Bethlehem

Bethlehem was so awesome. It was for sure one of the more spiritual experiences that I have had here. It is a smaller city and there is the Church of the Nativity there. The church is very interesting. The Armenian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, and Catholic Churches all own it together. This is where the traditional site of the birth is. It is so interesting what they have done. I didn't really know what to expect, but "where he was born" has been turned into a shrine. There are candles all over it and incense and stuff like that. Right across from that is where the manger was supposed to have been. Here they covered the spot with marble. It is all underground in this church. It is crazy because I am sure that at the time of his birth it wasn't like that at all. The spiritual part came after. We went to a shepherd's field. It is just literally that. Think about the movie Luke 2, where the shepherds are out with their flocks and that is where we were. We had a fireside. I played the Xylophone. I was a little rusty but I got through my song so I was happy for that. Different people talked about Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men. There were other special musical numbers along with them. We watched the sun set and the stars come out and the spirit was so great. Two girls sang O Little Town of Bethlehem and there I was, sitting there looking at Bethlehem. I am so grateful that Jesus came to the earth for us. I will never have a Christmas where I don't think back to the places I saw today and the spirit that testified to me the importance and greatness of the birth of the Savior.