We've arrived!

Hey Everyone!

Laurie and I have arried at Paradise! Paradise Hotel, that is.

We just finished up our 12 hour flight and we've arrived for our 10 day stay in Bethlehem, the Birthplace of Jesus. We've 7 hours ahead of schedule, so while it's 3 PM for you, it's 10 PM for us.

While we're here, I'm going to take the opportunity let everyone know about what we're experiencing. This is not your typical Holy Lands trip. We're here with the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation in order to minister to Palestinian Christians. We'll be spending part of the days check out sites, but we'll be spending a lot of time talking with Christians in Palestine in order to build bridges with their culture and help understand their needs.

There are many great things that we'll be doing that are a little unusual. One is meeting with Fr. Elias Chacour. Elias was 7 when the state of Palestine was created, and due to war his family lost their home. Consequently, many Palestinian Christians are living in refugee camps due to the fighting and conflicts. Laurie and I read Elias' book, Blood Brothers, and we're excited to hear what he has to say.

Throughout the next 10 days, I'm going to join Laurie and I on our Journey. It's going to be encouraging, it's going to be rough, but most of all it's going to be transforming. We'll be posting pictures and recaps of each of the days events here. Please check back and visit!