Grateful for the internet in places like Jordan & Israel, but wow, is it slow! It seems slower than the old dial-up days.
What a great couple of days we have had since the last post. Once again I have to say that the country of Jordan did not disappoint! I am so captivated by that place. Most people do not realize that Jordan is actually part of what is called The Holy Land. It is fascinating how much Biblical history (Old & New Testament) actually took place in Jordan.
We spent Sunday morning leaving Israel & passing into Jordan. It was a long, intense process passing through the Jordanian border (2 hours+). We went to Wadi Rum--a gorgeous place in the desert & mountains of Jordan. We took jeeps about 1/2 hour into the desert & some of us "raced" up a sand mountain. It was a very difficult climb, especially at the pace a couple of us were going. I tried "skiing" down, but it just doesn't work with sand that deep. I had 2 walking shoes & 2 socks full of red sand by the time I got back to the room that night. On the way back, we stopped at a camp in the desert & had lunch. The food was pleasantly tasty! They have lots of fresh fruits & vegetables in this part of the world, so I am never at a loss for something to eat!
Back on the bus we went to Wadi Mousa--15 minutes from Petra. Petra means "rock." The city of Petra was carved from rock. If you have seen the Indiana Jones movies you have seen Petra (The Last Crusade). It's a mile walk to Petra from the bus through a gorge created by an earthquake. It is a spectacular sight! There are lots of historical carvings on the walls of the gorge--unfortunately our guide didn't point them out to us as meticulously as the guide on our previous tour--although our guide this trip was superior in almost every other way.
From Petra we headed to Mt. Nebo, where Moses viewed the Promised Land--but as you remember he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because of his disobedience. It is an awesome sight to stand on the top of that place & view many Biblical sites--The Sea of Galilee; Dead Sea; Jericho; Bethlehem; et al... Following Mt. Nebo we stopped by a local shop of Mosaics & people were afforded the opportunity to shop (& barter!) :-) On to our hotel from there--a fabulous hotel on the Dead Sea. We spent the night & then had this morning free. We didn't have to board the bus until noon, so people took advantage of the time & swam in the Dead Sea (floated). Many people were covered with the black mud from the Dead Sea which is full of great minerals. It makes your skin feel like the proverbial "baby's butt!!"
After leaving the hotel we arrived in Bethany beyond the Jordan. There we baptized 8people in the Jordan River (2 who had never been baptized). The Jordan was out of its banks with snows from Mt. Hermon & an abundance of spring rain. It was a special service with singing; Scripture reading; & the baptisms. From Bethany we headed for the Israeli border. It was a bit of a sad farewell to our guide named John. He was a really neat guy who is a true believer in Jesus! We got through the border with a couple of minor glitches. It will be good not having to deal with border patrol for another 6 days! :-)))
Tonight we are in our hotel on the Sea of Galilee. Beautiful spot. They had a great light show over the Sea of Galilee at 7:00, 8:00 & 9:00 this evening. We will be staying at this hotel in this region for the next two nights. We will view many of the New Testament sights where Jesus & the Apostles ministered. We take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee first thing in the morning. These next three days will be quite long & tiring, as we are on the move from early morning until late in the evening.
Shalom!
