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Hello Friends and Family,
We've had a ton of fun the past few days in the Judean Desert. We are now back on the Mediterranean Coast at Tel Aviv and getting ready to board our flights tomorrow morning for home! We've had a fantastic time together over the past two weeks, learning and growing together. The Scripture has come alive and we have all grown in our faith. We are grateful that we have all tested negative on our COVID tests, which means we all get to board our flight home tomorrow! Thanks for praying!
Yesterday we began our morning hiking En Gedi, the spring and caves where David hid from Saul in the wilderness and wrote some of his psalms, including Psalm 18. It was a beautiful hike and we found ibex and rock rabbits all over. We enjoyed the cool of the waterfalls in the heat of the desert.
(a cave at En Gedi where David hid from Saul)
(more caves at En Gedi)
(can you find the Ibex in this photo?)
(A hyrex, or rock rabbit, at En Gedi)
(one of the waterfalls at En Gedi)
(David's Falls at En Gedi)
After our hike we went to the mountaintop fortress of Masada. This incredible natural mountaintop was also a palace that Herod built, then the final fortress standoff between the Jews and the Romans at the end of the Jewish Revolt. We went up by cable car and walked down the Roman siege ramp.
(top of the cable car at Masada)
(synagogue near En Gedi)
(view from the top of Masada. squares are ancient Roman siege camps)
(a scribe copying the Scriptures at the top of Masada)
(the Roman siege ramp that we walked down)
After we walked down the siege ramp we headed to our next 'hotel' which was actually a replica of a Bedouin village in the middle of the desert. The Bedouin live in tents in the Judean desert, so we had an opportunity to hear from a Bedouin and experience the beauty of the Judean desert. We also got to ride camels! It was quite the experience!
(our transportation in the desert)
(Aaron and Dave on a camel)
(our caravan in the Judean desert)
(people and a camel)
We awoke this morning to a beautiful sunrise in the desert. After having a great breakfast we drove to the wilderness of Zin. We hiked down through Ein Avdat near a spring where Moses brought the Israelites in the desert. It was a beautiful hike.
(our breakfast view at Kfar Nokdim)
(a pistachio tree in the wilderness of Zin)
(part of the steps to climb up out of the canyon)
(cave at Ein Avdat)
(trekking through the desert)
(fearless pilgrims)
(springs in the desert)
After our morning hike we headed to Beer Sheva, where God made a covenant with Moses (and where we got our COVID tests). We finished our day, and our tour, at the Valley of Elah where David and Goliath had their famous battle. We enjoyed acting out the drama and finding smooth stones in the river bed.
(the valley of Elah)
We finally arrived in Tel Aviv after some traffic to our hotel this evening. We enjoyed the sunset on the Mediterranean as we reflected on the amazing trip and experiences we've had together. We are all excited to be home with our families, but are grateful for the transformational experiences we've had here in Israel!
Please pray for travel tomorrow and any soreness our team has from our adventures that it wouldn't make the long trip too difficult.
Thanks for following along!
Shalom,
Ryan
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