Negev Trip

So I recently got back from a four day trip to the region of the Negev desert. We left on Wednesday early in the morning. We went first to Qumran where the dead sea scrolls were found. While we were there we were able to hike up to one of the caves that the scrolls were found in. From there we went to En gedi to get an overview of the land. We then went to the Dead sea where we went swimming. It was amazing how much you float and how bad the water tastes. We got to smear the mud there all over us. After a quick shower and a sprint back to the bus to make it on time, we drove to Masada where most of us hiked up the snake trail to the top. It was a very hard hike, but the view from the top was completely worth it. We spent a couple of hours on top looking at all the different Herodian ruins that were there. We then went to Arad where we stayed at a youth hostel for the night, we had some free time after we had dinner so a bunch of us walked down to the mall in the city and I had the most amazing ice cream of all time, it was supposed to be butterscotch, but it didn't really taste like it. The next day we went to ancient Arad where we walked on streets that were 5,500 years old, it was amazing. We then went to Beer-Sheva where Abraham dug a well and planted a tree and did various other things. We also went to Sde Boqer where David Ben-Gurion (the first prime minister of Israel) lived for a while and then died. At the end of the day we went to Oboda/Avdat which was on the Nabatean Spice route. It was super cool because there were tombs all over the place and we got to climb around in the tombs and explore. We then went to Maktesh Ramon where we stayed the night in another hostel. We had chapel that night on a wooden overhang on the cliff. On Friday we went down into the Maktesh to a caravanseri where the Nabateans would have stopped on their way from Yemen to Gaza, bringing the frankencinse. While we were there, Uncle Randy burned some frankencinse for us so we would know what it smelled like. From there we went to the middle of the wilderness of Paran where we all got off the bus and walked a ways away by ourselves and read Deuteronomy 8 and meditated on what it means. It is so encouraging to see how real to life the Bible is becoming to me. It was also amazing to see the love and care of the Lord for His people even while they were being punished by wandering in the wilderness. I can also say that I can not look down on the Israelites for their complaining because I would have been the head of the complaining committee. The wilderness is nothing but dry, brown rocks, heat and flies. It is definitely barren and a great place for the Lord to humble His people and teach them that it is Him and Him alone that sustains and cares for them. Once we were all back on the bus we had lunch and then went to the Haibar Nature Reserve where we were able to see all sorts of snakes (cobras and vipers) and different kinds of animals. I saw hyenas and bats in real life for the first time, it was really cool. We then went to the valley of Timnah where we saw the true to life model of the Tabernacle. It is incredible how much the symbolism in the Tabernacle points to Christ, I had never realized it before. After that we climbed all over various rock formations in the valley and then drove to Eilat. We had free time that night so Abby, Jamie, Emily, Michelle and I went to the boardwalk on the Red Sea and did some shopping. We also sat on the beach of the Red Sea and skipped rocks on the surface. On Saturday we were able to sleep in for a little bit and then went down to the Red Sea where we went snorkeling in a coral reef. It was so cool, I saw all different kinds of fish, the water was incredibly blue and very clear, we could see for a long way. We had lunch at Pizza Hut and then drove back to the Moshav, which took us about 4 hours. The bus ride was fun because we had an open mic session where we heard some stand up comedy, various family stories and dancing up and down the center aisle of the bus to Queen. All in all it was a great trip, the Lord taught me a lot about myself, Himself and about the land of Israel. Praise the Lord that He is faithful to teach me even through my hardness of heart. So, that is the sum of the trip, for now we have a few days of classes. On wednesday we are going to Yad Vashem which is the Holocaust memorial here in Israel, it should be very powerful. Thanks for sticking with my scattered thoughts and memories, I will post pictures of the trip soon.