August 15th, 2019
Mohamad Jamous – Palestinian Director for the Abrahamic Reunion
It is the evening time, the time of tranquility, and the time we meet with family, loved ones, and relatives.
The evening time is when you experience a beautiful calm atmosphere. The clock is approaching 19:30 (7:30 PM) here in the heart of Jericho. I have left my home and family to go to the city center in search of transportation to take me to Ramallah to meet with a wonderful person I had met two weeks ago.
I went to the city center and waited until I found a taxi on its way to Ramallah, which is an hour away from Jericho. After my journey I arrived in Ramallah at 20:30 (8:30 PM), and I traveled to the old area of Ramallah, which is considered the historical heart of Palestine.
There I called the person that I was supposed to meet with, and he told me that he was out of his office in a brief meeting, but said he was about to finish that meeting and then he asked me to wait a little while for him.
I bought a cup of coffee and sat on the side of the road, and as I waited I pondered the people passing by.
One person held the hands of his children and hugged them as they crossed the street together. Another man held the hand of his elderly mother. I thought she must be close to eighty. Some people laughed. Some people were screaming. I could see a glimmer of hope in some people’s faces. In other faces I saw sadness and despair.
A few moments later as I was steeping in all of these reflections, my phone rang, and the person I was about to meet had finished his meeting. He was on his way to meet with me. I waited for him at the entrance of the Roman Catholic Church.
After a few moments he arrived. Do you know him? Yes, it is the great Father Abdullah Yulio, who we met about two weeks ago at our last event in Ramallah!!
Some of you may be wondering, “What caused this sudden meeting today?”
The answer is: When we visited Father Yulio at our last Abrahamic Reunion activity, before we left, he said to me,
O Muhammad, I want to stand by you and be a part of this wonderful work. I want to help you raise the name of the Abrahamic Reunion in Palestine!
I told him then, “Father I promise to visit you soon, and we will talk together“.
So here we are today, he is in love with us, and I have kept my promise to meet with him!
Father Abdullah welcomed me to Ramallah again, and then we went inside the church to his office, which is decorated with the flag of Palestine, and some of his own pictures.
He thanked me again for coming to Ramallah, and I told him,
For the one who wants to spread love and peace among all people, we must do everything for that person! And we won’t wait for anyone to tell him to start working!
We began our conversation by discussing general matters. We spoke about the situation in Ramallah and some other things, and then we touched on the main topic; the reason I had come to visit him today. I wanted to discuss how we would work together to increase the activities of the Abrahamic Reunion in Palestine, and how we would send the message of the Abrahamic Reunion to reach everyone in Palestine. I had also come to discuss the importance of having young people in the Abrahamic Reunion’s activities.
We talked about all of these things, and we also agreed on many things such as: He said that he would participate in all of the Abrahamic Reunion events in the future, and he would also invite other clergy he knows well to participate.
Then and after a long conversation, Father Yulio called a friend of his named Remon. Remon is a member of the Christian Youth Center in Ramallah, and Father Yulio invited him to this important meeting.
A few minutes later Remon arrived.
I welcomed him and introduced myself as the director of the Abrahamic Reunion programs in Palestine. I explained our activities in the Holy Land and abroad. I described our monthly meetings that we do as a Muslims and Christians in Palestine.
Remon was very happy with our work, and he told me that he was fully prepared to participate on behalf of the members of the Christian Youth Center in Ramallah. He also wanted the youth to participant in all of the activities of the Abrahamic Reunion Organization and to be part of this important and necessary work in Palestine.
He continued: “There is nothing more beautiful than a reunion of all of us here, especially in this Holy Land.”
Remon also said,
I am fully prepared to participate with you, and more than fifty members of the Christian Youth Center will also participate in all of the Abrahamic Reunion activities with you. I have more than fifty youth between the ages of 17 and 25, and we all want to be a part of your work. We want to build multi-faith youth programs for this age group In Palestine
I was very happy with this important meeting and I was very happy with what Remon said.! We exchanged phone numbers, and we are fully prepared to work together to build programs for youth and raise the name of the Abrahamic Reunion up high in Palestine.
At almost 10:30 PM, I thanked Father Abdullah for his beautiful hospitality and I also thanked Remon for coming today, and I bid farewell to them.
I left the church, and Ramallah, and travelled back to Jericho. I feel very hopeful about the work I did today and I think about what I will do in the future.
Mohamad Jamous is the Director of Programs for the Abrahamic Reunion in Palestine. He can be reached at mohamad@abrahamicreunion.org
