Our trip to Bethlehem

Above the church was a spot light, the star that would lead us to baby Jesus.As we waited our turn to enter the city, the boys asked "where is baby Jesus?". They were as excited and anxious to see him as the groups of shepherds that mingled amongst us. "We have seen angels and they told us to come to Bethlehem! Have you seen the child?" Just before we entered the city, we were each given a golden coin and warned to avoid the tax collectors and soldiers. Inside Bethlehem, there was stall after stall of merchants, buying, selling, trading... we could smell fish, herbs, sheep, donkeys, bread, olive oil. We heard girls learning to wash clothes and weave fabric. We also heard a shepherd shout from the city center "It is true! I have seen the baby!" The soldiers quickly pulled him out of sight. As we wound through the city, the bustle slowly began to fade and we approached the Inn. "I am so sorry! I see you have children and have traveled so far, but you can see we are full!" We saw the cows and camels outside before making a quiet walk to the stable. There was baby Jesus, sound asleep in his mother's arms under the stars. Korben and Eli whispered his name and gave their gold coins to him.

It was a very, very moving experience and will definitely become a family tradition!