Ray and Debbie/Mom and Dad/ Grandma Debbie and Pop Pop came
to visit for two weeks at the beginning of October. We had an awesome visit catching up with the two of them and
showing them our new “home.” They
enjoyed the kids most of all and received a special gift from them on the way
out- a wicked cold- courtesy of the pre-school petri dish!
We made it to the Dead Sea, Jerash, Ajloun Castle, Mount Nebo, the Baptism Site, and some sites around Amman. Ray and Debbie also took a day trip to Petra alone- very brave! Here are some pictures from their visit:
First Stop- Dead Sea
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| Dead Sea in the background. Owen is always looking and "talking" to Dylan- never at the camera |
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| Classic Dead Sea floating picture |
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| Love my Grandma Debbie! |
Next Stop- The Baptism Site
We used the Crombe’s visit as an opportunity to explore two
of the holy sites in Jordan that we have wanted to see for a long time. It also forced me to learn some biblical
history that I failed to learn in 12 years of CCD attendance. Our first stop was to
the Baptism Site at the River Jordan.
The Baptism Site is the area that John the Baptist lived and where he
baptized Jesus Christ. The history
of this Wadi is incredibly interesting and is difficult to digest in one
visit. The small area at the
baptism site and the springs that branch off it are mentioned in the Books of
Genesis and Numbers in the Old Testament.
Historians now believe that it is the story in Two Kings of how the
prophets Elijah and Elisha stopped the flow of the river so that the chariot
and horses of fire could take Elijah up to heaven that inspired John (the
Baptist) to use the small springs in this famous area to begin cleansing people
of sin.
The coolest part- we did an
impromptu baptism of Owen! Of
course there were no priests there but it was pretty neat to be there and
figured we should take advantage. We
will see if we can find a catholic priest in Jordan to make the trip down there
to do it formally.
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| The mosaic at the entrance describing the area |
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| A Greek Orthodox Church at the entrance |
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| Down at the Baptism Water |
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| On the other side of the Jordan River you can see the Israeli side of the Baptism site- only 10 feet away- pretty crazy! |
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| Our impromptu Baptism |
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Crying- just like a normal baptism!
Stop Three- Mount Nebo
We then drove up the mountain to Mount Nebo. Mount Nebo is a collection of peaks
with one in particular serving as Moses’ vantage point for the Promised Land
that he was forbidden from entering.
After traveling the desert for FORTY years with the Israelites, Moses
died atop this mountain and left his successor, Joshua, to continue leading the
Israelites across the river into Cannan.
Interesting fact: Christians
and Jews believe that Moses is buried on Mount Nebo while the Muslims believe
that his body was carried across the river and entombed near Jerusalem.
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| This is the map created to show what Moses was looking at when he was pointing to the various holy sites in the promised land |
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| Cross at the top of the mountain |
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| better picture of the land behind the sign |
Next Stop- Jerash and Ajloun Castle
I will forgo the history lesson on Jerash (I am sure everyone is happy) since I have posted about it before. Ajloun castle is an hour drive from Amman in the beautiful
northwestern forests of Jordan. It
is much greener than the rest of Jordan and is known for its beautiful views
and winter snowfalls. The castle
is post-Crusades and sits atop a hilltop that offers views as far away as the
Golan Heights. We had a fun time hiking inside the
castle and along the ruins surrounding it. We found ourselves a local tour guide- Raymond became best
friends with him and was even invited to his house for dinner- he politely
declined (although we all know he wanted to go).
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| View from Ajloun Castle into Ajloun village |
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| a stairway inside |
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| Inside the castle |
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| Golan Heights in the background |
