Day 01 - Beersheba, Ein Avdat, Camel Ride, Makhtesh Ramon

The Lord blessed us with 44 negative COVID results to start the trip, can we get an amen?! We spent the entire day going south into the Negeb desert.

We began at 7am after a lovely breakfast and discussion of God’s call for Abram to “go forth”. This was a catalyst for a day of learning and meditating on the blessing of God’s word and the opportunity to be here in His promised land. 

We started our hike at Be’er Sheba where God began telling of the promises of his people to Abram after he was obedient to his calling to “go forth”. We learned how Abram’s obedience has significance to us, as descendants of Abraham. And we learned how we, as children of God, play our part to affect the future generations. 

We then continued south to Avdat Canyon located in the Desert of Zin (a place where Moses would have led the Israelite people through as they left Egypt). Here, we focused on Moses’ seasons of life and how each one led to the next in only a way that God could formulate, therefore allowing us to process the implications of that in our own lives. The views were spectacular, the stairs were steep, and our months of training definitely played a part in this hike!! Truly remarkable and such a blessing to experience. This trek even ended with an exhilarating camel ride!!

Our third and last stop of the day was to the Super Bowl in Maktesh Ramon. No, this isn’t the same spot that the Lions have yet to see, but rather a beautiful masterpiece smack dab in the desert. We couldn’t make it to Mount Sinai today, so this hike was a great representation of Moses’ several climbs up and down Mount Sinai to speak with God. What a reminder of the blessing it is to have access to the King of the Universe through God’s word. 

Our first day was one for the books, and we are so thankful for the ways God has provided thus far, and will continue to work. Please continue to pray for our health and safety throughout the next two weeks. Thank you to everyone who has loved and supported us and allowed us to get here! Pop back in tomorrow for more updates on this life changing experience.

Megan Markel