I received the following email from Tent of Nations- a family-run farm that my EMU group visited while on cross-cultural. I will never forget talking to Daoud, one of the brothers farming in the West Bank. I interviewed him for my research project during our trip. This non-profit has been striving for decades to keep their land and promote peace. I pray that peace will continue to be planted and sprout in the hearts of all.

February 12, 2010

Dear Friends of Tent of Nations,

We would like to update you on the impending crisis situation that the Nassar family is currently facing. As you know, the Nassar Family Farm/Tent of Nations Project has a long history of modeling peaceful co-existence with its neighbors through teaching courses and providing workshops and conferences for women and youth. It also provides opportunities for internationals, Israelis and Palestinians to unite in solidarity around a common dream of a just peace.

You have been a part of that journey through your support. For some of you, a visit to the farm itself has made it even more personal. In 2009, over 4,000 international visitors were welcomed to the land by the Nassar family. Some were volunteers who worked the land and taught a variety of workshops - others included church groups, religious leaders from all faiths, and interfaith peace delegations. The Tent of Nations has always provided a safe haven for those who are committed to justice, and we want it to continue to do so.

However, there has been a recent escalation in threats and harassment by Jewish settlers and by the Israeli army. For example, on two separate occasions in the last three months, Israeli soldiers have forced their way onto the property, conducting searches of family members and internationals and threatening to return with eviction papers. Most recently, on January 25, an Israeli bulldozer, accompanied by three military jeeps, came and blocked the road to the farm at the eastern entrance near the settlement of Neve Daniel. At first, the family thought the soldiers were there to destroy everything on the farm that they have worked so long and hard to build. Fortunately, the soldiers simply erected a roadblock and departed. Lately, the Israeli military has made its presence known both day and night.

Residents of the nearby village of Nahalin have been stopped at ‘flying checkpoints’ as they attempt to reach their homes from Route 60, the main north/south highway in that area. Palestinians are now barred from using the road connecting Route 60 and the farm, so in order to travel between Bethlehem and the farm the Nassar family must travel through the villages of Nahalin and Husan. This is a burdensome detour for them as well as for the 20,000 villagers affected by these new regulations. In conjunction with the family attorney, the Nassars are trying to determine the intentions of the Israelis in the hope that access to the farm can be preserved. As always, the family wishes to proceed calmly, constructively and legally. If the situation worsens, however, we all may be asked to come to their aid in appropriate ways (i.e., writing letters/making phone calls to our congressional representatives and other influential individuals, etc.).

For the moment, however, we just want you to be aware of these developments and to reflect on ways you might support our efforts in the event that this crisis gains momentum and specific actions are warranted. We ask that you please take no individual action on this until you hear from us again. We will continue to keep you informed. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions at Friends of Tent of Nations North America (www.fotonna.org).

With deep gratitude for your support,

Mark Braverman, Executive Director FOTONNA Steering Committee: Steve France, Bill Mims, Bill Plitt, Kay Plitt

http://www.fotonna.org/.html (I encourage you to check out their website to learn more about their cause)

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Things have been going well for me...just busy busy. I don't know why work has been so crazy lately- but I am certainly not running out of things to do. My weekend is just getting underway since I worked Saturday all day and then helped out with the youth lock-in at church from Sat night until Sunday morning. My shift on Saturday felt wild. I think I calculated that I left the office at 9:45 am and didn't get to my destination until 12:30 pm. Spending almost three hours in a van, with snowy/icy conditions on the road- plus not knowing where I was going and getting turned around= not very exciting. But there is always a bright side to anything. My participants were very patient and once we got to our activity, they had a great time! So just gotta take things as they are.

These past few weeks at work I have been thinking about this one participant. I believe he has been diagnosed with Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Disorder. We receive and perceive sensory input through sights, sounds, touch, tastes, smells and movement.

Difficulty taking in or interpreting this input can lead to devastating consequences in:

• daily functioning

• social and family relationships

• behavioral challenges

• regulating emotions

• self-esteem

• learning

Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID) is a neurological disorder that was first studied in-depth by A. Jean Ayres, Ph.D., OTR. Dr. Ayres describes sensory integration as the ability to organize sensory information for use by the brain. An individual with sensory integration dysfunction would therefore have an inability to organize sensory information as it comes in through the senses (Wikipedia).

This participant's world is far different from our own and I often wonder what is processing in his mind when he does things. Two weeks ago he had a very violent episode with staff, that included pulling out large amounts of hair, ripping her shirt apart, lunging at staff and participants, wailing endlessly, etc. N.T. is known to attack or pull hair as this gives him the needed sensory (touch) that he may be lacking at that moment. After nearly an hour and a half with this behavior, his staff was finally able to calm him down and get him to answer why he was so distraught. Apparently the perfume that his staff was wearing bothered him and he had rubbed her scarf on his neck and that enhanced the smell for him. Wow....right? What would it be like to live in a world where your sense of smell was so heightened that the only way for you to react and try and gain perspective, is through lashing out? Or to live in a world where your sense of touch and feeling barely exist? I think that is something that we take for granted and don't even realize it. Having sensory things in our lives is very important and helps us to maintain balanced, "in-touch" lives. So to live with a skewed sense of that would be alienating and frustrating I am sure. The children's program coordinator was talking to some of us after that intense shift with N.T. and she said that she has worked in a lot of places, including institutions and has never seen anything like this or anyone react so intensely as he does. It really makes me feel for his mom and what she goes through on a daily basis.

Blessings to you as we begin this Lenten season....may you feel God's presence in a new, fresh way and thirst for His renewal in your life.

Lindsey