Bethlehem

We went through the high security wall that surrounds  Bethlehem without any difficulty. Then a nice but expensive lunch that is the empire known as the Nissan Brothers. Somewhat of a monopoly on the tourism business between their massive restaurant and massive gift shop. Kind of cool, though, to hear one of the owners pray the Lord's Prayer in his mother tongue, Aramaic.

Skilled staff tried to sell Wayne an Alexander the Great coin embedded in an 18 karat gold ring. Price tag $3900.00. We all agreed that with such a ring he could rightfully claim the title Wayne the Great. But he decided he should look at lesser rings, realizing he may henceforth only be known as Wayne the Mediocre, or, at best, Wayne the Slightly Above Average.

Then to the Shepherd's Fields for a short service, followed by a long wait at the Church of the Nativity during which a priest manhandled someone for using a cell phone. Peace on earth. Good Will towards men. Then we leave Palestine for Israel again.

Beth She'an

It's a new day and we're headed to Jerusalem. We stop off at Beth She'an which is a remarkable Roman ruin with amphitheater, baths, temples etc.

While the rest of the group ambles around the ruins, the Fab Five takes yet another opportunity to sneak away and scale the original tel. This high hill is where the Philistine fortress was. 1 Samuel 31 describes how King Saul's body was hung over the fortress walls and how the local Jews stole the body back for a more fitting burial.

The Jordan

We made it to the  baptismal site just as it was closing, but had maybe 17 or so baptized. It was a very  meaningful experience for them. The Lakeview contingent held cameras and took photos and video.

Then after dinner the Lakeview contingent snuck away for some passionfruit and mango gelato.