Day 03 - Part 2 in the Negev Desert

Day three (already?!) began with our departure from the Dead Sea, heading North and stopping in Ein Gedi. This treasured oasis is strewn with acacia trees and brush, has a substantial water supply, and even a tribe of Ibek goats that roam the premises who were surprisingly not scared of humans. Here we relived the story of David truly practicing the way: showing kindness and sparing Saul in the caves despite his quest to kill him. We ended with some quiet time to pray, reread those scriptures, and examine the impact of who you’re worshipping has on your life.

Our next stop was at Qumran, where we learned of the procurement of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the surrounding community. The fact that the same texts from thousands of years ago are being read and still felt so profoundly today was really evident there. Despite flash flood warnings, as crazy American tourists do, we took a quick walk through a Wadi as well.

After an outdoor picnic lunch, we began the drive out of the desert and through lush hills up to the Sea of Galilee, with a stop at the murky, but peaceful Jordan River and in Jericho. We arrived to our bungalows just in time for a sunset stroll or a nap (two types of people), followed by dinner in our new seafront hotel. Stoked for a day on the water tomorrow!