Teaching in the West Bank

For about 10 straight weeks, Krystal and I (Mark) had the opportunity to travel to the West Bank and help teach a few classes and after-school activities. It was a great experience for us in many different aspects. The school is called ‘Jerusalem school Bethlehem’ and it’s the only English school in the west bank. We taught/helped with 7th and 8th grade Bible classes and 10th grade Bible. With the 10th graders we split up and she took a group of girls and I took the guys. There was some curriculum for Krystal to teach the girls with, but I was given the task of teaching sex-ed to the 10th grade boys. I didn’t think I was qualified for the job, but I think after all the giggles it may have been impacting in some way. Both Krystal and I were able to develop close relationships with many of the students and even took them out to eat a few times after school in Bethlehem. When we volunteered, the principle told us that the students were 80% Christian and 20% Muslim. It was very interesting to talk to the students about their faith as many of them have lived in the states and now live in the west-bank. Almost all of the Christians at the school were Eastern orthodox or catholic, so it was difficult but also very necessary to talk about a personal relationship with Jesus. It was an experience that both me and Krystal will never forget, and it will forever shape the way we look at the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from home.
Many of the kids felt trapped by the wall because they were unable to enter Israel and it’s difficult to get to Jordan. They often voiced their opinions of the wall even though we weren’t supposed to foster any conversation about the conflict. I was really special to travel on Arab buses from Jerusalem through the wall and then have to get out with all the Arab’s at the check-points and show your passport. It certainly gave us a different perspective than watching the news or even staying in Jerusalem. I certainly don’t have any more insights on the situation than Israel has had for years, but I certainly feel for the Palestinians stuck behind the 8 meter cement wall for their whole lives. In many aspects, it was a learning experience that we will never forget!