Monday in Jerusalem to Bethlehem

Wednesday 5:46 am from hotel in Jerusalem

Dear Friends and Family,

I am behind in my writing because we have had two super full days here in Israel with limited internet power to publish. My mind is so full that the only way I can keep track is from the photos on my phone that have the events on the day I took them. One interesting item about our photos is that the GPS for my photos was unexpectedly disabled after we left Galilee. Instead of giving the location, all I see is today and yesterday for location. This appears to have happened to multiple phones. Therefore if you see a photo that the location is identified incorrectly, you will understand.

From my photos I can remember the order of our travels on Monday. The original plan for Monday was to spend the whole day in Jerusalem but due to the overcrowding of Bethlehem on Sunday we postponed our main visit to Bethlehem to Monday afternoon.

Monday morning in Jerusalem we were at the Chapel build over The Upper Room, the room of the last supper and possibly the room the disciples were in on the day of Pentecost, the tomb of King David, the courtyard of Caiphus where Peter denied Jesus three time, the cistern that Ciaphus used as a prison for not only Jesus but Peter and John recorded in Acts. All of this was before 10:00 am

We arrived in Bethlehem at 11:00 to the church built over the rock cave stable designated as the birthplace of Jesus. Waiting in line for almost an hour we were able to be in the very small area just above the cave when the doors closed for the noon mass and prayers. Four different religious groups have services in the cave at 12:00, 1:00, 2:00 and 2:30. Those in this small area can go to the Cave in between their 15 minute services. Close quarters, heat and exhaustion was hard on some most of us.

Following this visit we went to lunch, Arab barbecued chicken and lamb , salad, pita and fried potatoes. The meal included a tiny desert and coffee. See photo:

The rest of the afternoon was a visit to a shepherd’s field. This field was also known as Boaz’s Field. In the area is a modern chapel with beautiful paintings of the events, the caves used by centuries of shepherds for protection from the elements, and a section of open fields that help to picture the time of Christ.

One part of our pilgrimage that I have appreciated is that we have had a quiet area in most locations to read scripture about the events at that location. While it may not be the exact spot, I have been able to understand and picture in my mind in a clearer way the words of the Bible. As Bill Greer said on Tuesday, “we have been able to see the real Jesus”?

We all came into this process of pilgrimage from different points in our journey but we have made progress into our understanding and knowledge of our Savior. Time is now needed to process where we have been and where our journey will take us.

Ellen and Linda