Our last day! We agreed to the "Divine interruption" in our schedule to baptize the Spanish singer. We went to 2nd baptismal site in the region of the tribe of Judah, in the Judean Desert (4-5 days walk from Galilee and 4 hours walk from Qumran). This site was much different than the other one since it bordered Jordan and is bordering a military zone, complete with landmines and wire fences. Although baptism is important, Pastor Kyle warned, "Don’t make the “thing” more important than the purpose. This is starting point of something new and transformational." We baptized, cheered, and will pray for each of the people in their team by name. We were happy to get out of the blistering 106 degree heat and onto the air-conditioned bus! We made it through the border patrol with no issues. Aroma coffee was closed because it is Sabbath. A construction sign on highway confirmed working Sunday-Thursday. So Shafik surprised us with coffee at Elvis American Diner. Laura said it looked like Elvis threw up in there. Even the outside wall mural included him. Are Israelis Elvis fans? Or do they do this purely for our benefit, thinking that we are? We traveled on to Tell Azekah, overlooking Valley of Elah where David & Goliath fought. The Philistines ran around Tel Azekah toward Gath after defeat. We hiked to the top of the tell where the archaeological digs can be seen. Aside from the dig sites, broken pottery from Iron Age floats up from the earth from King Sennacherib’s destruction. We also got to go down to Valley of Elah and saw a wadi with stones similar to the ones David used on Goliath. From childhood stories of David using five smooth stones in a sling, it's easy to think of them as pebble-sized, but they were more likely the size of a man's fist. Then we went to our last stop before leaving: Jaffa/Joppa means beautiful “The Bride of the Sea” This is the place where Jonah boarded a ship to Joppa instead of Tarshish (Jonah 1:3), where Peter raised Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:36-42), and where Peter went to Simon the Tanner’s house after he had a vision (Acts 10) that meant good news for the Gentiles! We walked along the Mediterranean sea, took pictures, saw the sun set, and prayed over our guide and driver (who had a Mission Impossible ringtone on his phone!) Laura tried to capture the splash of the waves at sunset - and they caught her, too! Shafik’s parting words: “Your pilgrimage is about to end, but your fellowship is about to begin. Share your faith and God’s love.”
Thanks for joining us on the journey! : )
1 Comment
Mary Sedlecky
4/13/2017 08:58:37 am
Looks like a wonderful trip! Great pics!
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AuthorThis blog is mainly written by me (Laura Walkendorf,) and also by my parents. Archives
April 2017
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