Moses – Sea of Galilee – OMG – Jericho – the Holy Land – burning bush – exodus – OMG – Nazareth – Jerusalem – the Holy Land – OMG – Mt. Sinai – Jerusalem – Mt. Olive – the Jordan River – the Holy Land – OMG – the Wailing Wall – the city of Zion – the HOLY LAND – OMG – OMG – OMG – OMG – Oh Merciful God!
The past week touring Egypt, Jordan and Israel the days have been long and arduous, filled with thousands of years of history and more information than my pea brain can absorb, much less process.
In the span of seven days Jimmy and I have visited magnificent archeological sites,
Throughout history, it has always been about the land. Armies have fought for the land on which empires were built; fought for religious freedom, for freedom from persecution.
The League of Nations (the United Nations now) hoped to put an end to the fighting after World War II when they decided to partition Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state; British troops withdrew from the region. The neighboring Arab nations, including Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and then-Transjordan lent support to the Palestinians, resulting in hostilities between the Arab and Jewish factions. Jewish forces hold their ground and declared Israeli statehood on May 14, 1948. The fighting has continued ever since.
The reality of life in the Promised Land can be as harsh as the desert the Jews call home. And yet life goes on in the desert, much like the acaia tree that manages to survive in the midst of the desert. It seems in the middle of all this strife is an oasis of faith that sustains life.