Read all of Sara Brubacher's reflections: Dialogue 1, Dialogue 2, Dialogue 3, Bethlehem Reflections
Dear Friends and Family,
So an opportunity to give a few more thoughts and anecdotes from the conference
has arrived. Sorry that these emails are about half-a-week behind what is
actually happening here due to internet access and trying to keep things chronological
where possible. Just to give you an idea of where I am right now, however, I
will tell you that I have spent the last couple of days in Bethlehem, and am
writing from a computer at the Siraj Center in between editing online news
articles from the International Middle East Media Center.
I was in the middle of sharing about the wonderful people I met at the
conference, and perhaps this is the best way to provide some insight into life
here.
Some of the stories that have struck me the most are the ones about suffering.
In one of our "dialogues," one question concerned how our
religion/culture viewed or helped us to bear suffering and death. While there
were different responses, varying from one Muslim man's conviction that all you
can do is accept things and move on, to sharing about how in the West some
people will really struggle with their faith during hard times, to hearing
about how suffering can strengthen your faith (since when you have lost
everything else, you will want to hold onto the one thing that cannot be taken
from you).
Many of the people here have lived through so much, from an occupation to civil
war to invasions. When we talk about suffering and death, violence and conflict
are the images that come to mind. But these images include stories of hope: I
will share with you examples from one place in specific that has had more than
it's share of conflict: Lebanon.
Lebanon is the place where everyone goes: it has beaches, mountains, olive
groves. Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, is called the "Paris of the Middle
East." Just as it's diverse beauties are packed into a country the size of
Los Angeles County, so is the diversity of it's people. This has played into
political hands with the fifteen year civil war between Christians and Muslims.
However, one Christian Lebanese women helping at the conference told me how she
lived in the Muslim half of the city all the way through the civil war. She
volunteered at the Red Crescent with both Muslim and Christian women, and when
someone was injured it did not matter who they were, they were taken care of.
Another Lebanese, this time a young Muslim man, who is one of the most
religiously committed people I have ever met, told me about when Israel invaded
in 2006. He stayed in Beirut during the bombings, and also worked side by side
with Christians and Muslims, helping carry the wounded in the street to the
nearest hospital or shelter.
When listening to these stories, it was sometimes easy to dismiss our own
experiences of suffering and death. But when I shared about the loss that
families feel when a dear one suffers from cancer, or when a young adult in the
flower of life dies in a car accident, the Eastern participants were the first
to point out that just because our experiences are different, does not make
either greater or lesser.
Another thing that has continued to amaze throughout my time here in the Middle
East, is the hospitality I encounter every day. This surfaced in the conference
in several ways.
It is part of Arab culture and hospitality to put the best foot forward,
especially for guests that are strangers to your land. This meant that the
accommodations and meals for the conference were much nicer than I was even
close to being comfortable with. We visited some very high profile people in
beautiful conference centers, and were even treated to a morning at the Dead
Sea and a dinner at the nicest hotel in Amman on a balcony overlooking the
entire city. It took quite a bit of effort on my part to accept this royal
treatment, since I much prefer to live simply and put money towards projects on
the ground. But I came to appreciate the goodwill gesture behind it, and also
to see what a treat it was for the participants from the East, who often live a
difficult life. (By the way, any financial donations given for this trip went
towards transportation and my time in Palestine--this was all covered by the
organizations putting on the conference and their donors).
Another time the culture of hospitality showed up was at the Cultural Night. One
evening the participants from the East and West were invited to show their
culture to the other participants. When the group from the West got together to
organize this, it turned out very few people had given it much thought or had
brought anything from home. We quickly put together a slideshow showing where
we were all from and some pictures showing the culture (sports, landscape,
picnics, etc), a wonderful skit explaining some slang lingo, and a drama
portraying American history in less than 5 minutes. It turned out really great,
and I even handed out some chocolates from Nebraska. Then the Eastern
participants went, and basically every country, in addition to preparing a
slide show, had brought gifts for all of the Western participants. We were
showered with plates from the Holy Land, papyrus and jewelry from Egypt, small
kafiya scarves from Jordan, and sweets (lets just say that we were all very
glad to at least have given some chocolates, as small as that is).
Perhaps what I would most like to take away from this conference can be summarized
by a quote from Wafa, the woman from the Middle East Council of churches behind
much of the conference: "We are united by elements more powerful than
those that divide us, our comomon humanity and faith." As much as I have
focused on the differences in culture between East and West, they were by far
outnumbered by our similarities. Becoming friends is the same all over the
world, and through laughter and tears, chatting and serious discussion, sitting
in the cool AC and walking on the lowest point on earth, I have built
friendships that will last my life, know that I will be welcomed whether I am
going to Cairo or Seattle, Beirut or Chicago.
Thank you for putting up with my terribly long emails. The next one will cover
my wonderful time in Bethlehem (which unfortunately ends today as I travel to
Jerusalem, but good things will be found there as well!). If the conference was
just brushing the water of the culture here, the last few days have been
dipping my pinky finger in--I have been bumbling my way through living with
Palestinian families, learning about life in a refugee camp, walking some very
narrow and steep roads, etc. I have been learning with every minute I spend
here, and probably by the time I leave will have just begun to get used to it.
All the best to you and your families.
May you enjoy the blessings of plentiful water and freedom of movement,
Sara
