Gods Provision Continues

This blog post is titled almost the same as to one of my very first blog posts that I had before this trip began. In that post I talked about how God had provided the resources and finances I needed to make this trip possible and now when I'm here I continue to see his provision day to day and that just made itself very evident specifically today. 

We started off the day a little earlier than normal at 7:30 because we had a little bit of a longer drive ahead of us! We had a new tour guide for the day before we go to having "Uncle Jared" for the rest of our trip! We're excited to have him back. Dan took us today to the Judean Desert. Man is that place desolate! No trees, no shade, not a lot of water. Perfect place for a monastery, which we got to visit. It was a nice lovely hike down on a super hot day and of course the men and women all have to cover up! Men have to wear pants, women have to wear skirts and scarves that go around their shoulders and heads. And remember, we are in the desert! Here's the first way God provided! He helped us throughout the day as we dealt with the heat! Getting to 
tour around a monastery was interesting but my favorite part of the day was still ahead!!!
Our guide Dan pointing out the monastery that we would visit in the Judean Desert 


Another view of the monastery

The Valley of the Shadow of Death! Before we started on the treacherous journey through this valley we read Psalm 23. Then in silence we started the hike. It was a great time to mediate and pray. I specifically repeated Psalm 23 in my head over and over. When I got to the part that said "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me!" It got hot and that valley in Psalm 23 got more real. Then throughout the hike there were crosses placed on the mountainside. It gave me chills "YOU ARE WITH ME!" I loved that we were forced in essence to slow down and meditate and pray through the first part of the hike. When we got to the halfway point we stopped and read the parable of the Good Samaritan. This specific valley we were in served as a shortcut many times for travelers where they could cut a whole day off their travels. The only problem with this shortcut is that it was a great place for thieves to hide and take advantage of all those who passed through. So reading this parable that Jesus told and knowing that the specific situation of the Good Samaritan could have happened in this valley, put the parable in a whole new light. I love whenever we stop to read Scriptures out loud and make those connections. That is one of the things I look forward to taking back with me from this trip! We continued the rest of the trail until we got to Jericho....and everyone made it! There is a huge testament right there to how God provides! 
Walking through the Valley of the Shadow of Death 

We went to a Greek Orthodox Church where we sat outside and had lunch and then proceeded to go in and check it out. Very similar to the different ones that we have seen before. It's amazing how different they are from the way that we practice and yet we both still call ourselves Christians. Incense, images, icons, and candles show up in these churches and can be overwhelming and seem to take away from what the purpose should be. 

Then we drove to the Jordan River!! Okay, more like a dirty creek. Not exactly what I had in mind when I thought of the Jordan River. This is believed to have been where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. God provided in this situation as well because after we read the passage about the baptism we went down to the water and the guide said that it was the first time in 8 years that he has seen it empty, with no tourists and groups besides our own. We took advantage and all got in the water. Not only did it cool us off but it also served as a time for prayer and meditation as well. 




We ended the day taking a trolley cable car up to some high hills on the outskirts of Jericho where another monastery was. We had the opportunity to go if we wanted to see another one. Otherwise those who didn't could stay back and enjoy the view while waiting. It was a fun experience for me, my first cable car! And it was a fun little adventure to end the day with! Got back to Tantur at a decent time considering we have to go to a different hotel the next couple of nights. We're leaving the Bethlehem/Jerusalem area. Bittersweet but excited to see what God has provided for us for the rest of our trip!
 Meet my beautiful friend Marta! 
Cable car to the top! (Sorry Damon, this isn't the one with you in it! haha)

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