Sowing Holy Questions in the Holy Land: Arrival

The advance team (Jane and Dow Patterson, John Lewis, Pat Bridwell, Katherine Buzzini, and Kathy Sakai) have arrived at St. George’s in Jerusalem. There is such a deep joy in returning to this place and people who have become beloved: the sound of the Ramadan cannon at sundown to mark the end of the day’s fast, the scent of the courtyard garden at nightfall, dinner as guests of Iyad and Rami Qumri at Azzahra. The generations that have preceded us seem to make room for us to add our own experiences to all that has happened here, heartache and holiness and exultation. – Jane