In the fall of 2011, I had the great blessing of meeting new friends on a very difficult afternoon. The full circumstances of that day and the evening that followed remain a long and sacred personal story that changed my life, but the longevity of the friendship that began with the Jerusalem shop keeper I met has been a remarkable blessing to our family over all the years since.
Our friend owns an olive wood shop in Jerusalem, Jimmy’s Bazaar, and is a frequent host to groups of travelers from the United States and elsewhere seeking a remembrance of their once in a lifetime trip to the Holy Land. He also spent some time as a youth in my home state of Utah, and there became acquainted with many people in the United States as a result. He is a man who never forgets a name, and is a generous and kind friend to many people. Jimmy’s shop employs multiple talented carvers in Bethlehem who fill the shelves of the shop with olive wood souvenirs of all types and at all price levels too. On the day I met Jimmy, I had just injured my ankle in a fall nearby (a devastating event just 3 days into a 10 day tour with lots of walking). Jimmy and his sons bought me ice and a topical pain-killing spray for the injury, and made arrangements to drive me to the hotel while the rest of the tour group continued on with their shopping and touring, while I prayed for discernment on my ‘next steps’ and relief from the pain. It was just before Shabbat late on a Friday afternoon in Jerusalem, and as the unmistakable call to prayer rang out overhead, the orthodox Jewish families were completing their preparations for the Sabbath, it was a beginning of an unforgettable evening for me in which I came to know in a new and unmistakable way the profound reality, mercy and power of the Savior for myself. Miracles have not ceased.
Since that August day in 2011, we’ve been back to the Holy Land two additional times, and each time have visited our friend and his family, not just in their Jerusalem shop, but in family outings to the Bethlehem workshop to see how the carvings are made and to other places in Bethlehem, and through a dinner at Jimmy’s home. Their family has visited ours in the United States during multiple summers as they have brought olive wood creations to America. No matter what season of the year, there are carvings displayed in our home that remind us of the Savior, His Gospel, and the reality of His grace and mercy in our life.
This Christmas, 2020, has been different for all the world. Difficulties from many angles pervade our days. It is a worldwide adversity that we all share. The shops in the Holy Land are profoundly quiet. Many of the secular distractions of this season everywhere are muted by the difficulties of the worldwide pandemic. But Christmas remains, because the stillness and sorrow of the world beckons us to seek the One whose birth the season marks, for He is acquainted with grief and sorrow, and came to bring good news. Choirs sing carols to cameras in livestream concerts, and in some areas other profoundly limiting restrictions exist on the gatherings of family and friends that usually mark this season. The reason for the season, Jesus of Nazareth, remains a bright beacon of hope in a darkening world, if we will still seek after Him.
Like the carvers who create these beautiful pieces from blocks of solid wood, the Savior knows each of us, our potential, our knots, imperfections, and how to refine us and heal us – and to make of our lives something extraordinary.
We want to help our friend in Jerusalem this year – to make it possible for others we know to have a remembrance of the Holy Land in their home and to remember the reason for our hope as we look forward to the future. The future remains bright, because our hope is in the Savior of the World – Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We have hope because of His birth, His perfect life and Atonement, His death and resurrection. He lives, and knows of our sorrows and concerns, and desires to be the Prince of Peace to each one of us in this difficult season and always.
You will not find olive wood carvings or ornaments at this value anywhere. It is because of 2020 – there are no commissions to pay, no tourists visiting the shops in the Holy Land. There are many other more detailed items available at Jimmy’s Bazaar that we didn’t select to have shipped (but could on request – just ask). We decided to ask for unique items that would be wonderful gifts and affordable to most people, but still special and high quality. We’ve arranged to have these nativities, smaller carvings, Christmas ornaments and a few other items shipped to Utah from Jerusalem and Bethlehem on short notice and at a substantially discounted price, and need your help spreading the word – to help our friend keep going with the employment he provides multiple families in Jerusalem and Bethlehem until visitors are able to tour there once again.
We quickly sold all the extra items Jimmy shipped to us at Thanksgiving, and were able to arrange for one more shipment (4 large boxes) that we expect will arrive in time for 2-day shipment to you (at our company’s discounted FedEx cost) in time for Christmas. We live in northern Utah (Cache Valley), and can also deliver anywhere from Utah County northward for a nominal fee.