Israel Study Tour - Hope Fellowship Frisco TX

February 24 - March 7, 2019

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To stand in that place

Today was spent in the desert. First thing in the morning we went to Masada, a stronghold built in ancient times to help protect Israel from being conquered after throwing off Greek rule. The very condensed version of it’s story: later in Roman times, Herod helped Rome to conquer the area. He became the king and became extremely rich, but some time after he died, there was another rebellion. The Romans were expelled, but only for a short time. A few years later they came back in to reconquer, destroyed Jerusalem, and killed or enslaved the Jewish people. One small group fled to Masada and managed to survive a Roman siege for about three years (it was a very good stronghold). That is until the Romans finally got the bright idea to build a siege ramp. The more stones the Jewish people threw, the more was added to the ramp. Knowing they were about to be defeated and enslaved, the leader of the group convinced everyone that it was better to die than live in slavery, so after destroying all the goods inside the fortress, 10 men were chosen to kill all the rest - about 1000 people. They then chose one to kill the other 9, who then killed himself. It is a tragic story, but when it was discovered, it became a symbol of Jewish independence. I hope I didn’t butcher the history too badly, but I was trying to make it short.

It was pretty amazing to stand in that place and to hear its story, to understand what made it so important, to look out on the desert and to feel how hopeless the Jewish people must have felt seeing the Roman army come closer and closer and believing that their only options were slavery or death.

Masada

The summit of Masada sits 190 feet (59 m) above sea level and about 1,500 feet (470 m) above the level of the Dead Sea. The mountain itself is 1950 feet (610 m) long, 650 feet (200 m) wide, 4,250 feet (1330 m) in circumference, and encompasses 23 acres. The “Snake Path” climbs 900 feet (280 m) in elevation. From the west, the difference in height is 225 feet (70 m).

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After that incredible but saddening experience, we went in the opposite direction and experienced another part of living in a desert - riding a camel! We had to pair up and very carefully climb on (under close supervision), then our guides took us on a (short) walk right into the desert! Some of the camels were pretty stubborn, and kept wanting to stop and graze, but the guides kept them moving pretty well, and it was really fun. Can’t imagine having to be on one on a full day’s walk through the desert in summer heat though! After the ride we learned about the hospitality culture here, specifically in our case of Bedouin people, whose camp we were in. We talked about how important sharing food and drink together is and were challenged to bring that way of thinking into our own lives.

In the last part of the afternoon, we had another treat. Our current hotel is right on the Dead Sea, and today was the day we got to go in! Most of us didn’t stay in the water very long, because it was a tad cold (it is winter after all), but it was cool to float so easily in water that is so much more salty than anything most of us have ever experienced. Plus - being in the Dead Sea!!!

We have seen so many interesting places, and heard so many stories (we have an incredible tour guide) since we got here that it’s hard to believe it’s only our second day. The last two days have been amazing, and if they’re saving the best for last, I can’t imagine what the rest of our time is going to be like!

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