Article October 11, 2004 Issue

WILL THE FEUD EVER END?

LOVE INSPIRES PRAYER FOR THE MIDDLE EAST

By Madelon Miles

GETTING CASH from an ATM is usually a pretty ordinary thing for a southern Californian. But one day in Aleppo, Syria, the relative novelty of machines that dispense money on demand made the ordinary a social event—a moment when levity taught me a lesson.

When one of Aleppo's recently installed ATMs didn't produce the funds I'd requested, a nearby group of about a dozen Syrian men decided that my trouble was their challenge as well. They began looking for a phone number to call the ATM's bank. (When we found the number carved onto a nearby 600-year-old wall—thanks to another frustrated customer?— the cultural differences made our band of American travelers roar with laughter.)

Before anyone could call the bank, I decided to retry the transaction. It worked. And it seemed like everyone on the street applauded! Truly we were all united in the simple mastery of this "new" technology. The smiles and knowing nods cut through all language differences, and left a feeling of closeness to those sweet people that has stayed with me.

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