Today we straddled two worlds. In the morning, atop the hills of Beit Sahour, we reflected on the shepherds who first heard the news of Jesus’ birth in nearby Bethlehem. Our guide Motasem reminded us that God chose these shepherds precisely because of their lowly status – a reminder that God is on the side of the weak and forgotten. Their nomadic lifestyle made them a natural choice for spreading the good news of great joy.
 

 
Motasem’s reminder rang in my ears as we descended the hill into the Bethlehem valley that holds the Aida Refugee Camp. This is no tent city. Generations of Palestinians have lived here since Israel’s war for independence in 1948, and concrete apartment buildings rise 3 stories high. Today, water was available for the firsts time in weeks, and small streams trickled down the street from freshly mopped floors and discarded laundry water.The giant key over Aida’s entry gate joins the thousands of other keys to long-lost homes still treasured by displaced villagers.
 

 
Joining the Noor Women’s Empowerment Group for a cooking demonstration, we quickly got a lesson in loss, hardship, and hope. The families of Aida still lament and long to return to their villages. The women of Noor are raising disabled children with little support from either the Palestinian government or the United Nations agency that runs the camp. For three hours we entered into their story and culture, listening while chopping onions and kneading dough. Our host, Islam, reflected on the shame carried by parents with disabled children and also laughed with a mother in our group. Islam’s deep faith in God’s provision eases her burden. Her boundary-breaking courage has pushed her to become an organizer and entrepreneur for the sake of her own family and her neighbors. Islam and the women of Noor WEG are making a difference in the lives of disabled children, in the community of the Aida Camp, and in the hearts of pilgrims who need a little more to hope for these days. This is indeed good news of great joy.