This is a video I produced for Mark Brown and the Lutheran World Federation Jerusalem. Each week the Red Nose Clown Doctors come to Augusta Victoria Hospital to help lift the spirits of young patients there receiving life-saving treatment for cancer and kidney failure. Augusta Victoria Hospital provides many specialty services to West Bank and Gaza patients

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The Lutheran World Federation Jerusalem‘s Vocational Training program instructs students in the areas of carpentry, auto mechanics, metalwork, plumbing, and telecommunications. The centers in Beit Hanina and in Ramallah provide youth with a creative outlet for their energy and give them skills to compete in the difficult job market.

This series of clips, released on Mondays throughout the summer of 2014, helps to tell the stories of patients served by Augusta Victoria Hospital, of young women and men trained at one of the LWF’s vocational training centers, and of children and young adults taking advantage of the refurbished and lighted LWF sports field on the Mount of Olives. There will also be clips describing two major projects — an elder care facility and a housing and conference facility — that are planned for the LWF Mount of Olives property in Jerusalem.

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Here is a video I produced with Mark Brown this spring at The Lutheran World Federation‘s Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem. This video tells the story of 12-year-old Amer Abu Laila, a cancer survivor treated and cared for at AVH. Amer shares his hope for all patients.

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Read more about our workshop at:
http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Peace-Not-Walls/Resources/Presentations/Video-Workshop.aspx

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You can visit our team web site: 3 Faiths, 2, Countries, 1 Peace for more information, blog posts, photos and video clips as we travel.  Kathleen Adam, leader of the group asked me to come along. Kathleen is a student at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. This pilgrimage is part of her seminary program.  The recorded footage will also be used to cut together a Spiritual Journey segment for 30 Good Minutes, on WTTW Channel 11 (PBS) in Chicago.

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The goal of the journey is to support Christians in the Holy Land, worship with them and visit a few of their ministries. Many Americans assume that all Palestinians are Muslim. In fact, Palestinian Christians trace their history back to the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Look to this site for updates as our journey unfolds, February 1-5, 2008.

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January 6, 2006
I just can’t get enough of the Holy Land these days. This is my fourth trip to Israel Palestine. A few months ago I was here recording footage for a documentary about the Old Testament. This time, the topic is Jesus.

With me are my old friend, Jim Quattrocki and Pastor Peter Marty. Jim has been my traveling companion on many journeys, including a trip to the Middle East in 1999. Jim’s roll on this trip is to serve as videographer. Peter Marty is the host of Grace Matters, the Radio Ministry of the ELCA and Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa. He agreed to serve as our on camera host for this program. The purpose of this trip is record Peter at or in front of Jesus related holy sites in Israel and the west bank.

Our trip began with news that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had suffered a massive stroke. With elections in both Israel and the Occupied Territories looming over the horizon, the potential for political unrest seemed possible.

January 8, 2006
You’ve heard the expression, “Hit the ground running?” I’ve turned it into an art form. After a quick breakfast we grabbed a taxi and soon plunged into Jerusalem’s Old Walled City. Modern Jerusalem is a divided town. The Jewish population tends to live on the west side of the city. The Palestinians tend to live in East Jerusalem. Both groups share the Old City with a daily influx of tourists. We entered the city through the Damascus Gate, so called because the road leading in eventually makes its way to the Syrian Capitol of Damascus.

January is the rainy season in Jerusalem. We ducked for cover as a cold, grey downpour made the brown Jerusalem paving stones slippery and treacherous. The Arab Quarter of the Old City is exotic. The streets are narrow and twisted. Merchants pushing carts crammed with everything from clothing to electronics to raw lamb carcasses – eyeballs still in place, ease their way through the crowds.

A short walk brought us to the Via Dolorosa, the narrow street known to Christian tradition as The way of Sorrows. After Jesus was scourged, the Bible tells us that he was forced to carry his cross to the place of his execution. The Via Dolorosa marks this path. At the western end of the Via Dolarosa is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Jim, Peter and I ducked out of the rain and into the ancient church. On the floor, just inside the main door is a large slab of marble. Christian pilgrims from all over the world kneel down to pray and kiss the traditional place where Jesus’ body was laid after the crucifixion.

While Peter and Jim recorded the first few lines of our video script, I kept the security guard busy with some idle conversation. Technically we probably should have had some kind of permit to record video footage inside the Church. But since I didn’t have any permit or the knowledge of where to get one, we decided to employ the guerilla method. Shoot first. Ask questions later. If I burn in hell for this, at least I’ll be comforted in knowing that we got some great footage.

The security guard was an Ethiopian. Several years ago I had the privilege of working in Ethiopia, so it was easy to recognize his place of origin. My new friend is a Jew who immigrated to Israel. “I am a Messianic Jew” he proudly told me. “I believe that Jesus is the Messiah.” “How does your family feel about that?” I asked him. “They aren’t too happy” he replied.

7:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Taxi to Old City, Jerusalem, record stand up’s on Via Dolarosa, Holy Sepulchuer, Temple Mount, etc.
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Record stand up’s at Gethsemany, Kidron Valley
4:00 p.m. Wrap, taxi back to Christmas Hotel
6:00 p.m. Dinner

January 9, 2006
7:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Green Peace Car Rental will deliver to hotel, Tel: 02-5822179; Fax: 02-5822173,
Cell: 050-522 619 info@greenpeace.co.il
9:30 a.m. Drive to Bethlehem, record stand up.
11:00 a.m. Drive to Jordan Valley, record stand up’s
4:00 p.m. Arrive Kibbutz nof Ginosar, Rt. 87 north of Tiberius 10 km. Tel: 670 0311, 670 0300, ginosar@netvision.net.il, www.ginosar.co.il

January 10, 2006
7:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Drive to Capernaum, record stand up’s
11:00 a.m. Mt. of Beatitudes stand-up’s
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Sea of Galilee stand up’s
4:00 p.m. Wrap
5:00 p.m. Dinner

January 11, 2006
7:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Drive to Mt. Tabor, record stand-up’s
10:00 a.m. Drive to Nazareth, record stand up’s
1:00 p.m. Return to Christmas Hotel, Jerusalem

January 12, 2006
1:00 a.m. Shuttle to airport in Tel Aviv
5:30 a.m. United Flt. 9121 to Frankfort
9:05 a.m. Arrive Frankfort
10:15 a.m. United Flt. 8836 to Chicago
12:25 p.m. Arrive Chicago

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