Today, Johanna and I held a conversation group with teen-age men age 12 to 16 at the new youth center in Kufr al Labbad.
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| Heading down towards Kufr al Labbad |
It’s about a 20 min. taxi ride from Tulkarm and then a walk straight down a long hill to a beautiful little village. The ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) has projects associated with water and road restoration in villages around Tulkarm. They assist farmers in accessing their land to tend to olive trees and other plants. Kufr al Labbad is located between the illegally built Israeli settlements of Avne Hefez and Enav. There are roadblocks on regular roads that the Palestinian farmers have to use. Obviously this makes it more time consuming and difficult for them to access their own land.
Here is an article on the claiming of the land of the village you might find interesting:
It was a magnificent sight to view the beautiful landscape. Palestine is a rocky place but everything seems to grow in between the rocks. And of course the champion of them all is the olive tree which can live for hundreds of years under the right growing conditions. That reminds me….Khaddouri University is having their first Olive Tree Conference next week at their fine arts center. Our team has been invited to attend this special event.
Getting back to the discussion about our conversation group, it turned out to be a good session. We had some introductory exercises in the beginning and then we moved on to a discussion about the situation in Egypt. As the group discussed the topic we added their ideas on the blackboard. Many things were shared and of course one idea led into other topics as well. It appeared that this group really enjoys discussion and they are quite knowledgeable about what is happening around the world.
After we ended the discussion, we mutually decided it would be good to tour the village when we come again. The coordinator also suggested we stay for a barbeque on our next visit. I am always amazed at the gracious hospitality offered to us wherever we go in this area. A number one priority for those we’ve had the opportunity to meet is relationship. People never seem to be too busy to pause and share a greeting and extend a welcome. It’s something to remember wherever we are that life is not just a series of obligations and what we have to accomplish but rather it is how we care and relate to others.
Take care...............Susanne
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