#ipj2019

I want to take a moment to talk about the weather because I thought Maryland weather was bi-polar, but I think Israel and Palestine might be worse.  In the last few days, the weather has gone from bright and sunny to hazy to raining to snowing.  I kid you not.  Even just today, it was nice and warm in the sun until the wind came in, then we moved up the mountains and it started raining, back into Jerusalem an now it’s snowing.  Needless to say, my body doesn’t really know what to do with this weather anymore.

(A Beautiful sunrise over Bethlehem)

While we had the sunshine in our favor this morning, we left Bethlehem and headed over to Jerusalem.  We left during rush hour, so what is normally a short drive, took rather long. There were cars stopped as far as the eye could see.  That meant we had lots of time to learn about the city.  Jerusalem is the biggest city in the country because of the three monotheistic religions that “share” the holiness of the place.  It was a Canaanite city until David conquered it and united the country.  David moved the capital from Hebron to Jerusalem.  Today, most of Jerusalem is in Israel, East-Jerusalem is in the West Bank, and the Temple Mount is technically under control of Jordan.

We spent the day around The Temple Mount visiting The Western Wall, also called The Wailing Wall, The Rabbinic Tunnel, seeing the top of the Temple Mount and looking at the ruins of the Second Temple with the Southern Steps.  A bit of history about the area where we were:  The Temple Mount is the place where all three monotheistic religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) believe Abraham went when God was testing him during the sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22: 1-19).  Each religion has its own beliefs on what else may have happened in that spot, but for the sake of simplicity, we will leave it at that.

(The Temple Mount with ruins from the Second Temple)

David was the first to build an altar on Mount Moriah (1 Chronicles 21:26) and Solomon built the First Temple (2 Chronicles 3:1), which was destroyed in 587 BCE.  It wasn’t until Herod the Great (remember him?) came around and built the Second Temple in 516 BCE, which was destroyed in 70 CE.  The Second Temple is where Jesus went to make sacrifices with his family and where he preached and taught the people in Jerusalem. When the Second Temple was destroyed, just the buildings and walls on top of the plaza were destroyed, the retaining walls and courtyard remained, making it possible to rebuild.  In 637 CE, Muslims conquered Jerusalem and built the Dome of the Rock on top of The Temple Mount.  (Insert a thousand years of history and conflict) After the Israeli State took back the land in 1967, control over the Temple Mount was given to Waqf under Jordanian authority to care for and maintain the site while Israel provides security.

Today, this is still the site of Arab-Israeli conflict as evident in some of the interactions we experienced today.  Jews are not allowed to go to the top of The Temple Mount and only Muslims are allowed to pray on The Temple Mount. Jews can pray at The Western wall, making this an important place, and the holiest place for them to pilgrimage to.

We spent some time at The Western Wall visiting and taking time for prayer.  I took a pen and a small piece of paper to write a prayer on and per custom, I shoved it into a crack in the wall.  People bring prayers from all over the world to place at the wall.  The custom started when people were unable to make the journey, they would send their prayers with those who visited, asking them to place it in the wall so they could pray by proxy.  The prayers are gathered twice a year and buried on the Mount of Olives.

After visiting the wall, we ventured up to The Temple Mount to visit the space.  As we are not Muslim we could not go inside the Mosque, nor bring any religious books that could be used for prayer, nor could we pray.  We were purely allowed to walk around and look at the space.  The mosque was beautiful but it was cool to imagine what the Second Temple would have looked like and imagine the experience Jesus might have had there.

(Dome of the Rock)

We left the Temple Mount and ventured through the Muslim quarter of the city where we passed some shops and homes on our way to see the ancient ruins of the Second Temple.  We got to see the original steps (Southern Steps) where it is likely Jesus sat and gathered people to teach.  We also could see the remains of shops where money changers might have been.  We know Jesus flipped tables in the Temple Mount (Matthew 21:12-13 or Mark 11:15-18) but we don’t know if it could have been these shops at the base of the Temple or further up.  Regardless, it was cool to walk on the stones where Jesus walked.

(Sitting on the Southern Steps leading into the Temple Mount)

After some time in devotion on the steps, we went to the Rabbinic Tunnels which were excavated underneath the Muslim quarter along the Western Wall of the city.  It was cool to see the foundation of the Temple and marvel is the beauty of Herod the Great’s work.  Of the two groups who went through the tunnel, one of the tour guides was a Zionist which provided a very interesting perspective, on the whole area of the Temple Mount. I was not in that group, but it was a subject of conversation around some of the comments the guide made in relation to the tension/relationship between Islam and Judaism in this place.

When we finished in the tunnels, we moved on to visit Herodium, the site where Herod the Great was buried.  Let me tell you, this guy was a real jerk, but he sure did some amazing things during his time on earth.  I mean, the Temple Mount is exquisite (what still remains today at least), and some of the cities we’ve been to Sepphoris, Meggido, Cesarea Maritime they’re all just outstanding.  Herodium was home to another first-century synagogue, a water system, and Herod the Greats tomb which was discovered recently in 2007.

It was cool to see, but the wind was getting insanely out of control while we were on top of the mountain and it started to rain a dirty muddy rain.  The wind was so strong I felt like I was getting blown away and I had a terrible time trying to keep myself warm.  It was definitely a crazy experience; especially because everyone said this weather comes for one day a year, so we lucked out on that one.

These days are so amazing and full of new learning opportunities, but I’m getting more tired with each day.  Now we are entering into the present day conflict enmeshed in the time of Jesus and it’s getting harder to put together my feelings on everything.  To think The Temple Mount - something so holy to three of the world’s major religions is a huge site of conflict, isn’t surprising, but it does kind of hurt my soul.  We went through 5 checkpoints today just to get around the area of the Temple Mount, Western Wall, and the Plaza at the Western Wall. I wish there was a way for the world to live at peace, to recognize our differences but not let them define everything.

What a day! I am so excited to be blogging from my computer so I can share photos to accompany my adventures for each day.  The morning started with the most amazing breakfast ever: eggs, bread, cheese, salads, and so much more. I’ll do a blog about all the food at some point because it’s delicious and deserves that much attention.

The first stop of the day was Caesarea Maritima, a Roman city with the first manmade harbor built by Herod. He was called Herod the Great purely because he was a great builder (not because he was a great man).  The site consists of ruins, excavation, new buildings, and some recreated/restored elements.

This is the theater overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Originally, it was twice as big and could seat anywhere from 8,000 to 10,00 people.  It is still used for performances on occasion.  There is a spot right in the middle with railings where Herod or Pontious Pilate sat when they visited the area.

Fun Fact: the word Hypocrite is Greek for an actor because you are portraying someone you are not - when Jesus uses the word hypocrite in relation to the scribes and scholars, he is comparing them to actors on a stage, pretending to be something they are not.

Also at Caesarea Maritime is the Harbor, Promontory Palace and the Hippodrome (for chariot races).  This was Ceasar's home when he visited, and it was also where Paul was imprisoned before he was sent to Rome.  Herod’s Harbor was the first manmade harbor built using a technique that created a cement by mixing things with volcanic ash that turned to stone in the water.  The Harbor allowed it to become a hub for trading both by land and by sea.  It was also the same harbor used by the prophets to travel out of and go evangelize.

On our way out, we stopped by the Aqueducts to see how water was brought in to the city and I got to stick my feet in the Mediterranean Sea! It was cold and the waves decided to soak my pants, but it was so worth it to breathe in the fresh air and frolic in the sand and sun.

Our next stop was to Mount Carmel, which is often referred to as a single mountain but is, in fact, an entire ridge of mountains.  At the highest point (or one of the highest points), it is believed that Elijah had his showdown with the prophets of Baal to show who was the one true God (1 Kings).  A monastery was built in the place where it is believed the altars were built and burned, overlooking the entire Jezreel Valley (East) and the Mediterranean (West).

When we got to the top of the outlook at the monastery, it was raining and super hazy, but as we stood there looking out at the view, the clouds parted, the sun came out, and the most brilliant rainbow emerged from the sky.  Talk about a God moment.

I definitely didn’t want to leave, but our days have a short number of daylight hours, so we have to keep moving from place to place if we are going to see it all.  We went from Mount Carmel to Mount Precipice.  This mountaintop view is on the other side of the Jezreel Valley and was the cliff the people threatened/attempted to throw Jesus off when he returned home and preached in Nazareth.  I think this view was even more beautiful than Mount Carmel.... (but it also could have been the weather)

I sat there looking out over all of God’s creation thinking “God made all of this, and yet still had time, energy, and desire, to make me.” I am so small and insignificant in comparison, but it just goes to show how amazing our God is. 

I would have given anything to just sit up there and meditate while writing forever, but again, we had to keep moving on to Nazareth.  We stopped first at Mary’s Square, the place where water was collected by women when the well was still bustling.  Then we moved on to Mary’s Well where the Greek Orthodox church believes the Annunciation took place.  It was a very tiny little well with a massive church built on top of it.  I did get to taste the water and it was so clean and fresh tasting.

After walking a ways through the Old City of Nazareth, we ended up at the Basilica of Annunciation, the largest church in the entire country, built on top of the remains of Mary’s house.  This was the most amazing thing to see and a really sacred moment for me.  I’m not going to lie, I’ve always been a bit of a Mary skeptic, people worship her, and yeah, she’s the mother of Jesus, but I just never really got it.

Well, I get it.

Mary’s house is really a cave, carved from a rock; this is why we still have it even though the manmade structures were destroyed over the years. This small cave, not very big, not glamorous in any way, was home to an ordinary woman, living a pretty standard life... that is until she was called by God to do something greater.  Something about seeing how plain and ordinary Mary’s life probably was made her real, and made her someone I felt I could relate to. I am an ordinary girl, living the best life I can, and yet I feel God calling me to do something greater. It’s impossible to convey what happened in that church, but something clicked inside of me and brought me to tears then, and brings me to tears now as I write.

This ordinary house in a cave is where Mary received her calling from God. It is the place where Jesus grew up (born in Bethlehem, fled to Egypt and then returned to Nazareth). It is the place where the first Christians worshipped and gathered, according to graffiti found inside, and it is the place where first century Christians were baptized, in a font carved from stone not far from the house.  This place of rock and stone, beneath the glitz and glamor of the Basilica built on top, is just a normal place, where normal people did extraordinary things that ended up changing the world.

The word Nazareth is Aramaic, meaning “root of the tree.”  It was the root of a tiny village that ended up birthing the largest religion in the world.

Needless to say, it’s been quite an amazing day.  13,000+ steps later I’m exhausted, overwhelmed and still trying to process everything that happened today.  The best and worst part is this journey is just the beginning.  Now we are in Galilee and will be tracing Jesus’ ministry for the next few days. I have a feeling it will continue to get more and more real with each passing day.

Since coming home from South Africa in July 2017, my travel bug has been on a bit of a hold.  After over a year of #WhereInTheWorldIsCourtney, it was time to just be at home in the USA.  In the last year, my family grew by two with my nephew Ryan (15 months) and my niece Rosemary (9 months),  I finished my first year at United Lutheran Seminary, and I’ve had so many amazing experiences stateside as I discerned my call to ministry (chaplaincy, field education, national youth gathering, etc.).

But the travel bug never really leaves, at least not in my experience.  After setting off to Rwanda in 2015, I’ve been determined to see the world through different eyes. From the red dirt of Rwanda to the beautiful beaches in Ecuador, to the joy of my friends and family in South Africa, to the determination of the people in Swaziland, to the magnificent history of Thailand... I wasn’t done.

So, where next?

In just 10 days I will be embarking on a travel seminar to the Holy Land (Israel, Palestine, and Jordan) with United Lutheran Seminary.  A group of 35 students, family, and alumni will be venturing with our fearless Bible Study faculty Dr. Vitalis-Hoffman and Dr. Hall leading the way.

When I first heard about the trip I signed up without really thinking about what I was getting myself into.  It is not cheap and I have homework to do along the way, but I was excited to travel again and I’ve always wanted to go to the Holy Land. I wanted to do it now while I had the time because I didn’t want to get into my first call and with regret say “I wish I had gone.”

Now that the semester is over and I can finally stop and think, I’m realizing just how excited I am to embark on this trip with my friends and colleagues! We are going to Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Mount of the Beatitudes, Capernaum, Shechem, Jericho, Masada, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Mount of Olives, City of David, the Dead Sea, and the Jordan River, to name a few.  I get to see some of the places I’ve been reading about in the Bible my entire life, and that I have been studying so intently for the last year.

I often feel like the Bible becomes just a book of stories, but it is really a living, breathing thing. These stories happened in real places, places that still exist today.  I’ve heard stories from friends who have gone on this type of trip previously and each one says it’s amazing and life-changing.  I am so excited to explore the Holy Land and see how it will impact my ministry when I come home.

I’m hoping to blog my adventures and should have internet access to do so. Stay tuned and I hope you’ll follow along on the next edition of #WhereInTheWorldIsCourtney and Join Me on my Journey.

Today was our last day on this Holy Land adventure. It has truly been the trip of a lifetime so I want to thank everyone who has supported me on this journey; your thoughts and prayers mean the world.

I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end this adventure. The early morning was ours to choose our own adventure. I got up at 6:30 in the morning to watch the sunrise at the Dead Sea. Silly me didn’t think about the fact that we were facing west and so the sun would rise behind the mountains, not at the water. East coast problems?  

It was light enough by the time we got down to the water that we got right in. There’s was a group of about 15 of us in the water well before 7am. I have to say, swimming in the Dead Sea was quite the experience. The water was actually warmer than the air, so once I got in, I really didn’t want to get back out. I also didn’t have to worry about creepy crawleys because nothing lives in the Dead Sea. The only downside was the water was so salty that everything stung and I discovered lots of cuts I didn’t know I had.

Floating in the Dead Sea is the weirdest feeling. It’s like a zero gravity experience. It was really difficult to keep my legs under me or to stand up after floating. It was so natural to just lay there feet and hands up in the air. Though that also meant it was easy to flip over onto my stomach so that just made it fun. You’d try to get a photo and while posing you’d just kinda bob to the other side. It was great.

(Floating in the Dead Sea with my mud mask)

The Dead Sea is also known for making some great beauty products. The lifeguard had Dead Sea mud that we could spread over ourselves and enjoy a nice mud mask while we swam. My skin feels super smooth now.

Going for a swim was honestly the best way to spend my morning. I was in such a happy place floating around and enjoying the view of the Mountains of Samaria in Israel. It was a little hazy but evidently, Jerusalem was off in the distance.

After a shower and a delicious breakfast, we got on the bus to go to Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the place where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. We saw the original steps into the pool where the river used to flow in Jesus’ time. It was built as an offshoot of the river because the river was too high and dangerous to be in. Today, the river is so low that the place only gets water when it rains or is filled on special occasions (like a pope visiting).

(This was the water channel/pool where Jesus was baptized)

We then walked down to the Jordan River and could see Israel right on the other side. You could literally swim across from one country to the other, but the military presence on both sides would get to you first. I stepped right into the sunken platform so I could stand in the water without having to submerge myself. I filled up a water bottle to bring home and used my water filtration straw to take a drink. Even filtered, the Jordan doesn’t taste very good at this part of the river.

We spent some time in devotion and affirmed our baptism. I was standing in the Jordan the whole time and affirmed my baptism right there in the waters. When everyone was finished crossing themselves with water, we started to sing “Go My Children With My Blessing.”

As I stood there with the warm sun against my back, my feet in the cold Jordan River, looking to Israel where hundreds of people were flocking to be baptized and trying to take in the calm scenery of the plants, I saw a white dove fly down into the river. It landed on the buoy line marking the border and looking toward where we were on the Jordan side. It just sat there while we sang, and as we finished the dove flew away.

I was speechless. Besides the cross, there are two symbols that are the most important to me in my faith. The fish and the dove. All of these symbols I saw come to life on this trip. The fish through our time in Galilee and visiting the beach where Jesus performed the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. The cross as we visited Jerusalem and walked the Palm Sunday Path, Via Dolorosa, and Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The dove I saw today at the Jordan River as I affirmed my baptism and calling as a child of God. I never dreamed it would be possible to bring all three of these to life in such real and clear signs from God.

(A gorgeous image I found of my three favorite symbols)

The rest of the day wasn’t even comparable, but nonetheless, it was good. We visited the Lutheran Church at Bethany Beyond the Jordan which was beautiful. The chapel was gorgeous and I bought some items handmade at an Anglican school for disabled Jordanians. Then we went to the Decapolis city of Jerash. It was fun running around on Roman ruins one last time, but my favorite part was in the market.

I don’t think I blogged about this earlier, but my travel companion Buff the Buffalo decided he liked Jericho so much he wanted to make it his permanent home. Despite the effort of our tour guide Andre who tried to get Buff back, he was gone. I’m not too sure how a Buffalo will do in the desert, but I’m sure he’s loving it. So anyway, today I picked up a new travel companion, Cam the Camel, and I’m so in love with him. (Yes I am 6 years old, I am aware). Cam is a true tribute to my newfound love of camels and a beautiful memory of all the fine camels I’ve met on this trip.

What a day! Jordan is such a cool country with so many secrets to discover. In the last 24 hours we’ve crossed most of the country east to west and tomorrow, we will go up north a little. It’s definitely a desert here but I love feeling the rocks and sand through my Chaco sandals.

We started the morning by visiting Petra, the city of mysteries. If you’ve seen Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade, you’ve seen part of Petra! Jordan and specifically Petra, has been the filming location of many American films including Transformers (3?). It’s an unbelievably beautiful place to visit.

The city was carved from the rocks from roughly 100 BCE to 200 CE,  which makes it one of the new seven wonders of the world.  The natural sandstone comes in red and white with a thousand colors in between. It was truly amazing looking at all the different patterns and colors in the rocks - no wonder it’s a wonder of the world.

Petra was used as tombs for the Arab Nabataeans. They built these intricate tombs for their deceased, each tomb holding 18+ family members.  It was eventually taken over by the Romans (shocking) and after being abandoned, the Bedouins (native migrants) moved into the caves to make their homes.  In 1985 they were kicked out and moved into a village just over the hill so the site could be used for visitors.  Today, the Bedouins still take care of the site and depending on income from selling souvenirs, camel rides, and visitors.

The Treasury, the most well-known site at Petra featured in Indiana Jones, was originally the tomb of the Arab Nabatean king.  The people turned it into a temple because they worshipped him like a God.  After the Romans left the area, the Treasury got its name because people thought there was treasure in it. (There’s not.... at least none has been found).

And yes, I road another camel today, it was amazing. I love camels. I really want one.

Petra is kind of mentioned in the Bible.  It was around during Jesus’ time on earth but is known most for Mount Hor, where Aaron died.  It was called Aaron’s mountain and is the highest point.  Otherwise, Petra is just a REALLY pretty place to visit.

After spending some time walking around and exploring Petra and getting in over 14,000 steps before lunch, we got back on the bus and began our adventure towards the Dead Sea.  We had a delicious lunch overlooking the Petra mountains and then spent a good 3 hours sitting on the bus.  I fell asleep for most of it which was refreshing and helped me reset for the rest of the day.  We stopped briefly at one of the Crusader Fortresses which was a nice little break in the driving.  Evidently we only see the top of the five layers to the fortress, so this thing was pretty massive.

We ended up in the City of Madaba to visit St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church. It is home to a mosaic map of The Holy Land, constructed around 565 CE and containing 2,300,000 small naturally colored stones.  Some pieces of the map were lost after an earthquake, but what remains is a fairly accurate geographical and religious map. The artist is unknown, but researchers believe it was a local person because there were lots of spelling mistakes for the Greek language.

After admiring the beauty of the mosaics, we got back on the bus and made a stop at a community development program for disabled Jordanians who make mosaics.  They use all natural rocks that come from around Jordan. The colors are just exquisite and I can’t imagine what they look like out in the mountains.

Queen Nour started the initiative to bring back the art of mosaics while providing opportunities to the many Jordanians facing different disabilities and difficulties in life.  They can go to school for five years at the only mosaic school in the entire Middle East.  Everything in the store was absolutely beautiful and the story was even better.  I wish they had an online store but their initiative is to get people to come into the store and hear their story. 

It was an hour bus ride down to the hotel through winding roads down the mountains.  It was a little intimidating not being able to see the road, but our driver was quite skilled at navigating us safely.  We are now staying at a hotel right on the Dead Sea.  Tomorrow morning a group of us are going to wake up and go down to the beach for sunrise and an early morning float.  

It’s crazy to think that tomorrow is our last full day here in The Holy Land.  It has been such a transformative and magical journey that will go with me for the rest of my life. I can’t wait to explore the ways it impacts my ministry going forward because my mind is just bursting with questions and ideas, pictures, stories, and a whole new understanding of everything.  I’m ready to come home and start sharing the story.

Today we left Jerusalem and traveled through the West Bank into Jordan. It was a lot of driving from one distance to another. I guess it was a blessing since my feet were able to rest for a bit!

We stopped first in the West Bank near Jericho at the Wadi Qelt on our way out for a beautiful view of the Valley of the Shadow of Death (Psalm 23).

The Wadi Qelt was the road Jesus took after his time in the wilderness to get to the Mount of Olives before his descent down the Palm Sunday Path. This road would take one day to travel (roughly 7-8 hours). It’s only 20 miles but has an elevation change of 3245 feet from Jericho to Jerusalem, and was really quite dangerous. This was the road where the parable of the Good Samaritan comes from (Luke 10:25-37). What breaks my heart is the road is not very big, it’s really just a footpath. People would have needed to basically step over the man on their way to continue on to Jerusalem. It’s truly crazy when you can put these well known Bible stories into perspective because it really changes their meaning.

(You can kind of see the footpath in between the two black lines. It was very clear in person, not so great in photos)

After getting our last views of the West Bank we entered into the no man's land of the Israel - Jordan border. I use that phrase because the passport control out of Israel and into Jordan is not the same place, but a decent distance away from each other.  It was quite the process.

We started by going through an Israeli checkpoint. Then we had to go through Israel’s passport control where we paid to get out of the country. We said goodbye to our beloved tour guide Andre and met our new bus that would take us through Jordan.

(The fabulous Andre who knew literally everything we asked him, and we asked him a lot of questions)

Once through Israel’s passport control, we drove about 15 minutes down the road through what looked like toll booths or possible checkpoints, before we got to Jordan’s passport control. Our new tour guide Ruby met us and collected our passport. She took them into border control while we waited on the bus. It was weird because there’s only a bar code sticker, no stamp; so I’m curious what happens when we leave. I’m kind of sad there aren’t stamps (yet), I take pride in them!!! It easily took 2 hours to get through this whole process.

Once our entry into the country was settled, we went off on our journey. We started at Mount Nebo which was the site I researched! This was the place where God showed Moses all of the Promised Land. We spent some time in devotion before venturing around and enjoying the view.

Everyone liked my devotion but I don’t really know what I said. I read Deuteronomy 34:1-6 as everyone looked out on the promised land at all the places we traveled to over the last few weeks. The promised land is full of mountains and valleys, desert and oasis, water and ruins. So not quite the milk and honey we originally thought. We not only saw the sites but we also learned the culture, the language, met the people and listened to their stories. Where Moses was showed the promised land, we got to experience it, and now it’s time for us to take this experience back and share it with everyone else: the highs, the lows, and everything in between.

At Mount Nebo there is a beautiful statue erected in honor of Numbers 21 with Moses raising the brazen serpent and John 3:14 which reads “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” It was a beautiful tribute to two important stories.

After Nebo, we drove for quite some time to get to Maccareus, another fortress of Herod the Great, but the place where researchers believe Herod Antipas killed John the Baptist by cutting off his head. This place was like a mini-Masada. If you’ve been following along you know about that treacherous journey, this one wasn’t nearly as long but was very steep to climb up. The view was worth it. We could see the Dead Sea all the way into the West Bank. It was astounding.

After climbing around on ancient ruins (which seems to be a new favorite activity of mine), we got back on the bus for a long journey to Petra. We started on the Kings Highway, a trade route that dates to 1300 BCE, so we could have a view over Mujib Valley which was truly beautiful. Then we got on a faster road because as it is, the trip took over 3 hours.