December 28, 2001

Remember the Innocents, Web Cam

Remember the Innocents has been established in memory of the innocent children slaughtered 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem when King Herod, fearing that the Prince of Peace would put an end to his own reign, ordered the deaths of all male children under two years of age. Remember The Innocents seeks to raise worldwide awareness of how the suffering of innocents continues today as a result of political conflict, and what can be done about it. Through a variety of international events, television broadcasts, web sites and ongoing programs, Remember the Innocents will offer new hope for children everywhere. (from the Holy Land Trust Website)

What a day for the children of Bethlehem! The Holy Land Trust put on a great show for their "Remember the Innocents" program.

The show started about 1pm and ended sometime after four. Manger Square was totally filled with children. There must have been 1,000 people or more there. The children listened to famous singers, TV personalities, the mayor of Bethlehem, traditional Arabic dancers, and clowns. It was fantastic to see so many kids having a good time. And today, when a little boy stuck a package of gum in my pocket, I handed him a few shekels. (He wasn't satisfied with my "donation", but I didn't take the gum. And I came prepared. Earlier this morning, I practiced saying "I don't want" in Arabic. I was pretty happy to use my new phrase, but the kid was totally unimpressed.)

After the program, my friend Mohammed dropped by to help me set up my new webcam. It took us about two minutes to do the installation. It was basically a plug and play. The two of us were posing for the webcam in no time.

After the installation, we walked down to Mondo for a pizza. We talked about a lot of things -- travel, Beit Sahour, computers, and what brings people to Palestine. During the talk, Mohammed gave me some advice -- when you think, don't think about the past -- only think about the future.