Dateline June 20, 2016, Bethlehem
From the Mount of Olives we drove down toward Bethlehem. Because Bethlehem sits on the Palestinian side of the line, our Israeli guide handed us over to a guide from the town itself, a Palestinian Muslim, born and raised there. He owns a small gift shop, full of all sorts of things but built around the olive-wood carvings the local people make. Being a local, he could drive us right up the hill to the Church of the Nativity, a real gift, since the tour buses have to park at the bottom and walk up.
He led us into the church ahead of all the lines, to the birthplace of Jesus. At the heart of it is the chapel of the manger, a small grotto, with a silver star marking the spot. Like the Holy Sepulchre, the church holds three chapels, for the Catholic, Orthodox, and Coptic Christians. When we had seen the birthplace, we sat down in one of the chapels and gave quiet thanks, for our lives and for the chance to be standing there at all.
Afterward we stopped at his shop, which, we were told, is one of the things you really ought to do when you come to Bethlehem, to spend a little time and a little money at a Palestinian store. He could not have been kinder, and Janice came away with a pair of earrings in the shape of the Jerusalem cross.
The way out. Leaving Bethlehem to cross back into Israel, we hit trouble. There was a fire on the road at the crossing we meant to use. Our guide tried another, but the traffic was backed up solid. So he parked the car, and off we went on foot to get clear of it. After about ten minutes of walking he pointed us toward a walkway and told us to just keep going, that Haim, our Israeli driver, would be waiting at the far end. It became a small adventure, winding through a tunnel and past one checkpoint after another, and at last coming into Israel through a guarded gate. Our guide's advice, once we were through, was not to tell anyone we had done it. Yikes. We took a few pictures along the way.
Standing where Christ was born, and the day before where he was crucified and buried, sent chills through us both. It is a lifetime experience, and our wish is that everyone we love gets to have it someday. Israel, taken all together, was one of the most special stays in all our travels, and we owe that to the many good people who showed us through it across three days.
