Israel In-Depth Study Tour - Yearley

March 13-24, 2017

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Wilderness and Water

After a good night's sleep, I woke up at 5 am this morning to an amazing view of the Dead Sea, which is by the way, the lowest place on the surface of the earth (approximately 1,400 ft below sea level)!! That's pretty epic!

Looking out into this over-salted lake, it is really a Dead Sea! It's an eery thought that no fish can live in it and no animals can quench their thirst in it, yet despite this obvious flaw, there is always purpose and beauty in everything God creates. One might think it's a useless lake, but in fact, people come from all over the world for it's healing properties and not only is salt produced, but surprisingly the world's major source of magnesium and potassium comes from here that are used in most of our medicines! How amazing is that...God was thinking of every detail before he even created us!

Day 2 was packed with cool and challenging adventures that I can't really pinpoint which was my highlight! Our morning hike through Ein Avdat (similar to Zion) was pretty spectacular as we ascended up a canyon and climbed up hundreds of steps carved into the cliff and up ladders to the very top. It was even more amazing to watch Kim Flanigan make it to the top when she wasn't sure if she should even try! That was certainly a highlight in itself...way to go Kim!! If only that hike was another hour long! The ice cream awaiting us at the top was a great incentive!

Our bus journey continued an hour and a half away where we got to ride camels and that was a new one for me...such a comical animal to look at and to be on! We had great fun trying staying on top of our camels as they lifted us up high off the ground and balancing up top their humps! In all honesty, it was much too short and I wished we weren't all bungee corded together - I was really hoping they would let us go galloping across the desert! At the same place, we also had the opportunity to experience Bedouin hospitality in a ginormous tent where we sat and was served traditional hot sweet mint tea and coffee by a kind Bedouin man. Our tour guide, Ronin, explained how far back the tradition of this type of hospitality dates back to Abraham's time, when strangers strolling through the desert would not only be invited for an afternoon tea, but would be welcomed to stay for as long as they needed. Can you imagine if we did that in our culture today?? What I took away from that is that it's important, as Christ followers, to exercise hospitality by inviting people we don't know well to have a meal in our homes and build relationships with those who don't know Jesus, and make an effort to show Jesus's love through that action.

Throughout the day, we were blessed by Pastor Michael's teachings in regards to our location. Being in the Wilderness of Zin where Abraham and Moses were called to live was mind blowing! I wondered why is it in the desert we find God?? The question can be both literal pertaining to the Bible, and metaphorical in our own lives as we apply it. When I would read about God calling Abraham, Moses or Jesus out into the desert I always wondered why there?? It's a place that's arid, hard to find water, nothing grows there so there's no food source, the terrain is brutal, not to mention HOT!! But after listening to Pastor Michael's lessons today, the answer was revealed in a new and personal way because we were actually there experiencing it ourselves! Being there in the quietness and stillness of it, I can see how the Wilderness of the desert is the ideal place to "wander" as a means to get your mind straight with God. There are no trees to hide yourself, you're completely exposed and vulnerable, your fears heighten, your strength weakens and when all these elements eventually break you down you finally come to your senses that you do need God in every aspect of your life...emotionally, physically and spiritually to save you from yourself! We can continue to grumble and be disobedient to God about our circumstances which will lead us wandering longer in the desert as the Israelites did when they rebelled against God when all the while He was leading them to the Promised Land! Seeing it from that perspective, I can so be that way!!

Ein Avdat

The Nahal Zin was the southern border of the land of Canaan that was promised to the Israelites. Numbers 34:3-4 (KJV) “Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward: And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon.”

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Here were my takeaways:

- It's so easy to grumble - we will follow if it makes sense. When we don't, we wander for a long time and miss out on God's blessing that awaits us.

- God pursues us in the times we are in the desert. He tests us to completely trust Him. What's in your heart? Don't live on bread alone but on the word of God. Our lives depend on our obedience. Spiritual lesson - we need to listen and follow.

- God does his best in the wilderness. He gives us His strength to go on and gives us an experience to move forward to take risks and sacrifices. Clears out the idols in your life.

- The Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to fast and pray for 40 days. The Spirit provided in his needs. Man cannot live in bread alone.

- Moses struck the rock in anger instead of speaking to it as God instructed. God wanted the water to be about trusting in Him, not to trust in the water.

- Trees by streams of water - roots are going deep into the rocks to find water. How do we grow in God's word. The Bible was made to be understood- what is it to you? We pick and choose what we like. If you don't go deep during times of drought, then you can't survive.

- The people were taken into the wilderness to trust in God before they go into the Promise Land.

Lastly...floating in the Dead Sea was an once in a lifetime experience!! Being here in Israel is my dream trip and it's truly a blessing to be here! Looking forward to the next 8 days of exploring this country, learning about this Nation - past and present, and what The Lord wants to teach me while I'm here.

Blessings,
Mary Girgis

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