Dear faithful,

Today we traveled to small village out side of Nazaret to volunteer at an Orthodox church that has been neglected since the Israeli assertion in 1948. It was solid back breaking work which was good for the team to experience and have a sense of accomplishment. We basically landscaped around the church which had not been done for over a year. By no coincidence the church was named St. Nicholas. For the past five years a priest from another local village has been working to get the church reopened after being closed for 50 years. Initially they experienced a tremendous amount of ill treatment from the Jewish community, which only got worse over time. It was only after one of the respected member of the Jewish community denounce the behavior as resembling the nazi tactics, did the harassment stop. There is still acts of vandalism against the small church but because of outside pressure the violence has decreased. 

In the evening we celebrated the Akathist at a 900 year old church. Following the service the community prepared a large meal for us. It was quite endearing how the local Orthodox people treated us like visiting family members and extended their utmost hospitality. After a very long day we prepared for a early quite night of rest at a local retreat center. Tomorrow we have a big day.

Tomorrow is Saturday and it is our last day in the Holy Lands. We plan on visiting the place of the Annunciation, the sea of Galilee and several other places where Christ dwelt. The plan is to attend the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Sepulcher tonight at midnight. That is a very humbling thought. Then we will travel to the air port at 4:00 AM and wait for our plane that leaves at 10:00. Pray for us that the entire day goes well and that God's will is made a reality.

In Christ,
Fr. Nick