A Really Good Day

    We got to go on a bonus field trip on Friday! It was probably one of the best days I've had so far. I seem to say that after every field trip or outing but it's true! It just keeps getting better every day. I can't wait to see what's in store for the next 3 months!

    This was one of the few times we were able to go into the West Bank. I was shocked at the stark contrast between that and the rest of Israel. It was dirtier, poorer, shabbier, and a lot more brown. The more and more I learn about the conflict in this country, the more and more I feel confused. I have no idea what to think about the whole situation. 

   We took a quick stop at the tree that Zaccheus climbed to see Jesus walk by. Jesus called him down and told him he would be staying in Zaccheus' house that night. The moral of the story: you can't just watch Jesus pass by, you have to invite him into your life. If you want to read the whole story it is in Luke 19. 

     On to Jericho!!! Also known as the City of Palm Trees, it is an oasis in the desert. In just 17 miles, we went from 2,550 feet above sea level to 1,200 feet below sea level. That is a drop of 3,750 feet!! Talk about plugged ears. I was amazed at how many trees there were! It really did look like a paradise. The actual Tel was not very impressive. In fact, it was kind of a mess. There were 3 different groups who had taken a shot at it and it didn't fare well. But, having studied it before hand, we saw some really cool things that you would never notice unless you had an awesome professor pointing them out to you. But one thing that was super cool was this awesome tower from the Neolithic Period. It is the oldest man made structure that has been discovered. 

You can't really see the palm trees as well as I wanted. 

This is taken from the exact same spot just the other direction. You can tell the difference between the desert and oasis in the picture above. 

     If you don't know the story of Rahab, you should look it up! It's in Joshua 2. Rahab was a harlot who hid Joshua's spies and helped them escape from Jericho. In return, her and her family were granted safety from the Israelite attack. She may seem like a small part of the Bible. She helped them, they helped her and that was that. Take a look in Matthew 1:5 and think Rachab. It is amazing how time and time again the Lord shows that He uses imperfect people to fulfill perfect plans. 

     Right across the street from Jericho was Elisha's spring. This is the water source for the entire city anciently and modernly. This is really amazing because the spring does not look that big! It was really pretty though. This is the water that Elisha healed with salt. This story is in 2 Kings 2 I believe. 

There it is in all it's glory! That waters an entire city!!

I'm drinking the waters from Elisha's spring! 

     Our next stop was Herod's Winter Palace. This was a super fun site! Ancient ruins are so common here that they just don't care about them. We pulled over to the side of the road, walked down a hill, and bam! There was Herod's Winter Palace. It's just in the middle of a field. We could climb around on the walls and touch all the pillars. It was so cool! This is the place where Herod the Great died. 

There are herds of goats and sheep everywhere here.

The walls of his palace

The goats were just chillin' on the walls. This gives you a good feel for how common the ruins are. Literally, no cares that these are from 2,000 years ago.

Herod's Sauna

A piece of the tile floor still left in the dining room. 

    On the way back to the center, we stopped at the Wadi Qelt. From the top of the Wadi (Valley) we could see from Jerusalem to Jericho. We also were able to look down at the trails leading through the valley that would have been taken anciently. This was one of the prettiest views!! Breathtaking. 

     Here we talked about the Good Samaritan. There are so many things in the story that I passed over that make all the difference. The man was stripped at beaten. There was no indication as to class or ethnicity. The first two people to pass by, the Levite and the priest, were the ones who would be expected to stop and help. That was their duty. Instead, they found reasons why they were too busy to stop and help. The Samaritan however, hated by many in the region, was the one who put aside his own needs to help others. We need to make sure that we are not finding excuses as to why we can't help others. Everyone is busy so we need to be the ones to take the time to serve and love our neighbor. 

There is a monastery built into the side of the mountain

Look at that view

    Believe it or not, all of this happened before lunch! We headed back to the center, ate lunch, and then started our next adventure. The center makes hygiene and school kits to give to the community as part of their contract to have the Center here. We were able to make 1.850 hygiene kits in one hour! It was such a fun activity and I can't wait for the next one. It is also really cool being able to see and know the area it is going to. 

    To end our day/welcome in the sabbath, we got to go to the Western Wall. This was by far the most amazing thing I have done so far. The Western Wall is important to the Jewish people for several reasons. It is the only thing remaining of their temple. All Jews pray towards the wall and so to be there, touching the wall, as close as you can get to the temple is very special. Welcoming in the Sabbath is a very joyous occasion for the Jews. There was singing and dancing and praying. The men and women are separated by a wall. At first, the women were only praying while the men were singing loudly. I was a little disappointed and wished I could go to the other side. But then a group of teenage girls came and started singing and dancing in a circle. As they kept going, more and more girls joined them. They were so welcoming! Clearly we had no idea what they were saying or doing but they would see us standing there and grab our hands and pull us in. We were laughing and singing and having a great time! I did not want it to end. I wish we could go every week but unfortunately we can't. Also, we couldn't take pictures because it is considered work and strictly against the rules of the Sabbath. However, I have pictures from another day that I can post. Just imagine the sides full of people!

    That, my friends, is what I call a really good day. 

Until my next adventure,

Lindy