The March Work Project in Nazareth was completed on schedule. Seventeen Americans from Pennsylvania worked alongside of the hospital maintenance crew to renovate the nurses’ residence. Elvin Weaver coordinated the renovation project with the head of maintenance and the hospital project manager. He said, “We really had a good team. They hung in there and kept at it all day long. Nobody complained.” Everyone worked well together, sanding drywall and woodwork, sweeping, cleaning out cupboards, and varnishing them. The finished product saw a completely rewired building, with new fixtures, plumbing, new water lines on the rooftop, tiling, new shutters, window screens, repainted rooms, refinished doors, and fresh paint on outside railings. These rooms will serve as apartments for nurses employed by the hospital. “This project will bring in a little extra income for the hospital, renting those spaces to nurses and student nurses,” explained Merle Graver
Along with these renovations, the group landscaped, refinished several pieces of furniture, and sewed curtains for the volunteer apartments. Jean Sauder and others enjoyed working together with the director of the sewing room. “She was a good communicator, in spite of a language barrier. We learned some Arabic words and laughed together. We had such a good time.” 
On the group’s last workday, the hospital threw them a farewell party of appreciation. Daniel Fisher spoke for the group when he said, “We were received with open arms.” He added, “We were impressed that we were in the midst of a very close Christian community at the hospital. Working with local people, we were very well accepted. There was a little bit of a language barrier with maintenance staff, but it was not a problem once we understood each other’s mission. There seemed to be high respect for each other among all the people.” “Everyone was very hospitable, no matter where we were. People would just come and say, ‘Welcome to Nazareth.’ A little boy even offered us some of his Pringles!” Jan Foderaro recalls. Elsie Beiler was touched when a Muslim nurse sought them out and said, “You are welcome in Nazareth.” Priscilla Fisher looked forward to each day, to “going and doing something.” She commented on what a beautiful city Nazareth is. “There’s not much level ground there. It’s all up or down. We found that out first-hand by walking everywhere we went.” 
Walking about the town, the group found it meaningful to observe the genuineness of the many people who recognized and greeted Bob and Nancy. The Martins served in Nazareth for a total of eighteen years, between 1965 and 1995. In their last term, Nancy directed the nursing school and Bob was General Director of the hospital. Nancy now serves on the hospital board. David Cressman was “really amazed” to see “how Bob and Nancy have, over the years, cultivated relationships with people.” 
During those two weeks of hard work, the group toured Galilee on weekends: Capernaum, Sea of Galilee, Mount Gilboa, Mount Carmel, Jezreel Valley, Church on the Mount of Beatitudes, and Mount Tabor. Group leaders, Drs. Bob and Nancy Martin invited speakers to share during evening devotions, offering what Elsie Beiler called “a college semester of information crammed into three weeks.” Speakers included hospital staff and workers from Christian community development organizations. Daniel Fisher described them as “immensely informative, helping us to understand the culture and the needs of the country. Many of the hospital’s administrative staff invited small groups for dinner in their homes. The medical director, Dr. Haj, took them on a walking tour of historical Nazareth. Newton Beiler said, “I really appreciated the dedication, leadership, and planning of this trip. We really had a good time, not only at work, but our interaction as a group, and with the local people. They were so friendly to us.”
The group attended an early morning Palm Sunday parade at the Church of the Annunciation, where bagpipes played and children, dressed in their Sunday best, carried flowers and a candle. After worship and communion at the Anglican Church, they joined the Anglican congregation for a procession into the church courtyard, carrying palm branches. Esther Wert was among those who, while walking back to the Hospital after the service, recognized and greeted their tour guide from the previous day. He was marching with his Greek Catholic church. Marty Sauder came away from these experiences with a new appreciation for the sincerity of the Arab Christians. For Daniel Fisher, this experience “has freed me to be accepting of many other cultures and Christian worldviews.” Herbert Eby noted how communion was different at the Anglican Church. “The wafer was dipped into the cup and placed on the tongue by the Bishop. We had communion four times during our experience there. It was just great to see the Living Stones.” Jean Sauder commented on the sincerity in the worship services. “Even though we couldn’t understand everything.” Although a few churches provided translation for the sermon, not everything was translated. Jan Foderaro noted that it was “one of the few times in my life where I’ve been in a place where I didn’t understand everything. As Americans, we get used to everybody speaking English. It was a good thing for us to experience. It was also very moving to be worshiping with a group of Christian Palestinians. It really was quite inspiring. If Christianity was really being lived out the way Jesus calls us to, it could truly bridge the gap between the major religions.” For Elvin Boll, these experiences confirmed that “As Christians, our position is to be right in the middle of people who are polarized and be agents of peace, agents of hope, agents of the good news of the gospel.”
After leaving Nazareth, the group spent four days in Jerusalem, including day trips to Dead Sea, Qumran, Jericho, and Bethlehem. The group observed Easter Sunday morning at the Garden tomb in Jerusalem, a highlight of the trip for everyone. Elvin Weaver was one of the four men who ent down to the early sunrise service. “That was awesome, just to be able to worship with people from all over the world. I can’t even describe it. We were standing there, facing the open, empty tomb.” Now, when Elvin Boll reads the stories from Scripture, he “can now picture where things are geographically.” Visiting so many sites from the Holy Scriptures “makes it more alive,” for Herbert Eby, “to think that Jesus came to this little town of Nazareth, and to be there, where he walked, to sail the Sea of Galilee, knowing that He’s not sleeping in the boat. He is alive now, and interceding for us.”
Inside the West Bank, the group visited Bethlehem. They shopped at a coop selling handicrafts by local artisans. “It felt good to know that the money was going to the people that made the things.” said Merle Graver. Newton Beiler found it “very depressing to see the people there with the high unemployment. Cars are old and buses broken down. We don’t hear about things like that here from the US media.” David Cressman was among those who were surprised to see the wall Israel is building through Bethlehem and throughout the West Bank. “I couldn’t fathom that. I hadn’t known about that.” Noting evidence of economic hardship, Merle Graver observed, “Once they wall off the city, everything goes downhill and backwards for the people in the city.” Elsie Beiler pointed out the hardships of the wall for people, that farmers have their fields on one side of the wall and their homes on the other.
Jan Foderaro heard numerous people say that they feel they are ‘the minority of minorities’. “It’s really difficult for them. They feel caught in the middle. They are Christians, yet they’re Palestinians. Yet they’re Israelis. We can continue to think of them, and remember them in our prayers.” Marian Eby is “much more aware of what the Christians in Israel are going through, of their need for encouragement, for awareness of the Living Stones, not just all these dead stones, that have been dug up. It’s sad to think that Jesus came to this part of the world, and now only about 2% are Christians, and they are leaving. It’s very hard for the young people to stay. Economic and political hardships make it hard to stay. It must be hard. They want to stay.” Yet, they leave, “because they have no hope.” said Elsie Beiler, adding that “Some are determined to stay and be a light.” Priscilla Fisher said, “We all came away feeling that they need our support.”
Esther Wert sees the group as ambassadors for these believers, and Roy expressed his hope “that Christians in the US would come to respect and understand the difficult plight of Christians in the Holy Land.” Often, the group heard from their Nazareth hosts how, just by their presence, they were an encouragement and a blessing. Dr. Bob Martin, the group leader, spoke for everyone when he said, emphatically, The blessing was mutual!”
Thank you to everyone who provided photos, information, and quotes for this article.
