Cameron in Cairo: For Such a Time as This

There are times in my life when everything seems in disarray; in fact, the majority of the time, my life feels in disarray- like I am being pulled in different directions, and nothing seems to make a whole lot of sense. But then, there are those few, precious times when suddenly everything comes into focus and for a brief moment there is a calm in the chaos; a coming together of these seemingly random aspects of my life to form a unified vision of where God is taking me. This past week was one of those rare, beautiful experiences...
At 10:00 on Monday night, my good friend Nathan and I hopped in a car, each carrying only a backpack (which, if you know me or my mom, you know that was no small task for me :). We hit the road and drove through the night up to the Taba border of Israel. Why? you might ask... well, Nathan is the founder and executive director of Rock International (www.rockintl.org - a non-profit organization which seeks to provide children essential relief from danger, disaster, and abuse replacing it with opportunity through academics, athletics, and the arts. Furthermore, ROCK attends to the medical and spiritual needs of these young ones providing hope for tomorrow and eternity). He had set up some meetings in Hebron (a city in the West Bank), and was gracious enough to allow me to tag along. Seeing as how I spent the better half of my senior year researching and writing my thesis on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, I was excited to experience first-hand the reality of the situation.
The decision to go to Palestine was definitely not an easy one... After talking to my family and friends, I was strongly advised not to go for safety concerns. In considering all the dangers and risks, the Lord gave me a total peace and brought this scripture to mind: "we must obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29)... I felt like God was calling me to fully surrender my life for His glory- and it was absolutely worth it!
From the minute we crossed into the West Bank, everything felt so surreal. We drove through Bethlehem and then on into Hebron. Our taxi driver told us that we were his first customers in over 6 hours- he then went on to tell us that his dad and uncle had been killed in the clashes between the Israeli's and Palestinians a few years back. Immediately I was struck by the incredible impact this conflict has had on the people there. Yet there's this incredible resilience about the Palestinians- to go on living their lives in the midst of this turmoil; making the most of what they have, even though most of their earthly possessions have been stripped away from them.
After our first meeting at Hebron University, we met up with our friend, Zleekha, who we would be staying with. It was almost like a movie as we drove up to a dead-end street that led to a cobblestone ally way. The street was deserted except for one family selling fruit, and all the buildings looked abandoned. Then we looked up, only to find about 3 Israeli soldiers on the roof-top above us glaring our way while holding their automatic rifles. Behind these seemingly abandoned buildings was a brand new building brandishing the Israeli flag. Just to get to her house, we had to pass through several 'check-points'. Her house is the last one before the barbed-wire fences of the Israeli stronghold. She told us stories of her various neighbors who got evicted from their homes- she can't even go out her front door because it opens onto an "Israeli only" street.

This is the Old City of Hebron- where we stayed:

This is one of the security check-points that Palestinians have to go through just to get to their homes:

The Israeli-Only street behind Zleekha's house:

The next few days in Hebron were totally life-changing. We had meeting after meeting with various organizations devoted to helping the Palestinian people (mainly with regard to the medical field). One of my favorite places we visited was the Mohammad Ali Hospital. Seeing these doctor's passion to make a difference in the lives of their people was so inspiring! They are doctors who have been trained in Europe and the states, who have come back to Palestine to help their people in a time of need. A common phrase we heard throughout the day was "we just do the best we can with what we have"- they are in desperate need for updated medical equipment and are so eager to learn new procedures and surgical techniques. Something that really struck me, was that they never once asked for money- all they want is the means to better serve the people who come to their hospital. It was exciting and inspiring to hear their vision for the future of the hospital, and the potential we have of being apart of it!

This is Nathan, Jenna, Zleekha, and the doctors at the Hospital:

How is it possible to go to this place, meet these incredible people, see the incredible oppression they live under, and not be moved to compassion which then turns into action? Being in Hebron for the short time that I was totally transformed my perspective on life and my future. I am no longer content to settle for anything less than God's best for me- He has placed a calling in my heart that I simply cannot ignore. The restlessness that so consumed me over the past few years has finally been assuaged and replaced with a complete sense of purpose. My vision and passion is to simply serve the people of God- to meet their needs in whatever way possible- to bring hope to the hopeless and be a light in a region so plagued with darkness. Looking back, it is so easy to see how all along the Lord was molding and shaping me- preparing me for such a time as this!
I realize how long-winded this post has been- so I will save some stories for my next post! Thank you all for your prayers and support! I truly thank God every time I remember you!
Here are a few more pictures from our trip:

Jenna, Nathan and I in the Old City of Hebron: