Adonai Roi Lo Echsar (The Lord is My Shepherd)

It’s not everyday you start off climbing the caves that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in. Our group started off the day in Qumran, which is home to the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Today a special guest joined us on our hike. Joel, a friend of Ben and Stacie’s came with us to share his wisdom of the Bible and the archaeological facts behind the Bible. Joel taught us that there is proof in the fact that God and the text both tell us about the ancient text and the unforeseeable future. One way the unforeseeable future was told in the way of Isaiah is recording all the prophecies of the Messiah and then Jesus fulfilling them.

Next up on our adventure we headed to Jericho. Joel told us all about the politics and the secular archeologists who don’t pay attention to the biblical facts found right in the walls. The excavated walls had spots where they were covered in ash where the city was burned in the Bible story. It was incredible to see how passionate Joel was about the truth of the Bible. When we headed out from Jericho, we made a quick stop on our way to see a sycamore tree, just like the one Zaccheaus climbed.

Next up was the Judean Wilderness. We hiked up to the top of the canyon where we could see the road all the way from Jericho to Jerusalem, the place where the story of the Good Samaritan took place. We were able to see a shepherd with his herd of goats across a breathtaking view. A verse we memorized “Adonai Roi Lo Echsar” means the Lord is my shepherd, I am in need of nothing.

Tonight was the night we got to make our way to Jerusalem. Soon after we got to our hotel we were blessed to hear from an Israeli man and a Palestinian man who have a great friendship. Tensions can run high between Israel and Palestine. These guys are extremely passionate about finding peace and remaining peaceful throughout the conflict. They both lost daughters because of the conflict. These men truly exemplify what it means to love your neighbor.
Honestly this day was a bit challenging for me. The hike up Qumran was tough but with the help and encouragement from people on my team I conquered it. Later in the day when we were in the Judean Wilderness I was completely exhausted. I prayed for more energy. Once we got to our stopping place, Ben asked for eight volunteers to act out the Good Samaritan story, which is one of my favorite stories. I decided to volunteer especially because I needed something to boost my energy. I got assigned to be the beaten up man in the story. Right when Ben read the line about the Samaritan helping the beaten up man and helping him ride on his donkey, a man from the area appeared, with his donkey. The man helped me on his donkey and we were able to act out an even more realistic version of the story. It was such an incredible moment. This was exactly the energy boost I needed right when I was feeling exhausted. If we rely on God and follow him, he will fulfill us. “Adonai Roi Lo Echsar”. The Lord is my shepherd, I am in need of nothing.

-Valerie Brda