sorry that i'm a lazy writer!

Sorry friends and family that I completely forgot I had a blog! I honestly haven't thought about it for quite a while...oops!

Well, last night we had a Christmas concert here in the Jerusalem Center. It was lovely...we had a number of choir pieces, small group performances, and solos. I am amazed at the caliber of talent the group here at the center has! Despite limited practices, the choir sounded amazing and everything ran smoothly. It was such a beautiful, inspiring night. With Christmas music, I really begin to feel the "Christmas spirit." I love that.

I sang "Cantique de Noel (O Holy Night)" as the penultimate piece of the evening. The choir backed me up in the final verse. It might have been one of the highlights for me, singing my favorite Christmas songs as a soloist with the great city of Jerusalem as my backdrop. It was absolutely thrilling. My legs were trembling the whole time, but at least I didn't trip or anything...lol. Anyway, we are doing one more performance for tomorrow (Sunday) night. I hope it goes as well as it did yesterday!

Last week we visited Bethlehem. It was a very interesting visit. I'm sure this bustling Palestinian city is very different from the sleepy town of Jesus' day. The Byzantine-era Church of the Nativity was very ornate and so massive. At first I felt a little repulsed, as I imagined the Nativity as a much more simple and humble affair. However, one of my professors commented that adorning all of the manger and stable with silver and gold prevented pilgrams from hacking off pieces of these holy sites as souveniers. Touche.

Jerusalem is beginning to become very cold...winter really is upon us. After two years of hot weather and no winter, I've forgotten what it feels like to be cold. I'm not sure I like it.

Anyway, I hope you have a splendid day, and until next time, this is your very own Kyra writing you from Jerusalem, Israel!