DAY 5 - Petra

We woke at 6 am, ate breakfast at 630, and loaded onto the bus for departure by 715. With so much to see and two-days less to do it, we kept a tight schedule! Just past 8 am, we arrived at Petra – for many, the most anticipated site of the entire trip. Two traveling companions, Richard and Larry (both architects by profession), had joined our Israel trip to fulfill a life-long dream of viewing the architectural wonders of Petra. Watching their excitement that morning and as we finally stepped onto the Petra sand was absolutely hilarious, and their enthusiasm was infectious.

As many historical locations within the Near East have become organized state parks, most sites are skirted by large metal fencing and are guarded by tourist police officers for additional security. At Petra, the park employees punched admission tickets like a theme park at the front gate. The entrance at this location seemed more like the chute of a cattle pen, since the gate allowed room for only one person a time to enter through the narrow opening and under a metal detector. Not quite what I had expected. In my mind, I had imagined driving up to the huge mountains and in between the cliffs, to somehow emerge at the steps of the great tomb of Petra after a brief walk. Well, we definitely walked into the mountains and in between cliffs to reach the tomb…but our walk from the front gates to Petra’s main attractions took at least an hour on foot.

Luckily, Firas had plenty of history and geology to explain to us, which made the time pass quickly. We walked down towards the great Treasury through a long, winding passageway, carved by the Nabataeans for travel, with 5-story rock walls towering on each side of the cobblestone-like walkway. The natural colors of the rock itself were more vibrant than any other stone I had seen in my life and displayed beautiful swirled patterns of pink and fuchsia (which brings the famous name "Rose City"), lavender, bright yellow, red and blue. You should see for yourself...

Can you see the remnants of a carving?

The remains of a perfectly engineered water drainage system could be seen along the lower part of the cliff walls on both sides of the path. Large carvings etched in the face of the rock, some 7 to 8 feet high and carved 4 or 5 feet off the ground, and were still partially visible, suggesting the amazing detail with which they were originally designed. We saw one scene of a caravan of camels and a group of people that, in some parts, remained completely unmistakable in form, even after thousands of years of weathering. It was remarkable.

The crowds of people walking with us through the mountain path soon became more excited up ahead and camera flashes went crazy. We rounded the final corner and could see, just barely, through the last hundred feet of the path, our first glimpse of the great Treasury. The cliffs opened up into a large open area in front of the amazing structure, and the hard surface of the ancient road we had walked transitioned into loose, dark red sand; it felt like walking in a giant sandbox.

First sight of the Treasury!

Walking up to a giant, thousand-year-old carved rock, now recognized as one of the seven wonders of the modern world, was a bit unreal. Firas and Dr. Wyrick let the picture taking craze calm down before they even tried to gather our group in a central location to discuss the historical background of the place we were standing. The colossal rock carvings had obviously been hewn directly into the side of a cliff, but the truly amazing fact was the precise way in which they were constructed. To protect each intricate detail of the carvings as they were created, the entire tomb structure had been built from the top down to prevent falling rocks and debris from damaging completed work. Once again, the engineering and architectural capabilities of these ancient people groups astounded me. The builders of Petra were not only unbelievably skilled craftsmen, they were mathematical experts. Careful calculations had to be used prior to construction, so that the foundation of the steps met the base of the cliff at the perfect point. (There's no starting over on a project like this if you run out of rock!)

Past the site of the Treasury, our group split into three's and four's to travel throughout Petra for the day. Heather (a fellow UMHB senior), Linda (a group member from California) and I teamed up for the trek of our lives: climbing nearly 1,000 stairs in one day. But let me tell you, it was well worth it! The locations we hiked to were fantastic. The walk along the way was...well....interesting.

Throughout Petra, hundreds of Bedouin people live and make their livelihood. Along every pathway and beside the few restaurants inside the city, small roadside gift shops were set up to attract buyers in high traffic areas. These shops were primarily operated by women, since the men were employed as taxi service providers. Camels, donkeys and horse chariots were all available for rent. 

DAY 4 - Entering Jordan

Rising earlier than our normal 6 am wake-up call, a group of us grabbed our cameras and walked from the main buildings of the Ginosef Hotel out onto a pier overlooking the Sea of Galilee to watch the sunrise. Taking in the gorgeous landscape, looking out onto the same water that Jesus and his disciples enjoyed each morning, was an incredible experience!

Promptly at 730, as every other morning, we gathered, this time stowing our larger luggage beneath our bus to be taken onto Jerusalem and keeping only a small carry-on to have in Jordan for 3 nights. A 45-minute drive brought us to the gates of the Jordanian border control.

One of the photos I wasn't really supposed to take, but this
is only a sign, so I think it's ok for you to see. I won't
breach security and post the few I took of the
surroundings...

*The Jordanian King, Abdulla II, is pictured on the Left, whose wife, Queen
Rania, I was told could be my twin. (Pictured below)

Led by Pitch, we passed through several pre-check points guarded by armed soldiers before reaching the steps of the initial clearance office. Pitch led us inside, where we were formed into lines to approach the passport-check windows. Without a single glitch, exactly as we had prayed, our group made it through without delay and proceeded to an outdoor waiting area to catch a bus to the main immigration office. We waited for a bus, with Pitch by our side, for nearly 20 minutes. When it came, we said our temporary goodbyes to Pitch and boarded carefully, trying to stay together as a group. 

When all the seats were filled, we expected those left would be asked to wait for the next ride, but not only did we cram our whole group of 45 onto a 40-or-so seat bus, we made standing room for 8 to 10 more Arabs and one Jewish gentleman to ride with us. I gave up my seat to a middle-aged, Arabic-speaking mother traveling with her two sons, and a few others from our group did the same for the other Arab women.

It took a good 10 minutes to get everyone loaded and situated on the bus, which then seemed pointless when we stopped at our next check point, not 2 minutes up the parking lot. I assume the only reason they had us ride the bus was to keep us in one controlled location, instead of scattering and entering the gate by foot. An armed Jordanian soldier entered our bus to verify every passenger’s passport, then exited the bus and waived us through towards the last check point. We unloaded and were grouped with our luggage to meet our Jordanian guide, Firas (“FEAR-ahs”), and receive further instructions. Leaving all bags and belongings outside the main building with one person to guard our things, Firas led the rest of us inside the security office to form a line in front of the passport-check windows. We approached the clerk behind the window, when called, one by one.

Handing over my passport, the expected questions were asked – verification of name, purpose of travel, expected destinations, etc. The process seemed more official and thorough than my experience at the airport, yet I felt more relaxed. This guard, although a male, was far less intimidating, which certainly helped to keep me feeling calm. My passport was stamped for entrance, and for extra security, and eye scan of me, as for each person crossing the border. 

Successfully clearing boarder control, I claimed my backpack from our group luggage pile outside and walked to a small, white metal building to have my luggage screened. It’s a good thing I knew the procedure from airports, because the men with guns running the x-ray machines barely spoke a lick of English. I plopped my bag on the conveyor belt, and bending down to unload my laptop to be scanned separately, I got that funny feeling that I was being watched. I looked up to see 5 or 6 pairs of eyes – Arab men with guns – staring me down, looking pleased. Grossed out, I moved discretely behind the machine to wait, and snatched my bag off the belt the instant it cleared the x-ray-er, then hurried out the door. This was only my first taste – a very mild taste, indeed -- of the forward, aggressive demeanor of Arab males that I would experience throughout my time in Jordan. Good grief, little did I know…

Safely out the back door, and free from the dirty stares, I found our bus and some of our bunch waiting for the entire group to be passport-cleared. With a long drive towards Petra ahead of us, it was necessary to use a restroom before departure. I had been waiting to find the “W-C” or “wash closet”, as they call it, since leaving Israel, so my stop was urgent. I walked a short distance from our bus to the tiny, stucco restroom. It was a far cry from any Israeli WC, especially the polished porcelains we had grown accustomed to at Ginosef. The smell was overpowering, and the only light came through a small window in the ceiling. I pushed open the first unlocked stall door, and there it was: a HOLE.

See? I TOLD you. Definitely harder than it looks....
[The hose on floor to the left = ""toilet paper""]

I laughed audibly upon seeing this authentic Jordanian toilet – or lack thereof – somewhat from excitement, since I felt the experience about to take place would definitely authenticate my overseas travel, but mostly from horror in realizing what I was about to have to do. It took a lot of courage, and a fair amount of coordination, but I can now say that I have peed like a true Jordanian! Enough said. Or too much said. Whatever.

Returning to the bus with our entire group finally loaded for departure, Firas presented us to our new bus driver, “Aladdin”. As if riding through the dessert now in a "magic bus" was not cool enough, we were introduced to the young, handsome tourist police officer that would be traveling with us as well -- “Saddam Hussein”. Ironic? Firas had to state the poor guy's names more than once because nobody believed they were real on the first announcement.

Left: Aladdin (al-ah-DEEN) patiently waits as our groups loads onto the bus.
Right: Saddam, rarely seen without a smile, looks down through the ceiling
of a Crusader castle to "keep watch" as we tour the rooms below.

We commenced our drive towards Petra, at last, listening to lectures by Firas and Dr. Wyrick while riding. Traveling north, we visited the Decapolis cities of Pella and Jerash. As one of the mos important and best-preserved cities in the Near East, Jerash is sometimes identified as the 'Pompeii of the Middle East', due to its magnificent size and impressive excavation -- only, Jerash was never covered by a volcanic ash. Viewing the amazing architecture of Jerash made the wait to view Petra even more exciting.

As daylight expired, the chit-chat quieted and most of us, including Firas & Wyrick, dozed off. We traveled mostly on straight stretches of deserted highway, passing a village or small town every half hour or so. After 3 or 4 hours, we approached the first bit of thick traffic. Our speed slowed gradually until we came to a complete stop, where we waited for nearly 15 minutes before Firas and Saddam could discover what was causing the standstill. Negotiations were made by Saddam, and our bus was given clearance to bypass the traffic by off-roading for a bit to reach a different highway. After another 20 minutes of travel, we stopped at a rest area to use restrooms and briefly stretch our legs. Returning to the bus again, the last leg of our trip began. We continued to the hotel and arrived around 8 pm that night. We found our rooms, ate a delicious dinner, and sleep came quickly after.

The next morning on the bus, Firas announced that the large traffic jam the night before had been caused by political upheaval which had escalated to violence, leaving at least two people dead. Other tour buses that had been on the road behind us were stuck on the road, not allowed to pass for over 7 hours. They did not reach their hotels near Petra until 3 am. Saddam had told the road police that night that our bus of tourists only needed to get through to reach the rest stop 15 minutes away. He did not tell him that we were traveling towards Petra, which was 2 more hours past the rest stop. Without realizing the severity of the traffic jam and the potentially dangerous situation we might have found ourselves in, the Lord miraculously caused our bus to be the only one that passed immediately that night. We had prayed, but did not know what our prayers had accomplished until that next morning. 

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God."

Romans 8:26 & 27

Day 3

The most exciting event of the day was a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Our hotel in Tiberias sits on the shores of the Galilee, but this evening was my first opportunity to look at the water from closer than our dining room window. Unique from many sites throughout Israel, the Sea of Galilee does not mark a ‘traditional site’ of where Jesus is assumed to have visited. We know absolutely from Biblical texts that this is the exact spot where Jesus walked on water and taught multitudes of people on shore during his years of ministry on earth. Floating on a boat in the middle of the very Sea where Jesus had been, and looking out over the misty waters, imagining a boat carrying the 12 disciples, was truly an awe inspiring experience.

DAY 2 - Mediterranean, Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Megiddo, Nazareth

Beginning the day with a wonderful, three course breakfast helps to get any tired body started! I awoke more exhausted today than the first morning. Touring across two Mid-East countries in only 15 days seemed hard to accomplish at the outset of the tour, but with our delayed departure cutting three days off our schedule, we’re practically going 90-to-nothin’.

Our first experience today was a stop at the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Piling out of the bus, our group of 45 scattered along the beach, and some of the students – who are the most athletic and adventurous of the group – abandoned their shoes at the parking lot and took off towards the water. Nearly up to our knees, the water was freezing, but the color was the most beautiful I’ve seen. Florida’s crystal clear waters are pretty, but could not be half as beautiful as what we saw of the Mediterranean Sea. The waves are the most deep, aqua blue you can imagine.

"The Youngin's", as we were called by our senior traveling
companions. L to R: Heather, a fellow UMHB student;
Jenna; David, a California college pastor; Jessica, my
roommate, a Junior at Baylor (Waco)

With barely 20 minutes on the shoreline, we quickly snapped pictures of an aqueduct on the beach, which had been part of the city of Caesarea (different from Caesarea Philippi), dried our feet and returned to the bus to drive up to see the ruins of ancient city itself.

The wonders of archeological excavation continue to fascinate me during this trip. Under large hills of sand and gravel, ruins of vast cities have been unearthed to reveal the most precisely engineered architecture. I’ve been reminded that the knowledge we have in our modern world related to building, structural engineering, and architecture has been modeled, in fact, after the incredible structures of ancient cities like Caesarea and others. The giant theater was especially extraordinary, as it is the oldest of its kind within Israel. Built during Herod's time and for his use, the incredible area is engineered to accommodate 4,000 people. The vast seating, built facing the sea, allows the audience to view the stage with the backdrop of the gorgeous Mediterranean waters behind it.

Looking at the sea in the background, you can get a feel
for how huge the visibility was -- the horizon appears to
be warped, barely showing the earth's spherical shape.

In close proximity to the theater, sits one of Herod's great palaces, positioned perfectly on the shoreline of the sea. It was prime real estate back in Herod's time, and I'm sure someone would kill to live on the spot of land today. Archeological excavations have uncovered a Herodian amphitheater between the palace and the theater. More than twice the size of the theater, this place of entertainment is more like a stadium, with room for over 10,000 spectators. The huge area between the seating and the beach was likely used for horse racing and large sporting events. Not only did Herod pick a primo spot to build his mansion, he spared no cost to create a giant 'playground' to go with it.

Next we drove to the top of Mt. Carmel, where Elijah’s encounter with the prophets of Baal took place. Much to our disappointment, the monastery built atop the mountain was closed for New Year’s Day, so we were not able to enter through the gates to see the marvelous view of cities and valleys below. We peeked through the thick trees next to the monastery gates and took as many pictures as we could through the thick brush, before hitting the road for our next location of interest.

The (limited) view from atop Mt. Carmel

Walking to the bus, I passed a couple trying to take a picture with the mountain view behind them. I noticed they weren't talking to each other, and only motioned to a passer-by to take their picture. They got a picture, but didn't appear to be pleased with the result, and I had the suspicion that they were deaf, so giving camera instructions to someone else would be difficult without speaking. Having completed 4 semesters of American Sign Language (ASL) at UMHB and working for my deaf professor as a teacher's assistant, I was prepared and excited to approach them in their native language:

"Are you deaf? I know sign!"

They were pleasantly surprised, and signed back: "Oh WOW! Yes, we are!! How amazing to meet you!!"

"Would you like me to take your picture?"


"Yes! Please do! We appreciate it!!"

They were finally happy with the result, and I was thrilled to find a deaf couple on the other side of the world using ASL, and signing in a similar "accent" to the one I had learned. We understood each other perfectly! I told them my name and that I was from Texas, then asked what state they were from:

"We're from Florida. In fact, you see that bus over there? *pointing* It's full of deaf people, because we came here with a huge group from Florida and we're traveling together through Israel!"

The couple wanted me to meet some of their friends, but they soon noticed that their bus was waiting on them to leave the site. They were sorry to leave quickly, but we shook hands and extended blessings to each other for the remainder of our travels. Catching up with the rest of my group, some of the comments from friends were funny: "What were you doing over there?" or "What was that about?" came from some who were confused, while some that were excited said, "Did you just...like...have a whole conversation with your hands?! That is so cool! Where did you learn that?" It was definitely a fun and unexpected experience!

Arriving next at the gate of the city of Megiddo, we climbed to the top of one of the large hills where the city rests to overlook the Jezreel Valley.

The gate of Megiddo

We received detailed instructions from Pitch and Dr. Wyrick explaining the impressive view from atop the hill of the city. We learned that the 'hill' of Megiddo is not a completely natural hill. In fact, the high place is a pile of 26 cities that were built one on top of the other. They were built, destroyed, rebuilt, destroyed again, built up again, destroyed again,......on and on.

Layers, upon layers of excavations...

The site is impressive, not only for the history of how the 'high place' became high from the piled cities below it, but also for an underground tunnel built below the city that was constructed in a manner similar to the system of Tel Dan, during the time of the Israelite kings. Like Tel Dan, the system was constructed for the same purpose of bringing water into the city from within the walls, to be used during a time of attack. A humongous 36-meter shaft was created, and connects to a tunnel (70-meters long) that reaches a spring.

Dark, slippery stairs led down to the base of the water system

Cut at an incline, the tunnel was engineered so that water would flow from its underground source directly to the bottom of the shaft so that water could be accessed from the top. To be even more sneaky, the outer entrance to the water was closed securely with a stone wall and covered with earth. The people of the city could draw water when the enemy cut them off, and they could conceal their means of doing it if the enemy besieged the city!

Our break hour was spent at a local café which neighbors a small supermarket. Actually, I’m not sure if the store was small or not, since it is the only supermarket I’ve visited here in the Near East. At any rate, we were quite delighted with the charming displays of native products of all sorts, and even many familiar foods sold with Hebrew labels. The ratio of fresh products to canned goods was, not surprisingly, more favorable to fresh foods than the US. There was no pre-sliced bread for sale, only freshly baked breads and pitas; deli meat could only be obtained from the fresh deli, since there were no packaged lunch meats either.

Pitch, our Israeli guide, shops for lunch

It was exciting to hear Hebrew all around me and look at native Israeli products while shopping with the locals. I never blended in for a second – you can spot a tourist a mile away here – but it was fun to act like I knew what I was doing, and pretend I was shopping like any other resident.

To complete the day, we drove through the city of Nazareth for the first time on our way to the high mountain that overlooks the city and miles and miles of other Biblical sites below. Traveling at a break-neck speed can be nice when we approach less interesting sites, since we are done quickly and move onto something new. Coming to the top of the mountain to look out over Nazareth, the home city of Jesus himself, made us all wish we could have stayed for hours.

Looking out over Nazareth -- Jesus' hometown

Sunset quickly approached and we met our bus to travel back to the hotel, enjoying another three course meal before retiring for our much-needed sleep. 

Coloring Book Blogging

I apologize for the lapse in updates. While internet connection has not really been an issue, finding the time to sit and write, as well as the accessibility of adequate electric adapters and WiFi spots, makes it quite difficult to keep up daily posts. Outlines of each day will be added as much as possible in the remaining days of the tour. Expect a ‘coloring book blog’ of sorts – simple outlines will give you a mental picture of tour experiences, and post-trip explanations will finally bring color to these experiences through personal reflections and added details. Thank you for your patience, and especially your PRAYERS!

DAY 1 - Hazor, Dan, Ceasarea Philippi, Nimrod's fortress

Our wake-up call came at 6 am. My eyes opened, and I looked around the unfamiliar room. I knew right where I was, but could hardly believe it.

I am in Israel. I AM IN ISRAEL!

Shortly after sunrise, viewed from my hotel room window.
Center: the slopes of the Valley of Pigeons, touching the Sea of Galilee

I popped out of bed and ran to the window to get a first look our surroundings in morning light. The sunrise had barely begun and the sky was mostly dark, with the beautifully full moon still in view. I felt rested and refreshed from 9 wonderful hours of sleep, surprised to not feel jet lag a bit. Jessica and I dressed and packed our backpacks for the day, then walked to breakfast.

One breakfast table had 10 different kinds of fresh veggies, and a second was full of fresh, sliced, and dried fruits. There were no drink machines in the whole place, and no pitchers of juice at all. A large machine sat on top a cart, with a basket attached to the top full of fresh oranges. I was instructed by one of the waiters to hold my glass under the small spout, and press. The machine pulled the oranges from the basket on top, through a chute and into a three-wheeled juice press, where the seeds and most of the pulp was sifted while the juice poured out the spout.....and there you had it! Freshly squeezed orange juice in seconds! I think I'll look for one of those machines on Ebay...

Again, I filled my plate with almost one of everything. At dinner the night before, we had learned the names of many new dishes and tried to pronounce the Hebrew, which the waiters found hilariously entertaining. For breakfast, I pointed to a strangely shaped egg dish, resembling an omelet, mixed with carrots and some mystery green veggie. I pointed and asked the head waiter (who had already named several things in Hebrew for me): 

"This one here...what do you call this?"

"These? These is eggs."

"Yes, they're cooked eggs, but what is the name that you call it?"

"These is omelet! What else can the name be!"

Apparently, some things are not as different as I expect.

After breakfast we piled into the bus to depart, as instructed the night before, by 7:30 am. Dr. Wyrick and Pitch both appreciate punctuality. We left only 5 minutes late, and arrived at our first site within half an hour. At Hazor (“HAAT-zor”), ruins of the powerful Canaanite city destroyed by Joshua, we walked through the entrance to one of Solomon’s three palaces.

The six chamber gate, constructed with two large towers (no longer intact), dates back to 10 century BC. The double wall of the western half of the Upper City had been excavated and preserved with few timber supports and mud filler between the handmade bricks. The location of Solomon’s three palaces at Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer is related in 1 
Kings 9:15:

              
“Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the LORD’s temple, his own palace, the terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer.”

Walking through the entrance of the palace, we entered a great gathering room. The interior walls were not preserved nearly as well as the outside gate. Pitch explained that when the great structure had been destroyed by fire in ancient battles, the bricks of the inside walls were significantly burned. Still black in certain places, the half crumbled walls show the magnitude of the destruction that took place. I was reminded that a war victory, in Biblical times, meant total demolition, occurring when the destruction of all life – every man, woman, child, animal – was complete, leaving no surviving life or building structures. Such devastations took place at Hazor. Biblical text related to the city, which dates back to 2700 BC, can be found in Joshua 11.

After the city's initial destruction, Hazor was abandoned for a period of time until it was rebuilt in a partial area of the upper city. When extensive rebuilding took place at the time of King Ahab (9th century BC), the city doubled in size. Historically, conflicts arising over geographic power related primarily to the control of water sources. Cities were built accordingly, strategically placed alongside the river, or in close proximity to a spring. Aggressors used war tactics to cut off an entire city from their source of water, and sought to exhaust a city’s means of survival that utilized rain cisterns to collect water from alternate sources. Under King Ahab's rule, a large water system was built beneath the city to supply the city with water from inside the walls during times of siege.

It was fascinating to be able to walk down into the ground, by way of a narrow, winding, metal staircase, to see the three-part system. Past the access structure, we used the staircase to enter into the second part: a vertical shaft with retaining walls, carved from rock, plunging 45 meters deep. At the end of the stairs is a 25-meter-long sloping tunnel, which stops at a small pool of collected ground water. The tunnel was brighter than I had expected, since the large, gaping entrance feeds adequate light into the water area, which was shorter than I realized.

Leaving Hazor, we traveled to the Old Testament city of Dan. Standing at the entrance of the city we analyzed the architectural ruins of the gate, noting the rock benches just inside the city walls which probably were used by the Jewish leaders and teachers of the a law for times of important city events.

The gate of 'Tel Dan', the lowest point of the city.
Center: the seats of the city (behind the orange tape) are
located at the gate, a prime location for noblemen and teachers
of the law to sit in Biblical times.

The construction of the city gate and its immediate surroundings were places where significant city events occurred in plain sight of the people – sort of an ancient day press conference or television-op. This one was similar to an area where Boaz would have made his public announcement at the city gate to buy the fields of Eliemech and take Ruth for his wife. We read the passage aloud as we looked at the set-up.


“Boaz went to the town gate and took a seat there. Just then the family redeemer he had mentioned came by, so Boaz called out to him, 'Come over here and sit down, friend. I want to talk to you.’ So they sat down together. Then Boaz called ten leaders from the town and asked them to sit as witnesses.” 
Ruth 4:1 & 2

Walking up to the city of Tel Dan, we crossed a bridge built over the head waters of the Jordan River. We learned from Pitch's expert description that in Hebrew, the words "Yar" and "Dan" combine to create the name for the river. "Yar", meaning "flows from", and "Dan", the name of the city, become the "Yar-Dan" River, expressing the geographical point from where the river starts.

The head waters of the Jordan River

We were reminded that many Biblical names that have become so familiar to us in English, are not correct in true Hebrew pronunciation at all, since many Hebrew morphemes can't be expressed by writing in English phonics. So, the Hebrew word for the river that "flows from Dan" (a sound similar to our word "yard") becomes the "Jordan" (sounding very different, a sound like "George") due to language incompatibilities. Pitch said, "You think that reading the Bible in English is amazing? You should read it in Hebrew!" I wonder how many other parts of scripture would come alive in a new way if I could read them in Hebrew? I could glean so many significant details from reading scripture in its original language, when the purposeful names of places and the traditional significance of certain events can't be properly expressed in my native tongue. 

Continuing on to Caesarea Philippi, we visited the Hermon Streams, within the kingdom of Herod the Great. The streams themselves, which flow from the southern part of Mt. Hermon, flows through several kilometers of rugged canyon, before combining with the water of the Dan Stream to form the Jordan River. I learned that one fourth of the water of the Jordan is contained in the Hermon Stream (about 125 million cubic meters of water)! Near the streams, we walked to the 'Temple of Pan', a pagan temple built for sacrificial worship to the false god 'Paneas'.

My roommate, Jessica, and I strike a pose at the 'Temple of Pan'

This historical site is the spot where Jesus said “I will build my church…”, mentioned in Matthew 16:

                

Verse 16 – “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

Pitch & Dr. Wyrick explained that the passage begins with Jesus' question: "Who do the people say the Son of Man is?" Doctrinally, this question is not only significant to the disciples' affirmation that Jesus is the Son of God, it is also culturally appropriate that Jesus would ask such a question at a place of pagan worship. In essence, Jesus asks, "Am I another one of these [pagan gods or prophets]? Or am I something more?" That's a pretty fitting location to ask such a question, don't you think? It's amazing to see scripture, in the context of its own historical location, come alive!

Traveling onto Nimrod's fortress, we walked through the giant rooms of an ancient crusader fortress. I took a good amount of pictures of the surrounding mountains and city below from the high point of the castle walls. We discussed some extensive crusader history while standing in an upper watchtower, overlooking the edge of the cliff where the fortress is built. It was freezing cold being up so high, and the wind was sharp, as we were approaching evening hours. I don't remember too many details of the history lesson, but I do remember feeling a bit embarrassed about our own school mascot in remembering what brutes the Crusaders really were. Still, you have to give them credit for some really sweet architecture. Especially since they built on the top of huge hills, with cliffs on all sides, and did it all without modern machinery.

The breathtaking view atop Nimrod's fortress.
Only one section of the great walls can be seen in the image.

After a long day of walking and hiking, we were happy to return to our hotel with enough time for showers before dinner in the main dining room. Once again, an enormous assortment of gourmet choices were available at dinner. We greeted our waiters with our limited Hebrew, "Erev Tov!" ("good evening"), and they responded with smiles and some laughs. For the few days we were at the Ginosef, we shared a dining time with a group from Northern Africa. It was obvious that all the white people were from the USA, but the waiters seemed interested to ask what states we were all from. Some from our large group explained that they had joined us from California, to which the waiters nodded and smiled. But they grinned from ear to ear when I answered I was from Texas. I don't know if they were really that excited about our great state, if they could sense the pride in my voice when I spoke in contrast to the Californians, or if they thought they finally knew where pretty American girls came from (all the young female students were from Texas, by the way)......probably all three. At any rate, Texas people were received very warmly, indeed J

D-Day

Departure Day is finally HERE! Despite initial setbacks from flight cancellations, my trip to Israel finally commenced on Wednesday, December 29^th! While the closing of JFK due to blizzards in New York affected the trip departure, I was grateful to not have been stranded somewhere in the North East. I slept two extra nights in a ‘real bed’ at my aunt's house in Austin -- a welcome alternative to sleeping 36 hours on an airport floor. God is good....ALL the time!

In addition to the hassle of flight rebooking, handled wonderfully by our trip sponsor and UMHB professor, Dr. Stephen Wyrick, we experienced glitches at the Austin airport. For 5 out of our 16 Austin-group members (including myself), no re-booked tickets for the Germany to Israel flight could be located upon reaching the airport. After over an hour of tough negotiating with our airline and travel agency (www.DehoneyTravel.com), our tickets were confirmed in the nick of time and we were free to board our departure flight.

Although the weather conditions had complicated our plans in every way, I was actually excited that our new route included a stop in Europe! We flew from Austin to Dallas, then Dallas to Germany (where my Dad was born!). I took as many pictures of the snow covered surroundings as possible as we were shuffled through customs to board our flight out of Frankfurt to Israel at last!

Viewed from the airplane: My first glimpse of the Holy Land!

Landing in Tel Aviv-Yafo five hours after take-off, we navigated the large 'Ben Gurion Airport' from our terminal down to passport control. The long walk to stretch our tired legs was refreshing after nearly 15 hours on airplanes. Arriving at the passport check point, we waited in unusually long lines before receiving our visa stamps. In my own American stupidity, I *politely* looked the passport officer directly in her eyes, remaining calm and answering questions as briefly as possible. Only, I had forgotten that while making eye contact when addressing an officer in the US will prove your honesty and respect, this body language within the Middle East is interpreted aggressively. I handed over my trip itinerary when asked where I would be going, which the officer snatched and read for quite a while. Starting to worry that I might delay our group if taken aside for more questions, the woman slammed a visa stamp onto my passport after several minutes and shooed me off through the gate to claim my luggage.

Exiting the airport, our group was immediately ushered to our tour bus where we were met by our trip guide, Pitch ("Peach”), an Israeli gentleman in his 60’s. He greeted us in Hebrew and in English, remaining quite stoic as he made witty jokes: *spoken in a deep, Israeli accent* “Many of you by now have already forgotten how a bed looks like....” or "Please walk quickly, boys and girls, we have a long drive! You see....this is why it took the children of Israel 40 years in the desert."

Driving three hours from Tel Aviv to our hotel off the Sea of Galilee, Pitch managed to keep us (mostly) awake with his animated stories and commentary on the sights around us, including the traffic and roadways. Taking the toll road up to Galilee – the fastest and most direct way of travel – we were still met by thick traffic, as Thursday evening in Israel (the day before Sabbath) is like Friday in the US and is the heaviest traffic day of the week. With surprisingly westernized highway systems, Israeli vehicles travel on the right side of the road and follow traffic regulations and signs quite similar to those in America. However, the driving etiquette observed on our way from the airport served to be quite a source of entertainment.

To say the least, Israeli driving is more aggressive than anything you see in the USA. Houston rush hour traffic now appears mild. Honking constantly in mobs of thick stop-and-go is mandatory. Changing lanes occurs with no blinker or any pre-warning to the driver beside you. Cutting people off, or even ‘out’ of the road in some cases, is not rude, it’s just driving. In fact, missing your exit does not even mean you must fix your mistake by way of a looping overpass. Simply reversing back down the exit ramp, probably into oncoming traffic, will suffice. (This WAS indeed seen on many occasions, and experienced on our own bus when our driver missed a turn on a two-lane highway!) Israeli’s are quite efficient, really.

Around 8 pm -- already 3.5 hours past sunset -- we arrived at our hotel, the "Kibbutz Ginosar" on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. A three-course gourmet Israeli meal was enjoyed -- which became our routine for breakfast and dinner every day (Yes. We were spoiled.). We ate while our bags were unloaded off the bus and dropped in our rooms by the porters. Luckily, I'm a very adventurous eater, and quickly piled everything colorful and appealing on my plate to sample different tastes.

Course 2, of 4: Freshly baked pita with hummas ("HOOM-as), stuffed eggplant, 

fresh cucumber salad with dill, green salad, spicy carrots (a popular dish), 

fish from the Sea of Galilee (only yards from our hotel), chicken with sesame 

seed sauce, chicken over rice with honey sauce

Everything was delicious! In fact, there wasn't a single type of food I ate in Israel that I didn't like (including airplane meals!). I tried everything, too -- I mean, EVERYTHING. With full bellies and drooping eyelids, my roommate and I walked from the main office after dinner and straight to our room in a building across the lawn from the dining room.

Never one to hit the clean sheets without a shower, I had my first experience with Israeli plumbing the first night. Everything looked just like a normal hotel shower: white porcelain tub with white tile behind it, normal shower curtain, and waiting with a rack of clean towels. But looks can be deceiving -- or unobservant, jet lagged Americans can be stupid. I turned the water hot, and pulled the lever that released the water through the shower head. Walking outside the bathroom for less than 20 seconds, I grabbed my PJ's out of my suitcase and walked back in the bathroom to find the floor filling with water! I jerked the water off immediately and started laughing to my roommate, Jessica, to come look. (Jess, a natural blonde herself, had her first exposure to her roommate's "true blonde" roots!) We figured out that the shower head (a removable hose that pivots) was attached very loosely to the wall and didn't properly stay in position with the water on.

Israeli's, obviously, never make the mistake it did, since the tub was not outfitted with a splash guard, causing the water to spray against the back tile and gush over the back of the shower like a waterfall. I mopped up the puddle, and *carefully* proceeded with my shower, making a mental note to first examine the shower head at future hotels.

Bedtime routines safely complete, we flicked off the lights and were asleep before our heads hit our pillows. It was a good thing. We had a long day ahead of us...