BETHLEHEM

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days."                         Micah 5:2

The High Dividing wall between Bethlehem (Palestine) and Israel.
It is equipped with Electrical Shocks and is High Security to prevent
Palestinians from gaining access to move out of Bethlehem. They have
no other exits and are in poverty due to this quarantine. Every bus that exits
requires Palestinians to exit the bus and go through more security checks
than all other passengers. Most Palestinians just stay in Bethlehem and it is easier
to leave the country than to enter into the rest of Israel for Palestinians.
Bethlehem is inside the West Bank of the country of Israel.

Shepherd's field overlook of Jerusalem from Bethlehem.

The store owner across from Shepherd's Field recounts that this is the area that Israelis
would fire arms into Bethlehem from the mountain. There are many stories that recount the
gory details of war and fire arm battles between Israel and Palestine over the years.

The Shepherd's field is a garden with Byzantine ruins that
appear to be like remains of houses where the nearby Shepherd's roamed the hills
with their sheep and it is recorded in the Scriptures that it is in the hills here that
the angels came and they were the first to know of Jesus' birth.

Shepherd and Sheep fountain

The Bethlehem Church of the Nativity is the main tourist place where it is claimed that Jesus was born in this place and so the Catholic church set up  another highly adorned Cathedral to have mass and celebrate the life of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Inside of Nativity Church Cathedral Aisle

Underneath the church of the Nativity is a fireplace with this
adorned "hole" which is believed to be the exact location that
Jesus was born, according to the Catholic Church.
It is interesting how many people will visit and touch and kiss this
adornment because of the meaning behind it.

Independent Baptist Church in Bethlehem 

Pastor Musa Abuali

Our new friend, Manuel Abuali,  the pastor's son, invited us to their church service
where guest speakers/ storyteller John Walsh and his friends shared a message
from the word of God in the form of a story. His group is traveling through Israel sharing
150 stories from the Bible at 50 locations.

YWAMers from Holland shared a dance/ play that was originally by
Lifehouse called "Everything". This picture is of the young girl finally on her
knees after being spent by the world, crying out and praying to Jesus, which
is when He is finally intervening and coming in between her and all the temptations
and sins of the world.
Before she fell on her knees and prayed, she continued in bondage.
This was a beautiful live display of God's love, mercy and our need to pray to Him for his protection

HOUSE OF HOPE

Our friends, Masu and Manuel Abuali, from the Independent Baptist Church have also been 

running Bethlehem's House of Hope for many years now. House of Hope is a shelter and school for the Blind and Children with Special needs. We were given a tour of the grounds and explained how they are in GREAT NEED of volunteers, especially "House Parents", people that are willing to live and care for the children after school hours in exchange for room and board and some

small payment per month. There is also a GREAT NEED for more financing and for the word to be spread to more churches and people to gain supporters.

Blind residents of House of Hope are trained to work in the Olive Wood Workshop making
Olive Wood crafts.

Little lamb stencils in Olive Wood ready to be cut out.

Our tour guide of the workshop shows us a bookend made with
Olive wood that has the Calvary Chapel Dove emblem

The Olive Wood gift shop's proceeds go to help support the House of Hope and all its residents and workers. We were encouraged and very blessed to buy these quality crafts for a great price!

Candace Parish, Calvary Chapel Bible College Jerusalem student,
plays with the children in the House of Hope as they are in the classroom
using various manipulatives to learn Gross motor skills, shapes,
and simple learning concepts and academics at their various levels.

Stacy Abel from Calvary Chapel Bible College Jerusalem
sits with the children in the classroom for a picture.
At the House of Hope the children learn about Jesus and especially prayers
and songs in English to Jesus. They go home and share these with their
Muslim families and are genuinely full of joy to sing these praises to God.

This is the Living Quarters for House Parents that would be willing to volunteer and live there.

The YWAM team stayed here for a few days and they are always in need and waiting for more volunteers.

Bethlehem is very different than Jerusalem around the city. Similar to other Muslim and Arab areas, the poverty is evident in the city cleaning. Trash is found all over the landscape and streets.

THE PALM RESTAURANT, BETHLEHEM

      Yasar Arafat and
Bedouin traditional
dress adorn the walls
of our Muslim family
friends' restaurant.



    In Jerusalem the students at the Bible College have befriended and we are attempting to build a loyal friendship with some local Muslims we see daily on our way to our class which is at the border of the Christian and Muslim Quarter. We stay loyal to one of our friends, who owns a souvenir shop and exchanges money for us at the best prices. He believes that if he gives good deals and is friendly he will get more customers... he doesn't seem to be having any problems. He often invites us to sit and have tea at his shop, many of the students usually end up purchasing the 7 dollar Indian skirts and dresses he sells shortly after. He cordially invited us to visit his family's Restaurant while in Bethlehem.

We took this opportunity to visit enjoyed a delicious "mixed grill" plate for 70 shekels that was plentiful with salads, chicken and kebabs. Not only did the owner's son feed us, he sat down and shared much insight about the strife in life in Bethlehem. They have very little freedom to leave, much poverty, and much tension between Israelis and with politics. It was very enlightening to hear his experience and we were very grateful for his generosity and open hospitality. Later he invited us to have coffee at his nearby house with his family. We hope to continue building on this relationship with this Muslim family in Bethlehem and Jerusalem in hopes that we can soon share more about Jesus' (Isa) love for them and for their salvation.

Chris Kim and I put on Bedouin garments that
traditional Bedouin's where in the desert.

Our Muslim friend, the son of the owner
of Palm Restaurant in Bethlehem.