Feb. 13 From Edom to Moab to Ammon To Israel

Breakfast came early this morning.  6:00AM was a little rough after a long day at Petra, but we had a full day of driving ahead of us.  The sun was beautiful as it set light against the Aaron mountains.  The vivid colors and the varying shadows changed from moment to moment as the sun lit them from peak to valley.  The clear morning allowed for a brilliant view of Aaron's Tomb atop Mount Hor.  Our final pictures taken and room keys checked, we set out on our journey through the lands of Israel's neighbors to the east.  These are the sons of Lot's daughters who caused him to raise seed to them while in a drunken stupor.
Today was going to be at least 5 hours of driving, so we settled in for our drive to St. George's Church in Madaba.  One of our first sights was a small church erected over a rock that is believed to be the rock that was struck by Moses.  There was nowhere to park and the bus was moving, so we were unable to get pictures.  By Omar's description, it wouldn't have been much to see and there is no real evidence of its authenticity.  So on we continued toward the north country.
Our first stop was a rest room break at a tourist rest stop.  A very interesting essence filled the air as we walked into the shop.  I'm not sure what they were smoking, but it definitely wasn't American tobacco and it would make anyone who smelled it never want to smoke!  I did meet a friend there and had my picture taken with her.  She was pretty quiet, but I knew right away that we connected.
We continued our drive and entered into the Karak region which is the area of the southern border of Moab.  There we stopped to view a crusader castle that was a little over a thousand years old.  We boarded the bus and continued north.  After a short distance, we were all stunned at the vastness of the Valley of Arnon.  It was massive!  We drove down the side, twisting and turning as we approached the floor of the valley where there was a reservoir to aid in revitalizing plant life in the area.  We snaked our way back to the top where we stopped to take photographs.
Soon we found ourselves in the Madaba region.  This is the area where Mount Nebo is located.  In the city of Madaba, we stopped to see St. George’s Church.  The mosaic there was beautiful, but how tragic that the Greek Orthodox church is using it as a religious icon just as its cousin the Catholic Church does with many sites throughout the Holy Land.  It doesn’t matter how many icons you own or how many pilgrimages you take, without trusting in Jesus Christ and his finished work alone, heaven cannot be your final home.
We continued to a mosaic shop where Jordanians worked on all sorts of intricate mosaics and pottery.  They were truly beautiful, but I knew that I could look but not touch after finding that my favorite piece of pottery cost $1,000.00 USD.  I might have been able to bargain for it, but I don’t think the final price would have been in my ballpark either.  We picked up a quick box lunch and continued to our next destination.
Mount Nebo was stunningly beautiful.  We had a very clear day to see all the way to Bethlehem.  I can imagine the sorrow and envy of Moses as he stood and viewed the beautiful fertile Jordan plains knowing that he would never be able to touch them.  God took his life there and Joshua took over the leadership of the nation.  There are any one of 3 – 4 peaks that could have been the place, but it did not take away from being so near a place that we have read about, preached, and meditated upon for so many years.
We finished our trip by descending into the Jordan Valley and visited the Jordan River.  We saw two traditional sights: the place where Elijah ascended to heaven in the chariot of fire and the place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus.  It was alongside the Jordan that we had our Sunday service.  Pastor Berlin preached out of Deuteronomy 1 about going in and taking the land.  We were also able to watch as Pastor Nason had the privilege of baptizing Elizabeth in the Jordan.  I’m sure she, as well as her family, will treasure that memory all of her life.
Finally, we headed to the border with a relatively uneventful crossing.  Mark, our new guide, was there waiting for us.  We have been reunited with Mohammed, our first bus driver.  It has been a long day and has run late into the night.  We are staying in Tiberias tonight and tomorrow night.  Tomorrow, a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee….