Bethlehem 1

This morning, I woke up to the call to prayer at 5am and thought, "I am waking up in Bethlehem." After a breakfast of pita, olives, and cheese, we worshipped at Christmas Lutheran Church, which is connect to the Abu Gubran Guesthouse. The service was primarily in Arabic, but we participate in the liturgical portions of the service in transliterated Arabic or English. The countries represented by the congregation today were US, Norway, Sweden, and Germany, though there were a few Palestinian worshippers. Following this, we went to the market at Manger Square where one of the young shop owners showed us to an ATM. We at sawerma (roasted chicken in pita with a variety of other things, depending on which shop you go to). Outside the shops, children held out their hands for shekels, cars drove amongst the pedestrians (literally inches away), and shop owners asked our names, where we were from, beckoning us into their shops. We went to the Church of the Nativity, built above the place it is said Jesus was born, and went down into the 'cave' to touch the spot, located under incense burners and candles, I took a candle to light near the manger but could not find the place to put it and so will bring a piece of the Church of the Nativity home with me. The same church holds the tomb of St. Jerome (who is buried in the Vatican). There is so much to see here; it is difficult to take it all in.