The Living Stones of Palestine

According to Daoud Nassar, most tourists go to the holy land to see dead stones. They don't see how the people of Palestine live under the Israeli occupation.  

Our team of six went on the holy land tour sponsored by Resonate Global Mission to see the living stones of Palestine. We stayed two nights with Palestinian families and heard about their joys and struggles. We talked with people in coffee shops and souvenir stores. And we sat down with Daoud at the Tent of Nations, a one hundred acre farm surrounded by three large Israeli settlements just outside Bethlehem.

As we sipped tea with sage and ate sweet grapes grown on the farm, Daoud explained how they are trying to give their people hope through creative resistance. When the Israelis shut off their electricity, they installed solar panels. When they cut off their water supply, they dug cisterns. When they refused to give them building permits, they erected tents. When they bulldozed hundreds of apricot trees, they planted hundreds more.  

One of the many ways they give people hope is through their tree planting program. "When we plant a tree, we believe in the future," Daoud told us.

The Nassars are Palestinian Christians who have lived near Bethlehem for generations. They are some of the living stones who make up the church, whose cornerstone is Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:6).

Check out their website and learn more about the exciting ways the Tent of Nations is bringing hope to the people of Palestine.