O Little Town of Bethlehem

    There's nothing like a little Christmas in March. It was so fun to take a week to celebrate Christmas and remember Christ's birth while in the Holy Land. We even set up a Christmas tree outside the classrooms! This, of course, was all in honor of our field trip to Bethlehem.

The Church of the Nativity

This is the grotto where they believe Jesus was born. As you can see it is small and they pack you in there. The Church of the Nativity was probably one of the busiest places we went.

 Where the manger sat

The star marks the spot where the baby was born. 

     Next to the Church of the Nativity was Jerome's Grotto. Jerome was the man who translated the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. His grotto was a lot more basic and I enjoyed it much more. We were able to sing some Christmas songs while we were there. Some of the other tourists joined in which was a lot of fun!

      Also in Bethlehem is the Milk Grotto. Legend has it that, while feeding Jesus here, a drop of Mary's milk spilled on the ground. It turned all the stone white and has healing powers to this day. Women come from all over the world to touch the stone inside this cave. They will even buy dust and eat it in order to be healed. Usually it is for infertility but it can be for any sort of healing. 

This monk was kind enough to let us sing in the grotto. After we sang he told us the story of the cave and then invited us to his office to see testimonials. 

The walls of the office were just lined with stories of women who were finally able to get pregnant after years of trying. There were stories of children being healed from cancer and any other healing miracle you could imagine. He also had binders and binders full of letters from all around the world. Regardless of whether or not it was actually the dust from the grotto that healed them, it was very uplifting to see the gratitude these women felt. 

    We were given a little bit of free time to look around and shop if we wanted. This land could never get boring. 

Not to be confused with Starbucks. There is also a 7 to 11 next to center as opposed to a 7/11. 

The girls love to get pictures with us! They get excited if we even talk with them. 

These guys were making wood carvings. The sawdust on the floor was probably a foot thick.

    We finished the night in the Shepherds field overlooking Bethlehem. We had a little program with scriptures, songs, and short testimonies. It was a great way to celebrate and commemorate the Savior's birth. 

This is a sheepfold. The shepherds would put the sheep in here at night and they would never even try to leave. 

The view of Bethlehem from the shepherd's field. 

     Whether or not Christ was born in Bethlehem while his family was just passing through or if they had moved there, if it was in a stone manger or a wood one, in a stable or in a cave, it doesn't matter. I know that the Savior was born to humble, righteous parents who were chosen to raise the Messiah. I am grateful for their faith and willingness to do so. 

Until my next adventure,

Lindy