Welcome Home!

Once we had confirmation of the site, we headed out with Cate to the Golan hills across the Sea of Galilee. We loaded up as much as we could carry to prepare our camp and then hiked along a trail marked by piles of stones and colorful rainbow ribbons. The sun was going down and we were exhausted by the time we arrived at the welcome center, but a cup of hot chai and a warm "welcome home!" greeting by a beautiful rainbow sister from Germany helped to revive us. Everyone there urged us to spend the night at the welcome center as the climb down to the main camp was long and difficult and full of thorny bushes, but we decided to press on. It was the new moon, so no natural light was available to help us find our way. We asked directions at the chai tent half way down, but the directions were so vague and complicated that the man there decided to guide us down. We whacked our way through thorn bush after thorn bush. How thankful we were for our guide, especially as our little crew multiplied with more and more people who had been wondering around lost in the thorny abyss. We crossed a river at the bottom and finally made it to the main circle. We spread out our sleeping bags and crashed for the night.

The next couple days were busy building our camp. We needed a spot big enough for our big family tent and Cate's individual one. We found a perfect space between two trees and Ian (my eagle scout hero husband!) tied up tarps to give shade and rain cover for a community area between our two tents. We cleared the ground of thorns and thistles and other pokey things and then set up our tents:



Aside from the endless variety of thorn trees and bushes, the location of the gathering was ideal. It was in a valley with a flowing river for washing and water supply, and we could see the Sea of Galilee between the mountains from our camp site. We also discovered new shortcuts back up the trail to the car, making the journey much quicker and easier.

Food is prepared, served, and eaten communally at a rainbow gathering. Those with the inspiration will focus volunteers to create a meal, and if more are needed then the call echoes through the camp, "Help in the kitchen!!!" As things are coming together, the call goes out, "Food Circle!!!" An hour or two later, another call is heard. "Food Circle...NOW!!!" This last call is repeated once or twice until the circle forms and becomes focused. Everyone holds hands and sings songs together before the food is served. Everyone brings and cleans their own personal eating dish and utensils. After the meal, a "magic hat" is passed around the circle along with a particularly happy song and dance to collect offerings to help replenish supplies for the kitchen and community.

Here is a view of the kitchen tent and main circle fire from the welcome area above:



Here is a closer view (cameras aren't so welcome at gatherings so we didn't take many pictures)






Food Circle:



Every once in a while we would hike back up to the car for supplies or to make a trip. Here are some of our creative carrying maneuvers:

Christy carrying a heavy load Nepali style...

Asha riding in Abba's back pocket...


Our dear friend Chinua flew in from India and also joined us at the rainbow. Both he and Cate have been to the Israeli gatherings for years now, as well as the annual "Peace in the Middle East" gatherings in Turkey which are closely related. We have heard of these gatherings for years, but now it was exciting to actually be there ourselves and be part of their community. Chinua is an amazing musician, so the moment he arrived everyone begged him to play. We sat around the fire singing praise songs and spirituals for hours. It was so heavenly! People joined in, dancing and singing. After one of the worship songs, a young girl who had been dancing spontaneously said, "Praise de Lord!" Chinua also sang Yeshu bhajans (Indian style devotional songs to Jesus) around the night fire circle. Sometimes I only heard them from my tent, but when I was there at the circle I blissfully joined in and sang with all my soul. So sweet!!!

The most memorable and terrifying event of the gathering in Asha's experience was...the helicopters. Loud, scary military helicopters that came too close to our camp. The valley was strategic for training pilots through rough terrain that is uninhabited, so throughout the day and often at night they would swoop low into our camp and back, two by two, leaving a terrified toddler burying her face in her hands and clutching her Mama or Abba for dear life. We have been back home for a few days now, and she still talks about it all the time and runs to us trembling at the slightest sound of an airplane in the sky.



Rainbow gatherings usually build up until the full moon, and then thin out from there. We knew a big thunder storm was on its way, so the night of the full moon we quickly packed up and escaped just before torrents of rain made the steep climb impossible. We didn't even have time to say goodbye. We had to hurry, especially since Cate and Chinua had a flight back home to India to catch. So we slipped away in the night. It was sad to leave so silently. There were people we wanted to connect more with and pray with and sing with, but we had to trust these new friends in His hand. Perhaps next year's rainbow gathering, maybe the next Turkey gathering, maybe one day we would see them again... its a small world after all :)