A sense of urgency came over me when I learned that my husband Boyd and I (Boyd convenes the education work group of EPF's Palestine Israel Network) were awarded a grant to work in youth ministry in Israel and the West Bank. My mission was to work in summer camps for children in the region, but I could not imagine how I could serve children who spoke a different language. I was worried about being accepted by the children and the other leaders. I was pleasantly surprised in both cases. We found that the language of hugs, smiles, and high fives is universal and that the children loved interacting with Boyd and me at the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School in Ramallah, as well as at the summer camps in Zababdeh and Nazareth. What amazed me most was that most of the youth spoke some English. Therefore, we were able to communicate and have fun at the same time.

The summer camps were also a lot of fun. Much like children in our own diocese, the children in Palestine loved crafts, music, singing, and dancing. However, the one thing they seemed to enjoy the most, especially at St. Matthew’s in Zababdeh, was games involving water balloons. Water balloons showed their happiness among their hardships of living in the occupied West Bank.

To my surprise, the Palestinians I encountered were very different than I expected, especially after listening to the news reports of violence in the area. The kindness and peace I felt as we traveled throughout the West Bank gave me a sense of security that I did not always find in Israel.

There was one particular woman, Sister Najah Rantisi, who took me under her wing and cared for me while Boyd traveled to Gaza with the Episcopal Peace Fellowship. Sister Najah cared for me as the Good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke. After the death of her mother, when she was a young girl, her father left her at the home and school started by the Sisters Emmanuel in Ramallah. While she was growing up in the home, it was hit by a stray Israeli bomb, which killed two of her friends and wounded two teachers who were attempting to protect the girls. This would scar most people for life, yet Sister Najah looked at the experience and learned how to help others in their time of need. When she became a young woman, she heard the call to commit her life to Christ and become an Anglican sister, herself. She now lives out the Gospel as a member of the Anglican Order, the Sisters Emmanuel. Sister Najah is the person that families call during their time in need. While we were there, Sister Najah, Boyd, and I delivered extra eggs from the food pantry sponsored by the United Nations. Sister Najah is a saving grace for so many people; she is an example of the Palestinian heart and giving sprit we experienced during our visit.

Sister Najah and I became friends for life, and, through sharing her routine of having to navigate checkpoints, segregated roads, and applying for a visa as a Palestinian woman; I learned firsthand how tough it is to live in Palestine without freedom.

She took me on several adventures to Emmaus, Jericho, Taybeh, the only remaining fully Christian village in the region, and St. George’s Orthodox Church in Burqin, where Jesus healed the ten lepers.

During our first adventures, I could not understand some of Sr. Najah’s concerns, but after living in the region for a while, I grew to understand the inequalities faced by Palestinians on a daily basis. I was shocked to learn that Palestinians are not allowed to travel on all roads in Palestine, nor are many of them able to travel into Israel where many of their friends and family live. It is a system, which holds Palestinians captive in their own country.

What surprised me more than anything is that Palestinians are not entitled to due process under the same legal system as Israelis, and since Palestinians are subject to military law and do not have access to civilian courts, the Israeli military often intimidates and kills Palestinians without asking questions. I grew very concerned about the abuse of human rights that Boyd and I witnessed and personally experienced while living in the area. I became committed to share my experience and encourage people to look openly at our relationship with Israel and Palestine. I pray others will join me in supporting Palestinian human rights and educating people so that we do not continue to aid these abuses and contribute to the global conflicts we hear about every day on the news.

Boyd Evans & Palestinian colleagues at work