Bethlehem!!!!!

Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem. As I write this (Saturday at 6:00 pm), the Sabbath here has ended and the city is starting to come alive again. It’s been quite an exciting week since I last updated. Yesterday was perhaps the most exciting day since I’ve been here. Me, Josh, and Elliot were exploring the Mount of Olives some more. We hoped to see the Church of all Nations while it was open and do a little sight seeing. On the way, we stumbled onto the tombs of the prophets Haggai and Malachai. The tombs were basically in someone’s backyard, and were marked only by a small sign and a hole in the ground. The amazing thing about Israel is that sights like these are so commonplace. When walking in the Old City today, we came across the birthplace of Mary, the mother of Christ. Go figure- and it was just a hole-in-the-wall place, too.

Anyways, after seeing the prophets’ tomb, we were traveling down the Mount of Olives in the rain. A taxi cab driver pulled up to us, and asked us if we needed a ride. We declined, since we were Americans who wouldn’t be swindled by a persuasive native. Well, he offered to take us to Bethlehem (which is in the West bank), and we were persuaded. None of us had been able to find anyone who would drive us there, but this kind Palestinian was willing to on this quiet Shabbat eve when business was slow. We piled in the car, and began our first trip to (Gasp!) the West Bank (play dramatic music now). Our trip there was very nice. Our driver was Muslim, named Cojack, and had a family that lived on the Mount of Olives.

We arrived to a deserted Bethlehem after a half hour ride. We didn’t have to stop at any Israeli checkpoints on the way in- it was a straight shot to the church. Once we arrived in the holy city, our driver hooked us up with his friend from Bethlehem for a tour around the church. The building was beautiful- by far the oldest and most authentic of all that I have seen. In the main basilica were pillars with graffiti on them- from the Crusades! We were able to visit the area where Christ was born and then laid in the manger- a place that used to have 6000 visitors a day, but sees very few since the second Palestinian intifada. The church was so beautiful, old, and strangely comforting. It smelled of rich incense- an aroma I have come to associate with Christian faith since I’ve been here.

After our tour of the church, we were guided to a souvenir shop. The shop mostly sold olive wood crosses and other souvenirs, but Josh and Elliot decided to buy some jewelry and a nativity set for friends back home. The owner of the place treated us like royalty- he gave us tea to sip while we were looking around his shop, along with wine straight from the Christmas service they have every year in the city. I didn’t buy anything, but I felt good because the guys I was with certainly helped out the struggling Bethlehem economy. The town has been economically decimated in recent years.

(As a side note, there was a picture of the store’s owner, who was very friendly to us and offered incredible hospitality, with Yasser Arafat.)

We got back in the car after seeing the church and gift shop, and then proceeded through Israeli checkpoints on our way back to Jerusalem. There were no problems- just an Israeli soldier asking our driver who we were. We didn’t even need our passports- ein biya (no problem). As we drove through the checkpoint, though, I glanced to our right and saw an Israeli soldier with a machine gun pointed toward all the cars that go through the checkpoint. I’m glad I hadn’t seen the fellow while we were being questioned. Our chauffeur quipped, “Don’t worry, they just shoot the drivers.” We kind of laughed nervously.

Our driver offered to take us anywhere we want to go in the West Bank (Hebron, etc). He really was the nicest guy in the world- I feel like I’m a part of his family now (American naivety, perhaps). We’re definitely going to use his services when we want to travel in the future. It’s surprising to me- all the nice people I’ve met here, as far as hospitality services go, have been Palestinian. It’s funny how stereotypes here get broken so easily.

All the best, and God bless you all. Thanks for your prayers, and let me know if you’d like me to talk about anything specific.

P.S.- for a live view of the Kotel, the Western (Wailing) Wall, check out http://english.thekotel.org/cameras.asp. Another website, http://wwweyeonisrael.com/ , offers maps of Israel and a lot of history on the biblical lands. www.followtherabbi.com, finally, helps piece together a lot of the culture, religion, and scripture. If you’ve got time, they’re most helpful for figuring out this often-confusing land.

P.P.S.-please say a prayer for a good friend of mine from the program who flew home tonight. His mother is in really bad shape, and he went back to spend a few last precious days with her. He and his family really need God's grace in this tough time.