Random Words to Summarize My Time in Jordan

Friday, May 14, 2010

Honestly, there is so much running through my mind that I am not sure how this blog is going to turn out. But, I’ll give it a try to update those of you who are following me while I travel on this journey in the Holy Land.

After spending a few days in Jordan, I have finally arrived in Jerusalem. Due to a divine act of God, our group is no longer staying at the Jerusalem University College dorms during our stay in the holy city. Instead, we are conveniently tucked away in a vintage hotel in the Old City. The Palace Hotel truly lives up to its name. When I look out my window I feel as though I am overlooking a dream. I’m overwhelmed with the sites here.

Rewinding a bit, I’ll update you on the past couple of days. While in Jordan, we traveled through Upper and Lower Gilead, as well as Moab and Edom. The sites have been fascinating. I have been meeting so many of the Arab people during my visit here. In fact, the most thrilling part for me has been interacting with the natives. Every stop we made we were bombarded with Arab men attempting to sell us something or to “accompany” us females to our next destination. Let’s just say that when we were going through customs upon entering Israel from Jordan, the officer who was examining the computer screen displaying the contents of our bags was too busy staring at the females in our group than actually paying attention to our luggage. Better yet, on our way back from Petra, the men were asking us if we wanted “ride on horse” and when we refused they responded with, “Okay, no horse, then you take me?” Apparently pick-up lines are universally cheesy.

At this one particular spot we visited the temple of Zeus and the gate of Hadrian, a roman emperor who reigned during the second century. After spending hours gallivanting through the ancient Roman ruins, we stopped in the tourist market. A group of us waited for the rest to return and decided to look around this eclectic marketplace. A man gave me a beautiful pair of earrings for free and another man was insisting that he was a magician and had the power to make “man and woman fall in love.”

We had a blast laughing, singing, and joking with these Arabs. However, one in particular truly grabbed my heart. I soon found that his name was Stephano (spelling?) Like majority of the Arab people, he was beautiful. He dressed well, wore his hair long and curly, but there was sadness in his eyes. Deep sadness. He, unlike the rest of his comrades in the market, was not laughing and joking with us Americans. However, I had an opportunity to peer through a small window in his soul. After Stephano discovered I was from the states, Boston area specifically, he asked me how I liked it. He remarked about his distaste for busyness and chaos and explained to me why he loved his country so much. He loves the atmosphere that is carefree and relaxed. This young man had depth to him, that was certain. Yet, he was broken and he could not conceal his emptiness well. He eventually inquired about my occupation and my reason for visiting his country. As soon as we began to discuss my role as a Bible college student and whether or not the Bible bored me, our group was packing up to leave. I never got to finish my conversation with Stephano, but I will be praying for him. Oh that Jesus might reveal himself to Stephano and break the chains that choke his heart.

Hopefully this isn’t boring you yet. There is just so much to tell and I am trying to be intentional in communicating my experience thus far. I’ll sum up the remainder of my time in Jordan by sharing that yesterday I had a blast visiting Mt. Nebo and Petra. Mt. Nebo is the location where Moses was just before he died (take a look at Deuteronomy 34). This site left me in awe.

After Mt. Nebo, we visited a Greek Orthodox Church, which displayed mosaic (which is native to the Arab people—their specialty) all over the walls and floors of the beautiful old building. As we got back onto the bus, my friend Aaron and my new friend Josiah decided to join the little Arab boys in a game of soccer on the street. We have had so many opportunities to immerse ourselves in the culture, I am glad to so many of us have been taking advantage of these moments.

We finished our day at Petra. There was a picture at every corner of our walk through the “canon.” I swear I saw Harrison Ford… just sayin. Or at least the men who were involved in the live sacrifice in the third Indiana Jones film. ☺ I was on information overload during this time, but I attempted to soak up every moment of it. This was by far the most populated tourist site, which attempted to take away from its grandeur. Nonetheless, I stole away in solitude any chance I was given during this visit. Truly, our Father’s creation is breathtaking and something to be pondered. During one of these quiet moments I wandered up a series of dirt steps to what was once royal tombs. Of course, once I arrived at the top, a Bedouin was there selling his trinkets. I bargained with him for a Bedouin scarf/ hat thing for my brother. I was successful in knocking the price down a few dollars. It was here that I met a family from New York City. They seemed to be quite wealthy and must have been on a private tour with their own guide. We made small talk and quickly parted ways—I love how small this world is. At the peek of a dusty ruin almost 6,000 miles away from the east coast I bump into a family visiting from a state that just about borders mine. I love it.

My eyes are beginning to shut, so I will leave you here for now. I will be sure to tell you of my thoughts and meditations in Jerusalem. Already I have been experiencing the clash of the three monotheistic religions—Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Tonight, I had stepped out of my hotel no more than 5 minutes, and found myself in the midst of a crowd of Jews hurriedly making their way to service at their local synagogue. I’m thriving off the atmosphere that permeates this enchanting city. To be continued…