Yesterday Sheik Nabil came over to say goodbye, as he is heading to
Jordan for the feast. This is one of two feasts that Muslims celebrate each
year: the end of Ramadan is one, but this feast, the feast of sacrifice, is
the great feast.

This feast commemorates the time when Abraham showed his faith in God by
preparing to sacrifice his son Ismail. At the last moment, God told the
sword that Abraham held to his son's throat not to cut, and then the angel
Gabriel delivered a ram for Abraham to sacrifice instead. In re-enactment,
Muslims sacrifice an animal on this date, to symbolize that they are willing
to sacrifice that which is most important to them. One third of the meat is
consumed, one third is for sharing with family, and one third is given to the
poor.

This consideration of the poor is also an important element in the
fast of Ramadan. Fasting should remind the faithful of their own
dependence on God, and also of the suffering of the poor who do not
have enough food. Those who are physically unable to fast during
Ramadan are required to give a sum of money equivalent to what they
eat during Ramadan to the poor.

The Al-Atrash family are among the poor this year, and visitors
have been bringing gifts of clothes for the children, and food. Yet
they are preparing for the feast: Manel asked if I would be here
Tuesday for the feast. The book I am reading on Islam says this
feast is "a time for rejoicing, prayer, and visiting with family and
friends."

Again this Sunday morning the team met for worship at the Al
Atrash home. CPTer Benno Barg was out there, the rest of us met outside the
home of the translator who was going with us. I arrived first of the
team members, and the translator invited me up to his family's
apartment. He mentioned something about his brother, I noticed a
photo on the end-table, and I asked if that was the brother.

"No," he said, "that's my other brother. He has been in prison in
Israel for four years, two years to go. We go to the prison to visit
him every other week. It is a fourteen hour day for a forty minute
visit. This last week we missed: the card telling us when we could
visit him got here late, after the date had passed. We'll get
another chance next week. You know, when a family member is in
prison, things just aren't right in the family. You are always
thinking about the one who isn't there. There is a sadness . . .
especially at times like feasts, when the whole family should be
together."

* * *

After our worship time, Wale' gave us two more stories. When
the soldiers were getting ready to demolish the house, she asked if she
could get her potted plants off the windowsills, and they refused to allow
that. Wale' is the gardener, always planting a shoot or weeding around a
flower. Now she is starting plants in pots again. "Since we're
rebuilding, I want plants for the windowsills." The windowsills are a
lovely white marble. Potted plants will look great there.

The other story has to do with the second story; I mean, with the
second story that isn't. Yussef and Zhuur were preparing to build a
second story on their house before it was demolished. That
upstairs was going to be for Hussam to move to with his bride when
he got married. Wale' says, "I want Hussam to be able to get
married, but who will want to marry him when there's no place for
them to live?" Now I remember that the first week I was here, one
evening around the fire Hussam said, "I am sad tonight because the
girl I love is getting engaged to someone else."