Hi, Rick,
Another great day in the
land where Jesus walked. We left Tiberias this morning and headed to Beat
Shean just south south of the Sea of Galilee. There is an amazing
excavation of a Roman city located there. Nearby, on a hill, is the biblical
city of Beat Shean. This is where the bodies of Saul and Jonathan were
brought from the battlefield of Mount Gilboa (nearby) and hung on its walls (1
Samuel 31).
We entered the West Bank
territory and drove south through the Jordan Valley. I noted a great
disparity between Israeli towns and Arab towns in terms of cleanliness.
We drove past Jericho and then arrived at the spot which is believed to
be where the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land, Elijah was
taken up in a chariot of fire and Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.
I stood in the Jordan River, but was not dunked. Also, the Spirit
in the form of a dove did not come down upon me. The Heavenly Father,
however, is pleased that I am His son (but only because I am united by faith
with His Son, Jesus).
Next, we headed to
Qumran, home of the Dead Sea scrolls. There is a beautiful view of the
Dead Sea and the Judean desert from Qumran. Speaking of beautiful views, we
will head for Masada tomorrow morning after a dip, er, float, in the Dead Sea.
Trust me- you do not want to “dip” in the Dead Sea. The
salt content will burn your eyes, and if you swallow any water, you have to be
taken to a hospital. Also, while picture of the Dead Sea area are
beautiful, what they do not reveal is that it stinks. The whole area
smells like sulphur.
I am currently holed up
in my room at the David Dead Sea Resort and Spa. We will be gathering
soon to celebrate a Shabbat (Sabbath) dinner together. Hopefully, my new
system of a combination of emails with text pictures from my iPhone will solve
the report home problems. That is, of course, assuming I always remember
to snap photos with my iPhone too.
I will text you a couple
of photos from the Jordan River site. [Those pictures follow this message. – Rick] I forgot to take iPhone pics at
Qumran.
I guess that just means
you’re all going to have to wait for the full report when I get back home.
Grace and peace,
PD