Dagboek uit Jeruzalem

By Marleen Anthonissen-van der Louw

Book Description

In the heart of one of the world's most sacred cities, a Dutch pastoral worker opens her journal to share the profound and ordinary moments that shape life in Jerusalem. Marleen Anthonissen-van der Louw invites readers into her deeply personal experience through forty intimate stories that weave together the sacred and the everyday in this ancient place.

Since arriving in Jerusalem in 2014 to serve the Dutch community at the Lutheran Redeemer Church, Marleen has witnessed how living in the Holy City transforms both faith and daily existence. Her role as pastoral counselor and guide for Dutch visitors has given her unique insights into how people encounter the divine in this crossroads of three major religions.

The collection takes on deeper meaning as Marleen navigates the unexpected loss of her husband Ilja in 2017, revealing how grief and hope intertwine in a city where suffering and resurrection have walked the same streets for millennia. Drawing from her extensive international experience in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, she brings a seasoned perspective to the complexities of cross-cultural ministry and interfaith relationships.

These stories offer readers a window into what it means to live faithfully in a place where the spiritual and political, the ancient and modern, constantly intersect. Through Marleen's honest reflections, we discover how ordinary moments become sacred when viewed through the lens of faith and service.