PAIDIA

Located in Bethlehem, Paidia is an organization that focuses on the youth of Palestine. Paedeia was the ancient Greek idea of educating children through natural life (homeschool?). The Arab way of education is usually from the top down with a great discouragement of questioning. A student is to accept what the teacher says and if the next teacher says otherwise, it is not to be questioned. The website isn't necessarily all that interesting but there are some flattering pictures here:

http://www.pidev.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80&Itemid=85

The place is in terrible condition. The main grounds have been attained for one year. It is a site that was completely burned and destroyed and then occupied by soldiers. Now, one year later, there is a garden (to employ Palestinian Arab Christians), a high ropes course, a shell of a building, and grounds to host the children as well as the college students from Bethlehem Bible College. Everything needs to be painted. There is mud everywhere. Palestine is crazy. During the summer, Israel shuts off their water for weeks (usually 3) at a time (because of the drought). Those who have any spare cash have storage tanks on their roof so that they may have water to drink. It shows the gunfire and bombings everywhere. The Palestinian side of the wall has hate graffiti in English for miles. "Where is America." "Why has our land been turned into a prison." and less clean statements are paired with simultaneously humorous and sad messages on this 20 foot concrete wall like "I want my ball back." From anywhere on the streets you are almost guaranteed to have a soldier in site, armed with an automatic weapon. I am frightened and saddened to see something like this. How skewed the US news is. How uninformed my support of the state of Israel was.

Anyway, They have been given a grant to contract out for the building to be turned into a coffee shop and more useful structure. Interestingly the grant has a stipulation that the project must be completed in two months, which means we may see its completion.

So where do I come in? Who knows. Our first project will be to finish a begun project of an outhouse on the grounds. It is a sad structure that was started by an ambitious, but less than trained short term missions group. We may have times with the children and/or the BBC students.

I will be working with my fellow JUC student Andrew, who grew up on a farm with in a family of carpenters. He has one of my favorite life stories. He grew up in a mennonite family who all live in the same town and his relatives gather for dinner at his grandparents house every sunday. Their gatherings are filled with good food, good relationships, and 4 part harmony hymnody. Andrew has great insight and is seeking the way with all he's got. His energy and righteousness is catalyzing for those around him. I look forward to working with him.