Today was Massive!

Society is really interesting here in Palestine. I noticed that when we go to buy supplies, the man we're staying with will say, "We will go to the Muslim hardware store," or, "We will go to the Christian supermarket." That's interesting because in the States, we just go to the store. Who cares who owns the store? But here, whoever owns the store is important. Because Christians are the minority, it's important for them to give their patronage to the Christian stores to keep them in business. 

Also, wearing a cross here in Palestine actually means something. In the States, people wear crosses around their neck as a fashion statement. But here, it's more than a fashion statement; you're telling the world what you believe. I love that! I'm glad the cross here is more than just something you wear; it's who you are.

Yesterday we worked a half day and today we had our day of rest. We went to the Suq (market) yesterday and spent a lot of time. I have been buying bottles (you remember right? Glass, pop top, real sugar...) of Coke at the same shop in the Suq. The first day it was 4 shekels, the second time it was 3, and now since they know me I get the "local" price of 2 1/2 shekels :) This makes me happy! Coke in a glass bottle with real sugar...I could get used to this.

Today was one amazing day! This morning we slept in a bit and then went to worship at the Church of the Nativity. There are three churches on the site where Jesus was born. The church over the actual nativity is Greek Orthodox, there is a Catholic church connected on the left, and there is an Armenian church on the right. I went to my very first Catholic Mass! It as in Arabic, so I generally had no clue what was happening. The singers, however, were amazing (unfortunately, there was no chanting.....disappointing isn't it?). And the acoustics in the church are awesome! There is about a 5 second echo, so when they would sing, the entire church would fill up with sound. 

I snuck out of the Mass and went next door to the Greek Orthodox church, hoping to catch some of the service there, but they weren't having it yet. I did hear singing coming from the nativity, however, and so I walked around to the exit of the nativity to see what was happening. The way the church is set up, on the right there is a set of stairs leading down into the cave, and on the left is the stairs to exit the nativity. I was on the left looking down into the nativity. What I experienced next was amazing! There was a man who worked in the church who said, "This is the Armenian service. Go down, go down and see!" I walked down the stairs into the nativity and sat on the second step. There were only about 10 people worshiping, but it was incredible! There were 4 priests chanting and singing, and of course, waving around the incense. Because of my curiosity, I got to sit in on the Armenian service in the nativity! What a once in a lifetime experience! I will definitely cherish it forever. I was completely in awe. I mean, how amazing is it that I got to worship where Christ was born?! 

Tomorrow we have another house where we will begin working. It is supposed to be in terrible condition, so I have a bad feeling we're about to open a huge can of worms. And by worms I mean snakes. Annnnnd by snakes I mean elephants. Big ones, with big pointy teeth!