City in the Red Rocks

After our buses struggled up into the mountains I wondered if we would have to come back down those same curving roads. Soon I saw we were to stay up near the clouds as we passed through Madaba and continued along the ancient King's Highway. There are many villages scattered all over the mountain sides of Jordan - men and women and children are easy to see along the roadsides. Men and women wear head coverings. Mosques are everywhere; in the morning and evening we can hear the prayers of the Muslim people streaming in the open air over loud speakers. In the evenings men sit in small groups outside restaurants or on front stoops drinking tea and smoking. Women and children herd goats and sheep and camels are hitched to posts here and there.

Today we went down to Petra. Some of us walked down while others rode carriages. The guide showing my group around pointed out ancient statues for worship of the gods as well as ruins of rock-wall dams which helped control flash floods. He also pointed out sky bridges and petroglyphs among the soft and vibrantly colored sandstone walls. When it came time to walk around the corner to see the most famous sight of Petra, the treasury (and perhaps disspell our misconceptions), he lined us up single file telling us to cover our eyes. One by one we walked forward opening our eyes to see stunning, carved architecture. Several of us rode camels at Petra or hiked up to see more monuments.

Mosaics

Our first stop in a modern Jordanian village was Madaba where we learned about the Byzantine style mosaic craft. Local disabled villagers are employed by this growing business and we, along with other visitors from around the world, were able to admire their art and even bring some home to the States.

Bethany beyond the Jordan

Today in the distance, looking back over to the Holy Land, Jericho was pointed out to us; when archaeologists excavated the ruins they noted how the wall had fallen inward instead of crumbling as usual. We arrived in Bethany where Elijah was taken up to heaven. This part of our journey was very hot as we walked out to a spot on the Jordan River where, our Saviour, Jesus Christ was baptized by his cousin John the Baptist.

On to Mount Nebo - as our motor coaches strained their way up steep grades, we were on our way to see the traditional burial site for Moses. Traveling across endless desert mountain and valley vistas in all directions, Aaron's burial site was noted also. Now 800 meters above sea level, we sang and prayed together. Sadly Mount Nebo is the location where Moses looked down into the Promised Land not being permitted by the Lord to enter into it before his death because of his anger towards his fellow Israelites.

Border Crossing: Crossing the River Jordan

This morning began at 6:00 a.m. as we prepared to cross the River Jordan into the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Starting out at 100 meters below sea level at the Sea of Galilee, the day only went downhill from there, literally - we made our way to the Dead Sea (400 meters below sea level and the lowest point on earth). Although the "no-man's-land" between Israel and Jordan along the river is still fruitful, there is a noticeable climate difference between the two nations.

Most of us said we were surprised and even troubled by the immediately obvious disparities between the neighboring nations. One woman in looking out over the Jordan River Valley rightly quoted scripture about Israel saying, "the land flowing with milk and honey". Our tour guides in both countires pointed out one of the major difficulties in the Middle East - water use.

At the border crossing we were not permitted to use our cameras and much of the experience required the fourth fruit of the Spirit. Even though a Peace Treaty is in place between Israel and Jordan and there is a Free Trade Agreement between Jordan and the United States, tension remains - barbed wire fences, soldiers with weapons, and watch towers. We submitted our passports and luggage to be stamped and inspected. I often wonder what this land was like while Jesus and John the Baptist as well as Elija and Moses lived here.

St. Peter's Fish & The River Jordan

Tonight we are looking forward to seeing how Jews prepare for the Sabbath (sundown on Fri. 'til sundown on Sat.). In late afternoon stores and restaurants close up and families begin to wind down (no work) before sharing in the Shabbat dinner, which we will join also.

Early this morning we arrived at the Mount of the Beatitudes - where Jesus shared his ideas about life (the Sermon on the Mount). We all took time to reflect on our time in Israel so far as well as what God might want to share with us. We are becoming closer as a group and were very excited to visit the Jordan River. Several of us hiked around beneath a canopy of lush trees to see the source of the Jordan as well as Tel Dan. We saw an ancient flower mill of a wealthy man and the city gate where the king and societal leaders sat to carry out court-hearings. Tels are several layers deep containing the remains of thousands of years of cultures, one upon another.

Our group became more excited as we nervously prepared many in our group to be baptized - some people were re-committing their lives to Christ and God while other men and women made first time public professions of faith. Lastly we stopped to see (traditional site) where Jesus appeared for the 3rd time to His disciples, inviting them to cast their nets again on the other side of their boat and join Him for breakfast.

Via Maris & Tiberious

The very first thing most of us did today was step out onto our balconies to take in the Sea of Galilee shimmering below the hot sun. After breakfast we climbed aboard a boat crossing the water, singing hymns together, and watching a demonstration of how Peter might have cast his net. Ending up near Capernaum, we viewed a 2,000-year-old boat excavated out of the muddy sea banks ~20 years ago. In Capernaum we remembered how Jesus fed the 5,000 and looked at the ruins, possibly even Peter's house. In ancient history, the Via Maris was a significant trade route running from Alexandria, Egypt straight through Israel to Damascus, Syria; on our first full day we drove along a portion of this road. Here we learned about Meggido or the location of Armaggedon.

Over in Caesarea we sat high up in the half moon-shaped theater singing. We learned how the wind from the Mediterranean helps to carry the sound of voices from the stage up into the crowd. We hiked down among the ruins Herod the Great was responsible for to see the Med. and an engineering marvel - the remains of a 11 mile aquaduct. Today, we all agree, was awe-filled as we took in the Holy Land which we had only read about before.

PDX to Tel Aviv, Israel

Mid-morning on March 25th, most of our 60 member BCC/ KPDQ tour group began checking in at PDX in Portland, Oregon where we began our 14-hour Delta airlines trip to Tel Aviv, Israel. Along the way a few of us flew through NYC while others stopped over in Cincinati, OH and Atlanta, GA before crossing the Atlantic Ocean. For some this was there very first international flight! Upon arriving on the East Coast of the United States, night was falling and for a short time star constellations were visible to us from our transatlantic 777 plane. Due to time zone changes, before long the sun was rising; obviously not when any of our bodies expected or hoped for. Several hours later, after flying over Ireland, France, Italy (snow covered Alps were easy to see), the Mediterainian Sea, and Greece (maybe even Crete), we all eagerly awaited our final destination. With wheels touching down safely on the tarmack a unanimous round of applause broke out; the date now being March 26th.

Once everyone had gathered luggage and passed through immigration & customs, we stepped up into one of two buses (Pink & Green); my parents and I are on the Pink bus. Our driver Joseph (or Josie, as Israelies like to say) has 25 years of bus driving experience, while our tour guide, Michael (Mikey) has 35 years of guide experience and personal international travel to Europe, the States, and beyond. With an excellent mix of modern, historical, and biblical commentary, Mikey spoke to us as we rode to our hotel in Tiberias beside the Sea of Galilee. Following a beautiful and flavorful buffet, we all headed off to bed so we could wakeup with the sound of our 6:30 a.m. wake-up call.

My name is Leslie Dieterle and hopefully I will be able to share a bit from our experiences here in the Holy Land with all of you back home. Please know your family and friends on our tour are well and enjoying themselves, but we are praying for you. Will you pray for us?