As promised, here I am with the second installment of our Israel Travels! This one starts at 4:20am on our first day of touring, because that is the time that both Sweetie and I decided to stop faking sleep, and just get up. Jet-lag is sooo a thing! I picked up my journal, and started to think about what I would see, listing the expected sites according to the itinerary from the tour company: Qasr al Yahud, Qumran National Park, and the Dead Sea.
One of my goals on this trip was to just let go of my crazy desire to be in control of what happens next. I resigned myself to sit back, enjoy the ride, and concentrate on where we landed when we landed there. Mostly, this was a success, so yay!, because every day was a little bit different than I imagined it would be.
One of the first things I heard on this day was morning prayers, broadcast from the mosque we could only barely see from our hotel window. Israel is filled mostly with people of Jewish faith (~74%), but Muslims, Christians and those who practice other faiths also reside here, and the morning prayers are those of Islam. I prayed when I heard them, the same way I tend to pray when I hear Reveille in the early hours while visiting my Army Boy on base, and it was strange and wonderful to think of a whole country praying together each morning.
After breakfast, we set out for the bus, to be ready to go by 8:30am. Our first stop was Qumran National Park, the site where the first Dead Sea Scrolls were found. There were caves, and sand, and the Dead Sea butted right up against the area.
I am dumbstruck by the fact that these documents, dated 1-3 centuries BC (before Christ), were here to be found in 1947! I am sure there are scientific reasons, but when I, in awesome wonder, see all that God has made and done, I know that it was His hand preserving these texts...preserving these sites...preserving His people and their faith through all these years. Yikes. The trip was already making my faith come alive!
Our next stop was Qasr al Yahud, or the baptismal site on the Jordan River. The day was a little chilly, and I was not disappointed that we could not enter the river to be dunked under the water as a remembrance of our baptisms.
(The water levels were too high, and in truth, I had not packed my swimsuit. Thought about it before we left, but then left it behind...I do regret that just a bit.) There was still a small sprinkling that most participated in, and this was a lovely reminder for us all.
Next was lunch, at long tables on the patio of a restaurant we passed.
All of our meals were enjoyed this way, with dishes of hummus, smooth and creamy goat's milk cheeses, olive oil and herbs, baskets of pita and plates of "salads" containing eggplant and tomatoes and corn and so much goodness served to us. There were also main dishes of chicken, spiced ground-beef and more pita.
From there, we stopped to view the Mount of Temptation.
To be sure, I missed some things our guide told us, but looking back at my Guidebook, I think we were looking up from Jericho to the monastery that marks the place where Jesus was tempted, right across the Jordan Valley. Solemn stuff. But we know that Jesus overcame the temptation, so it is fitting that this was also the place for some whimsy. This young boy and his camel offered tourists a ride (for a fee).
After this, the Dead Sea, which was an amazing sight!
1300 feet below sea level (at the surface) and so full of salt and minerals that it supports no life, not entering this salt lake is my regret about the swimsuit. But three from our group did go in, and although the water was rough, it was an amazing experience for them!
At the end of the day, on our way back to the hotel, Pastor Micah asked what our biggest takeaway was from that first day. I was so overwhelmed that the only thing that I came up with was that everything here made me feel small: small in stature, compared to the mountains; small in importance, compared to all of this history; small in significance, compared to the greatness of God and all he has done for me. After thinking it through, I believe this is still one of my biggest takeaways.
So, that's installment 2, which started at 4:20am and ended when I dropped off to sleep around 9pm. Has anything about my story surprised you so far?
Thanks for stopping by. I will be back with more soon, but until then, there is knitting with a deadline to be done! Praying that you are also Knitting in Good Health!
No comments:
Post a Comment