"On the 29th November, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz-Israel; the General Assembly required the inhabitants of Eretz-Israel to take such steps as were necessary on their part for the implementation of that resolution. This recognition by the United Nations of the right of the Jewish people to establish their State is irrevocable." - Israel Proclamation of Independence, 1948
I grew up in a Christian household, and I have always been proud to identify myself as a Christ follower.
Throughout my childhood, I looked up to my father, who served as a pastor and a missionary. I fearfully learned from my mother, a respected religion teacher in my church. I vividly remember learning to read when I was just 4 years-old, with my first reading exercise being Psalm 1. I spent my pre-teen stage well connected with church friends, and shaped by Biblical figures and Bible stories.
When I moved to the United States in 2010, I was terrified of everything, from having to learn the new language, to being shorter, smaller, and different from everyone around my age. In that midst of fear, however, I found peace, love, and support from a faith community that I had just been acquainted with. When I moved to Washington D.C. on my own, I once again found a church community that strengthens, empowers and love me unconditionally. My life has always been on the move, but I have always had a community. I have always found my community.
In the months prior to my arrival to Jerusalem, searching for a new faith community in Jerusalem was the least of my priority. I firmly believed that finding a church group in Israel is as easy as finding my favorite burger joint in America. After all, Jerusalem is the holiest city in the world, right?
Well, yes and no. It's rather complicated.
It's complicated as a non-Jewish person, for I often feel like an outsider in almost every setting.
It's complicated because the language barrier makes it harder for me to understand, and to be understood.
It's complicated when I am presented with the fear that I am not religious enough, that I am not Christian enough, to be a part of a faith community in the holiest land.
And thus, after two months in Jerusalem, I find myself disconnected, disengaged, and on my own without a faith community, the only constant variable throughout my life.
But while living without a faith community in Jerusalem is perhaps one of the most difficult challenges I will need to overcome, I know I am not alone. See, the best thing about having communities is that wherever you are in the world, you will always be a part of your community. In the past two months, I found myself exploring my faith and God in many ways that I have never known I am capable of. At the same time, I took the time to reach out to my communities back in Vietnam, California, and Washington D.C., not because I was feeling homesick, but because they provide me with strength, love, and support, even when I was hundreds of thousand miles away.
The moral of the story is, well, simply complicated.
Sometimes, we get so caught up in finding something new, that we forget the best things ever happen to us have never left. I did not discover a new faith community in Jerusalem like I've wanted. Instead, I found my communities.