So today we went to Bethlehem for our first and last time, and I loved it! (It's in Gaza, so we have to have our passports with us and go through the checkpoint at the seperation wall, and we aren't allowed to go there on our own). It was a 10hr field trip. We started at Herod's palace, and then went to Bethlehem University, which is the only Catholic University in the holy land, where we got to interact with some of the students there which was so interesting (one boy lives in Jerusalem, and so it takes him an hour to get to school every day if the Israeli soldiers are in a good mood, and 2 hrs if they aren't!). Then we ate lunch at the "Tent Restaurant" which was fun and yummy, and then we walked through one of the oldest parts of Bethlehem, until we got to the church of the nativity, where it is believed Jesus was born, so it was really neat to go in there. But my favorite part was going to the shepards field for sunset, and our old testament teachers gave a devotional and read some of the Christmas story from Matthew and Luke, and then we sang Christmas hymns (while we were doing this, a shepherd hearded all his sheep through us, it felt like we were back in time!), and then we had ten minutes of quiet to just ponder about what it would have been like to be there, and to be with the shepherds when they saw the star and the angel came to them. It was really an amazing experience.
The view from the top of Herod's palace
We were trying to act out Herod's characteristics! (crown, for him being King, killing, because he had his wife murdered, and he was a strong king)
On Star street in Bethlehem!
In the basement of the church of the nativity, where supposedly Jesus was born in the manger
In the church of the nativity
Sunset in the Shepherd's field
It was SO cold, and I forgot my sweater, so Kaylie had to keep me warm for an hour!
This is an absolutely horrid picture of the sheep, but they were kicking up dust and they went by kinda quick so this was all I got!
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