Day 02 - Wadi Zohar, Masada, Ein Gedi, Dead Sea Swim

Hello!! We started off the day with an exciting little adventure. As we quickly jumped off the bus, we began our descent into Wadi Zohar. A wadi is a canyon formed by runoff and we learned that the rushing waters can be as large as 70ft! This means that Wadi Zohar can be a very dangerous place, but only if it is raining in Jerusalem. Thankfully, we knew there was no rain today, so it was completely safe (thank the Lord!). As we climbed down the wadi, we learned what it means to be a shepherd in the desert. We saw how the Lord is our Shepherd and He will sustain us. That He changes us for the better when we find rest in Him. As we kept hiking for the rest of the day, we kept in mind how the Lord provides just enough for the day. 

Afterwards, we made it to Masada where we saw the ruins of one of King Herod’s palaces. This is also the place where rebel Jews hid from the Roman’s a hundred years later. The history was absolutely amazing, but we couldn’t help but note the stark differences of this enormous palace and the shepherds of the wadi, how these were people who were overfed and unconcerned (Ezekiel 16) with plenty of cisterns and storehouses, rather than depending on the Lord. 

From there, we headed over to En Gedi (which means spring of the wild goat, and we saw many Ibex up close!). After hiking all day in 90 degree heat, it was amazing to jump into the waters of En Gedi to refresh our souls! We read about David in 1 Samuel 24 and how he hid from King Saul in that very region. Honestly, I would hide in the desert oasis too! 

Finally, after a long day of hiking, we ended the day by floating in the Dead Sea! We always heard how you can easily float in the sea but it was amazing to experience it for ourselves. We also quickly realized any scrapes or cuts we had as it burned in the water. Overall, it has been an eventful day and we are excited to relax/reflect as we prepare for tomorrow.