Looking into the Promised Land

We thank God for another beautiful sunny morning to wake up to in Jordan! The air here is so clean and fresh here! The Old Village hotel is so quaint and the food is so good that many of us expressed a wish to stay longer. By 8am our group piled onto the buses and headed north toward Mount Nebo.

In case you are unfamiliar with the location, Mount Nebo was the place where God led Moses to see the Promise Land, even though he was not permitted to enter it. Deuteronomy 34 says, “Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo… there the Lord showed him the whole land – from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him, ‘This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, “I will give it to your descendants.” I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.’” Jonathan led a sharing time with an overview of the lessons we began on our first day in Egypt. The answers to our daily questions are all coming together: “Who is God?” The Mighty, Eternal King who brings victory over chaos. “Who are we?” Image Bearers of the King, equal in His sight regardless of gender or status. “How does this play out?” Community and Unity are what will get noticed by a dying world. We took time for reflection at the church, a monument to Moses built atop the ruins of a 5th century Byzantine church. We had the opportunity to walk through it and see some stunning mosaics which were recovered from various periods of the church.

After Nebo we visited a delightful shop called “Tree of Life Mosaics and Handcrafts.” Mosaic art is the signature style of the city of Madaba, which was a prominent town from 324-800 AD. At this particular shop, the artwork is hand-crafted by individuals with physical disabilities who do amazing handiwork! The large showroom held a vast array of every size and style mosaic you could imagine from magnets to large tables! They also sold vases and jewelry. The design they are known for is, fittingly, the “Tree of Life” which depicts a pomegranate tree with animals below. My particular favorite were the ostrich eggs with “micro-mosaic” designs, done by hand with a tool the size of a needle! The owner explained that the shop is endorsed by the former queen of Jordan, Queen Noor, who set up a school in town for mosaic artwork. Students are not charged it tuition fee but they are required to study the art for five years before practicing.

For lunch today we went to a very special restaurant which is owned by the wife of one of our guides, Elias. We enjoyed delicious appetizers, salads and bread and then a Jordanian special dish called maqluba, which means “upside down.” Chicken, rice, and vegetables are layered in a giant pot then flipped upside down onto a serving platter. Delicious! This was our last meal as an entire group of 74; after lunch our group divided into 21 flying out of Amman and 53 continuing on. The next step is transitioning to our third and final country of our tour: ISRAEL! Continue to pray for us that we will have “eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to obey” what God has in store for us!