Israel Trip - Day Three

Dear family and friends~

We've had quite a day! After another delicious breakfast at St. Margaret's Guest House, we rounded up our luggage and got on the bus.

Our first stop this morning was the Greek Orthodox Church and Mary's Well, where the angel Gabriel told Mary about her pregnancy. There was a service going on. It was so interesting to watch and listen. Mary's Well is down some stairs inside the church.

We then rode down through the Jordan Valley, and inside the West Bank (through a checkpoint) to ancient Jericho to see the tel of the oldest city ever discovered. There were archaeologists working when we were there. (A tel is man-made hill.)

We traveled on through the Judean desert to Bethlehem. This evening we ate dinner at Il-Illiyeh Restaurant at the International Center of Bethlehem (ICB). Tonight we stay in Bethlehem, at the Grand Hotel.

There is a small percentage of the population who is Christian in Bethlehem. Most of the others are Muslim. Tomorrow we'll go to Christmas Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The pictures are of Ihab, our driver (you can see Pastor Penny sitting in the bus) and Tony, our guide.

Ihab is an AMAZING driver! We have a 60 foot bus, and the streets in the cities are narrow and twisting! Tony really knows the Bible. He quotes scripture from memory, and tells us Bible stories that allows us to relate to where we are.

Love, Dawn and Chuck