So much more to do ... and how you can help!

Hey OTYF followers, we have had an amazing few days.  In one week, we have taught 7 classes at Aida refugee camp, three workshop-length classes at Wings of Hope, four classes at Jerusalem Flow Power, a workshop at Yogama in Even Yehuda, another workshop at Zman Yoga in Jerusalem, a class at the Wellness center here in Bethlehem, and an Acro workshop at the Bethlehem Wellness center.  Here are some awesome pictures from the Acro Workshop:

Georgia flying Nimala, one of the regular yogis in Nahed's classes in Bethlehem!

Here are two women, new to class, who arrived to Nahed's class and promptly learned how to fly!

In addition to the cool yoga, we have been reading, learning, and even having meetings with the fantastic Rachel Feldman.  She came to talk to us about the history of the solidarity movement here.  We learned so much and left the meeting fired up and ready to go.

Top row: Nahed, Georgia, Anastasia, Kathleen.

Front Row: Zanna, Amber, Ruthie, Rachel.

Our team also managed to take ourselves (on our own dimes, not OTYF's) to Tel Aviv for an afternoon so some of us could see the Mediterranean for the first time!  

Amber and Ruthie crossed the Israeli checkpoint in Bethlehem on foot on Friday morning of Ramadan, and wow did we get a feeling for what it is like to cross on a busy day.  It took us a while, and we were able to get even more of a feeling what our yogis in Bethlehem deal with just to get to the mosque in Jerusalem on Ramadan.

Coming up, we have a meeting with the owner of Farashe in Ramallah, we teach one more time at Jerusalem Flow power, have a meeting with some of the women at Aida camp who want to learn how to teach yoga to kids while we are away, we teach two more times at Wings of Hope and two more times at Aida camp.  Ruthie is meeting with more yogi-peace-activists in Jerusalem this week, too.  We are working hard to create an impact that will last through the year until we can come back and train teachers!

We are nearing the end of the trip for many of the women.  Amber, Georgia, Anastasia and Kathleen leave this week, and return home with a new fire to grow OTYF during the year.  Zanna and Ruthie are staying longer in Tel Aviv to teach at Bala Yoga in Givatayim and meet with Tel Aviv yogis and people interested in our project.  

We are doing incredible work on a shoe-string budget.  ANY donation you send helps us get to and from Jerusalem, Aida camp, Ramallah for our meeting, buys us lunch or dinner, and an occasional necessary coffee between our classes.  Your donations keeps us in our house here in Bethlehem for another night, and buy craft supplies for our classes with children.  Your donations help us figure out a way to buy a book on how to teach yoga for children for the women at Aida camp.  Thank you so much for all your help to get us here and to help us create a yoga community for people who live here under extreme stress.  Any other donation you can offer will help keep our OTYF community here thriving during the year!

You can donate at rally.org/olivetreeyogafoundation to support our grass-roots operation here in Bethlehem!

THANK YOU!!