If things had gone according to six months of planning, I, along with 23 other United Church folks from across the country, would have landed in Tel Aviv this morning for a ‘Come and See’ Pilgrimage’ through Israel/Palestine. Along with feelings of relief and disappointment, and I recognize the privilege of those feelings, I have been very unsettled in body, mind and spirit since the news first broke last Saturday morning. I expected to feel unsettled as I experienced another culture and way of life once I was there, I didn’t expect to feel this way not even arriving.

If you are feeling unsettled, here are five things that I’m doing to help me through this time, maybe they will help you too:

• I’ve chosen to leave some of my registration money with Sabeel, the organization that was hosting us in Jerusalem, their vision: Local Christians inspired by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ stand for the oppressed, work for justice, engage in peace-building.
• Turn off the news! Stop checking social media. Our hearts, minds and bodies are not created for constant adrenaline surges. Decide on when and how often you will check. Much of our news doesn’t capture the complexity of the situation in Israel/Palestine, so I’ve been reading The Guardian and Aljazeera to get more balanced reporting.
• Educate myself, even though I had been doing some reading in preparation for my trip, I had only scratched the surface.
• Write to my MP.
• Pray, even though my prayers consist mostly of “Please God…”