Streams of Living Water

4:30 came way too early this morning as we rolled out of bed and made it to the bus at 5. But let me tell you, what came afterwards was totally worth it. We climbed Masada, a very steep hike where my buddy, Marta, and I questioned what the heck we were doing and if we would ever make it to the top!! We stopped and watched the sunrise along the way as it rose over the Dead Sea. (As well as catching our breath throughout those multiple stops) Even though we were certain our calves and legs would fall off, we made it to the top! It was stunning! No picture can capture the view that we had! No words can describe the beauty!

Yep, we climbed that! 

Sunrise about halfway up Masada!

At the top of Masada listening to Jared

Then Jared gave us a tour of Masada and described the story according to the account of Josephus. Masada literally means fortress and it was a place that was a backup for those living in Jerusalem to flee to if they ever needed it. However it's in the middle of the desert and not the most ideal spot so no one planned on staying there longer then need be. When Herod became king he retreated up to Masada after he won a war against the Hazmonians, fearing that they would come and retaliate. He built Masada into more of a home than what it had been before. 

He had multiple storehouses upon storehouses because he was a hoarder basically :) When these storehouses were discovered by archaeologists they found clay pots in some of them. Inside of these clay pots were date seeds. These specific dates that were in these pots were popular to the area of the Dead Sea as it was a great environment to grow them in. How cool! We also went and saw the Northern Palace which was a palace more for show and parties rather than residential. The residential Palace that we didn't have time to see was the Western Palace. 

Northern Palace 

Another unique part of the "town" was the bath house that was in the middle. This bath house was a place for gossip and news to be passed around. Inside this bathhouse there is the original paint on the walls as well as original columns that held up the floor. The bathhouse is a series of three rooms: cold, warm, hot. The hot room is where most of people's time was spent. It compares to saunas that we have now. This unique part of culture was very interesting to see. 

Right behind Jared is where the cauldron would be in the hot room 

So after Herod died, his three sons took over but they weren't doing a great job so Rome brought in their own leaders. The problem with this is that Herod was a local boy so he had a good status as opposed to Roman leaders who just walked in. However in the year 67, the Jews in Jerusalem were being oppressed and so they ran to Masada and took over the Romans that were there. It wasn't long before Romans came for the Jews in Masada and they knew they had no hope. The Romans built a ramp right up to the walls of Masada. So before they would die from all the Romans, the Jews decided to destroy all their food and commit suicide so that way the Romans wouldn't get the joy of victory. When the Romans rammed through and made it into Masada they were greeted with silence and left Masada so their next battle. Today Masada is the most visited site in Israel because of the compelling story and the amount of architecture that has been uncovered. By 8:30 we took the cable car back down the mountain and for that we were all grateful! We headed back to the hotel to grab breakfast before it closed and we were out and about again! 

Right below Jared's finger is the ramp that the Romans built to the top of Masada 

The cable cars we took down 

The next stop we made was at Qumran where we looked at the ruins there and could see the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered! After seeing them in the Israel museum it was exciting to see where they were discovered! Did you know there are 11 caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found?!!! The one that is pictured below is Cave #4

Then we went to En Gedi! The famous En Gedi which is featured in 1 Samuel 24 when King Saul and David met. (Go look it up!)This oasis in the desert was absolutely stunning! Also the spot where the 16 yr old Ben Lappenga wrote his song that many know and love! So it was extra special! The joy on all our faces was very evident as we went under waterfall after waterfall! Streams of living water!!! Felt absolutely amazing! 

Pure joy!!!

Then we went to the Dead Sea!!! Eeeekkkk!!! We ate lunch and then went to the mud "bath"! We rubbed mud from the Dead Sea all over and then got to wash off in either sulfur water or regular water. Most of us went for the regular water! Afterwards our skin was sooo soft! Then we went down to the Dead Sea! Guys it was legit! You literally can't sink! We just floated! The minerals are really strong in the water and it did sting for many of us on our skin so the time spent in the water wasn't that long but to be able to experience that moment was very exciting! Ended the day sitting at the pool at our hotel! 

Mud!!!

Just floating!

Chilling at the pool!

The best day of my life so far!!! And I know I speak for many on the trip as well!! Not ready to leave Israel! It's been a trip of a lifetime!