Bethlehem!

Today we spent the day in the WEST BANK! It's funny that we live 7 miles from it, and it's supposed to be such a feared place, but our day today was probably one of my favorite days since we've been here. You can definitely tell a difference, though, going through the Separation Wall from Israel into Palestine. It's an interesting concept going on here. Palestine is definitely dirtier, not as nice, and the people don't have as much of an income or government income. It's sad because they're people who want work, a home, and a family just like the rest of us. Anyways. So we started off our day in Ein Kerem, which is the supposed birth place of John the Baptist. This was a change in the itinerary, but I'm so glad that we went because it is probably one of my favorite places in Jerusalem! (This place was in Jerusalem, and then we went to Bethlehem) It is down in a valley, so you look up and see the hills covered in trees and the tops of churches. It was beautiful. Ein Kerem itself is very European, so maybe that's why I loved it. It reminded me of the windy, narrow streets of Southern France.


The city is very charming with little homes covered with beautiful bougainvilleas taking over the walls. They grow like crazy here. Mom--I thought of you when I took this picture. Anyways, at the bottom of the windy streets are little bistros and restaurants and fruit stands. The city is quieter and more calm and just romantic! I loved it!












So then we got the treat of eating lunch in a Bedouin tent. It was pretty cool. We were a little sad, though, because we filled up on pitas and hummus, thinking that it was the main course. So we weren't hungry when the bbq skewers came out, which have been amazing in all 3 countries I've been in since I've been here. Anyways... It was fun, though. After that, we walked the streets of Bethlehem. It was fun to see the craziness and compare these streets to the ones I see everyday. People are definitely poorer here, which is really sad. As we walked past one little shop, the man sat outside on a small stool and next to him were chickens and doves in cages, wanting to be sold. It was back to
like Medieval times or something. On the doors of closed shops were posters like this one--a man with a huge machine gun. Sweet. I have no idea what it said, but I didn't really care because basically it was scary. Imagine your children walking down those streets everyday learning that those images are normal for them. It's a different world here. Wow. We went to Manger Square and then the Church of the Nativity. They were both cool to see, but the real highlight of the day was our next place, Shepherds' Field.




After a whole day in urban Bethlehem, it was awesome to be in these sacred fields where the angels came to proclaim the birth of Christ. How humbling it was to look out over the fields and picture what it might have been that night. I love the Christmas story and all that comes along with it. I love picturing Mary and Joseph and tried to think about what they must have felt like that Christmas Eve when they were about to bring the Son of God into this earth so that He could save mankind. It was awesome to think about His ministry and all of the miracles He performed while He was here, and how blessed we are that we have the scriptures which recorded these awesome events. Then to think about His death, for without which we would have no Christmas. It was so great to feel the Spirit as we sat in this sacred place. It was awesome. Here's a pic of me and Amie at the field, but you can't really get a good feel for it, since it was night time when we were there. Just trust me on how neat it was. I loved it!

So I come home 5 weeks from tomorrow. I truly can't believe it. This time is going faster each day, and each day I grow more grateful for this wonderful experience when I'm having here. I love it!