May 11, 2002

Back in Bethlehem!

[Bethlehem, Palestine] Smiles were on most of the many faces in the streets, but their hearts had to be heavy. The Bethlehem area experienced a lot of damage -- both material and emotional. Upon entering the town, my first impressions were of a heavy dust that covered everything. I'm not sure what this was from. Was it that all the tanks had ground up everything beneath their tracks or was it from an annual dust storm? Maybe it was a combination of both. The second thing I noticed was the debris and trash everywhere. The streets are covered with filth and assorted broken things. Broken glass, street signs, lights, concrete barricades, etc. And I think people were well into their cleaning before I arrived. The third thing that I noticed were all the smashed cars everywhere. Israeli tanks turned them into big hunks of twisted metal. I'm sure I saw several dozen smashed cars today, and I only visited a small part of town.

The Church of the Nativity was a popular place. Many people were lined up outside the tiny door, waiting for a chance to enter. It opened in the afternoon, and I dropped in for a quick look. I had heard stories from earlier visitors about the smell and the mess. When I entered, it had all been totally cleaned. The church was spotless. The long floors had even been waxed for the Sunday service. I know there must have been some, but I saw no evidence of any damage to the church.

After the Church, I went to a new house near my place that had been hit by a tank shell. It knocked a heck of a hole in the building.

Finally I had dinner with some good friends. I know that Bethlehem is suffering, but it feels good to be back.