The Land of the Brave
Day 6 in Beit Sahour November 15
It's late and I'm very tired. I actually worked about 12 hours today,
visiting families, helping write profiles, taking photographs, editing articles.
Beit Sahour was quiet, but we hear Beit Jala has been under heavy attack and
that 9 Palestinians have been killed so far today in various areas.
In the area of Beit Sahour that has repeatedly been attacked by Israeli
soldiers, there are a few people who decide that it is best for them to stay.
Others feel it's best to leave. Both groups are to be admired for making
the decision that works for them. It takes a great deal of courage to
stay, but it also takes a great deal of strength to walk away. Our hearts
and prayers go up for both groups.
I went to visit Rula today who is still steadfastedly guarding her home across
the road from the Israeli military camp. She was in good spirits.
She showed me the handful of dings that they had recieved from bullets, some
bullets that they found on the roof and casings beside the house. She said
that one night a neighbor phoned and said, the Israeli soldiers are near your
house. She looked out and never saw them. They stay in two small low
rooms on the side furthest from the base. They all sleep on mattresses on
the floor. She said that after about an hour of shelling that she had to
go out to the bathroom. While she was in there, she opened the window to
peak out and saw four Israeli soldiers just outside the window. She
slammed the
window shut, ran out of the bathroom and slammed the door shut. She said
she is sure that they must have heard her, but maybe if there was gunfire, they
didn't notice. She laughed today as she told me about it. She also
said she was doing dishes one night when a shell (which glows red in the dark)
flew past her window and hit a nearby house. She said that they feel
really blessed that they have had so little damage. She thinks that her
oldest son, George, who is 10, has become more violent and unmanageable.
He's losing weight, won't study. I'm hearing this a lot from the
families. The week before the fighting started Rula and her husband
baptized their youngest son. As part of the local custom, a lamb was
slaughtered and crosses were painted in lamb's blood on the doorposts and across
the top of the doorways. It is still clearly visible. Maybe the
Angel of Death will continue to pass over this house.
Tonight we visited another family with 5 children who are now living in the
father's very small and crowded barber shop. They tried to stay in their
home, but the attacks were too terrorizing to the children and after some
moderate damage and minor injuries, they gave up and left the home. The
children refuse to take their clothes off to sleep. Now at the Barber shop
they are better, all sleeping together on a large mattress in the floor.
But before, the father says, they wouldn't even sleep on a mattress on the
floor, but would crawl under it. The 2 year old was fussy and combative
with her mother the whole time we were there. The older children were
quiet except when we took pictures and showed them the image on the digital
camera. This always brings smiles.
The father says, "we can't live like this", but in the next breath
he says that he won't leave Beit Sahour. I want to tell them, "you
are not going to live like this forever. But you will live through
this." But could he believe me now, sitting in a tiny makeshift
living room which used to be full of clients waiting for haircuts?
My visit here is halfway over, and as always I feel that I can't accomplish
enough. I had hoped to see Muna at Deheisheh and get Dr. Nassar to take me on a
tour of the medical situation. I still have friends here that I haven't
even said hello to, and it will be unforgivable if I leave without doing so.
I know that this time going to the Sea of Galilee will be impossible.
But I at least want to spend some time in the Nativity church. It should
be quiet there with no tourists. We are working harder now to try to get
the web site of the "Displaced Shepherds" up before I leave. It
seems that we continue to add to the list of families who have been effected
more quickly than we can profile them.
Thanks for your continued prayers.
Salaam,
Rhonda
