A daily Decision

Is it part of what god is teaching me, or is it just something that I need to get used to it. What was normal one day became not normal, and what is not normal became normal. 

As some of you know, we need permissions to go to Jerusalem, and because it's Christmas the Israeli government gave permissions to Palestinian Christians to go and pray in Jerusalem and visit friends and family. So I too had permission. And the story this time wasn't really a nice one. On Sunday my parents, my sister and her 2 daughters, baby boy, and I decided to go and visit my other sister on the other part of the wall. This was the first time ever for my sister to go to Jerusalem after they build the wall, and after they put the new checkpoint. For my parents and my self, it became normal to see soldiers and to get through the checkpoint. So I got through the check point easily, and when it got my sisters turn, one of her daughters peeped on the checking machine, so they asked her rudely to go back and take of what ever is metal with her ( 6 years old girl), and so she did, and again through the machine, and again, and again , and again, and she got scared, and didn't know what to do, anyways in the end she passed, again her sister, got through again, and again, and again, and their mum, my sister, with a baby boy 2 months old, holding him in her arms, and she got through the same process more than ten times, the kids started crying, and crying, and the soldiers didn't leave them alone, so at this point I got really upset, I went trying to talking with the soldier (maybe 19 years old female soldier), asking her to leave my the kids alone, and she insisted that they wont got through the machine to Jerusalem if they peep, and they have to take everything off, even their cloth. The soldier started shouting and screaming, and I didn't do anything else but keep asking her to leave them alone. In the end the soldier wanted to ask for other soldiers to come, and mum pushed me away, and took me out… Mum said that I was screaming at the soldier, maybe I was, I didn't really know what I was doing. Finally, we all got through. I asked my niece (6) years old, how she was doing, she was really scared, and said to me: uncle I am sad, I asked her why, and she said because the aunt did this to us. She didn't know what was happening, and she didn't know that this aunt was a soldier giving her a hard time just because she is a Palestinian.  

            I got into the bus thinking, and asking questions in my mind, and one of those questions was if it will ever get better one day, and if I want my kids to get through all that In the future. Of course I know the answer, of course the answer for this is just to pray, and wait on god to do something, but knowing this isn't enough, getting throwing the process of forgiveness and reconciliation is a daily decision.  

It's a hard choice, it's a daily choice, now and as I am writing to you, there are some shooting in the neighborhood, soldiers are here to arrest some people, and kids are throwing stones on soldiers.

Why am I writing this to you, first of all because I really do need your prayers, its not easy being here, and seeing all those things happening and continue forgiving and trying to reconcile. As well, I want you to pray for other people who are facing this daily, on check point and under this situation. Pray for kids so God protects them and for parents not to give up hope, because you can imagine life here without hope.

I am going to England to take a course in Peace Making and Diplomacy; I still didn't take my visa, so please pray with me for this school and for the coming time.

I'll try to post some pictures for you of the check point so you can understand what I was talking about.

God bless you My Friends.

Elias