Thoughts on My Trip of a Lifetime

It's Saturday morning, April 1st, we've been home for 2 nights and jet lag is finally waning.  I went back to work yesterday morning as did Randy, and people keep asking me, "how was your trip?"  Such a simple question, but the answer, not simple at all.  I mean, this was no ordinary trip, it was , at least for us, the trip of a lifetime.  And...it wasn't just about traveling and seeing a new place, it was also a time for spiritual renewal and contemplation.  A time for focusing on our relationship with Christ and each other.  No, it was no ordinary trip, and Yes, it was indeed a life-changing experience.  I thought I might just give you some highlights of our time in Jordan and Israel. A woman's perspective on the culture and sights. Randy has done a great job of documenting our time over there, but I want to give you something a little different, perhaps a taste and look at the people and cultures we experienced.  I know many of you who are reading our blog will never have the opportunity to actually visit in person, but if you ever get the opportunity take it and go.  You will not be disappointed.  You will not be the same.

So, here's some random thoughts , enjoy:

1)  The food-OH my goodness, the food.  For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed our meals in both Jordan and Israel.  It was a little odd to see a salad bar spread for breakfast, though.  Most meals were served in the hotels we stayed in, except for lunches. It was buffet style, with bread, salad, hot entrees and desserts.  Salad bars were my favorite.  Fresh vegetables galore and of course, the staple of Israel and Jordan, HUMMUS.  Randy and I both love hummus, so it was part of every meal for us, well lunch and dinner.    The best hummus we had eaten.  Fresh peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, the oranges were phenomenal.  Native to Israel, the oranges were sweet, juicy and delish!  There was normally fish and chicken on the hot entree bar in some form or fashion.  Fried foods were very limited, barely any to speak of in fact.  Most meats were grilled, saute or roasted.  The chicken, however, was predominately dark meat, not really my cup of tea, so I stuck with mostly the salad bar.  The bread, though, OH MY, it was always good.  Thick, soft pita breads and lucious rolls of whole wheat, rye, and some white bread.  Delicious.  So, what about the desserts?  In my opinion, the desserts were very good in Israel, but Jordan desserts reminded me of what we had in Eastern Europe.  They look so yummy on the outside, but then you take that first bite,  it was like they forgot the sugar or something. Most, if not all the hotels we stayed in Israel were "kosher" serving hotels.  There was no milk, just soy, which did make the desserts a little different than what we are used to in the states, but Randy and I still managed to find PLENTY to eat and we didn't go hungry.

2) Safety & Security-I was asked many times, "Did you feel safe"?  Or, weren't you worried about security and safety?  Well, the answer is , Yes, I felt safe (except one time), and NO I wasn't worried about my safety.  I know where I'm spending eternity, I felt secure and safe the entire time we were in Jordan.  We did have a police officer who traveled with us, just in the event we were harrassed as American tourists, or whatever might come up, but I never felt "unsafe".  Would I travel to Jordan alone, NO, of course not, but being wise and traveling in a group was completely a safe choice.  Security in both Israel and Jordan are unbelievable compared to American security.  There were checkpoints throughout the countries, and even a metal detector/scanner in our hotel in Amman.  They take security very seriously which helps American tourists feel safe and at ease about visiting.  I was only nervous about my safety and my husbands safety when we were on top of the temple mount.  It is the most controversial spot in all of Israel and under Muslim control .  There were many, many armed guards, I'm talking MACHINE guns people, and countless other plain clothes guards that we didn't see.  Women were not allowed to have their knees, elbows, or necks uncovered nor were we allowed to touch our husbands or they us.  It was a little odd.  There happened to be a group of young jewish men on the temple mount the day they visited, and that made the uneasiness a little greater.  The Muslims don't want Jews on their HOly site, and these Jews were singing/chanting and doing whatever they could to incite a little ire in the Muslims that day.  Tensions were tight, and it was just a little uneasy for me, but, nothing happened, and that was an isolated event that was in fact a non-event.

3)Highlight of my trip-This is by far the most difficult question to answer.  I have thought and thought about this.  Honestly, the only way to answer this is to separate the question into parts.  Here goes, A)  Spiritually-The mountain top experience for me, spiritually, well, it's still hard to narrow it down to one.  Mt. Nebo, standing on the site where Moses was allowed to see the promised land, but not get to go to the promised land, wow, humbling.  The places Jesus walked, talked, etc., they were all amazing.  However, for myself, the Sea of Galilee was the mountaintop experience for me.  Riding on that boat, singing and worshipping on that boat in the middle of that Sea, that was the pinnacle.  There is absolutely no doubt Jesus was ON the Sea of Galilee.  It was mentioned so many times in the Bible and we know that he not only rode a boat on the Sea, but also walked on the water.  He taught all around it's shores, HIS footprints are all over that place.  That is what made the Biblical words fly off the page for me.  Reality hit me like a wave from the sea.  Yes, this was my highlight.  I loved the Sea of Galilee and I love thinking about Jesus sitting on that boat beside me teaching me about His word, His truth, Him!  I felt very close to Him especially in that place.  Some people in our group said that the trip helped the words of the Bible leap off the page in Technicolor.  I think that is an accurate description of me and my "Sea" top experience.

B)-  Personally-Again, not as easy as you might think.  Everything we saw, everywhere we went had a purpose, a reason for us to visit.  Whether it was Moses, Abraham, David, Saul, or Jesus and the disciples every place was significant.  For me in a personal way, not a braggadocios way in any manner, but personally, I LOVED singing in St. Anne's cathedral.  The acoustics were probably the best we've ever experienced, and the song, "In Christ Alone", one of my personal favorites, the words and tones reverberated around the chapel like nourishment to my body.  The sound and echos long resonate in my spirit.  Every hair on my body felt like it was standing on end, just an incredible experience.  Then, we had the pleasure of listening to a group from Indonesia sing How Great Thou Art, again, cold chills.  This was a true highlight and blessing for me from the trip.  I love music, I love to sing, I love the Lord, and it just all came together in a chorus of delight for me in the middle of that chapel.  WOW, AND WOW!!!!

C)-Most relaxing and low key spot-the Dead Sea.  What an experience and oh what memories.  The sea is so full of salt, flotation is not an option.  You float as soon as your body gets into the water about knee high.  My legs just went out from under me without any help.  It was so odd, but so neat at the same time.  The hardest part was laying still, not fighting the water so as to not splash any water in or near your eyes.  It was very dangerous to get into your eyes, or if you swallowed the water.  It was a great experience and I absolutely loved sharing this special memory with the man I love the most on this earth.  We will treasure our time at the Sea and the memories we made.

I apologize that this has turned into a novel.  I will close for now and thank you for reading and your patience as I go on about the awesomeness of our trip.  If you get the opportunity, GO, save up and GO.  So worth it and so wonderful.  Unforgettable---that's what it was!