Bethlehem

Today we spent most of the time between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. We started off the day by driving to the top of The Mount of Olives for a group picture with the city of Jerusalem in the background. The view from there was amazing. I can't imagine how beautiful it must have been for the people in Jesus' time to look across there at the temple.

From there, we went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed in the hours before his death. Regardless of the pretty rose picture we have attached, it wasn't a garden at all during Jesus' time. It was the area where the press was that produced the olive oil from the olive trees on the hill.

Our next stop was to Bethlehem which is in Palestinian territory. We had to drop Elie off because he is not allowed to go into the city. We picked up an Palestinian guide who was very nice. We had to take a short walk to get to our destination and of course being in a different country, you always look for something familiar. Everyday we may see maybe a couple of familiar (recognizable) places. Well today it was a Star & Bucks. We have attached a picture that we just couldn't resist taking.

Once here, we reviewed the familiar stories of Rachel giving birth to Benjamin and was buried on the way to Bethlehem and how Naomi returned to Bethlehem with Ruth and then of course the story of Ruth and Boaz. The big story is the place of the birth of Jesus. We walked into the Church of the Nativity. This is the traditional spot of where Jesus might have been born. We viewed several aspects of the church and its history before leaving and heading to the Shepherd's Field. This is the traditional place where the shepherd's might have been with their flocks when they were told of the Lord's birth.

We next made a shopping stop at a place called Candoo. The men that run this establishment are the grandsons of the man that acquired the Dead Sea Scrolls after they were found by a Bedouin boy. In the shop they actually have a complete pot with lid that a scroll was located within. These guys only sell authenticated antiques like oil pots, pitchers, etc that are from the Biblical time period. Very interesting.

We drove back across into Israel to the Garden Tomb. This is the traditional site of where Jesus might have buried. We had a British guide, and the British for the most part, believe that this is the site. Regardless, it is a fine example of what a tomb back in Jesus's time might have looked like.

Our very last stop was, of course, our hotel. After being out and about all day, we are quite thankful for our hot meal and nice clean room. By the way, we can't leave Israel yet; we haven't eaten all of our ores.