Things aren’t always as they appear

Today we started at the Salt Sea.  Amazing to be in a place that’s mentioned so many times in the Bible. We were reminded that while the Salt Sea looks like fresh water - refreshing in the hot desert - things aren’t always as they appear.  

We headed to Ein Gedi, where David hid when he was pursued by Saul.  We traveled up a small valley and found a water source. We learned about Living Water as compared to cistern water.  

We traveled north to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947.  We learned about how the ancient texts were copied and preserved.  We experienced community as we helped each other hike up the side of a mountain with caves and peered into one that once held a copy of Isaiah from 2000 years ago.  The hike was challenging - and we arrived back at the base tired and feeling a sense of accomplishment.

We left Qumran and continued our travels 2 hours northward to a kibbutz where we’ll stay the next four nights.  It’s different than a hotel - and we’ll share more about it in a future blog.