From Loren's journal from today:
We're driving through the desert today, heading south. The view from the bus window is surprising. Israel recycles 80% of its water. They lead the world in this. Spain is second, recycling 20% of its water. The US recycles only 5% of its water, if that gives perspective. Some areas of the Israeli desert are green with vegetation - trees, cucumbers, grapes, mangoes, watermelons. Every part of the date tree is utilized. Farmers have planted lines of these date (palm) trees that are used for their fruit, ropes from bark, shade from leaves, tent poles from parts of the trunk....every part is used. The Dead Sea is to our left with mountains behind. The salt content in the water kills all plant and animal life in it even though it receives fresh water from the Jordan River/Sea of Galilee. There are spots where the green lands disappear and we see only brown in front of the sea. Brown mountain cliffs are to our right. It's quite beautiful. We stopped at a waterfall near some caves where David would have hidden when he was in danger from King Saul (En Gedi). We are walking in a place where civilization is thousands of years old. My mind has difficulty with this timeframe. My favorite American history is at the beginning - our Revolution. But America is very young, relatively speaking. Thus, my mind has trouble stretching around thousands of years - or perhaps it's because I turned forty last month!
The later part of the day was interesting in a different way. After the historic sites and the Dead Sea mud/swim which Zack will describe below, we stopped to ride a camel. The faces on each person were similar - scary and surprised and excited all at once. You'll need to look for our pics on Facebook - maybe we can get those posted soon! It was a sensation that people don't ordinarily have, I suppose. I heard some students say that it was their favorite day of the Israel trip so far; I also heard a couple of students say that it was the favorite day of the semester. Zack will add more of the emotional feelings that were stirred today as he explains more of today's activities below.
Parents. thank you for sacrificing to send your students to this place. It is a special journey through which they are traveling that will shape and enhance the way they read the Bible, shape and enhance the person they become, and shape and enhance their personal faith.
From HUGer Zack:
Today was very different from our previous days in Israel. We left the city of Jerusalem to visit a few sites in the Dead Sea area. With the hot desert sun on our backs, we started the day by visiting the area of En Gedi where David and his men are pursued by Saul in 1 Samuel chapters 23 and 24. It has been so cool to see stories from the Bible come alive in places like this. A little farther down the trail, there was a waterfall flowing into a small pool. This was a refreshing sight because it had already gotten so hot. After cooling off under the waterfall, we made our way to the ancient fortress of Masada built under King Herod's reign. This is the area where many Jews who didn't want to fight in the rebellion fled to and took refuge. Unfortunately, the Romans weren't content with letting them stay there so around 4,000 soldiers were stationed at the base of the fortress ready to lay siege on it. After a break for lunch in the visitors center, where many of us tried shawarma for the first time, we made our way back to the bus and were on our way to the area of Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We took a short tour of the area and were even able to look into one of the caves that scrolls were hidden in so many years ago. This was doubly amazing because there was an ibex hiding out in the cave. After we finished touring the Qumran area, we we were given a chance to swim, or rather, float, in the Dead Sea. We covered ourselves with mud from the floor of the sea and waded into the soothing waters of the Dead Sea. This was a very relaxing experience. To end the day, we made a stop on the Mount of Olives and were given a chance to read the Bible. I chose to read John 17, Jesus's prayer for his disciples. It was a wonderful experience to sit up there and look over the city of Jerusalem while the sun set behind it. Israel has been so amazing and I can't wait to see what is still in store.
We're driving through the desert today, heading south. The view from the bus window is surprising. Israel recycles 80% of its water. They lead the world in this. Spain is second, recycling 20% of its water. The US recycles only 5% of its water, if that gives perspective. Some areas of the Israeli desert are green with vegetation - trees, cucumbers, grapes, mangoes, watermelons. Every part of the date tree is utilized. Farmers have planted lines of these date (palm) trees that are used for their fruit, ropes from bark, shade from leaves, tent poles from parts of the trunk....every part is used. The Dead Sea is to our left with mountains behind. The salt content in the water kills all plant and animal life in it even though it receives fresh water from the Jordan River/Sea of Galilee. There are spots where the green lands disappear and we see only brown in front of the sea. Brown mountain cliffs are to our right. It's quite beautiful. We stopped at a waterfall near some caves where David would have hidden when he was in danger from King Saul (En Gedi). We are walking in a place where civilization is thousands of years old. My mind has difficulty with this timeframe. My favorite American history is at the beginning - our Revolution. But America is very young, relatively speaking. Thus, my mind has trouble stretching around thousands of years - or perhaps it's because I turned forty last month!
The later part of the day was interesting in a different way. After the historic sites and the Dead Sea mud/swim which Zack will describe below, we stopped to ride a camel. The faces on each person were similar - scary and surprised and excited all at once. You'll need to look for our pics on Facebook - maybe we can get those posted soon! It was a sensation that people don't ordinarily have, I suppose. I heard some students say that it was their favorite day of the Israel trip so far; I also heard a couple of students say that it was the favorite day of the semester. Zack will add more of the emotional feelings that were stirred today as he explains more of today's activities below.
Parents. thank you for sacrificing to send your students to this place. It is a special journey through which they are traveling that will shape and enhance the way they read the Bible, shape and enhance the person they become, and shape and enhance their personal faith.
From HUGer Zack:
Today was very different from our previous days in Israel. We left the city of Jerusalem to visit a few sites in the Dead Sea area. With the hot desert sun on our backs, we started the day by visiting the area of En Gedi where David and his men are pursued by Saul in 1 Samuel chapters 23 and 24. It has been so cool to see stories from the Bible come alive in places like this. A little farther down the trail, there was a waterfall flowing into a small pool. This was a refreshing sight because it had already gotten so hot. After cooling off under the waterfall, we made our way to the ancient fortress of Masada built under King Herod's reign. This is the area where many Jews who didn't want to fight in the rebellion fled to and took refuge. Unfortunately, the Romans weren't content with letting them stay there so around 4,000 soldiers were stationed at the base of the fortress ready to lay siege on it. After a break for lunch in the visitors center, where many of us tried shawarma for the first time, we made our way back to the bus and were on our way to the area of Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We took a short tour of the area and were even able to look into one of the caves that scrolls were hidden in so many years ago. This was doubly amazing because there was an ibex hiding out in the cave. After we finished touring the Qumran area, we we were given a chance to swim, or rather, float, in the Dead Sea. We covered ourselves with mud from the floor of the sea and waded into the soothing waters of the Dead Sea. This was a very relaxing experience. To end the day, we made a stop on the Mount of Olives and were given a chance to read the Bible. I chose to read John 17, Jesus's prayer for his disciples. It was a wonderful experience to sit up there and look over the city of Jerusalem while the sun set behind it. Israel has been so amazing and I can't wait to see what is still in store.
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