A Walk Through Bethlehem

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

For the last few years our stake has combined with the Poway stake to set up a “Walk Through Bethlehem” experience. It was an amazing experience from the start but each year it just gets better.

For the last couple of years Lisa and I have volunteerd for one of the evenings. Last year I was a wise man and Lisa was an angel. This year we were both shop keepers. I had a vegetable stand and Lisa sold spices. I kept caller her a “Spice Girl”.

The experience started as you walked up to the front door. They had signs with quotes from the churches statement on the “The Living Christ”.

You then entered the front door and were led directly into the gym where they had hundreds of Nativities set up. They called them “Creches” but since that sounds like a made up word I’m going with Nativity. They were amazing. Perhaps my favorite was one from Africa. I think Alycia and Trevor should get one of these.

After spending an hour in the gym, we were then led out the back door into the village of Bethlehem. You walk into the Bethlehem market place filled with shops.

When Lisa and I were there it was packed and I was trying to sell people my vegetables. We were encouraged to keep our voices low so it would have a reverent atmosphere. I may not have done a great job of that but it was fun.

Here is a picture of me with the Spice Girl. Those are her spices in the background. She had these weird looking little goards that we figured someone picked up off their lawn because they looked cool. Before the night was over Moms curiosity got the better of her and she finally broke one open. It smelled amazing. She googled it. They were dried black limes. Knowing that, they smelled like limes. I’m not sure what the shop keepingers in ancient Bethlehem thought of her cell phone.

They had a lot of shops. The ones I can remember are, basket maker, bakery, candle maker, flower shop, grain, and then of course, my vegetables and moms spices. There were more though.

They even had centurions walking around who kept harassing me for my taxes. Mom buttered them up though. The kid next to mom is Zander, my buddy Jeffs kid.

We then left Bethlehem and watched Mary sewing something when suddenly the Angel Gabriel came and told her that she would become the mother of our Lord.

From there we went to Persia and saw the wise men looking at the new star, they knew the prophecies a new star would appear in the heavens as a sign of the birth of our Lord. They decided to follow the star.

And then it was back to some shepherds just outside of Bethlehem who were watching their flocks at night. An angel suddenly appeared to them and told them of the birth of our Lord.

We then went back to Bethlehem where we saw Mary and Joseph with their new little baby. Do you see the donkey just outside the stable? There were many live animals including chickens and goats. I didn’t see any sheep. I guess they couldn’t come up with any sheep.

From there we were led to a reception area where they had a video and hot chocolate and cookies. 

It was an amazing experience.

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Experts have long wondered why American poductivity has been higher than European productivity. They came to the conclussoin that it is due to the lack of air conditioning in Europe.

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