1. Lenten Journey with Jesus Week 1: Bethlehem

2. This is a typical scene around Bethlehem and throughout the Holy Land, a Bedouin shepherd (Nomad) with a flock of sheep. This type of terrain is very typical too, dry, dusty, a lot of small ground vegetation. The trees that you see are most likely olive trees, you’ll see these everywhere throughout the Holy Land!

3. This is a picture of a fourth century mosaic tile floor which was unearthed in the Church of the Nativity. The floor boards above are for tourists to walk on, they cannot walk on this tile floor. It is hard to see but the mosaic tiles are very small and it is amazing that they have kept their color for so long, very very detailed. It must have taken a long time to get these tiles in place.

4. This is a grotto in the basement of the Church of the Nativity, the place where it has been said that Jesus was born. Of course we’ll never know exactly where he was born but this is a place that all tourists and pilgrims visit. The walk down to the steps is pretty steep and there are candles and votives burning all the time. People can touch or kiss the star as you see on the low center of the grotto. It is a quick visit, only a few minutes, it is very crowded in here usually.

5. This picture is outside the Church of the Nativity. As you can see it is a typical type of structure that you will find throughout the Holy Land.