Facebook Missionary Support

Not my own photo today, rather a photo from one of my missionary support congregations!

I logged into facebook a couple of weeks ago because facebook had informed me I had been tagged in a new photo by a friend and colleague in Iowa and I was intrigued. What photo had he posted? And how did I warrant a tag? It was super fun to be greeted by this:



with the caption below the photo reading:

"Golfing fore pastor Elly McHan and the ELCJHL. We love you Elly and send prayers and cash your way!"

Thanks St. John's and St. Paul's for all of your prayers and support and accompaniment of not only me, but the ELCJHL, too!

And a big thanks to all of my other supporting congregations!

And to everyone else, I hope this made you smile, at least a little bit!

Peace,
Elly

Endless Courses Under Jordanian Skies

Mmm... I went to Jordan for work this week as we prepare to break ground on a Lutheran retreat center at the Baptismal Site at Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan (yup, that's a mouthful) and ended up being served a most amazing Lebanese meal at an open-air restaurant designed by our architect.

There's no way I could remember every dish and course we were served, and so I bummed my colleague's iPhone off of him (gadget envy) and snapped a few pictures of the night (below).

The most interesting food of the evening had to be the dish of tiny birds (last two photos on the bottom right). I don't think I want to know what kind of bird I ate, but my dinner mates suggested lemon juice, a bit of salt, and an all-at-once method. They asked me afterwards what I thought. The only response I could think of was "crunchy".

After so much food, I don't think I really ate at all the next day, and likely wouldn't have needed to eat for a week. But it was oh-so-yummy.

(from what I can remember, l-r: (top) main course, appetizer salads, olive tree above us, the never-ending-glass-of-Arak, (middle) shrimp, dinner mates (aka colleagues), more appetizer salads including raw kebab meat, (bottom) main course meats, desserts, tiny bird, Elly eating the tiny bird)

A very sated

Elly

New Year's Resolution

Yup, I am aware that it is nowhere near January 1st (of any year). But, in my call as Communications Assistant to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) I am embarking on a new year.

Can you believe it?

I have been an ordained pastor for more than 1 year and 1 month, and I have lived in Jerusalem for just a couple days shy of 1 year and 1 month now.

And it is time for a New Year's resolution:

Part I: BLOG MORE!

It shouldn't be that difficult, eh? I mean, I am, after all a Communications Assistant. But that's my job and this isn't. It's a complicated situation. I never seem to know what to say. Or how to say it correctly. Or I'm just too tired. Or the moment passes...

The excuses begin to make excuses for the excuses.

Hence, an addendum to New Year's resolution Part I:

Part II: WRITE LESS

Shu??? ("what?" in Arabic--or, in Elly-speak, "pardon me?"). Well, over the last year I have come to love photography more and more, and with my position, I take photos almost every day. And so...


BLOG MORE; WRITE LESS.



Over the next few days and weeks, I'm sure as you watch the news you will hear about the people I live with and serve with and be shown many 'faces' of the Palestinian-Israeli situation. The faces you may not always see are those shown in the photo above.

Did you know that nearly half of the Palestinian population is under 18 years old?

I took this photo less than a week ago when I had the opportunity to travel to the al-Jalazone Refugee Camp just seven kilometers away from Ramallah. As per the website of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, "Jalazone camp was established in 1949 on 0.25 square kilometers of rocky hillside 7km north of Ramallah."

Today more than 11,000 refugees are registered as living in al-Jalazone camp, 37% of which are between the ages of 0-14, with another 20% between the ages of 15-24. There are two UN schools in the camp, one of which runs on a double-shift basis, ie. there isn't enough space for every student to go to school for a full day each day, instead, some students will attend the first shift (morning), while others will attend the second shift (afternoon).

The photo above is of students at that double-shift school. We visited them just as they were supposed to line up and head back in after recess and, well, you can guess from the picture a bit of the chaos that ensued. They were so excited to have us there, and even more excited to be at the front of our photos. And, as we were leaving, one of the teachers handed each of us a container of buttermilk and a straw as the day was hot and our tour still had a ways to go. Simply part of the Arab Hospitality that is a part of my daily life.

And well, in keeping to my New Year's resolution, I think that's about enough writing for today. But I hope this glimpse into Palestinian life was worth the read.

Peace,
Elly

Live from Geneva...

Hello Dear Friends!

Well, here I am in Geneva, Switzerland for the week and wanted to let you know that the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) 2011 Council meeting is underway 9-14 June 2011! And, crazily enough, they asked me to come and help out for the week with the super-awesome Communications staff. So, here I am, "reporting from Geneva..."

I don't know if I'll have time to blog, but, here's yet another reason to sign up for the ELCJHL News list to follow what I'm doing by accompanying the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land!

Click here to subscribe!!! (I promise lots of Elly-ness).

Wondering what the ELCJHL has to do with the LWF? Well, besides being one of the member churches of the LWF, the bishop of the ELCJHL, Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan was elected to the presidency of the LWF at the LWF Eleventh General Assembly in Stuttgart, Germany in July 2010. So, we, the ELCJHL, Bishop Younan, and Elly-by-extension have a lot to do with the LWF.

But, even if I didn't get to have fun hanging out and doing communications with the LWF for the week, it would still be an amazing communion of Lutheran churches to check out!

So, I invite you to:

1) Subscribe to the ELCJHL news list for updates!
2) Visit www.lutheranworld.org a lot this week, and
3) Well, I don't know if I have a '3', but wanted one anyways...

Peace,
Elly

ps-I forgot my room key at the Ecumenical Center tonight, and so I had to walk back to get it. As I waited outside the door for Terri to come and let me in, I had the pleasure of watching a spider spin a web--very cool! And then, as there was no one around to think me crazy and because my feet hurt, I took off my shoes and walked back to the John Knox Center barefoot.

pps-look out for a post soon inviting you to join the blogging journey from the Haiti Focus Week at Holden Village 18-25 June!

Goodnight all; sleep well!

Holy Week in Jerusalem!

Christ is Risen!
Christ is Risen, indeed!
Alleluia!

It has been a busy week in Jerusalem from Palm Sunday on through the great Three Days, finishing up with Easter celebrations this morning! Instead of a long tale to read, I invite you along this journey in photos!

Happy Easter!
Elly

Click on the photo to begin the Holy Week photo journey!

A Day in Jerusalem

Today was such a beautiful sunny day in Jerusalem that I decided to go out and play the tourist, complete with camera. I'm posting a few photos to my blog here, but if you want to see more photos from the day, click here or on any of the photos below.

Peace,
Elly

an ancient olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane

a street in the Old City of Jerusalem

spring blossoms outside of my apartment

shout-out to visual preacher

Today is a super fun shout-out to my new friend Amber (who, of course, being Lutheran, has old connections to me) for her books books books blog!

Amber and her husband Kevin went with Emily to help deliver books from the ELCJHL Libraries Project: Opening a World of Possibilities to Dar al-Kalima Evangelical Lutheran School this week, and they fell in love with the Libraries Project when they met Lisa, one of our English teachers and the brand new library that Dar al-Kalima has started because of this project.

That's right, before this project, they had no library in their school.

But why am I telling you about this? It's all in Amber's blog! There's even a YouTube video!!!

In less than one day at least 18 books have been donated! So cool! Thanks Kevin and Amber!

Go to Amber's Blog

Peace,
Elly