Jordan - Day 4

For our last day in the land of Jordan we got to visit a number of places. Our first stop was at Kir - the capital of Moab. Here there was a Crusader castle located on the site. It was actually quite impressive, in that much of the castle was still covered having the ceiling intact. Kir is also the city that can connect to the Cisjordan through a land bridge in the Dead Sea when there is a drought. Moab can then get to the city of Masada, by taking this land bridge. From Kir we traveled to a look out spot near the Arnon canyon.

The Arnon canyon is the divider between Moab and the Medeba Plateau. The Medeba Plateau is the contested area between Israel and Moab, and also Ammon. These three kingdoms surround this piece of land and all claim ownership. The King's Highway also passes through the Arnon canyon, which means one has to choose to either zig-zag through the canyon or take the Desert Highway instead. Though the Desert Highway posses its own problems, like lack of ready resources and less protection against marauding 'desert pirates'. The Arnon canyon is really impressive, as any canyon this size would be. As we traveled down into it and up the other side you could get a glimpse of the Dead Sea, which this canyon drains into.

From the Arnon we went to Dibon, a city located just north of the canyon. At this site was found the Mesha Stele, which is a Moabite stone that relates the conflict between Moab and Israel. This city is also important, especially to Moab, because it is one of the few footholds Moab has in the Medeba plateau area. Moab consists of Senonian rock, which is associated with a shepherding lifestyle. You can see this emphasis on shepherding, especially for Moab, in the Bible where specifically states that even the king was a sheep herder (2 Kings 3).

From Dibon we went to see the Medeba Map located inside a very beautifully decorated church. The Medeba Map includes the area from Dan to Beersheba plus Egypt and Asia Minor. It is supposed to cover the major lands mentioned in the Bible. It is also eastern oriented and makes Jerusalem the largest and most detailed city on the map. This is due to the prominence given to Jerusalem in the Bible. It actually was a very interesting map, especially in how they represented different things. Though, it was hard to get a picture of the entire map since it spanned a good deal of the floor.

After we picked up our lunches we went to our last stop for Jordan, and for our Physical Settings class as a whole. We stopped at a nice look-out area on Mount Nebo. This is the mount that is mentioned at the end of Deuteronomy. God brings Moses up on this mount to give him a prophetic view of the land that the Israelites will (or at least were supposed to) possess. However, Moses himself is not allowed to enter the Promised Land due to his sin in the desert. We could get a nice view of the land from here, but no where near the view Moses had. Though, apparently it has been rumored that on really clear days people have thought that they saw the glimmers of the Mediterranean Sea. So who knows, maybe Moses was able to see the entire land or God may have miraculously shown him.

We also discussed here the theme of Deuteronomy being - remember. Remember what God has brought you through and what He has done. The question now is, will I remember what I learned about the land of the Bible when I leave? Will I choose to allow it to shape and deepen the way I read the Bible? Will choose to take what I learned and allow it to change me? I think we all should learn from Deuteronomy and never forget to remember, but also take it that a step further by choosing faith.

~Jennilee~
P.S. I love you all and miss you. I can't believe this experience is almost over. We are all in crunch mode as our papers and finals are soon upon us. But as I realize that I will be leaving here, I think I have come to a better appreciation of this blessing. At first I must admit that I missed my home land rather strongly. However, God has helped me to appreciate Israel and all that Israel has to offer. I also will cherish many a long term friendship that would not have come to be without God directing my steps to this place. Well, Praise be to God, and may He have the glory through all that I have learned both inside and outside the classroom.
I can't wait to see you all.
Love you!

Jordan - Day 3 (Petra)

On our third day in Jordan we woke up bright and early so we could head out to Petra as soon as possible and spend the first part of out day there. This city was created by the Nabateans, who were nomadic spice traders. They were the only ones to conquer the desert and mastered the crossing of it from Arabia to the Mediterranean coast (or at least the Negev area). Petra is their most magnificent city carved out of Eocene stone. Eocene is very clay-like and easier to build out of instead of with. As we walked into the city, which was originally thought to be solely a burial place, the beauty of our surroundings was amazing. It takes about 20 minutes to actually get into the city as you walk through a small canyon pathway with high cliffs on both sides. Along the side of the cliff the Nabateans had constructed a pipe line to bring fresh water into the city. This is one of the reasons people now think that the Nabateans lived in Petra, instead of just building tombs here. For why would they need to water the dead, Zafer (our tour guide) poignantly pointed out. Also, as we were walking in we would come to a rectangle carved into the wall with blocks representing the Nabatean gods inside. Apparently, they did not like to picture their gods as human, but instead chose this more geometric shape. We found these representations about four or five times as we walked into the city.

The canyon finally opened up to the remarkable treasury building that is featured in Indian Jones. Though, there was no treasure inside or knight guarding the Holy Grail, the outside was still very impressive. It was highly decorated especially at the top, with large pillars creating a striking entry. And yes, I did get a picture in front of it. From here Nicole and I walked farther into the city and got to visit many interesting Bedouin shops. We walked all the way to the restaurant that is close to the base of the stairs that lead to a monastery. We didn't go up there, but decided instead to head back in the direction of the treasury. On our way back we stopped and talked with a Bedouin shop keeper for over an hour. It was very cool, especially for Nicole who feels called to the Middle East. The hospitality of the people here is definitely unmatched, especially if compared to Americans. We could learn a lesson or two from the Bedouins.

After we quickly walked out of Petra (due to the fact that we were a little late for lunch), we had lunch and moved on to the tell of Bozrah. Bozrah is the capital of Edom; it is very high and elevated. The Bible uses this imagery of Bozrah being high to represent Edom's tendency toward pride. Also, since Bozrah is so high it naturally is hard to attack. Bozrah has other positive points as well. For instance, this city connects to Gaza though an east to west trade route. This is important, because trade and connections are everything - especially for Edom who is the middle man between the desert and the coast. Edom is connected to Arabia which brings a lot of revenue through their spice trade, and when they can get into the Negev they can bring the spices to the Mediterranean Sea. This is why so often Edom is threatening Israel who holds claim to the Negev. Apart from the positive aspects of Edom they also must deal with some negative. For instance, they do not have access to a lot of water. Without water you cannot live, so this is always an issue for them. They also do not have a lot of natural resources, most likely partially due to not having a lot of water. Edom consists of Senonian rock which lends itself to a shepherding lifestyle instead of farming, so this too would be a reason. Finally, they must deal with Israel if they want to expand, because their only direction of expansion is into the Negev. So this can be a problem for them.

~Jennilee~

Jordan - Day 2

Our first stop of on the second day in Jordan was Rabbah Ammon. This city is considered the "city of waters" because it has powerful springs. The Jabbok wadi even originates from here. Rabbah Ammon is located on a section of Senonian rock that is surrounded on three sides by Cenomanian rock. This orients the land to the east because this is the one open side not touched by Cenomanian. Rabbah Ammon is also the intersection for the King's Highway (that stays closer to the Rift Valley) and the Desert Highway (which, obviously, stays near the desert). Ammon can also connect itself to the west through the Fariah Valley, but only if it can get through the Dome of Gilead. Since connections are always one of the most important things, Ammon naturally will try to reach into the Dome of Gilead and also the Medeba Plateau.

One can also tell that a lot of sharing of ideas took place in this land. This can be seen at Rabbah Ammon in the Israelite style walls. It was common for the Israelites to interchange the blocks on the wall with the long side facing out and then the short side (called "headers and stretchers"). Here this is also the technique used by the Ammonites.

From Rabbah Ammon we traveled to the huge and impressive Decapolis city of Garasa. Believe me, we walked all over this site, and I am sure it took us more than an hour. First, we stopped at the Hippodrome. This is the stadium used for chariot races. Apparently, though unfortunately I didn't personally see it, one of the students from my group got to ride a horse in the Hippodrome. She loves horses, so it definitely was the highlight of her day (and probably entire trip). From here we "pressed on" (our guides favorite phrase) to the temple of Zeus. This temple is literally about fifteen feet from a theater. It would be similar to connecting a church to a movie theater, so one can get some religion in before they are mindlessly entertained.

At this first theater we got to listen to a man on the bagpipe and one on the drums play music. Marcus, a student in my group, actually joined them on the drums during one song. Also, later after they played Amazing Grace (per our request) students got to dance in the theater joined by another tourist. It was really fun and amusing to watch. We next went down the Cardo, or main street. Apparently, when the columns are raised at certain points it is an indicator that this is the entrance to an important building or commerce area. We traveled farther into the site and got to see another temple as well as three different churches. During the Byzantine era Christians would destroy previously pagan temples and build churches over them. One of them at Garasa even had an inscription over the door that said basically that. The mosaics on the floor of the churches are slowly disappearing as being keep walking on them. Zafer, our tour guide, also said that tour guides in the past would take a piece of the mosaic and give it to their tourists, which is another reason why they are slowly disappearing. It is really too bad that such a beautiful piece of history is sometimes not well preserved.

So we continued through the site and came back around to the restaurant located there for lunch. After lunch we left Garasa and stopped near part of the Jabbok River. Here we read Genesis 28:12f, 32:6 where Jacob crosses the Jabbok on his way back to Israel (after he spent his time with Laban acquiring wives). Jacob means "deceiver", which he basically was with his brother and father. However, later Jacob is renamed to Israel, which means "the one who has striven with God". We discussed that Israel chooses to believe God and walk back into the promise and the Promised Land. He doesn't let go and God blesses his faithfulness.

Our last stretch of the night was a four our bus ride to Petra. We got in around 9:30pm. That next morning we were going to get up early and spend our morning in the beautiful site of ancient Petra.

~Jennilee~

Jordan - Our Last Field Study (Day 1)

Our entrance into Jordan went pretty smoothly. We took our normal Net Buses to the Border station and then switched to Jordanian buses, with Jordanian drivers, a Jordanian tourist police escort, and our Jordanian tour guide - Zafer. These are all just regulations, Jordan is not terribly unsafe or anything.

We first visited the tell of Succoth. This city was located on the Transjordan side of the Rift Valley. One can see a big difference in the way of agriculture when it comes to the east and west sides of the Rift Valley. The Transjordan mountains get a lot of rain because they are very high. This rain is then drained down into the Rift Valley. Now because the east side if the Rift Valley would have more agriculture the majority of travel for trade and what not would pass on this side. Succoth was a very popular city because of this reason. Succoth is located right on the east side of the Rift Valley, which makes it a really good resting point for travelers and traders. Here we also talked about Judges 8 where Gidean pursues his enemies to Succoth and Penuel. These people would not help Gidean and later were punished for their lack of aid.

After Succoth we visited Pella (the Old Testament site here was called Pehel). This Decapolis city is located on the opposite side of the Rift Valley from Scythopolis. From here one can locate Mt. Giboa and the Hills of Moreh if you look across the Rift Valley.

Next, we travelled to Gadara. Gadara was a rather large Decapolis city. It has a very nice theater on the site. Apparently, each Decapolis city would have a theater constructed in their own unique way. Therefore, each Decapolis theater would reflect the character of that specific city. Located at Geddara is also an octagonal church. It is suggested that octagonal churches were used to commemorate different events in Jesus' life. For instance, the one at Geddara commemorated the "pig story" that took place very near here. Geddara is also located just south of the Yarmuk wadi and close enough to the Sea of Galilee that we could view it from the site.

Our final stop was at Ramoth Gilead. Ramoth Gilead is very important because Damascus sees this city as an extension of itself and Israel sees this city as their access to Damascus. Whenever Israel came up against Damascus they went through Ramoth Gilead, as you can see in 1 Kings 23 and 2 Kings 8. Ramoth Gilead also has major connections bringing in much trade. For example, those in Arabia would come up this way to take the route that leads through the Jezreel Valley to the coast. Everyone inland is always trying to get to the coast and everyone on the coast is trying to get inland. Trade is the main source of wealth for this land. This puts those cities connecting the two areas in prime position for making a lot of money.

We finally came to our rest in Ammon, the capital of Jordan. A number of us went out to Star Bucks because there are no Star Bucks in Israel, and therefore this was our only chance to have "real" coffee (or hot chocolate for me) before we get home. It was actually really fun, other than finding out that we took the most expensive taxi to the place. Apparently, you should never take the white ones, but look for the yellow ones (well, we at least learned for our way back). Claire met a Jewish student from Chicago that is here for a semester. I think he is studying in Jordan, but I am not certain. It was fun all the same, and I got to take a few sugar packets with Arabic on them. After that Claire and I watched television in our really nice room; which had a towel warmer, safe, mini-frig, and telephone in the bathroom.

~Jennilee~

I WENT TO JORDAN!

Hey everyone, Jennilee and I just got back from our tour of Jordan. We had a great time and saw tons of wonderful places. We will be updating you all soon, and getting pictures to you as well!

So come back later if you want to hear about:
Impromptu tea with Bedouins!
Haggling our way to a donkey ride up the side of a mountain!
Riding a donkey up the side of a mountain!
Illegally jumping the fence into the treasury at Petra!
What's inside the treasury at Petra!
Rock Climbing up to a tomb!
Riding a horse out of Petra!
Singing in the theater at Gergasa!

All this and more can be yours... but you will have to come back later!


Love you and Miss you, Claire Elizabeth

What a SURPRISE!

Boy were we surprised this morning. Jennilee and I were sitting side by side in the Library working on our Hebrew skills, when Nicole tells us we should go check our mail. What do you know, if we both didn't have a package from Jennifer! Gosh were we excited as we tore into those packages. It was like Christmas in November! We would like to thank Jennifer from the bottom of our Israeli hearts for her kindness. Jennilee as you can see opened her crafts a.s.a.p. We miss you Jennifer and can't wait to see you again!

Love, Claire

Stick to the Status Quo

You probably don't know about the status quo. Its a system for the different catholic sects to keep order in the Holy Seplicre. See down to the last rock each sect knows what they own and what they take care of. In fact they have been fighting over who really owns the roof for so long now that its in danger of falling in. It is when they keep this status quo that all of the sects get along. It is when they don't that we see what really happens when we start focusing on works and not on what Christ has done for us.


This took place on Nov. 9th. Supposedly it happens every year, and we should be happy no one is dead.