A Note from Katy...

If there is one thing you need to know about before planning your next trip to the Holy Land, it's: STAIRS. Stairs are everywhere! (I suppose when building cities atop mountains, this is the result.)

Stairs and I have not always been as close as we are now. And to be honest, we're not all that close now. About three weeks before I was scheduled to leave for Tel Aviv, I began a diet and workout plan to help myself get ready primarily for the travel and also for the walking. Little did I know that those three weeks would be the most important thing about my entire Holy Land tour.

Perhaps you are one of those people who runs every day or does yoga before your morning coffee or only uses egg whites. Well, I'll try to love you anyway. My body and I have never been great friends. I had, in fact, almost given up hope that we might ever be reconciled to one another, much less in a place filled with physical hurdles. But those weeks of preparation, and more importantly the results of those three weeks, have taken my relationship with my body to new heights. Literally.

Every step I take here in the Holy Land has been a reminder of the resiliency of the human body and the Holy Spirit. Each set of stairs and every inclined cobbled street and even the ancient roads of the Roman ruins are a physical reminder of where I have come from and where I am going. When I finish one of these "accomplishments" (for example, reaching the top of a long line of stair-steps) my heart is filled with joy and pride and wonder.

I have always been more confident in my spiritual self than in my physical self. But somehow in the work of conditioning my outer body, God has been at work conditioning my inner spirit. As a favorite poet of mine says: "He's found beauty in what doesn't seem beautiful."

More than any others, there has been one set of stairs that has meant the most to me. A small set of stairs, leading up out of a pit in the lower section of Caiaphus' house. Some 2000 years ago or a little less, Jesus was thrown into this pit before his final execution. It is a pit of darkness, a pit of despair, a pit of humiliation and pain. And yet it is the pit of God himself.

Out of my own pit, I have cried unto the Lord and here in the countless steps of the Holy Land, he has inclined and heard my cry.

Step by step, I am revealing an inner strength, discovering possibilities long buried under self-recrimination. It's time to come up out of the pit.

A Note from Becky...

We had a little easier day today. Not quite so rushed and not as many sites visited. We only went to three places and spent more time at each spot. It was still an incredible day. The Judean wilderness is beautiful. Even though it is barren it is so pretty. It stretches on and on for miles and it seems like you can see forever.

I really enjoyed Masada. I had no idea what would be there but again, it was a really high mountain in the wilderness where you could see for miles. It seems impossible that people, over 2.000 years ago, were able to accomplish all they did in this spot.

Katy and I had fun in the Dead Sea even though we didn't go "floating." The water feels so weird. It is like really soft water. It makes your skin feel so soft when you get out. And the bottom of the Sea is slippery and somewhat like oily mud. It was glumpy.

That's all for tonight....Good Night :)

Becky

A Note from the Holy Land Band…

Today was the day we chose an "optional" adventure to Masada and the Dead Sea. We began the day with a stop overlooking the Judean wilderness.

Judean Wilderness

We recalled the story of the good Samaritan, which traditionally takes place on a road in the Judean wilderness. Wisam suggested that this is truly a parable, not a true story, because many things about the biblical story would not make sense in reality.

On the way to the overlook, we saw many Bedouin communities along the mountainside and when we stopped, many men approached us selling beaded necklaces, scarves and camel or donkey rides. The children with them were selling bracelets and one boy really wanted Becky's pen. (So much so we had to grab it back from him when he took it!) Another boy, the youngest, rode a donkey and was very sweet... if you gave him a piece of candy. ;-)

Masada

After the overlook, we went on to Masada National Park. After the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, Jews fled to the ancient fortress of Masada. When the Roman

troops finally surrounded Masada, the Jewish zealots convinced everyone inside the walls to kill their families and themselves, rather than to become slaves to the Romans.

The ruins were very interesting (and very large) which Katy found out first hand when she somehow lost the group. Luckily, she and two OTHER people lost the group together, so they just took in the sites until they finally reconnected with the rest of the red bus. :-)

Dead Sea

After lunch in Qumeran (where we spent some time a couple days ago) we headed to the Dead Sea. At the beach, we each ventured into the water -- some up to our ankles, some all the way in.

The Dead Sea is about 42 miles long and 10 miles wide. It is about 29% salt which is 9 times saltier than the ocean! This makes the water very good for your body and skin. Although the deepest part is around 1200 ft, the water is mostly shallow, an average of 300 ft deep.

Interesting tidbit: Birds never fly over the dead sea... which makes sense of course, since there are no fish!

Compared to most of our days, today was a relaxing time. We're looking forward to a slightly later start tomorrow morning before we visit Princess Basma Hospital, see a few sights, and finish in worship with everyone at the Garden Tomb. And then it's time to pack things up and head to Jordan for our extension!

Our hearts and prayers continue to be with the people of Egypt as well as the people in this area who are in the midst of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Please remember this area and us as we are here!