Signs of Hope in a Hostile Land

Come and See, Go and Tell Reflection #1

By, Kathy Drinkard

Driving from Amman, Jordan to the bridge that allows one to cross into Palestine, the landscape is desolate and harsh. One has to marvel at the persistence of the shepherds who wander its dry hills in search of food for their animals. Imagining Abram and his tribe crossing this bleak land, makes me wonder at the faith that kept them going, believing in the promise of a viable place to settle in some unknown beyond. 

Today that promised land of Israel and Palestine is just as harsh and uninviting, especially for the indigenous Palestinians, after decades of occupation, fighting and oppression. It is hard to have faith that a good solution can be found to the current disaster.

Yet there are seeds of hope struggling to survive in the hostile soil. Courageous resisters stand their ground with determination but not malice. Concerned people document, teach and protest, devoting their days and even their lives to an uncertain better future. It is a privilege to be meeting some of these people, hearing their stories and joining their witness. These seeds of hope must be embraced, nourished and protected. The end is not clear, but there is a path to follow. Their hope is our hope, the hope that ways Jesus taught, of caring for the downtrodden and loving enemies, are the ways to peace and justice for all. 

Kathy Drinkard

Kathy Drinkard is a retired Fairfax County, Virginia teacher and elementary school counselor. She has been studying the Israel-Palestine issue and advocating for peace in the region for nearly two decades and has visited the region several times. She currently chairs the Ministry for Middle East Peace and Justice at Grace Presbyterian Church in Springfield, which has maintained a partnership with an Anglican congregation in Nablus in the West Bank since 2007. She is very excited to be participating in this solidarity delegation.