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Israel Trip day 10
Monday 3/12/2018
Once again James here - Grace requested!
I have discovered that an alarm going off at 5:30am is VVVEEERRRYYY Annoying!
But once again a quick trip through the breakfast room and like the old Willy Nelson song we were“On the road again!”
We were on the bus for a 45 minute ride to our first location.
A little side note here, people have been wondering what is the food like? Well, lots of bread, scrambled eggs, fruit, coffee you could stand a spoon in and other miscellaneous items. I will tell you this for sure, when I get home I will have a breakfast of sausage, bacon, and ham, followed by a lunch with pulled pork, pork chops and brats, just to name a few of the things my palate has been craving. In fact I am sitting here with drool running out of both sides of my mouth... kind of embarrassing really!
When we arrived at our destination it was definitely worth the effort. It was where they believe Jesus was baptized by John. It was for sure where the Israelites crossed the Jordon river when they marched into the Promised Land. It was awesome! Here is an interesting factoid: Jesus was baptized at 1,400 feet below sea level.
From there we went to the En Gedi where as you remember David hid from Saul. There are a lot of caves a person could hide in. Water is a premium in the desert and there was a great waterfall there. It was in this area David cut a piece off of Saul’s robe as he was... well... how do you say it? Making a deposit.
From there we went to a place I was really looking forward to seeing—Masada. If you don’t know the whole story it is worth looking up. Readers digest version: King Herod is a schizophrenic and believed the Jews wanted to kill him. He didn’t even trust members of his own family. So he built places of refuge he could run to if his life was in jeopardy. Masada was one of these places. A high fortress protected by sheer cliffs. Just because it was a place of escape it was far from plain. Water pools and steam baths were only a part of the elaborate fortress he built. His private quarters projected down the side of the hill with an awesome view of the Dead Sea. Supply rooms and water pools would allow him to stay for an indefinite time.
In fact over 900 Jews were able to hold back the Romans for 3 years there. The Romans ended up building a ramp to reach the people. When the Jews realized that they were finally going to be taken they killed each other instead of being tortured and killed by the Romans. There is much more to the story. Maybe look it up on YouTube. Fortunately we didn’t have to physically climb to the top as they have a very nice cable car system in place. The views from the top were incredible. And the shear effort it took to create the place was incredible.
From there we went to Qumran where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. They found the book of Isaiah and parts of the rest of the books of the Old Testament all except for the book of Esther. Once again, an incredible story.
Then it was off to the Dead Sea for a nice leisurely float. And yes, I did float, thank you very much. The water was different. It was-how can I say-thicker. The bottom of the sea was so muddy as we got in that Cindy actually got one foot stuck in the mud up to her ankle so I had to help pull her out! For sure an experience!
Then it was off to the Garden tomb where once again the whole group met up for a communion service where David Phelps sang and Chuck brought a message. This was very touching.
From there it was back to the hotel for a late supper. But wait our day wasn’t over yet. A group of us elected to go to the tower of David for a sound and light show. WOW! Somehow they projected lights and images on the stone walls that looked 3D even without glasses. This is an event that is really impossible to describe. It must be experienced. It was very late when the show finished. Finally, exhausted and overwhelmed we boarded the shuttle bus and returned to our room. Hopefully you can understand why we have been slow getting our blog done. Oh yea the alarm is set and will be announcing it’s disturbing presence in just a few hours.
Thanks for reading:-)
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