Wadi Rum is a desert in Jordan that's a really popular spot for people to go camping and hiking. In 2013, I was talking to a friend from Bethlehem, and I had mentioned that I wanted to visit Jordan one day, and the first place that he recommended was Wadi Rum.  It just so happened that FCA invited me back in 2014 and we were going to take a trip to Wadi Rum after the sports camp projects we did the weeks before.  I was so excited!  This is definitely a place that you can spend several days hiking, four wheeling, riding camels, etc.  We just spent one night, but it was still incredible and will forever stand out in my memory. 

It was a long drive through the flat and sandy desert to get here.  I can't imagine being a foreigner and having to navigate my way around here with no help from locals.  Luckily, we had one of my good friends from Bethlehem drive us and ask for directions in Arabic with locals along the way.  I really don't know what we would have done otherwise, haha. You feel like you're in the middle of nowhere for basically the whole drive.  I spent a lot of time hanging out of the sunroof while standing on my seat taking in the scenery as much as possible.  I have some funny cell phone videos I took of the locals' reactions to a blonde girl sticking out of an SUV sun roof saying "marhaba" (hello) as we passed through town.  I had one brief and basic conversation in Arabic with some camel herders as we approached our bedouin camp.  Everyone was real nice. The scenery was incredibly striking.  The mountains were a beautiful warm color the closer they were to you, and the more distant they got, they took on a pale purple and blue tint.

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by two local Wadi Rum guys -- Atala and Mohammad. They were 21 and 27 respectively.  They drove us around in small pickup trucks in the desert to all the great spots for views.  They were so much fun.  Atala, the shorter guy, broke just about every stereotype you may have about these regal people from the desert.  He was having a blast taking photos with my camera, speaking in Arabic with me (we called each other zalmati, which means "my man" haha), doing jumping pictures on the edge of cliffs, and taking selfies with my phone, OH...and driving the truck while he's literally hanging out of it completely, ha! Reminded me once again that people are people anywhere you go.  I love experiencing a bond with someone who seems completely different from you.  There is nothing sweeter.

One of the coolest experiences I've ever had was sleeping outside here.  At our bedouin camp, there were tents lined against the mountains and a separate area with colorful rugs and low couches around a fire.  Our team sat around the fire at dark, drank tea prepared by the local men, laughed together and eventually sang worship songs along with a mini music player someone had. It got quieter and quieter as people fell asleep, and eventually I was one of a couple people awake.  Although we all had tents, we all slept outside in the open.  I remember laying flat on the couch, looking up at the perfectly clear sky seeing thousands of stars, while hearing the sound of palm tree leaves rustle in the breeze.  I had no concept of time.  It was completely pitch black other than moonlight and the dimming fire. The fire grew dimmer as the sounds grew quieter, but the Jordanians stayed awake and quietly had tea together throughout the night. The vulnerable feeling of sleeping outside in the desert was unlike anything I had felt.  There was a unique oneness I experienced with God. It was so amazing.  

After our three or so weeks in Bethlehem, we took a road trip across the border through Jordan to close out the trip.  Our first stop was at the Crown Plaza Hotel on the Dead Sea, somewhere in Jordan, I never even knew what city it was exactly. My group was in the pool that night, but I went out at sunset alone down to the "beach", and just floated in the water for about 30 minutes with my hands behind my head looking up at the empty sky that was slowly turning a soft orange. I brought a little bottle with me to take some water back home, and during the bottling process, somehow I splashed water in my eyes.  Holy crap that hurt haha. I felt pretty much hopeless -- I had nothing to wipe down my eyes with because I was submerged in this crazy poisonous, salty, acid water.  

I just sat there waiting for a miracle, as if nothing was wrong, waiting for tears to wash it clean, or maybe I could walk blind up and feel around for a towel or something.  Then I heard splashing footsteps approach me, shortly followed by an unexpected blast of freezing fresh water to the face.  Instantly the pain was gone and I could see. I think I told him I loved him, but I'm not sure he understood me, lol. Thank God.

After one night there, we ventured on to Petra.  I have wanted to come here my whole life, I could hardly believe we were going.  The drive there was so stunning in such a unique way.  I spent quite a bit of time standing on my seat taking pictures outside of the sunroof.  It felt so liberating with the breeze in my face, even though it felt like an oven at times.  We had to keep turning the air conditioning off each time we'd go up a hill to keep the car from being overworked. The ride was hilly but went smoothly, with the occasional stop for a stray camel in the road or a sheep herder crossing. Petra was incredible.

The long hike just to get there was a masterpiece of its own. The horse drawn carriages and camels made me feel like we were way back in time.  You really only think of the one iconic structure with the columns when you think of Petra, but there is an entire ancient city built into the rock that was pretty incredible.  You really would need about 2 full days to check it all out.  I didn't realize the main attraction was simply a tomb, without any real indoor part.  It goes back only a few feet, and it's blocked off.  It's a place I would definitely go back!  

It was so surreal to be in Israel. To stand on the very ground that Jesus walked on, to be in the same rooms He performed miracles in, and to swim in the water that He walked on. I didn't have the capacity to take it all in for what it's worth. We started off without sleep from the 10 hour plane ride, and immediately got off the bus to start visiting some of the most significant sites in the world. You will see that we did...A LOT.  Day 1 - After arriving in Tel Aviv, the first place we went to was Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley, the place where scripture says that the final battle (Armageddon) between God and Satan during the end times will take place. It's one thing to appreciate a place for what has happened there in the past, but it's another thing to get your mind around what WILL happen there. It makes your head feel like it's going to blow up, especially when you're talking about God overthrowing the antichrist and Satan once and for all. 

Later that day, we went to the Church of Annunciation in Nazareth. This is the church that the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her she was pregnant with Jesus.  When I heard that, I got chills. We stayed the night in Nazareth.  Nazareth is where Jesus spent most of his life growing up.  He left Nazareth when he was 30 to start his ministry in Capernaum, and returned twice to preach but was rejected both times. We visited the Synagogue Church in Nazareth -- one of the places Jesus was rejected -- where He declared himself as the Messiah to the Jewish village people.  After the message, they were so infuriated that they tried to throw him over a cliff. The town itself was a really cool place -- I wish we had more time to spend there. It was very peaceful, quaint and fun to walk through.  It's very hilly and feels compact with all the flats they have next to one another.  It reminded me a bit of Assisi in Italy.  At night, I'd look at the window and see nothing but lights from windows in buildings covering the huge hill that Nazareth sits on. CHURCH OF ANNUNCIATION (Next 3) - Where the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her she was pregnant with Jesus.   NAZARETH (Next 3) - Where Jesus grew up.  SYNAGOGUE CHURCH - Where Jesus declared Himself the Messiah but was rejected by the village people. DAY 2 - The next day we journeyed through the Galilee to a few places. On our way to the Galilee, we stopped in Cana -- right outside of Nazareth -- where Jesus performed the first miracle of turning water into wine at the Cana Catholic Wedding Church.  After that, we drove to  the Mt. of Beatitudes, where Jesus preached the famous Sermon on the Mount message. One of our team leaders, Coach Dennis Dye, preached that sermon from memory while we were there. It was pretty cool to hear the very message in the place it was originally spoken. I remember the breeze feeling extremely fresh and soothing that day.  It's a really gorgeous, well-landscaped place that overlooks the Sea of Galilee from the top of a hill...or a mount. CANA CATHOLIC WEDDING CHURCH (Next 2) - Where Jesus turned water into wine.  MT. OF BEATITUDES (Next 2) - Where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. We then drove to Capernaum, the place where Jesus lived during the three years of his ministry after moving away from Nazareth.  Peter, Andrew, James and John also lived here as fisherman, as well as Matthew the tax collector.  Capernaum is one of the three cities that Jesus cursed because of its lack of faith. It is situated right on the water on flat ground. It was extremely hot -- over 100 degrees the day we visited.  All of the ruins from the buildings and homes from Jesus' time remained there.  In one of the archeological remains, I actually saw the original/earliest depiction of the Star of David carved into a stone that was once part of a synagogue. CAPERNAUM (Next 3) - Where Jesus lived during the years of his ministry. The same day, we went to Tabgha, which is literally feet from the edge of the Sea of Galilee. Right on the water, there is a chapel built over a rock where Jesus met with the disciples for the "last breakfast", which is believed to have took place on the rock in the photo below.  This is where Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him three times.  You can go in the chapel, touch the rock and get a picture. It was pretty amazing.  The shore at Tabgha along the Sea of Galilee is where Jesus called the disciples to come and follow Him.  It's where He called out Simon Peter and Andrew when they were casting their fishing nets, and James and John when they were preparing their nets. Shortly after that, we had lunch overlooking the Sea of Galilee and ate fish from the Galilee, served in the traditional way they would eat it, with the bones and all, served as a whole fish on your plate. Mine looked like a cartoon fish skeleton after the cat puts it in his mouth and cleans it right up in one swoop. I accidentally ate three bones.  TABGHA - Where Jesus met with the disciples for the last breakfast.  We then took an unexpectedly long and intense hike through the Arbel Cliffs. This had an incredible view of the Sea of Galilee. We had a faith lesson here by Jill Perry, one of our team leaders. It took us probably an hour an a half or more to get down the mountain to the bus. We saw a cave full of bulls and cows along the way, and wild horses. It was beautiful. ARBEL CLIFFS (Next 4)  To top the day off, we took a breathtaking boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.  When I wasn't taking pictures, I sat at the front of the boat, and felt the water spray in the breeze as we'd hit waves. This was where Jesus. Walked. On. Water. The Sea of Galilee is really a lake, as it's landlocked. You can see shore and mountains everywhere you look.  When we were in the middle of the water, I looked in every direction just thinking to myself, "It's probably within my sight right now where Jesus walked on water." Then I tried to picture it, and tried to imagine the storms that were so terrible that caused the disciples to be terrified for their lives. Then picturing Jesus calming the storm. Ahhh - that was all right here. Oh and later that day, we swam in it. How do you take that in!? SEA OF GALILEE DAY 3 - After staying overnight in Tiberius in Galilee, we woke up early to go on an adventure hike through the Black Canyon in the Golan Heights. We hiked through very thick jungle-type forest, through rivers, and we had to repel down a 100 foot waterfall (literally in the waterfall), and jump off a few cliffs into water.  I have to say it was a lot more intense than I was imagining -- so basically it was pretty freakin sweet.  I LOVE doing this kind of thing. Unfortunately I don't have photos from this because they were on my phone, which was stolen a few days later. DAY 4 - We left the Galilee area to drive along the Jordan border to head to the lowest place on earth, the Dead Sea.  Before we got there, we took a pit stop at the Jordan River and did baptisms, and the best part was that John the baptist did it (a pastor in our group named John, lol).  Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. The river was probably eight feet wide, and the other side was Jordan. If anyone tried to cross either way, you'd be killed. JORDAN RIVER (Next 3) - Where Jesus was baptized.  The Dead Sea water level goes noticeably down every year, and it's estimated that it will be completely gone in 40 years. There's SO much salt that you float in the water. It's impossible to sink. There's nothing that can survive in the water -- hence it's name, the Dead Sea. The floor is made up of a slippery, smooth, gooey mud that has a blue-ish gray color. You're supposed to rub the mud all over your body as it's supposed to be really good for your skin with all of the minerals. The water is unbelievably salty -- I was not prepared for it to be so intense. I just touched my tongue to my finger that was wet from the water and it was like I had put a whole Warhead in my mouth, those freaky bitter sour candies from growing up. My whole body was stinging from all the cuts I got from falling through brier patches down a hill the day before. That was cool. DEAD SEA That night we went to Jericho, the oldest city in the world, to do a little sight seeing and have an Arab style barbecue. Jericho is known for their food, and from having experienced it, I can see why. It was without a doubt, the best chicken I'd ever had. They serve the food family style, and don't stop bringing it until you literally can't move. I felt sick for an hour after that, but it was so worth it. We saw archaeological remains from 10,000 years ago in Jericho. JERICHO - The oldest city in the world.  Just down the road, was the Oasis of En Gedi, the place where David hid from King Saul in a cave.  They're not kidding when they say Oasis.  This area was incredibly dry; there is nothing but white rocks and cliffs.  Engedi had a few waterfalls and pools, that were a great refreshment in the extreme heat. Right after that, we drove to the Qumran, where site of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  They had original scrolls hanging in an exhibit, which was really cool.  You can see the cave where they were found, too. We drove that night to Bethlehem, where we stayed for the next week for the sports camps. EN GEDI (Next 2) - Where David hid from King Saul in the caves.  QUMRAN (Next 2) - Where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.   DAY 5 - I spent most of this day in the Palestinian courthouse in Bethlehem --ha-- long story for another time. Once that ordeal was over, we made up for lost time in the courthouse and went to the Mount of Olives that overlooked the Old City of Jerusalem. This is where Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. We continued down to Gethsemane, a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives, next to the Church of All Nations. This is where Jesus prayed with the disciples the night before His crucifixion. GETHSEMANE - Where Jesus prayed the night before the crucifixion.  MOUNT OF OLIVES - Where Jesus wept over Jerusalem.  DAY 6 - This was the first day of the sports camps in Bethlehem, so we would do our sight seeing in the Bethlehem/Jerusalem area in the mornings before camps started in the afternoon. We visited the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, the church that was built over the birthplace of Jesus. There is a place inside that you walk down a few stairs to get to, that has a star in the floor, marking the birth spot. CHURCH OF NATIVITY (Next 5) - Where Jesus was born  AROUND BETHLEHEM (Next 5) DAY 7 - This day, we went to the Herodium, just a few miles outside of Bethlehem. King Herod was an extremely paranoid man, and would kill anyone who he felt was a threat to him, including workers that had inside information on secret the construction of his palace. He built this fortress to quickly flee to from Jerusalem, as well as a luxurious place for him to enjoy, although he was only recorded to have ever been there three times. He built a lot of it underneath the hill, so that it couldn't be seen. Archaeologists are still uncovering new parts of the hidden fortress to this day. HERODIUM - King Herod's Fortress  DAY 8 - We went to Jerusalem at the old City of David to visit the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall.  The City of David is one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the world, historically speaking. It has been constantly inhabited since around 3000 BC. The Temple Mount is where the famous gold Dome of the Rock is located, a very sacred place for Muslims, where they believe that the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven from. CITY OF DAVID - Jesus would enter the city at this entrance.      The Western Wall is the holiest site to the Jewish faith. It was really interesting to me that these places were so close to one another; I had no idea their proximities until I was there.  The wall was actually built as a retaining wall to the Temple Mount when it was originally constructed. Jews offer prayer to the wall because it was the only standing piece of the original construction of the Temple, even when Jerusalem has been destroyed and rebuilt 9 times. They believe the divine presence never leaves the wall. Men and women are separated by a gate that runs perpendicular to the wall in the middle. Women are on the right, men on the left. WESTERN WALL - The holiest site recognized by the Jewish faith.  The Temple Mount was really strict -- I took a picture with a girlfriend and she put her arm around me like any normal friend pose, and she got smacked on the hand by someone monitoring the area for touching me. I also got immediately reprimanded the second that my arm became exposed from my rental wrap. TEMPLE MOUNT / DOME OF THE ROCK  DAY 9 - We went back to Jerusalem to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Spirit). This was built to commemorate the crucifixion and burial of Christ.  It's one of the places believed to be where Jesus was actually crucified.  Inside the church, if you go upstairs, there's a white rock that's encased in glass with a hole in it. You can stick your hand in the hole and touch the rock -- this is the rock many believe was where the crucifixion actually took place. The other crucifixion site up for debate is Golgotha, or Skull Hill, which was just a drive away.  There's actually a Muslim cemetery on the top of this hill now.  The Garden Tomb, located at the foot of Golgotha, was pretty recently (19th century) discovered as the place believed to be where Jesus's tomb was. CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER (Next 2) Where some believe Jesus was crucified.  GOLGOTHA - Another place believed to be the crucifixion site of Christ.  THE GARDEN TOMB - The door behind us is the entrance to Jesus's tomb.  DAY.. WHATEVER...THE LAST SITE - We took a few days break in between Jerusalem and this. By now we had made it to the coast, north of Tel Aviv for a 2 day beach getaway in Netanya, Israel. We visited Caesarea, a harbor on the Mediterranean Sea that Herod the Great began developing to befit his kingdom. Jesus came to this area during his ministry. "When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?' " - Matthew 16:13. This is where the Gentiles first heard the Gospel from Peter and they were baptized. NETANYA - We stayed at the beach the night before we left back to the USA. Here's the sunset over the Mediterranean.  CAESAREA - Jesus came to preach close to this area. This is where Herod the Great developed a grand harbor for his kingdom. ...aaaand I almost fell off this column from taking the last picture but thankfully the guys saved me. Badabing badaboom. A really useful source for more detailed info on all of the places mentioned above is Bibleplaces.com.