The Journey Is Just the Beginning

Throughout the entire trip I kept waiting for that "ah-ha" moment when it would really hit me that I was in THE HOLY LAND. Truthfully it never came. I kept wandering through holy site after holy site, amazed by what I was seeing but not being truly moved.


Tonight, sitting at Crossgates UMC, I had that "ah-ha" moment. Visiting the sites alone doesn't make a trip to the Holy Land magical. You have to live the moments of the Bible and remember being in those sites to get the true blessing of a Holy Land trip.


Tonight is known as Maundy Thursday in many Christian churches. Tonight is the night during Holy Week that Jesus held the Last Supper with his disciples in the Upper Room. The origin of the word "Maundy" comes from the Latin word mandatum, which is the first word in the phrase "Mandatumnovum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" or "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you". 


This week many have placed one of two symbols on their Facebook pages, supporting one of two stances on the sacrament of marriage. This blog is not about politics and I am not here to judge the convictions of others. However, I ask that all of you remember the great commandment. Also remember that the cross is the most humbling of all Christians symbols. Should we use the symbol to exclude and condemn those unlike us or should it be used as a humbling reminder that we are all sinners, seeking the forgiveness of God?


Maundy Thursday has always been one of my favorite services of the year. At the end of the service every bit of decoration of the church is stripped and we are left with a bare alter. In every Holy site we visited there were adornments, candles, cupolas, etc. It becomes hard to remember the true significance of the place among all the adornments. However, the Upper Room was just a bare roomwith no decoration. A simple room with simple walls in the middle of Jewish,Muslim, and, Christian holy sites. 


Tonight let us strip away the symbols of our convictions and replace them with a bare,clean heart that loves instead of judges. Let us love one another as He loves us.

Final day of our Holy Land Adventure

Today we went traveled to the Jordan River to visit the spot where Jesus was believed to be baptized by John the Baptist. The river is more like a Mississippi creek as it winds around the Israel and Jordan border. We had an opportunity to dip our feet in the river and collect water from the Jordan. I don't know if children are in my future but if they are I now have very special water for the Baptism. Good thing I'm Methodist since I don't think I could have gathered enough water for dunking :-)

We then viewed the city of Amman and had lunch at a Jordanian barbecue place. It was more like Keifer's on crack. Wow...even picky me loves the food here.

We are now preparing for our flight back home. I am so sad to leave this beautiful land with its beautiful people. Jews, Muslims, and Arabs do get along. Much like America views all Mississippians based on the actions of a few, so does the world judge these people. They are kind, loving, and very accepting. We felt safe and welcomed everywhere we went. There is no need to hide or be embarrassed of our US citizenship here. They welcome us and want to share their history with us.

Come on over and see the land of milk and honey!

I'll have final wrap ups when we get back home and we have a chance to really st down and summarize what a trip like this means.

Now to stay up and party until our 2:40 am flight back home!

Jordan Day 2

We began the day by traveling through the desert stopping for pics at a Crusader castle along the way.

We made it to Madaba to visit Mt Nebo where Moses viewed the Promised Land before dying. If you remember from the Old Testament Moses was not allowed to enter Israel.

We continued on Amman, which is the capital city of Jordan. To say it like the Jordanians do simply say my name without the "da". I was born to live here :-)

Amman is a thriving city with extremely nice people. In fact Jordan is much like Mississippi in that everyone is made to feel at home. Please, please, please visit this amazing country if you get the chance. They are welcoming and accommodating to all tourists. We stopped at a shop in Madaba today that is run by two of the Jordanian Queens. They employee the handicapped citizens. They had beautiful mosaics that are each handmade and unique. Margie purchased an amazing table for her porch. I purchased a tile to be displayed in my kitchen now and installed in any future renovations. We'll treasure this land every time we view these pieces.

Tomorrow we visit the place of Jesus's baptism in the Jordan River. We were supposed to visit another desert castle but our amazing tour guide worked this out for us instead. Seriously...Jordan has rolled out the red carpet. I invite you all to share it's wonders.

Jordan

Yesterday's first since it never posted...

We said farewell to Israel today as we crossed the Jordan River. After dealing with several checkpoints we met our new guide and bus driver and to our surprise our own personal policeman. Don't worry...Jordan is perfectly safe. He is here to help us with any needs including door holding and hand holding. I'm pretty sure he's bored to tears as he speaks no English but he is easy on the eyes for the females in the group :-)

Jordan is quite different from Israel to be so close. Poverty abounds, which has become worse due to the 70% reduction in tourism this year. So many people fear traveling here. We have never felt unsafe. There is plenty if security and Americans are loved. Seriously...as we entered Jordan it was like we were on a parade float. Everyone stopped and waved. Every group of children we encounter have been so excited to see us. Today at Jerash a group of Muslim school girls danced with our group, cheered as one member sang the Star Spangled Banner, and even asked for an encore. She sang Amazing Grace as they all listened with wide, beautiful smiles.

At Jerash we saw amazing ruins from the Roman period. Margie and I have walked around MANY ruins but this one was amazing. It is very well preserved and very accessible. We were able to get a real picture of how it was in Roman times.

We finally arrived to Petra around 9:30 pm. Our hotel is a series of cottages where we each have our own. Margie and I got a special tour of the Royal Suite...more on that story in person to our friends :-)

Our guide told us we will be amazed at the view tomorrow morning. Ill let you know tomorrow.

Today....

The view from our hotel is wonderful by the way...

We spent the entire day at Petra. There are no words to describe the beauty of this place. We start by seeing a few ancient burial tombs. While the history of them was amazing, we were distracted by the blue sky against the yellow rock. I would post pics but the wifi is slow so you'll have to wait for my "real" camera pics when I return.

Again, I would love to describe all of Petra but I cannot do it justice. You simply have to visit this place. I have traveled around the world but the natural beauty here took my breath away. Basically it is rock formations along with ruins from between 1st century bc and 1st century ad. The entire day was around 7-8 miles of walking up and down hills including around 1,000 total steps yet it was easier than many treks I have taken. I believe that was due to the distractions of the amazing views.

My favorite part was a local school girl who guided us to the top of the mountain for the "best view". She shared with us local culture and her entrepreneurial spirit. Yes I spent money on items that were probably made in China at her "shop" but they were worth getting to know my Jordanian friend.

We ended the night at a bar set inside a cave with locals. We conversed via Facebook most of the night. Welcome to 2013 in the Middle East.

The Old City

Today was a blur to be honest. We began with a visit to the "fake" upper room. Since so many religions have claimed this place there are only corners that Christians can claim where Jesus Christ was. We moved on to the Church of the Holy Sepulecure. Think ancient marketplace of churches. There is a Greek, Armenian, and Catholic Church under one roof. There is no explanation of the madness.

We moved on to begin the Via Dolorosa in rewind. I really can't describe the feeling of walking where Jesus walked. All I can suggest is to Google the stations and imagine being at each of them.

Following a shopping stop we headed back to the hotel for our farewell dinner with those that aren't continuing to Jordan. We truly are a Chosen Group. We have all been blessed by the blessing of each other. These are my Jewish and Christian brothers and sisters. We have names and addresses that will be used to continue our journey with God.

Masada, The Dead Sea, and the Bedouin experience

We began the day by descending from Jerusalem to The Dead Sea. This sea has an extremely high salt content that makes it deadly to fish but wonderful for the skin. More on that in a bit...

Our first stop was at Masada. This is the place where King Herod built a palace way up on a mountain. We are talking desert mountain. There is no green here. After King Herod died, the Jews found what was once a great palace. This was during the time of the Roman siege of Jerusalem. Once the Romans found this Jewish settlement, they fought for four years to capture it. When they were finally successful all they found were dead bodies. The Jewish had determined a life of slavery was worse than death so they ended their own lives. Today Jewish pilgrims around the world travel to Masada as a pilgrimage. In addition to enjoying beautiful views of the desert mountains we also got a special visit with a Jewish scribe who wrote us a special blessing for our Chosen Group. He asked how we all knew each other and we said most of us met through this trip. He said we met because God chose that for us.

After Masada we traveled to the Dead Sea for a dip in the salty water. The water is crystal clear with no fish to interfere with your swim. Once you are in you simply lay back and enjoy a good float. You literally bob up and down like a cork in water. It is unreal. If you want to exfoliate your skin, just reach down and pick up a handful of salt (instead of sand) and rub away. My skin and hair are like silk now!!

Our final stop for the evening was at a Bedouin camp for camel riding and dinner. The camel ride was unreal! These animals are so very cute!!! Dinner was under a Bedouin tent with more amazing food and fellowship. Bedouins are basically nomads who set up temporary shelter wherever they want to work the land. There are camps throughout the desert.

We are now headed back to the hotel to enjoy a bit of wine with friends on our beautiful hotel balcony. Are we really living this life right now? We are Blessed indeed.

Jerusalem museums, Bethlehem, and the table of religion

We began the day with a trip to the holocaust museum of Israel. Though I believe the Smithsonian has a better layout and overall picture it was still chilling to see the cruelty humans can have on each other. A fellow traveler brought a unique perspective when he mentioned our hated of the Nazi's should not cloud our judgement of men. All Mississippians cannot be blamed for the cruel treatment of African Americans. The South has a very black mark on history and so does Germany. We must all learn to get along.

We moved on to visit the Israeli Museum. Honestly it was hot and not that impressive except one part. We did get to see part of the Dead Sea Scrolls. As someone else reminded us, the Declaration of Independence is 200 years old and is barely legible. The Dead Sea Scrolls were written around the time of Christ's birth.

We then moved on to Bethlehem. The city is a Palestinian controlled territory so we had to pass through a checkpoint. It was heartbreaking to see the birthplace of Jesus be so run down while Jerusalem thrives around it. As we made our way to the square of the manger a precious Jewish lady in our group grabbed my hand to help her along the climb up the hill. We continued on, Jewish and Christian hand in hand, until we reached the square. I will never forget that moment of unity.

Upon arriving we visited the three churches that are at the spot of the nativity. The Greek church holds the grotto of the manger where we could see the exact spot where Jesus was born. It was humbling as we knelt in front of the manger spot to offer prayers for our salvation. We also visited the Albanian corner and the Catholic Church, where Christmas Mass is watched throughout the world.

As we left the church we heard call to prayer of the nearby Muslim mosque. Margie and I are familiar with this from visiting Istanbul last summer. What was striking was hearing this as we stood in Manger Square listening to the history of three Christian churches.

After we arrived at our hotel, exhausted from all we have seen, we decided for a quiet evening on the hotel balcony overlooking the Old City. We were instead treated to a Jewish wedding, a Catholic priest, and a table shared with Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. That my friends, is the Holy Land.