Desert, Sea, and Feast

Our second night we ended with a fireside chat/ story telling session about the creation. The setting was so peaceful as we all and relaxed before heading to our tents for bed.

The next morning the early riser hiked up the mountains to see the sun rise. What a beautiful sight! After breakfast there were camels outside waiting on us. We all took camel rides through the deserts. Dr. Greer found a nice spot for us to get off the camels and walk up through the desert sands towards the mountains. We walked about 50 feet through the sand, which took a lot of work. This provided us with a new perspective on how much energy and time it had to take Biblical characters to walk through the desert. On top of that, all the mountains looked the same. There were no signs to let us know which mountain we were at. I guess it really isn’t that hard to wonder through the desert, lost, going in circles. At the bottom of the mountain we created our own little sanctuary, and had Sunday morning worship.

Then we went on Jeep rides through the desert. We got to meet shepherds caring for their animals. After that we headed for Israel. Before our arrival, we saw the Red Sea. We even saw Egypt on the other side of the sea. Once we got to customs, most of us had to have our bags searched through because apparently traveling with books is alarming.

After all of us cleared. We went to the lowest place on earth and floated in the Dead Sea. The water was so thick, that if you tried to sit down the water tipped you over on your back and made you float to the top. There is literally no way to drown in the Dead Sea. The sea itself won’t let you. If you are standing in there water, the salt is so hard that it is almost impossible to walk through without some kind of water shoe or protection. Once we got out of the water most people’s skin burned and others skin felt like it was covered in mud. When the water dried on our bodies you could see the salt on our skin.

We ended our evening with a feast in Israel, set up for the royal family, us GRTS students that is. Well it really was a buffet style dinner that anyone could partake in at our hotel. It just sound more biblical to have a feast to end the night. Anyway, everyone had fun and agreed that it was good. “And the evening and the morning was the second day.”