Rev. Rodny Said was born and raised in Jerusalem in a Lutheran family. He serves as the pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Ramallah and the youth pastor for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. He studied in Canada, graduating from Wilfried Laurier University with a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Studies and Global Citizenship in 2017 and Martin Luther University College with a Masters of Divinity in 2020.

Kelsey Johnson(she/her) is a candidate for ministry of Word and Sacrament through the ELCA and is in her final year of academics at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Prior to seminary, she served as a Young Adults in Global Mission volunteer in Palestine from 2017-2018, and a Hunger Advocacy Fellow for ELCA Advocacy from 2018-2019. She has been involved with Peace Not Walls, the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, and is a board member of Opportunity Palestine. During her time in Palestine, she was shown steadfast love and welcome by her host community in Ramallah. Modeling this love and care for community relationships calls her to ministry, as well as continuing work towards justice for Palestinians.

My name is Sally Azar, I am 25 years old and I was born in Jerusalem. I grew up bilingual (Arabic and German). In 2018 my father became the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran church in Jordan and the Holy Land. I got my Bachelor of Theology at the Near East School of Theology (N.E.S.T.) in Beirut, Lebanon. Then I studied in Germany for 2 years doing my Masters in Intercultural Studies. Currently I am doing my Vikariat (Pastoral training) in Germany. After finishing my studies, I’ll join the Lutheran Church in the Holy Land where I will serve as the first woman pastor in my church and in the country.

Hi, my name is Naim Khader El-Yateem, I am 22 years old, and I am a proud Palestinian American! I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and I just graduated from Stony Brook University this past May, where I received my Bachelors of Science in Biology and I am on my way to becoming the first doctor in my family! I am currently a medical scribe in a local doctor's office and if you ever get to meet me you will quickly find out I am a die-hard Brooklyn Nets and NY Giants fan. Another fun fact is that I am the son of a pastor and I spent most Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays growing up in the church helping out where I can, leading youth events, and making life-long friends, some of which I've been hanging out with as long as I can remember

Jaszy is from Milwaukee, WI and currently lives in central WI. Jaszy is a long-time member of All Peoples Church in Milwaukee. Jaszy spoke at the ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston in 2018. She went on the Peace Not Walls pilgrimage in January 2020. She currently is a campus organizer at Leaders Igniting Transformation WI.