I would be back in the country again, Olav would leave two days later to go back to Denmark where his physical therapy business awaited him, and Ramzi would return to life and work early tomorrow morning. And there it was. We each walk off into the separate pathways that once made us such a compatible, diverse group. We turn from one another with hearts full and overflowing with love. We may never, ever see one another again, we may just have had that one night together. But I will cherish that night my whole life and hold my new friends in a special place in my heart.
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AuthorKatie Elizabeth: Writer, Wonderer, Wanderer. Archives
January 2022
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