Jordan Trip

We recently ventured on a 4-day trip to Jordan where I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it! Jordan is next to Israel on the other side of the Jordan river and is predominantly Muslim. It also was anciently known as Philidephia and was the site of some major events in Biblical times.

Here are some of the most notable things we did while in Jordan:

We went to Mt. Nebo where Moses was said to have died, although we believe he was translated.

Looking down from Mt. Nebo

We then went to Herod-Antipus' Palace where John the baptist was beheaded. It was seriously in the middle of nowhere....and when I say that, I mean it. It was all desert and hills. We hiked up to one of the tallest points where there were remains of a palace that overlooked the wilderness and out in the distance there was the Dead Sea. The sun was setting which made the scene so beautiful. Unfortuntely, it was a place that had such a sad event.

Evening sun over the Dead Sea

The next day was PETRA!!! It was the coolest place ever! If you have seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade you know what I'm talking about! Maybe the holy grail wasn't there, but we still got to see the awesome mausoleums carved straight out of rocks. We first went though The Siq which is a long and super narrow valley and it opens up to The Treasury, which is the most famous of the Mausoleums carved in Petra. After some camel riding and getting over the awe of being at such an awesome site, we walked around some more where I realized how HUGE the site was. There were these stone mausoleums everywhere and of all different types. One of my favorite parts of the day was hiking up to the monostary at the top of a mountain. Let me rephrase...the hike wasn't my favorite, but the Monostary was incredible...which made the hike completely worth it! It had to be 5x bigger than the famous Treasury and is in just as good condition. Honestly, it probably isn't as famous because it is so far up the mountain. We hiked a little further where we could see a panoramic view of all of Petra! It was so beautiful! The day was amazing and I dont think Ive ever experienced anything like it. We started walking back...past all of the mausoleums, past the camels, past the treasury and finally through the Siq once again. My friends and I took horse rides back to the busses where we ended our day!

In the Siq

The end of the Siq with the Treasury at the opening. Suprise!

The Treasury

Camel ride!

On the third day we went to the ruins of the ancient temple of Hercules. It was alright, there were kids there on a school field trip who all wanted their pictures taken. We were probably more interested in them than the actual site. Next, we went to the site of  Jerash. It was an entire city under excavation and it was amazing how much of it was intact. We walked though the main street (cardo) and up to the temple of Athena. We also watched a reenactment of a gladiator show with Roman soldiers, gladiators, and chariot races! The commentary and the acting was priceless...it was the best 7 Jordanian Dinars ($10) i have ever spent!

The last day was my BIRTHDAY!!!! It also was the most important trip we had in Jordan. We went to Bethabara Beyond Jordon, where Jesus Christ was baptized. Again, we traveled through tons of desert until we came to a small patch of green. The green grew close to the river and as we got closer to the river, there were more and more plants. It was an interesting contrast. We got to the narrow river and we had a small devotional where we sang the primary song, "When Jesus Christ was Baptized" and we  listened to my professor give his testimony. When he finished he asked two of my classmates to give their testimonies. During those testimonies, I thought about my own baptism and the privilege it is to be baptized as Jesus was. We then sang "Come Follow Me" and Brother Skinner gave a prayer. I loved the feeling that surrounded us and the spirit that was there. I am so grateful for Christ and His example and love for me. See the next post for more on my birthday!