We went to Bethlehem! Definitely one of my favorite field trips so far. (by the way this is delayed by about... a week). Just a super quick summary of what we did.
First stop was the Herodian- Herod the Greats palace in Jerusalem and also the site where they very recently found his grave.
Second stop was Bethlehem University. We got to talk to a professor and some students there just about life and school. It was actually the first Palestinian Universities and some of the students have to pass through multiple check points on their commute from home to school. It was really interesting to hear about the University and how similar some of the problems are between American students and Palestinian students- but there are some major differences. The best part of that visit was just walking around talking to the students. Kaitlyn and I actually got asked out to coffee by some students. Unfortunately we had to decline because we were leaving soon... and we don't drink coffee.
After Bethlehem University we went to the Tent Restaurant for lunch. Basically it was delicious food eaten in a tent. And that's all I have to say about that.
Our next stop was Manger Square/Church of the Nativity. The line to the star of the place of the birth Christ was really long and we weren't sure if we could get through so a group of us just went through the rest of the church/cave. We had a really amazing time just Christmas songs- we had some people video taping us (pretty common reaction from other tourists actually) and some people from other churches started singing with us. It was a great experience to see (again) how music and religion brings people together. After the church we shopped around Manger Square. A bunch of us got Bethlehem baby blankets. I guess the only time they make money off of them is when the BYU students come- typical.
Our final stop was Shepherds Field. It is the place where LDS tourist groups go for the place where the angel appeared declared Christ's birth to the shepherds. It was pretty dark by the time we got there but there were still sheep walking through the hills. It literally looked exactly like I imagined it would- maybe a little less green but that's just because nothing is really green here. We had a little devotional there and then sang Christmas songs and had some quiet contemplative time which was really nice. It was a great time to think about Christ's Birth and how important his life and atonement is in my personal life.
I really do love being here. It is the best experience of my life and will probably remain in the top 10- I can't imagine too many things being better. It's incredible here. There is so much history and so much love here. I am so sad to be leaving in a short 5ish weeks. I will miss everything here. If any of you want to come to the Holy Land and need a tour guide let me know! I'll come with anyone in a heart beat and take you to all the cool places... well the ones I know about.
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