Jordan Day 1

First off, there are a lot of pictures on this post!  I took me forever to decide what ones I wanted to share from my time in Jordan!  For those who don't know, Jordan is very close to Jerusalem.  You drive about a half hour and you are at the border of Israel and Jordan.  It was getting through border control that took some time, but supposedly our group was the fastest to get through compared to the last few semesters.  Once we got through the border control, we went to Mt. Nebo.  Mt. Nebo is the place where Moses was brought to view the promised land.  It is also where majority of religions believe that Moses was buried, but as LDS saints we believe that he was translated.  From the outlook point you could see the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, and the Jordan River.  On a clear day the tour guide said that you could see all the way into Jerusalem, but it has been very hazy lately due to the heat.  

Jordan Valley

Moses Serpent

 After Mt. Nebo we traveled to the nearby town of Madaba.  Located here is a Byzantine church that commemorates the events that took place on Mt. Nebo.  We went to the St. George Church at Madaba and here they have a beautiful mosaic floor.  The mosaic is a map of the Holy Land and those that would travel would stop and look at the map before moving on towards the Holy Land.  

Our next stop was Machaerus.  This is where John the Baptist was imprisoned and later beheaded by Herod Antipas.  The hike to the top wasn't too bad but I added a picture to show you where we had to hike to in the heat.  This fortress overlooks the Dead Sea as well as the Jordan River Valley.  We had a combined devotional at the top with both classes and discussed prophets and the roles that they play in our lives.  At one point in the devotional, Brother Judd stopped and read from Luke 7:28 where it states that there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist.  Up until this point, it had been really windy on top of the fortress and kind of hard to hear Brother Judd through the receivers that we use, but when he read these words from Luke, the wind stopped and everything seemed to go silent and still.  It may have just been a coincidence with the wind, but I felt the spirit so strongly and I will never forget that moment on top of Machaerus.  

Machaerus

Some of my favorite people-- Karlie, McKay, and Hailee

From left to right- Myself, Lauren, Kaitlyn, Kelby and in the back is Coryne

If you look really closely you can see the Dead Sea.

On our way down the fortress I looked up across to the next ridge over from us and saw these three camels!

Two thumbs up for my camera zoom

Machaerus

The first day at Jordan was a success for the Schade class.  The Judd class on the other hand was not so lucky.  Their bus broke down multiple times.  They ended up going through three buses the first day and not getting into Petra until 11:30.  But they had a bon fire and got to tour a nearby church while they were broken down and they said that it was definitely worth it!  I'm sure it is an experience they will never forget.  

Next up.... PETRA