CNN World News
December 2, 2003
'Miracle' baby draws Bethlehem crowds . Thousands of people have flocked to see the "miracle baby." A baby born in Bethlehem is drawing crowds by the thousands.
Palestinians in the West Bank town revered by Christians as Jesus' birthplace have been thronging to the adjacent Aida refugee camp for a glimpse of the 11-day-old infant many are calling a "miracle baby."
'Miracle' baby draws Bethlehem crowds . Thousands of people have flocked to see the "miracle baby." A baby born in Bethlehem is drawing crowds by the thousands.
Palestinians in the West Bank town revered by Christians as Jesus' birthplace have been thronging to the adjacent Aida refugee camp for a glimpse of the 11-day-old infant many are calling a "miracle baby."
During this trip to Israel I was almost arrested in Bethlehem ... I had spontaneously decided to visit the home of a suspected Palestinian terrorist ... in Bethlehem. How did I find myself in the home of a suspected terrorist? Yikes!!
Now that I am writing about it ... I remember that this trip even started out strange. When I don't have transportation to the airport ... to catch a flight ... I usually take the Airporter Service. For some strange reason this time I decided to walk from the house where I was living ... in Guelph ... thinking my 'pilgrimage' to Israel would start the moment I left the house ... as it turns out .... seems it did!
I walked to the train station in Guelph and enquired about rail service to the airport ... the gentleman in the office suggested I take a bus to Brampton and catch the Go Train service in Brampton to the airport. Sounded reasonable to me ...
I had some time to kill in Brampton ... waiting for the next Go Train to the airport ... so I went for a walk. Somewhere along this walk a stranger came up along side of me and started chatting. He asked me where I was going and when I mentioned Israel he answered something like ... "Oh ... you must be going to see the miracle baby". The 'seed' for my troubles in Israel was planted here in Canada ... in Brampton ... by a stranger! Hmmm
While in Jerusalem, I read an article about this 'miracle baby' and learned that the family lived in Bethlehem ... thought to myself ... why not go visit this child? As I write this ... it reminds me of the Three Wise men who went to visit the 'miracle child' born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago.
I found a taxi driver in Bethlehem who knew about the 'miracle baby' but wasn't sure where the family lived. We visited a few friends of his ... souvenir store owners :-) ... along on the way. I purchased a few souvenirs. After asking several local people for directions ... he found the house. I had asked the taxi driver to wait for me ... my visit was short. The family was very friendly ... spoke no English ... and I actually saw the mother and her child ... interesting but uneventual visit. The real action would start soon ... I had no idea how dangerous such a visit could be.
A minute or two after leaving the house my taxi driver and I were accosted by several Israeli soldiers ... I hadn't given any thought to the possibility that I could be considered a 'terrorist suspect' simply by visiting the home ... yikes!! I was quickly surrounded by 6 armed ... and ready ... Israeli soldiers ... to say the least ... a bit intimidating. After careful examination of my passport ... and some checking on their computers ... they asked me where I wanted to go. I replied that I would like to vist Rachael's tomb. One of the soldiers accompanied me to the tomb ... banged on the door ... and said something in Hebrew to the person who opened the door. The visit to the tomb was interesting ... not exactly a 'tourist' visit ... only serious Orthodox Jews were inside ... praying.
I was saved in Rachael's tomb ... a minute or two after reading the inscription on Rachael's tomb ... Joseph speaking to his mother ... something to the effect ... "Mother ...come up out of your tomb and help me" ... Rachael's response was ... " go wherever God takes you and do not worry He will protect you"
Fortunately for me, one of the Orthodox Jews in the tomb that day spoke a little English ... and for some reason sympathized with my plight. He heard the bus running outside ... the bus that chauffeurs the Orthodox Jews to and from Rachael's tomb, which is in Palestine territory. The bus had just dropped off several men and was waiting just outside the door. He suggested I hurry ... get on the bus and get a ride to the check point at the entrance to Bethlehem. I had been told by Israeli soldiers a few minutes earlier that I was not allowed to leave the tomb. I ran out and climbed on the bus ... whew!! An Israeli soldier followed me onto the bus! Yikes!
What happened to my taxi driver ... and the souvenirs I left in the taxi?? The taxi driver showed up again near the check point ... he explained to me that he was threatened ... or felt threatened ... and left the 'scene' ...??? My souvenirs were still in the car ... I settled my account with the taxi driver and hurried back to my hotel. Needless to say ... I hid in my hotel until it was tme for my return flight to Canada. The experience with Israeli security personnel at the airport on the way out was strange, long, complicated and humiliating. Finally one of the Israeli security officers escorted me to the Air Canada gate ... seems they didn't even want me wandering around the airport. Hmmm!
Some interesting things happened on this same trip ... before the above incident ... thank goodness or they would never have happened. I was too frightened to do anything after my trauma in Bethlehem. On December 7, 2003 I found myself sitting in the chapel on top of Mount Carmel Israel. A couple of months earlier my inner voice told me to be in Mount Carmel on December 8th ... the feast day of the Immaculate Conception. Who asked me? ... Don't know ... it was one of those interior 'locutions'. Later that day I learned that the actual site of the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal was about 25 kilometers away.
The next morning (December 8th) I decided to go to this Al Muhakra ... the site of Elijah's showdown. I arrived about 4:00PM ... the place was deserted and it was almost closing time ... a short yet pleasant visit ... nothing special. On my way out of the place I realized it was almost 4:30 and I hadn't been to mass yet ... I had a 5-6 kilometer walk back to the village and I was told finding a bus back to Haifa after dark(5:30PM) would be difficult. Seemed getting to the church on time for mass would now be impossible ... oh well! ... I didn't feel particularly disturbed.
Walking along the road I said to Mary ... "I am on my way down the mountain and if You want me to attend mass You will have to get me back to Haifa before 6:00 PM" … the time for the last mass.
A 100 meters or so down the road there was a small white car parked on the opposite side of the road. As I was walking alongside the car, on the opposite side of the road, the driver and I exchanged glances. He asked me if I wanted a ride into town ... hmmm! On the way into town he explained how and where I might find a ride into Haifa ... a 'sherut' ... a communal taxi of sorts. I found the 'sherut' and I was sitting in a pew in the church at ten minutes before six ... hmmm! Unbelievable!! Seems Mary did want me to attend mass that day.
Also on this same visit to Israel, I would unexpectedly visit a place called Megiddo ... formerly known as Har Megiddo. Some say this is the place referred to as 'Armageddon' in the Book of Revelations.
I had lots to think about on my flight back to Canada ... why did I feel I had been asked to visit Mount Carmel on December 8th? ... A specific location on a specific date. Why did I take the circuitous route to the airport? Why did the stranger on the street in Brampton tell me about this 'miracle baby'? Why did I feel compelled to visit this 'miracle baby' in Bethlehem? Why did I visit Megiddo on the way home?? Only questions ... as always ... no answers!!
Now that I am writing about it ... I remember that this trip even started out strange. When I don't have transportation to the airport ... to catch a flight ... I usually take the Airporter Service. For some strange reason this time I decided to walk from the house where I was living ... in Guelph ... thinking my 'pilgrimage' to Israel would start the moment I left the house ... as it turns out .... seems it did!
I walked to the train station in Guelph and enquired about rail service to the airport ... the gentleman in the office suggested I take a bus to Brampton and catch the Go Train service in Brampton to the airport. Sounded reasonable to me ...
I had some time to kill in Brampton ... waiting for the next Go Train to the airport ... so I went for a walk. Somewhere along this walk a stranger came up along side of me and started chatting. He asked me where I was going and when I mentioned Israel he answered something like ... "Oh ... you must be going to see the miracle baby". The 'seed' for my troubles in Israel was planted here in Canada ... in Brampton ... by a stranger! Hmmm
While in Jerusalem, I read an article about this 'miracle baby' and learned that the family lived in Bethlehem ... thought to myself ... why not go visit this child? As I write this ... it reminds me of the Three Wise men who went to visit the 'miracle child' born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago.
I found a taxi driver in Bethlehem who knew about the 'miracle baby' but wasn't sure where the family lived. We visited a few friends of his ... souvenir store owners :-) ... along on the way. I purchased a few souvenirs. After asking several local people for directions ... he found the house. I had asked the taxi driver to wait for me ... my visit was short. The family was very friendly ... spoke no English ... and I actually saw the mother and her child ... interesting but uneventual visit. The real action would start soon ... I had no idea how dangerous such a visit could be.
A minute or two after leaving the house my taxi driver and I were accosted by several Israeli soldiers ... I hadn't given any thought to the possibility that I could be considered a 'terrorist suspect' simply by visiting the home ... yikes!! I was quickly surrounded by 6 armed ... and ready ... Israeli soldiers ... to say the least ... a bit intimidating. After careful examination of my passport ... and some checking on their computers ... they asked me where I wanted to go. I replied that I would like to vist Rachael's tomb. One of the soldiers accompanied me to the tomb ... banged on the door ... and said something in Hebrew to the person who opened the door. The visit to the tomb was interesting ... not exactly a 'tourist' visit ... only serious Orthodox Jews were inside ... praying.
I was saved in Rachael's tomb ... a minute or two after reading the inscription on Rachael's tomb ... Joseph speaking to his mother ... something to the effect ... "Mother ...come up out of your tomb and help me" ... Rachael's response was ... " go wherever God takes you and do not worry He will protect you"
Fortunately for me, one of the Orthodox Jews in the tomb that day spoke a little English ... and for some reason sympathized with my plight. He heard the bus running outside ... the bus that chauffeurs the Orthodox Jews to and from Rachael's tomb, which is in Palestine territory. The bus had just dropped off several men and was waiting just outside the door. He suggested I hurry ... get on the bus and get a ride to the check point at the entrance to Bethlehem. I had been told by Israeli soldiers a few minutes earlier that I was not allowed to leave the tomb. I ran out and climbed on the bus ... whew!! An Israeli soldier followed me onto the bus! Yikes!
What happened to my taxi driver ... and the souvenirs I left in the taxi?? The taxi driver showed up again near the check point ... he explained to me that he was threatened ... or felt threatened ... and left the 'scene' ...??? My souvenirs were still in the car ... I settled my account with the taxi driver and hurried back to my hotel. Needless to say ... I hid in my hotel until it was tme for my return flight to Canada. The experience with Israeli security personnel at the airport on the way out was strange, long, complicated and humiliating. Finally one of the Israeli security officers escorted me to the Air Canada gate ... seems they didn't even want me wandering around the airport. Hmmm!
Some interesting things happened on this same trip ... before the above incident ... thank goodness or they would never have happened. I was too frightened to do anything after my trauma in Bethlehem. On December 7, 2003 I found myself sitting in the chapel on top of Mount Carmel Israel. A couple of months earlier my inner voice told me to be in Mount Carmel on December 8th ... the feast day of the Immaculate Conception. Who asked me? ... Don't know ... it was one of those interior 'locutions'. Later that day I learned that the actual site of the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal was about 25 kilometers away.
The next morning (December 8th) I decided to go to this Al Muhakra ... the site of Elijah's showdown. I arrived about 4:00PM ... the place was deserted and it was almost closing time ... a short yet pleasant visit ... nothing special. On my way out of the place I realized it was almost 4:30 and I hadn't been to mass yet ... I had a 5-6 kilometer walk back to the village and I was told finding a bus back to Haifa after dark(5:30PM) would be difficult. Seemed getting to the church on time for mass would now be impossible ... oh well! ... I didn't feel particularly disturbed.
Walking along the road I said to Mary ... "I am on my way down the mountain and if You want me to attend mass You will have to get me back to Haifa before 6:00 PM" … the time for the last mass.
A 100 meters or so down the road there was a small white car parked on the opposite side of the road. As I was walking alongside the car, on the opposite side of the road, the driver and I exchanged glances. He asked me if I wanted a ride into town ... hmmm! On the way into town he explained how and where I might find a ride into Haifa ... a 'sherut' ... a communal taxi of sorts. I found the 'sherut' and I was sitting in a pew in the church at ten minutes before six ... hmmm! Unbelievable!! Seems Mary did want me to attend mass that day.
Also on this same visit to Israel, I would unexpectedly visit a place called Megiddo ... formerly known as Har Megiddo. Some say this is the place referred to as 'Armageddon' in the Book of Revelations.
I had lots to think about on my flight back to Canada ... why did I feel I had been asked to visit Mount Carmel on December 8th? ... A specific location on a specific date. Why did I take the circuitous route to the airport? Why did the stranger on the street in Brampton tell me about this 'miracle baby'? Why did I feel compelled to visit this 'miracle baby' in Bethlehem? Why did I visit Megiddo on the way home?? Only questions ... as always ... no answers!!