The Challenge of Purpose

What are we doing here? What are we, Aaron and Misty, doing here in Bethlehem? And, more specifically, what are we doing here that the locals can’t do? Aaron and I have asked ourselves this question on many occasions, and many have asked it of us. Can they not drive cars? Can they not clean rooms? Can they not tell someone about Jesus? Yes, they can (and better than us in some situations). So what are we doing here?

Well, there are a few areas where they desperately need us. These needs drove our passion to come to Bethlehem and continue feed our desire to be here. Although we don’t completely understand the magnitude of our ministry and of their needs, every passing day that we are here we realize more and more the importance of God’s calling in our lives to come to Palestine.

Our presence – just our being here is an encouragement to natives that they, the Palestinian people, are not forgotten and that, specifically, the Palestinian Christians are a part of the global body of Christ –that they are loved equally and unconditionally by other Christians. We are their contact to the outside world. We are a representative of America, of American Christians, and most importantly of Jesus Christ. We pray that by taking the time and effort to just come, be with them, hear to their life stories, and let them know that we care enough to live and struggle with them that they will feel loved, encouraged and listened to.

Our passport – where Palestinians have no freedom, we as American passport holders do (most of the time). Palestinians cannot leave certain areas of Palestine without specific and hard to obtain written permission from the Israeli government and with that, they still might not be allowed out. They don’t have the rights afforded to them that we have in America or even those rights that we, as Americans, have here in Israel. Therefore, due to restrictions, the Bible College’s mail remains uncollected if there is not a person with legal permission to go to Jerusalem and retrieve it, leaving many Palestinians and volunteers feeling cut-off from the rest of the world and lonely. This is especially true when packages from their friends and family get sent back because they sat at the post office for so long (which happened to our good friend just before we arrived). Incoming and outgoing mail is also the life-line of the college and helps keep it up and running – training Arabic speaking leaders and ministering to the local people.

Our persuasion – we, as Americans, have much persuasion back in the states; and our country, the United States of America, has much persuasion in the world. This may be the most important reason that we are here. We have connections that the Palestinians don’t. We have resources that they don’t. We have influences that they don’t. Ultimately, we have the ability to raise the awareness of the dire situation here in Palestine while they don’t have that same capacity. We are your eyes and ears here in Palestine. You know us and trust us. You know our hearts and desires. You know our love for the Lord and for all others. We have established relationships with you, our friends and family, all of whom can make a difference. We are the voice of the Palestinians in a country (America) where they have none. We can tell the untold story of the plight of the Palestinians to a country (America) that has not heard.

Although, America has, in the past as a whole, not heard the voices of the Palestinians nor really cared about their plight, we know that many of you, Americans and others, do care or would care if you just knew. We assure many of the Palestinians we speak to that we have friends and family who have wonderful hearts and would help carry their burdens with them (but they just need to know).

There is such hatred here and sadly, it is also within the Christian church as well. Not just between, the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Roman Catholics whose priests get in physical fights if the other steps a centimeter onto their side of the church (we saw Greek Orthodox at the Armenian Christmas making sure no one stepped onto their side and vice versa) but also between ‘Evangelicals’ in America and around the world. Many ‘Evangelicals’ have ignorantly overlooked the Palestinian Christians and tragically, in some cases, have blatantly overlooked them.

How can a divided church unite a divided land? How can Christians fulfill the two greatest commandments – first to love God and second to love others (Matt. 22:37-39) when they are too busy hating even their own brothers and sisters in Christ because of theological differences in the non-essentials of faith? Even with discrepancies in the essentials of faith, there should be no hate – only distinction and dialogue. A quote we live by: "In the essentials – Unity, in the non-essentials – Liberty, in all things – Charity. Truth in Love" – this is what we strive for. This is what transforms hearts and minds.

Aaron and I often feel discouraged and find it hard to take comfort in the good that many people from all races and religions are doing. Although many Israelis, soldiers, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Americans, Secularists and others are standing up to these injustices, it is still sometimes very difficult to be hopeful about the outcome and we haven’t even experienced the half of it. We learn daily from our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Christ what it really means to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Aaron and I have never had to love any enemies of that magnitude. We don’t completely understand praying faithfully for those who persecute us because we have never experienced such great persecution. Even now, though Aaron and I fight many frustrations and sometimes a little bitterness and resentment, we are free to return home to safety, security, and ‘easy’ living at any time while Palestinians are not.

Palestinian Christians (especially if they have come from a Muslim background) are in danger of losing their life (physically) by the Muslim government. Yet, they have already lost their life (freedoms) due to the injustices thrust upon them by the Israeli government. How can Palestinian Christians here keep their hope and their optimism when they face opposition and persecution from all sides (Israel, Muslim, Jews – Zionist or not, and even Christians – Evangelicals, protestants, orthodox, catholic, as well as Zionists) with no way out? Leaving is not an option for many of them because it is not the answer.

The solution is to stop the injustice on all sides and to hold those accountable who have committed these atrocities. There is hope. It is the one and only true hope for ‘Peace in the Middle East’ and it is solely found in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. We can certainly understand though why many Christians do chose to leave if they can, and that may indeed be what God has called them to do. But if all Christians left Bethlehem and Palestine, then there would be none left. The light of the Lord would completely burn out in the city where the light was born.

Aaron and I sadly were ignorant to the entire situation in Palestine up until a year or so ago when we heard Bishara Awad, the president of Bethlehem Bible College, speak at Denver Seminary about the Palestinian Christians in this area. It was only after this that we began to research the situation here rather than just believe what the media has said, what our government has said, and yes, even what some pastors have said. It was then, after developing a heart for the people that we decided to come.

One way our heart has softened toward all people is by coming to realize the truth of what Brother Andrew has stated in his book Light Force: "there are no terrorists – only people who need Jesus". This is what we remember when we see Muslims ‘terrorizing’ Israelis, when we see Israelis ‘terrorizing’ Palestinians, and even when we see Christians ‘terrorizing’ other Christians. All need Jesus. Certainly, some of these Christians may know Christ but they haven’t embraced Him. They need to know Him, His teachings, and His commands in a deeper way. We need to not dehumanize the ‘enemy’ but realize that they are people too who are sadly missing out on the love, joy, and freedom found in Christ Jesus. They are (as we all are) “Created…in God’s image. Loved…by God’s Grace. Called…for God’s purpose”. This is what changes lives.

Aaron and I have been inundated with new information, people, and places. We are overwhelmed by the gravity of the circumstances. We have mulled over how we are going to accurately and effectively relate all of this to our friends and family while still being compassionate to all those involved (or not involved). What we have heard and seen has kept us up at night and woke us up in the morning. Our thoughts are haunted by many questions and we struggle with the answers or lack thereof. Our faith is challenged by these questions. Our trust in Christians is challenged by the answers that they have for these questions. Our love for our enemies as well as our prayer life is challenged with the reality of the political, religious, economical, and ethical situation in this land which has created these questions.

Before we left we had some idea of what our mission would be to the Palestinians, but we really couldn’t grasp the full understanding until we came. Hearing is informational but seeing is transformational. It is our prayer that we may (all of us) not be conformed to this world but to continually be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we may be able to determine what the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God is. (Romans 12:2) Amen.