Jordan

We crossed the border from Israel to Jordan at the Jordan River which is 1300ft below sea level. I don't know why, but I was expecting it to feel different to be below sea level. I was sort of wrong and sort of right. It didn't 'feel' different with pressure or anything, but the weather is warmer. It has actually been pretty chilly in Jerusalem, but near the Jordan River the weather is warm. We noticed the temperature difference again because the first place we went after crossing was Mt Nebo. The elevation of Mt. Nebo is 2680ft so in a little over a half hour we gained nearly 4000ft in elevation. The temperature on top of Mt. Nebo was chilly just like Jerusalem. We actually saw snow in Jordan that fell a few days earlier. The significance of Mt. Nebo is found in Deut. 34. This is where Moses went to see the Promised Land before he died as the Bible account tells us (or translated as we learn through modern revelation). I understand why the Lord told Moses to go to Mt. Nebo. It is quite a fantastic view of the Jordanian River valley.

Petra was the next big stop. Petra was the capitol of the Nabatean nation. Petra is best known for the carvings that they made out of the sand stone gorges and mountains. The purpose of most of the carvings was to serve as tombs (much like the Egyptians and the Pyramids). The two most impressive sites are the treasury and monastery both of which are massive and about 2500 years old. It is amazing how intricate the structures are and how well preserved they still are despite being exposed to the elements. Everybody got to see the treasury, but then because of time constraints we had to decide between seeing the monastery or the high place of sacrifice (basically an altar carved out of stone on top of a mountain). Two other students and I decided that we didn't want to miss out on either so we decided to see both sites. In order to do that Davis, Kyler, and I basically jogged up and down the mountains so we made it to both major sites in the time that were given. We figured we're probably only going to be here once in our lives so why not sweat a little and make it worthwhile. We were the only three students to see everything at Petra. I'm glad we did because it was way worth it. I also rode a camel for the first time.

We had some free time our last night in Jordan so I went out with a group of students to Al-Rainbow St. I don't know why they have a street named that, and it doesn't imply anything that you might be thinking. It was basically a tourist street with a bunch of shops. We got some ice cream and just walked around. The best part about the night was the taxi ride. After making sure they weren't going to rip us off, we had a blast on the way there and back. Our driver had a bunch of American pop songs that we listened to on the way there. On the way back we had him play an Arab song which was sweet. He opened up the sun roof and we danced and clapped our hands all the way back.

There were two rivers that we visited that have important mention in the Bible. The first was the Jabbok. This is where Jacob was when he wrestled with an angel, had his name changed to Israel, and then saw the face of God (Gen 32). After that experience, Jacob named the place Peniel which means the face of God. We spent some time on the edge of the Jabbok river to contemplate the experience that Jacob had and also to consider the opportunity that all the faithful will have to one day see the face of God as well. Our last stop in Jordan before coming back to Israel was the spot along the Jordan River which is used to commemorate the Baptism of Jesus. That was a very spiritual experience to reflect upon my own baptismal commitments while standing along the bank of the Jordan river where Christ was baptized. Those two rivers were the spiritual highlights of the trip. The exact location along those rivers is not what is important, but what happened there is.