Day 01 - Jordan: Mt. Nebo, Madaba, Mosaic Shop

Day One: Standing on the Edge of Promise

Our first full day in Jordan began quietly, with breakfast and a shared devotion that helped set the tone for everything ahead. We opened Scripture to Proverbs 19:2, a simple but grounding reminder that zeal without knowledge can lead us astray. It was a fitting place to begin, not just because we are traveling through unfamiliar land, but because this journey is not ultimately about seeing places, it is about learning who God is and who we are as His people.

From there, we made our way to Mount Nebo. After learning some of the background of the monastery and its remarkable mosaics, we stepped out onto the overlook and took in the view of the Jordan Valley below. From this vantage point, the geography itself tells the story. This is the place where Moses stood, seeing the land God had promised but knowing he would not enter it himself.

Rather than moving quickly through the site, our group did something different. While other tour groups circulated through the mosaics, we sat down together and opened the text. We spent time in Deuteronomy 32 and 34, revisiting the final moments of Moses’ life, and then traced the deeper story back through the covenants of Genesis 12, 15, 17, and 22. Standing there, looking out over the land those promises pointed toward, the weight of the moment was unmistakable.

We centered our time around three questions that lingered in the stillness of that place. Where has God taken you? Where is God taking you? And where might He be leading you next? With those questions in mind, the group spread out along the overlook, some sitting quietly, others praying, journaling, or simply gazing across the landscape. It was a holy pause, an invitation to listen rather than rush.

Leaving Mount Nebo, we stopped at a local mosaic workshop, where we learned about the painstaking process behind the art we had just seen. The mosaics are crafted piece by piece by disabled Jordanians, each stone carefully placed by hand. It was humbling to see how beauty and purpose are formed through patience, skill, and community. A bit of shopping followed, along with conversations that connected art, dignity, and livelihood in tangible ways.

We then traveled into Madaba for lunch, where the group enjoyed a traditional Jordanian meal. The highlight was magluba, a dish of rice, meat, vegetables, and spices that is cooked in layers and then turned upside down before serving. Shared plates of appetizers and plenty of conversation made it feel less like a scheduled stop and more like a shared table among friends.

The afternoon took us on a three hour drive south toward Petra. Along the way, we were introduced to the history of the five kingdoms of the Transjordan, giving us a broader framework for understanding the political and spiritual landscape of this region. The land itself became a classroom as desert hills, valleys, and ancient routes unfolded outside the bus windows.

By early evening, we arrived and settled into the Old Village Resort, just a few kilometers outside of Petra. After a long but full day, there was time to rest, unpack, and prepare for what promises to be a significant day tomorrow. Tired bodies met grateful hearts as the first full day of the journey came to a close.

Personal Reflection - by Mark Mull

Sitting at Mount Nebo after listening to Matt’s teaching, I found myself deeply needing silence, just me and God. In that stillness, something shifted. I do not think I have ever felt this close to Him before.

Over the past six months, I have been carrying something heavy, something I had never spoken out loud to God, not in prayer, not in writing, not even fully to myself. As I sat there on the old stone overlook, gazing across the land Moses once walked, the words finally came. I found myself writing, asking for forgiveness honestly and openly. And in that moment, I knew that despite my struggle, despite my affliction, God still loved me.

It has been an emotional journey already. There has been so much I have needed to say to God, things that felt buried or unspeakable before. Yet here, in this place, the words came seamlessly, without force and without fear.

As we were leaving Mount Nebo, I saw something that felt like a quiet confirmation, a reminder that God had heard me. It is an incredible feeling to experience moments like this in the very places where God met His people so many years ago. This journey is already becoming more than I expected.

A Closing Devotion

Mount Nebo reminds us that faithfulness is not measured only by what we get to see or accomplish. Moses did not step into the Promised Land, yet his life was marked by obedience, trust, and intimacy with God. Sometimes God allows us to glimpse what He is doing beyond us, inviting us to trust Him with the outcome.

As we continue this journey, may we learn to hold both gratitude for where God has brought us and humility about where He may be leading us next.