There are about 15,000 Christians in Bethlehem and about 60,000 Muslims. There used to be more but many left due to persecution from the Muslims and the lack of jobs - which came as they were separated from Jerusalem with a wall. To enter Bethlehem we had to leave our bus and tour guide and get on another one with a Christian guide. This man shared a little about his life there, about how many families have left, but that he stayed with his family because he thought it was the right thing to do. He helped us along in our pilgrimage experience by getting us started when singing Christmas Carols and giving us a description of the sites from a perspective of living faith.
In the picture, Rami, a 22 year old, gave us a tour of his family's olive wood factory. Later we went to his uncle's store where we purchased many treasures.
No comments:
Post a Comment