Last Day of Pilgrimage - Cairo, Great Pyramids of Gisa, Sphinx

I have real mixed emotions about this, my last pilgrimage post. I might do one more after I get home and go through thoughts and photos. As for now, though, it's difficult to think about leaving my friends and the life-changing experiences we've shared.

We concluded our visits today to the Great Pyramids of Gisa and the Sphinx with a communion service in the hotel. The last three services, instead of a sermon, we've asked pilgrims to share their thoughts and experiences.Tonights was especially emotional for some as they shared intimate thoughts on what they hoped to get out of this pilgrimage. There was a lot of laughter and a lot of tears.

It's now 10 p.m. Cairo time (2 p.m. Texas time) and we've got a 4:30 wakeup call. Cairo traffic is gridlocked 24 hours a day and Dr. Ateek is worried about getting to the airport in time for our flight to London.

We began the day in Memphis (Egypt) where we saw a 100-ton, 55-foot-long statue of Ramses II. This is the king who had 32 wives and 200 kids. If you'll remember from an earlier post, he's worshiped as the god of fertility. Duh!

Then we visited a "small" pyramid in Sakkara. Actually, it is a necropolis, or holy burial place. It was built 4,800 years ago and the entire complex was surrounded by a 40-foot-high wall with 14 gates, 13 of which were decoys and only one gate actually gave you entrance into the temple area. They believe this one was covered with a veneer of gold which reflected the sun better so as to better reflect the king's glory.

Then on to the Great Pyramids of Gisa where the largest (and most photographed) belonged to King Cheops. The pyramid consists of 1,300,000 stones, each 4 feet by 4 feet and weighing between one-and-one-half tons and 15 tons. The pyramid is roughly 400 feet high and is an amazing sight. It was built over a 20-year period. The stones were mined in a quarry in Aswan (which we visited) and floated by boat down the Nile to Gisa.

They're an impressive site. I wasn't overwhelmed like I thought I might be, but I was impressed.

This was followed by camel rides. I'll try to post a picture of yours truly riding with Hazel Joseph, Jacque's and my good friend from Austin. Getting the camel up and then down is a little like cresting the first hill preparing for the big drop on a roller coaster.

Then on to the Sphinx. Unfortunately, we arrived around 4 o'clock (sunset is around 5) and the only view we had was looking into the sun. Therefore, I couldn't get any National
Geographic-quality photos. But, from what we saw, the Sphinx might have been the most impressive thing we saw all day.

Now, gentle reader, a couple of final observations I didn't put into last night's blog entry.

We have been overwhelmed by the abject poverty of Jordan and Egypt. Not Israel. Israel is very modern, clean, and most parts are physically attractive. We've driven through parts of Cairo and the other cities in Egypt that defy description. To say they appear to be out of Bible times is no exaggeration. This morning, we saw men riding small carts being pulled by donkeys on their way to sell vegetables at a market. We saw people dumping their trash into a canal flowing with water. We saw buildings and apartment buildings that, in the U.S. would have been condemned and torn down.

Really depressing stuff but a reminder to all of us how fortunate we are to have been born in and live in the United States. We asked our Egyptian tour guide, Mohammed, why trash is strewn everywhere. Huge piles of garbage on the sides of the roads and in intersections of major streets. He said the government nationalized the trash industry and, ever since, no one picks it up. Just like their health care has failed under nationalization, so has basic municipal services. He warned us not to allow our government to nationalize industries like they have here.

The second general observation is that it seems like everyone here smokes. We're staying in a five-star hotel and the lobby and restaurants are filled with people smoking. Again, very disheartening.

Dr. Ateek, a Christian from Palestine who is now a psychotherapist in Dallas and who is our primary guide, reminded us tonight in our worship service that we've seen how remarkable the results of people's efforts can be when allowed to flourish (such as the builders of the temples, the pyramids, the sculptors who carved the incredible statues, the painters and artists who created the magnificent hieroglyphics on the walls of the tombs). He said that we've also seen people who've never realized their potential either because the government doesn't allow them to or they just have no way up and out of their abject poverty. He reminded us that God created us in His image to realize and fulfill our potentials.

A good message with which to end this blog. Thank you for reading and following our 18-day pilgrimage. If I post another, I'll email everyone. And, by the way, I must apologize for my mis-spelling in last night's blog. I was so dog-tired, I spelled "orthopedic" as "arthropedic." I know better. My brain just wasn't functioning.

Farewell and I look forward to sharing my new knowledge with my parishioners at Trinity Anglican Church in Lago Vista and trinkets and souvenirs with my wife, two daughters, and four grandchildren. (Don't worry, children of Trinity, I've got a lot of stuff for you, too.)

This man, believe it or not, is a respected attorney in Houston. He and his twin brother and their two wives have made our trip enjoyable and full of laughs.

                                                             Charge!

 The Great Pyramid of Cheops. 400-feet high, 1.3 million stones, each weighing between 1.5 and 15 tons. Remarkable.

A view of two of the three Great Pyramids of Giza with the Sphinx in the foreground.

 The best shot I could get of the Sphinx due to position of the sun and time of day.

                Me, with all three of the Great Pyramids of Gisa in the background.

 Yours truly with good friend Hazel Joseph (you have to be a good friend to ride a camel like this).

                                           This is Cairo traffic 24 hours a day.


Next year in Jerusalem. Shalom.

Cairo - The Citadel, Egypt Museum

This is my first post since Sunday. Our internet service has been down. But, it's fair to say most of us are "tombed-out." Going into all these tombs is spectacular and impressive but when you see three kings and one queen in three hours, well, they begin to look alike. (I'm sure that wouldn't make those kings and queens very happy since the story is they all tried to out-do each other in mangifigance and splendor. One king even built a wall around an obelisk honoring one queen so the gods and spirits wouldn't know who she was. He also had her statues defaced so they wouldn't know who it was.

Monday morning began with us leaving the cruise ship and driving to the Valley of the Kings (outside of Luxor) to tour three kings' tombs. The Valley of the Kings has 62 tombs, each chiseled into the side of a mountain. Most tombs are 2,500 to 3,100 years old. No cameras were allowed so it's difficult for me to describe the beauty of these burial chambers. For example, the tomb of Ramses IV was built 3,200 years ago and was used by Christians during the first century A.D. to hide from the Romans who searched them out to kill them.

Imagine going up to a square in the side of a mountain approximately five feet wide by eight feet high. The corridor leading on an angle downward is 10 feet wide by 14 feet high and extends approximately 150 into the mountain. Along the two walls and the ceiling are the brightly colored heiroglyphics that you've seen pictures of. Bright reds, blues, yellows, and greens. Depictions of hawks (protector of the kings), fish, men, women, boats, the sun (the god Ra), and cobras, among other things. At the end of the corridor is the holy of holies where the body/mummy of the king is placed.

From there, we took the short trip to the Valley of the Queens to visit the tomb of the Queen Hatshepsut (pron. "hat-ship-suit") a name I encourage you to say slowly if in public. This queen took  power 3,500 years ago and she told her architect she wanted a "unique" temple. She didn't want hers to look like all those other guys' temples. I'll try to post a picture because she sure succeeded.

After this, we flew from Luxor to Cairo arriving at our hotel around 11. At the Cairo airport, we had a scare. One of our pilgrims is a retired cardiologist. He missed a step and fell on his wrist. Fortunately, we have four doctors among us including a retired arthropedic surgeon, three nurses, and a pharmacist. Oh, and two priests who can't diagnose a broken bone but can pray. So, he was covered. Unfortunately, a trip to a Cairo hospital showed it was broken so he'll have surgery on it when he returns to Houston.

The arthropedic surgeon and Dr. Saleem Ateek, who speaks impeccable Arabic, accompanied the man to a local hospital. When I asked the surgeon his impression of the hospital and the physicians they encountered, he said "late 1800s." Our guide, an Egyptian Moslem, said that when health care was nationalized, it went downhill very fast. He said he refuses to allow his family members to go to a national hospital or see government doctors. (Let that be a warning to us in the United States.)

Tuesday morning began with a tour of one of Islam's most important sites. It's the Citadel of the Great Saladin. It was started in 810 as a military pavilion on a hill with a strategic position overlooking the city of Cairo. Between 1176 and 1183, Saladin fortified it as a fortress against the Crusaders. We toured the Alabaster Mosque, built inside the walls of the Citadel. It was built in the 1800s when Egypt was part of the Ottoman Empire - which lasted from 1517 to 1809.

Then, we finished the day at the huge Egypt Museum near our hotel. We saw King Tut treasures, mummies, carriages, beds, and more statues and figurines than I've ever seen in one place. Truly a remarkable museum.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is our last day on the pilgrimage and we go to the Great Pyramids of Giza and The Sphinx. Then, Thursday morning, we leave early for our flight from Cairo to London and then London to Houston. The Austin pilgrims will arrive home around midnight.

Now, if you, gentle reader, will indulge me for a few personal observations.

1. Cairo is a surprisingly beautiful city. Like the Sinai Peninsula (site of the Exodus) I had a totally different mental picture. Our hotel is on the banks of the Nile and is much like the area around the Thames in London and the Seine in Paris. Very sophisticated landscaping and greenery. What's not to like is the traffic. It literally is gridlocked 24 hours a day. We saw it throughout the day as we bused from one site to another.

2. We encountered at the Citadel a number of Egyptian schoolchildren taking a field trip. They were dressed in bright red and yellow scarves, bright blue and green shirts and blouses and all of them were happy and waving to us. We waved back figuring our friendliness just might be more effective than our national political policies. We truly were moved and impressed with their beauty and their friendliness.

3. If I were a professional photographer, I would want to be in Cairo. One block is a beautiful building and landscaping and the next block is a run-down brown building with trash piled up in front. The people are strikingly handsome.

4. Armed security is everywhere. Our hotel is surrounded by armed guards/policemen. When our bus pulled back in this afternoon, I noticed a policeman with a bomb-sniffing dog going around the bus. Everywhere we go, we go through, not one, but two x-ray machines. Police are present all around important buildings sitting in blue mini-trucks, some with mounted machine guns.

5. The president, Mubarak, is not liked by the people. That's one reason there's so much security. After Anwar Sadat was assassinated, they're not taking any chances.

6. Tonight, before dinner, a group of us sat in the lobby lounge listening to a string quartet play. It was interesting when they played "Ave Maria."

7. And, last, I overheard one pilgrim say "There's sure gonna be a lot of wedge salads eaten in Houston and Austin when we get home." That's because we've been warned not to eat any fruit with the peeling on it, no tomatoes or lettuce or drink any tap water in Jordan or Egypt. Despite those precautions, at least five of our pilgrims have had an uncomfortable day or night of GI "issues."

 The tomb of Queen "Hat-Ship-Suit" who wanted a temple grander than those other kings. I think she succeeded.

A group of Moslem children on a field trip to visit The Citadel, one of Cairo's most famous landmarks and home to one of its most visited mosques. You might not be able to see it but every one of them is smiling, singing, and waving to us Yanks.

The Alabaster Mosque, built within the walls of The Citadel, one of Cairo's landmarks.
 

                                          Inside the Alabaster Mosque.

Me with a two-year-old Egyptian girl. She and her brother were intently watching a string quartet playing in the lobby and she saw me and told her mother, "I want to see my uncle." For just a fleeting moment, the barriers between two cultures were bridged by the innate need for one to be a child and one to be a grandfather (or uncle).

Nile River Cruise, Temples of Karnak, Edfu, and Luxor

What a day! Started with a wonderful communion service in the ship's lounge (read: bar). Instead of a sermon, we shared our thoughts on the pilgrimage so far. I was overwhelmed with people's thoughts and innermost feelings. One couple I have grown to love shared what they felt and learned in the Holy Land. The father said he just wanted to "meet my son's best friend, Jesus." He continued, "Lindy and I lost our son, Beau, in 1985 to a rare form of cancer. He was 12 years old. He's been with Jesus since and we just wanted to see where his best friend, Jesus, had lived." I won't speak for others but my eyes weren't dry. That's the kind of impact this pilgrimage to the Holy Land has had on us.

I preached the sermon at yesterday's (Saturday) communion service held topside on the top deck  (outside but under cover) of the ship. We held it as we cruised down the beautiful Nile. Incredible. Tomorrow I Celebrate the service, also to be held topside.

One of the interesting events today was going through a lock which required careful maneuvering on the part of the ship's captain and got a lot of scrutiny from our pilgrims as well as a group of professional photographers who are on the ship with us holding classes. They all have lenses longer than most baseball bats. Odd group.

Back to today. We went to the Temple of Karnak, built in the 8th century B.C. It included a lot of Egyptian fertility symbols, appropriate since the King, Ramses II, had 70 wives and 200 children. Reigning over a country must have provided a lot more down time than it does today. The 90-foot tall obelisk that is so distinctive at the site is made of one, single slab of red granite.

We also visited the Temple of Edfu, a huge temple found buried under the sand. It's dedicated to Horus, the Falcon god. We drove through the streets of Edfu at 6:30 (in order to avoid the heat and the crowds) and I was stunned to see many people just sitting on street corners and in front of shops drinking tea and smoking hookahs (the funny-looking pots with a long flexible hose coming out of it). This temple was started in 237 B.C. and was discovered buried under a village built over the top of it as well as a whole lot of sand.

In all these Egyptian temples, many of the faces have been chiseled away (literally "defaced.") One tour guide blamed the Crusaders (as in "Christians.") Another said it was the Moslems. Another said it was most likely other Egyptians who worshiped different gods and didn't want another tribes god to be remembered. I believe this last theory is most likely.

But the best was last. We arrived in the relatively modern and clean city of Luxor around 4:30 p.m. I say "clean" in a relative way. While cleaner than cities in Jordan and Egypt so far, Luxor is a resort city. We saw a lot of luxury hotels built along the Nile with waterpark features. We arrived at the Luxor temple after dark - a good time considering the hordes of Italians, Russians, and Spaniards we had been jostling with all day at the other sites. What an incredible sight and site! Bathed in gold-orange lights, the huge columns and magnificent statues were breathtaking. Truly. In the courtyard alone there are 74 huge and imposing columns. The temple is 3,500 years old.

Now stop and think about that for a moment. We in the U.S. think we're an old country populated by men and women who wore funny looking clothes. But that's just 300-plus years ago.  Think about 3,500 years.

Tomorrow we leave early for another temple here in Luxor - the famous temple/tomb of Queen Hatshepsut. Then, it's on to Cairo where we arrive around 10 p.m. on a flight from Luxor.

I have to confess. Jacque and I never much cared about or desired to go to Santa Fe...that is, until we actually went and became big fans. Likewise, Egyptian history never much interested me...until this trip. I have to tell you, what the Egyptians built 2,000 and 3,500 years ago is truly magnificent and, in some cases, mind-boggling. Not just the pyramids and the Sphinx - which we visit Wednesday, but any of these temples. For example, the Luxor temple. The builders put huge (and heavy) slabs of granite on top of the 90-foot-tall columns. For those of us who aren't architects and builders, it's hard to imagine how they put those tons of slabs where they did. Amazing.

Tonight, we also visited a perfumery, a place where they blow glass and make perfumes. It was interesting.

The innermost part of the temples, called the "holy of holies" where only the highest priest and the King were allowed.

 A view outside the dining room window looking at another River Nile

Once again, we heard the Moslem call to prayer (five times a day). The mosques are everywhere. In one small town we could count five minarets topped with green lights which are common as identifying marks of a mosque. Made some of us wonder if a Moslem gets mad at their Imam, can they just go down the street to another mosque like we do in the U.S.?

Aswan, Temple of Isis, Nile River Cruise

The morning began very hot in Aswan. The afternoon temperature eventually hit 100. But early in the morning, we bused to the Lower Aswan Dam, built by the British in the late 1800s and then to the new Aswan Dam, built by the Russians, with Egyptian help, starting in 1960. It's considered one of the world's engineering marvels. All I saw were kilometers so I can't tell you how long and high it is...but, take my word for it, it is long and high.

The water behind it is now called Lake Nasser after Gamul Abdul Nasser, president of Egypt during the period it was built. It's a hydroelectric dam providing, depending on which expert you believe, either supplies Egypt with 100 percent or 40 percent of its total electric needs.

First, some interesting facts about the Nile River. Did you know it's the only major world river that flows south to north? Most rivers flow north to south. But the Nile has two headwaters: one (called the White Nile) begins in Lake Victoria in Uganda. The other, the Blue Nile comes out of Lake Tania in Ethiopia. They merge at Khartoum, Sudan and then flow north through Cairo to the Mediterranean.

Our next stop Saturday morning was the fascinating Temple of Isis, also known as the Philae Temple. Isis was the goddess of magic.  It was flooded by the rising waters of Lake Nasser but archeologists convinced UNESCO to provide the money to transfer it to higher ground. So, from 1980 to 1985, divers cut apart the temple's pillars, stones, walls, and moved them about 200 yards away to a small island. Then, they painstakingly reconstructed everything exactly as it was built in 200 B.C. The interesting thing about the original temple is it was built by the Greeks. Why would the Greeks build a temple to honor one of Egypt's gods(goddesses in this case)? Because they wanted to win the hearts and minds of the natives and building a temple to honor one of their goddesses was a good way to do that. The temple features a lot of heiroglyphics, statues, and reliefs of Egyptian gods. It even features a High Altar far back in the temple where only the highest of priests was allowed to go (sort of like the Old Testament Holy of Holies).

The rest of the day was spent on our cruise ship. I've never seen anything like it. It's a large rectangular shaped ship with five levels. It holds around 100 passengers and 65 crew. It features a topside pool and covered cabana seating where we held a communion service this afternoon. Lovely spot as we're cruising up the Nile.

After 10 days of non-stop walking, touring, and events, it was a relief to be able to sit back and relax for awhile. In fact, I stayed in the pool from 3:30 p.m. until well after sunset - which here is around 5 o'clock. I ordered a frozen margarita which was neither frozen nor a margarita. Why did I ever think an Egyptian Moslem would know what a margarita was? My bad. Then a beautiful sunset followed by a cool breeze as we cruised up the Nile at around 5 knots (or so I was told by a couple of Navy vets). Incredible scenery as we pass the bullrushes (think Moses in his basket) and palm trees. But, just yards beyond the Nile's river banks, you see nothing but sand. Green lushness with camels and cattle grazing and then nothing but desolate sand. Interesting contrast.

                                      Camels are a common sight along the Nile.

A small part of the Temple of Isis, Egyptian goddess of magic. The entire temple was deconstructed and then reconstructed in order to save it from rising waters following completion of the High
Aswan Dam.

Typical scene along the Nile. Beautiful blue water flanked by two banks of deep green bullrushes, palm trees, and grass. You'll see cattle, camels, and goats grazing in the lush greenery.

Tomorrow (Sunday) we have the most well-preserved temple along the Nile, the temple of Edfu. Then, on Monday, we move on to the city of Karnak/Thebes/Luxor - which is all the same city, just known by different names. We'll see the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Kings. Then our last two days will be in Cairo before flying from Cairo to London to Houston early Thursday morning.

From Cairo to Aswan

Anyone who grew up in the 50s or 60s will remember the words "Aswan Dam." One of the world's largest building and engineering projects. The Russians paid for and helped engineer and construct the world's largest dam on the Nile River. Huge controversies because damming the Nile meant flooding hundreds of thousands of Nubian natives who lived in the area to be flooded. Our tour guide said the Nubians were "transferred" into Aswan. Yeah. Some "transfer."

We flew from Cairo early morning to Aswan, Egypt's third largest city with about one million population.  It's located in the middle of stark desert. Sand everywhere. Once again, though, trash everywhere. Lots of dilapidated buildings. Lots of new building. All of Egypt's electricity is now generated at the new "High Dam" as they refer to it. The "Low Dam" is a British built dam from the late 1800s. We're going to see the High Dam tomorrow during a tour.

One note before I forget it. Our trip includes two young and rather attractive women, both daughters of parents on the pilgrimage. We joked about one of them being worth "10 camels" in the parlance of marriage here in the Middle East. No joke, the other one got a real bonafide offer of marriage when we were in Bethlehem. How much is she worth? 20 camels! She's a graduate of Texas A&M and feels she can get a better deal on marriage back in the United States of America.

Back to Egypt. We arrived on our Movenpick cruise ship which we'll be on the next three nights as we cruise the Nile from Aswan to Luxor. We'll visit all the famous temples and pyramids before we get to Cairo. There, we'll visit the famous Egypt Museum and see the Sphinx and pyramids.

Mid afternoon, we went on local sailboats up and down the Nile. While it was 100 degrees here today, it was pleasantly cool on the Nile. We saw landmarks and important sites from the river and were offered exotic and beautiful arts and crafts on the boat. Following dinner, a group of us ventured into the local bazaar. You just have to see these to believe it. Every city/town we've visited has had a huge bazaar in its center. Narrow walkways with small shops/kiosks on either side. You can buy almost anything and the merchants and the young boys they hire to hawk their wares are aggressive.

This evening, the captain introduced his crew and hosted a welcoming party for all us Texans. It was splendid complete with a dance floor featuring blinking strobe lights. I was astounded by how well some of our pilgrims danced. Obviously, they remembered moves from their teen and college years. No telling how sore they'll be tomorrow but it was a pleasant diversion after being on buses and flying in this morning.

Internet access will be spotty once we set sail tomorrow around 12 noon (5 a.m. Texas time). More as I'm able to get Internet access ($15 for two hours on this boat).

I apologize. My system isn't allowing me to upload any photos. I'll re-try tomorrow or
Sunday and catch you up.

Into Egypt, Mount of Moses, St. Catherine's, Cairo

One of the interesting things about posting this blog in three countries is that the dashboard instructions all appear in that country's language. I had to figure out by trial and error in Hebrew and now Arabic (Jordan and Egypt).

Today was the hardest day yet. Wakeup call at 5:30. Long haul from Taba Heights (beautiful hotel overlooking the Red Sea - also called the Gulf of Aqaba. Three hours to St. Catherine's Monastery which is the Biblical site where it is believed that Moses encountered the burning bush and on which Mt. Sinai (Mount Moses) Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.

The monastery is considered one of Christianity's holiest places and includes the greatest collection of church icons after the Vatican. It was built in 500 and remains an active Eastern Orthodox church today.  The monastery also features a bush believed to be from a seed from the original burning bush. It sits at the foot of Mount Sinai.

Then on the bus for eight more hours to overnight in Cairo. Did I mention we've had an armed Egyptian policeman on our bus since we met it leaving Israel? Did I mention they use long mirrors on arms to look under our bus before we leave? Well, enough about security. You've already heard me describe the multiple passport checks and x-raying of luggage everywhere we go.

On the way, we went under the Suez Canal (via a tunnel). It was a rather harrowing ride. Let's say our bus is eight feet wide. Let's say the 18-wheelers are eight feet wide. So, the total width of the tunnel is 17 feet. Do you get the picture, dear reader? With vehicles on both sides going 60 mph or so, and with 12 inches or so of leeway, well, it was interesting.

Now, the biggest surprise of the pilgrimage. What picture does your mind conjure when I say "Moses led the Israelits across the desert for 40 years?" I mean, what do you think that desert looked like? Me, too. A desert. Flat, boring. Well, guess what? It's actually some of the most spectacular scenery you've ever seen. Think the Alps without the pretty. I mean huge, cragged mountains. Solid rock. All around you. Those Israelites  were tough people! The only flat is the narrow valleys between the peaks and hills. Solid rock. We encountered one area with three scraggly trees and promptly named it Sinai Forest.

The other surprising thing so far is the dirtiness of the countryside in both Jordan and Egypt. Israel was pristine. The roadsides in Jordan and Egypt is where they dump all their trash. We passed numerous arroyos (gullies) with bottles and trash dumped in them. Even in the towns and cities: trash everywhere. Litter.

The Sinai Peninsula makes up 20 percent of Egypt. It's got 200,000 inhabitants, almost all of them tribal and nomadic Bedouin. Our Egyptian tour guide described them as "primitive." No schools. No hospitals. All are Muslim.

Interesting camel fact: a camel can travel 25 miles in a day with 1,000 pounds of weight on its back.

This is St. Catherine's Monastery, built in year 500. It contains what is reported to be a direct descendant of the original Burning Bush. The monastery sits at the base of what is believed to be Mt. Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.

Intrepid group of Pilgrims. We were told men could enter the Monastery wearing shorts. Wrong. We were denied entrance. Our guide got upset, we re-entered but were allowed to cover our bare legs with appropriate scarving.

Beit Shean, Crossing into Jordan, Mt. Nebo, Petra, into Egypt

I apologize for not posting yesterday. Internet access has been a problem and the time to post has been limited. For example, we got back to our hotel in Tiberias late Monday night and left for Beit Shean at 7 Tuesday morning.

That said, we hated leaving the home country of Jesus. We had grown to love the Sea of Galilee area especially knowing that Jesus, Peter, James, John, and Peter had grown up in that area and walked those hills and spent much of their time on the Sea.

But our next stop was particularly exciting and mostly unknown to most of us. It's Beit Shean, the world's largest active archaeological dig. It's an incredible story. It was a Roman city complete with theatres, heated baths, thriving commerical area, a stadium for chariot races, running water for public bathrooms, and luxurious homes. Then, in 749, an earthquake leveled the city (as well as much of the Middle East we were to learn) and the city lay forgotten under rubble, silt, sand from sand storms, and runoff from floods. As happens in this part of the world, people built over the rubble. A new Beit Shean was built. In fact, it's the hometown of our guide,
Dr. Saleem Ateek, the Dallas psychotherapist. The Israelis forced him and his family out in 1948 as the newer city was once again leveled.

Biblically, the city is famous as the site where King Saul and his sons' bodies were hung from the city walls.(See the book of Samuel for details.) More recently, some of the movie Jesus Christ, Superstar were filmed in the newly uncovered city. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

When the Israelis bulldozed the newer Beit Shean, they discovered some of the older city's remains. Archaeologists went to work and you just won't believe what they've uncovered. I'll post a couple of pictures but there's no way the photos can do justice to the majesty, the grandeur of this once-thriving, beautifully-designed and built city. They've now uncovered evidence of 20 different civilizations dating back to 17 centuries B.C. Mind-boggling.

On to Jordan. We crossed in at the Sheik Hussein Bridge. It took us two solid hours to exit Israel and enter Jordan. When I tell you border security in this part of the world is tight, believe me, it is tight. It's nothing like our porous border with Mexico where anyone and anything enters at will with little to no scrutiny. Here, everything associated with border crossing is scrutinized and nothing is easy.

On the way, our Muslim guide (who replaced our Palestinian Christian guide who led us through Israel) introduced us to a new word. "Abouna." It is the highest respect paid to a man of God (believe it or not, he included clergy - Larry and me- in that category.) So, since then, everyone calls us "Abouna Dale and Abouna Larry." Being in Jordan, it's a little lower than "King" and we heard plenty about that, too.

Jordan is 92 percent Muslim (or Moslem as everyone here says it) and only five percent Christian. It is dirt poor. Some are rich and almost everyone else is dirt poor. No middle class. We saw poverty that breaks your heart. Most of us bought trinkets for our kids and grandchildren because our hearts were touched when little Mohammed and little Ibn asked us to pay $1 for postcards and $4 for beautiful bracelets of "rare stones." A lot of U.S. grandkids are going to have a swell time with all their new trinkets when our pilgrims get home.

The Jordanians are proud of the fact that Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan in what is now Jordan. In fact, on his way to Jerusalem from Nazareth and Capernaum, Jesus often walked the route that took him east of the Jordan River which is today, Jordan. The Moabites, Sodom and Gomorroh - all Jordan.

Then to the Mountains of Moab and to Mount Nebo. See Deuteronomy 32: 48-52 and chapter 34 for the huge events that happened on Mount Nebo. At its peak, where god led Moses to overlook the Promised Land and where Moses died - that's where I got to hold a communion service. The music was heart-touching and the joy and the fellowship we all felt in such a holy place was beyond my ability to put into words. A true mountaintop experience. Thanks be to God!

Overnight in the thriving tourist town of Petra. What was uncovered there in 1812 by a Swiss engineer is one of the Eight Wonders of the World. It is truly beyone description. Between the First Century B.C. and First Century A.D., a people called the Nabateans built a city out of the mountains. Literally carved temples, palaces, amphitheatres, homes, and shopping centers (so to speak) out of solid rock. I'll post a few pictures.

Our tour there was interesting. Saleem has led many tours here and he said if we want to avoid literally thousands of Italians, Russians, French, etc. tourists all muscling their way through the narrow gorges into Petra, we ought to arrive early. How early? Wake up call at 5:30, on the bus at 6:30. Sure enough, we were the only ones there for a good hour-and-a-half. As we were leaving at 9 a.m., you should have seen the thousands of tourists all arriving at the same time. We thanked Saleem for his wisdom.

Then to Aqaba on the southern tip of Jordan and bordering the Red Sea. Know why they call it the Red Sea? Because at sunset, the sun shining on the bordering Jordanian mountains give the Sea a reddish tinge. We saw it tonight as we left Jordan, entered Israel for a couple of miles, and then entered Egypt. Yes, three border crossings. Three checkpoints. Three passport checks. Three visa stamps. Three baggage x-rays (the Israelis is by far the most extensive as you would expect). Then three more passport checks and then three more luggage checks. Lots of bureaucracy.  At the end of today, most of us never want to see another line again - or people carrying big guns and not smiling.

We had a late lunch in Elot (still Israel) which is a resort city on the Red Sea. Beautiful scenery. Modern shops. Big-name retailers. A stark contrast to the poverty of Jordan. Elot is in the middle of the Rift Valley which most of us know is in Africa but didn't know actually begins in Syria. It's an earthquake faultline and everyone talks about the earthquake of 749 devastating all the surround countries.

We're now spending tonight in the Intercontinental Hotel in Taba Heights in the city of Taba. It, too, is on the Red Sea and is impressive. Our guide, however, tells us that Egypt's poverty is even more stark than Jordan's. He says there are rich people in
Cairo but they're small in number compared to those who are poor. There are 17 million in Cairo. That's where we're headed tomorrow (Thursday) after we bus across the Sinai Desert and visit St. Catherine's (think Moses and the Exodus)  on the way to Cairo.

The beautiful Scots Hotel in Tiberias. It's owned by the Scottish Anglican Church and was a hospital in the 1800s. It's now

a luxurious resort hotel right on the banks of the Sea of Galilee.

The famous "Treasury Building" at the entrance to the city of Petra, built more than 2,000 years ago by the Nabateans. Everything is carved out of sandstone including temples, homes, shopping areas, and an amphitheatre.

The Cardo Maxima ("cardo" from the Greek for "heart." This is the main street of Beit Shean, a Roman city built 2,000 years ago. It was uncovered in 1948.

A view of Beit Shean with Mount Gilboa in the background. King Saul died on Mt. Gilboa and his body - as well as the bodies of his sons - were hanged from the city walls surrounding Beit Shean.

Conducting communion service on the top of Mt. Nebo where God showed Moses the Promised Land but told him He wouldn't allow him to go into it. Moses died on Mt. Nebo. Meg Rice, St. John the Divine's adult Bible study teacher and the Rev. Larry Hall, Rector of St. John's, assist.

 The "Temple of Urn" in Petra. Archaeologists believe it was used as a funerary (masoleum). Inside the top entrance (see small looking square between the columns) is a huge room with paintings on the ceiling.

One of the means of transportation into and out of Petra.

Monday, Nov. 1 - Sea of Galilee, Mt. Bental, Caesarea Philippi, Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes

We pilgrims have agreed on an observation. Each day is better than the last. We don't understand it but we finish a day and think "well, the rest of the trip will be anticlimatic. There's no way tomorrow can compare to today."  Today proves it once again. In fact, more some of us, our sunset boatride across the Sea of Galilee was the highlight of our pilgrimage - so far. We stopped the boat in the middle of the Sea (remember, it's actually a lake, not a sea) and read the scripture of Jesus calming the sea in the middle of a storm.

Realizing that Jesus and the disciples would have seen the same mountains and general terrain we were looking at and watching the orange sunset over the mountains just took my breath away. I got choked up (yeah, yeah, I know some of you are thinking "but you ALWAYS get choked up...") And you'd be right. But, friends, when you are there. When you know this is God's holy place. When you remember that God didn't send Jesus Christ to Miami or Buenos Aires or Toronto...but to Israel. To Jerusalem. To the Sea of Galilee. To Capernaum. It's special in a way that words can't express.

The day began with a lesson from Lazarus, our Israeli Christian tour guide. He asked why Jesus chose Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee to be his home base. Why he chose to go from village to village in this area for His ministry. The answer was a practical one. He said "Jesus had to communicate without the Internet and email. The best way to spread His message quickly was to center it on a trade route. Guess what? This area, especially Capernaum and Tiberias were the center of a north-south trade route. Travelers and merchants were the best and fastest way to spread information.

We first visited the Church of Peter Primacy where Jesus cooked fish for the disciples following His resurrection. We held a communion service on the grounds of this beautiful place. It's where Jesus told the disciples to cast their nets on the OTHER side of the boat when they couldn't catch any fish. It's where He commanded them earlier to "Follow me."

We then went to the banks of the Jordan River where I scooped up two bottles of water to use in baptisms back home.

On to Mt. Bental which is a defunct volcano. It played a key role in the 1967 war between Israel and Syria. Syria approached Israel in a surprise attack in this area. They planned on a 48-hour blitzkrieg. The problem was, they conquered the area (known as the Golan Heights) in 24 hours. They hadn't planned on such a quick conquest so they had no military plans for the second 24-hour period. This gave Israel time to amass a small number of tanks and to prepare a defense. From the top of Mount Bental, you can see the fortifications and bunkers. Looking down you see into what used to be Syria. Syria amassed 450 tanks. Israel could only muster 70 - with the help of the U.S. The two opposing armies staged the biggest tank battle to that date since the famous tank battle of Stalingrad.
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They call the area "The Valley of Tears" because so many civilians and soldiers were killed there. The two armies maneuvered and fired, maneuvered and fired. Eventually, the Israelis won and won back control of the Golan Heights, which they control to this day.

Interesting story. The Israeli version of our CIA - the Mossad - had planted an agent high up in the Syrian government. He had eucalyptus trees planted around Syrian military facilities - artillery batteries and bases. This gave the Israeli Air Force and artillery batteries exact coordinates for shelling and bombing. "Just aim for the eucalyptus trees."

But back to the Bible. Next was Caesarea Philippi where Jesus did a signficant amount of teaching. It's where he met with the disciples in a cave (I have pictures) and asked them "Who do the people say I am?" In other words: "are people getting it?" And after giving him some feedback, Peter said "You are the Christ. The Son of the living God." The area around Caesarea Philippi looks very much like the bluffs and streams around Leakey (Laity Lodge) and Kerrville. Very similar. We saw the spring which is the headwaters of the River Jordan. And, it's at the base of Mount Hermon which is today a ski area.

It's where I saw more of the ubiqitous t-shirts that say "America - don't worry. Israel has your back." I love it.

We saw an area where two ridges slope down to each other, creating what appears to be a natural amphitheatre. Could Jesus have used such a grassy, sloping area to teach a multitude of people?

In fact, we visited the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus did teach the crowds. Beautiful area overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

Then on to Capernaum where Jesus based much of His ministry. In fact, there's a sign that says "Capernaum: the home of Jesus." They're proud of their hometown boy. In fract, it's the hometown, too, of James and John, the Sons of Thunder (Zebedee). We visited the remains of the house where Peter's mother-in-law lived and where we know for a fact Jesus spent time. It's also the home of the Centurion, the first Gentile convert to Christianity. So, it's famous for a lot of aspects of Jesus' life but the one thing that caught our attention was the Synagogue. It's a Fourth Century synagogue but it's built exactly over the site of the synagogue where Jesus taught.

Capernaum isn't mentioned in the Old Testament but was certainly a thriving city in Jesus' time. In 749, an earthquake destroyed the city.

This area is also the site of several dead volcanoes. In fact, the best grape-growing region in Israel is in the basin of the blown-out volcanoes.

I close with an observation or two about our group of pilgrims: 11 from Austin, 33 from Houston, and one from Dallas - Dr. Saleem Ateek who put the trip together and handled all the logistics. I cannot imagine a more compatible group. I have experienced groups this size which have been thrown together for an extended period of time: my Air Force basic training flight. My Officer Candidate School class. But I have never been around a happier, more caring, and helpful group before. They threw a birthday party for me in Bethlehem at a wonderful restaurant. I told them if I couldn't be around my own family (wife, children, grandchildren and Trinity family, I couldn't imagine being with a better group of friends.

Of course we're happy and tireless because of where we are. The Lord wanted each  one of us here in His holy land for a reason. We don't know yet what that reason is but we know it's special. We've gained insight and knowledge we didn't have before. We've learned that the people of the Bible were a rugged and sturdy people. They walked for days to get to the next village. From Nazareth (Jesus' home) to Jerusalem is about a four-day walk. Jesus did it all the time. The countryside is hilly, even mountainous in parts. It's hard for our Mercedes bus to get up and down the mountains. Imagine how it was for men and women wearing sandles walking where there aren't hike-and-bike trails.

We've been moved to be in the same places where the famous events of the Bible took place. We've been in tears as we sang "Here I am, Lord" on the shores where Jesus said "Follow me." It's been a special week so far and we have more to come.

Early tomorrow morning we leave Israel and move to Jordan. It's a long day but with several important stops. Tomorrow evening (Tuesday) we arrive in Petra and will spend Wednesday looking through this incredible city carved out of stone. If you aren't familiar with Petra, Google it. I'll celebrate communion and preach there. It's where some think Jesus was referring when, warning us of what to do in the end times, He said "women of Jerusalem, flee to the mountains to avoid the wrath." Petra is in the Jordanian mountains east of Jerusalem and was considered a safe place.

I'm not sure when my next post will be. God's blessings to you for following our pilgrimage.

Getting water for baptisms from the River Jordan

Looking down from the military fortifications on top of Mt. Bental. Below, in the Golan Heights more than 450 Syrian tanks were defeated by 70 Israeli tanks during the 1967 War. In the background is Mt. Hermon.

The cave at Caesarea Philippi where Jesus met with His disciples and asked "Who do the people say I am?" Peter famously answered "You are the Christ. The Son of the Living God."

 A view toward the Sea of Galilee from the beautiful Mt. of Beatitudes.

This is the Fourth Century synagogue in Capernaum, built over the synagogue where Jesus taught.

Our boat mast on our sunset cruise over the Sea of Galilee. After we boarded the ship, the crew played The Star Spangled Banner. We stood with our hands/hats over our hearts and sang together. They raised Old Glory so it flew side-by-side with the Israeli flag. Note the Cross joining the U.S. and Israel. Fitting, isn't it?

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Sunset on the Sea of Galilee on Monday, November 1, 2010, All Saints Day.