And the YAC is underway!

While the sun has already set on the third full day of the Sabeel young adult conference, it's not too late to say that our group has arrived safely from their various locales across the world, including Canada, the UK, Sweden, Denmark, the US and Palestine! Not only did they arrive safely, but we've already completed three full days of engaging activities together.

Without regular internet access, it means we're a bit behind, so we'll back track a bit, and leave you with some reflections on Lifta, a depopulated town which we visited our first day together.

July 25, 2008

The second day into the conference, and it feels like a week. In a good way, that is. We have already experienced and learned so much, seen so many places, met so many people and heard so many stories. Being guided through the depopulated village of Lifta by a man who grew up there himself was intense. He showed us where their house used to be, where they used to buy sweets and where the mosque stood. After being imprisoned for 17 years he still has no hatred in his voice while speaking about the Israelis. He still has hope.

Even though this is only the second day of the conference, it feels as if we have already met a lot of this kind of people. People who refuse to give up hope, even after 60 years of Nakba. They are desperate to share their stories to the rest of the world and us, being a link to the outside. These people are a hope in a place of hopelessness, and it is so very inspiring to meet them.

-Hannah O.

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It is such a place of paradoxes it seems. We went today (Wednesday the 24^th) to Old Jerusalem and to Lifta. Lifta is a depopulated town, close to Jerusalem. We were guided by a man who had lived there before 1948. He was telling us how he remembered all the people who lived there who had shops, who had families. He would go to the sheriffs wife and ask for sweets, and she would always respond with “No sweets! No sweets!”

The sun was setting as we went through LIfta, a beautiful sight, yet so haunting. The paradox of beauty and great sadness. IT is a land of people who are devoted to God (Jews, Muslims and Christians), yet has been so cruel. “The Holy Land” and yet, it has been through so much.

We are blessed to be here, to learn about hope in the Holy Land.

-Robert P.

(Photo credit-- Jay Gregory)