Journey to Bethlehem

Mary, nine months pregnant, traveling roughly 140 kilometers from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

No air-conditioned car. No comfortable seat. Just dusty roads, the uneven sway

of a donkey, and the weariness of a long, slow journey. By the time they

arrived, Bethlehem was heaving with activity. The census had brought people from all

over the region. The streets were jammed with travelers looking for a place to stay.

The inns were crowded. Homes were overflowing. Town squares were bustling. Vendors shouted.

Animals brayed. Children cried. It was a town bursting at the seams.