May 19th, Bethlehem & Hebron

Left early today for Bethlehem with two friends that I have made in Jerusalem, Jenny Dickson and Yahonas, a Catholic man from Indonesia. It was fun to travel with some people for a change. In Bethlehem we actually met up with a couple of non denominational born-agains that I had met two days earlier outside a shop in the Old City and had lunch. When I met them, they were arguing with a store keeper about why Mormons are not Christians. I listened in for a minute and then could not resist inviting myself into the conversation to clear up some misconceptions. They are actually very nice guys and were thrilled to talk to me about what I believe in. Yet another missionary opportunity for Sam in the Holy Land We gave each other e-mail info and then parted ways until we suddenly ran into each other in Bethlehem.(Bethlehem wall w/ graffiti)

We left Bethlehem and caught a bus headed deep into the West Bank for a town called Hebron. Hebron is where the Tomb of the Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob is located. Both Muslims and Jews claim the Tomb as their own and as a result Hebron is one of the most disputed over cities in the Country. If that was not enough, the tomb is actually split between the two factions. One half is a mosque and the other half is a synagogue with each side having windows looking in at the tombs. As a result, no one will claim the responsibility for maintenance and the whole thing is dilapidated with broken walls and sticky carpet. The father of multitudes cannot even get a decent memorial because his children keep bickering amongst themselves. Kind of makes you think.