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Shalom
Salaam

It’s the end of another very long and fulfilling day in the Holy Land. Our day was divided primarily into three parts – Yad Vashen, sites in Bethlehem related to the birth of Jesus, and a visit to a Palestinian refugee camp.

Vad Vashem is the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. Some of you may have visited the one in Washington, D.C. The two are rather different. Yad Vashem is much less “in your face,” and is much more open to reflection. For example, the layout of the Memorial in Jerusalem is MUCH more spacious that the one in Washington. Also, Yad Vashem has an enormous amount of artwork, whereas Washington has very little.

A visit to Yad Vashem is quite an emotional experience, which is not a surprise, considering that six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. Among us were many expressions of outrage that human beings can be so evil to other human beings. Another frequent comment among us is how some of the patterns of disdain for other people is now being visited upon the Palestinians by the Israelis. What a sad turn of events.

Our next visits were to the two primary sites associated with the birth of our Lord Jesus. The first stop was at the Shepherds’ Field – where the angels (in Luke 2) visit the shepherds as they watched their flocks at night. Jared read the passage from Luke 2, and then we sang, “While shepherds watched their flocks by night.” Our guides marveled at our singing.

Upon hearing the message of the angels, the shepherds say to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem to see this thing which has happened.” So, off we went to the Church of the Holy Nativity. The Church of the Nativity had virtually no other pilgrims while we were there, so we had the space almost all to ourselves. We all were profoundly moved by being at the site at which Jesus was born. At this point, Jordan read the earlier verses from the second chapter of Luke. Then we sang, “O little town of Bethlehem.”

Our next experience was at the Dheisheh Refugee Camp – one of three refugee camps in Bethlehem. We had a wonderful, varied, and filling meal in their dining room before taking a tour of the camp. This camp numbers 12,000 people, living on less than a half kilometer square. About 60% of the population is children, and about half of the adults are unemployed. What sadness to see people living this way. Pictures will help to tell this story better when we get home.

Then we had the journey, weaving our way to Arad, in the northern Negev Desert, where we are spending the night tonight. Tomorrow we depart early to ascend Masada, and to visit other areas along the Dead Sea.

We continue to thank you for your prayers, as we continue to pray for you. And we miss you. But we thank you for these wonderful opportunities for visiting the Holy Land.

Shalom/Salaam

The Pilgrims

Before touring the Dheishah Refuge Camp in Bethlehem, we had a wonderful lunch at the Dheishah dining facility.  The decor is intended to create the sense of being in a tent.

Here at the Shepherds' Field, Jared reads from Luke 2 - the angels greet the shepherds and invite them to go to Bethlehem.