Holy Land Pilgrimage Journal (Day 14)

Wednesday, 25th September 2019

Our destination for today was literally over the road from our hotel. The visitor centre at the Petra Archaeological Park was a doorway to one of the ‘7 Wonders of the World’. As we descended the stony path, we were greeted by stunning sandstone cliffs that gradually revealed their secrets. This was the land of the Nabateans who carved extraordinary monuments into the surrounding cliffs to form a sophisticated society in the barren desert. Elaborately decorated rock faced tombs of the Nabateans and caves recently occupied by the Bedouins line the cliff faces. Following the contours of the ‘Siq’ (shaft) is an aqueduct channel carved into the sandstone to allow a channel of water to run down the mountain into deep cisterns to sustain this ancient civilisation in the desert. Walking through this crevice known as the ‘Siq’ was an awe-inspiring experience and a photographer’s paradise! 

Every turn opened up another stunning scene begging to be photographed. The natural colours of the sandstone against the bright blue sky with the sun piercing between the rocks was truly amazing. The further we descended the more impressive the tomb carvings became. Then we reached the famous ‘Treasury’ which was featured in the movie ‘Indiana Jones – Last Crusade’. This forty metre high façade carved into the cliff face is a magnificent, intricate rock craving from the first century that has been remarkably preserved to the present day.

Beyond this main attraction, we found the ‘High Place of Sacrifice’, a Roman style theatre that can seat 4,000 spectators, royal tombs, the church and other equally spectacular world heritage monuments from this ancient city. There was so much to take in along this promenade of historic masterpieces. Along the way, were peddlers, market stalls, donkey and camel rides and other conveniences for the large number of tourists who visit this attraction. Unlike the locations we have visited throughout this trip, the locals trying to sell their products or services actually added to the experience. It brought these static displays to life with the hustle and bustle of village life that gave some sense of how this society may have functioned. You could almost imagine the travelling caravans passing through the once vibrant community. In fact, it was just outside of Petra where Moses struck the rock (Numbers 20:7-11) when the Israelites were perishing from thirst in the desert. It is said that Moses sent a message to King Rekem of Petra, asking permission to pass through Edom, but the king refused causing Moses and the Israelites to take the longer route around this valley. Maybe the king’s refusal was to preserve the precious water he had stored up in their cisterns? This land is full of stories that could take a lifetime to uncover. Today’s adventure certainly raised my curiosity and interest to learn more about this fascinating place that I walked through today.

When we returned to the visitor centre this afternoon, we were looking for a souvenir for our son Adam, which led us to this small store where we met the owner Magid. His shop was without power, which opened up a conversation that went well beyond us spending a few ‘Dina’ in his shop. Magid shared his heart and soul with us, revealing the very dark place of hopelessness he was in and his feeling of despair. We were deeply moved by his story but felt somewhat helpless as we will probably never see him again when we leave Jordan tomorrow. So, I felt prompted in my spirit to promise him that we would pray for this Muslim man from Petra. I asked his permission to take his photo as a reminder for me to fulfil my promise. He seemed somewhat uplifted by this commitment of prayer and asked us to start praying tonight, as he is presently trying to sell some land. He was so grateful for this conversation that he refused to take my money for our purchase and even broke Muslim protocol by reaching out to shake Ness’ hand. He said, “I don’t normally shake the hand of a woman, but there is something different about you.” We left his shop feeling this was a God-ordained encounter and with a sense that His Spirit was present in this encounter.

After dinner, our group assembled for a final time of devotion together. Our leaders Graham led a time of sharing about the highlights of this pilgrimage. After two weeks of travelling the Holy Land, there was much to share; so many experiences, divine encounters, ‘aha’ moments that impacted each one of us in different ways. Yet, something I believe we all share in common is that we will return to our respective appointments different people to who we were before we embarked on this pilgrimage. With just one day left before we depart Amman tomorrow night, we have so much to give thanks for – to God first, and to The Salvation Army for granting us this opportunity.

Holy Land Pilgrimage Journal (Day 13)

Tuesday, 24th September 2019

Once we left our hotel at the Dead Sea, we were on the road pretty much all day today. We followed the Israeli Jordan border all the way down to the Red Sea and crossed at Aqaba. At the border was our first drama for the day. Three of our tour group were pulled up on the Jordan side of the border by customs. It seems their souvenirs purchased in Israel breached Jordanian law. The offending items were a small menorah (a Jewish candelabra). Instead of just confiscating the items, they sent our group back over the Israeli border to dispose of them before letting them through customs. Two of them were actually escorted out by a soldier. You can imagine their stress and anxiety during this ordeal. As a result, we were all held up at the border for over an hour. After finally clearing immigration, we set off on our long journey back up the east side of the border towards the ‘Wadi Rum’ desert. Just before we reached the main highway in Aqaba, a car drove through the wrong side of a roundabout causing drama number two! The bus driver took evasive action, causing the bus to sharply veer onto the opposite side of the road, as he locked up the brakes. Fortunately, we avoided an accident… just! With a few frayed nerves, we continued on through the desert and enjoyed the magnificent views of the barren, rocky mountains.

Our destination was the ‘Wadi Rum’ desert, where we set off for a two-hour jeep ride through the desert. This was the scene for our third drama, which I will get to in a minute. Again, we were confronted by stunning views of the ‘Seven Pillars of Wisdom’, which were featured in the movie ‘Lawrence of Arabia’. This place was a photographer’s paradise with the desert sand against the imposing rock faces and the deep blue sky. 

Halfway through our desert adventure we stopped by a Bedouin village where they provided camel rides. A few of our group jumped at the opportunity for a short camel ride in the desert, when one of our group, Liz, came crashing to the ground when the rope holding the saddle broke. She didn’t seem to be hurt, just a little shaken. During afternoon tea at another nearby Bedouin tent, the shock of the fall hit hard, causing Liz to feel quite ill. She was loaded into one of the vehicles and rushed off to the nearest clinic for medical attention. After a lot of drama and an ambulance ride to the hospital 70 km away, she was cleared of any major injuries. All of this meant we arrived in Petra, our final destination for the day, quite late. We praise God that all three of these incidents only resulted in a bit of inconvenience and discomfort, when you consider how much worse each situation could have been. God’s hand has certainly been upon us today and we have been blessed by the rugged beauty of His mighty creation. Driving through the barrenness also gave us a brief insight into the hot, dry and tough conditions that the Israelites would have journeyed through when they left Egypt during the Exodus. Any wonder they complained so much and wanted to return to Egypt. The vulnerability of this desert space is very real and presents a similar life of challenges for the Bedouin today!

Throughout this pilgrimage, we have been treated to some exceptional accommodation in very fancy hotels. Never before have we stayed in such places! Our hotel in Petra, where we will spend our final two nights is simply beautiful, offering very fine service, facilities and food. We have been so blessed to receive such generous hospitality. It is hard to believe our journey is coming to an end, but we look forward to the final experiences on our itinerary before leaving this intriguing part of the world.