Date Line Jordan - Saturday,
April10
Greetings to you from the Dead Sea,
or as some here in Jordan say, from Lot's Lake! And sorrows and
sympathy to all who mourn the loss of the Polish president and
so many others in leadership positions in that country. They were surely in
the midst of work they wished to see to its conclusion, and
yet, it was not to be.
Today, we pilgrims, visited sites of some others who
toiled so hard and yet were unable to live to see the final
results of their efforts. For example, we drove
up to Mt. Nebo where Moses stood and surveyed the promised
land, but he was not to realize that promise for himself. We also visited the
site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus, a man whose life
ended so very shortly after his ministry had begun - could he
have envisioned pilgrims such as us 2 thousand years later?
Today was one of the most
significant days in our pilgrimage. Today we set out
knowing that we would find an opportunity to renew our
baptismal vows and that we would at some point celebrate a
Eucharist. Each
of these events holds special meaning for us - some of us have
renewed our baptismal vows in Israel, or Egypt, or Turkey or
Russia, or Jordan, or perhaps all of the
above.
Always we have found water that has
meaning to us and to our beliefs and have used that water in a
baptismal setting to remind us of our meaning and our
beliefs. On each
pilgrimage we have celebrated Eucharist, always in a setting
that reminds us of our thankfulness for all that we have been
given, and does so without unduly intruding upon others, or
having our surroundings unduly interfere with our
celebration.
Frankly, there is a little tension each time - where we
will end up, will things go as they should, and yet - each
time things some together in a manner that has its own
grace. Such was
today, baptismal vows were renewed at the Jordan River at the
site where it is agreed that John the Baptist stood and
recognized his cousin, Jesus. As you might imagine,
this is a very busy site, streaming lines of people approach a
narrow, slow moving, green flow of water, many with their
empty water bottles, ready to fill them with Jordan
water. And yet,
there was a graceful opportunity for us to renew our
vows. And such
was the case with our Eucharist - we managed to find a site,
secluded and yet open at the same time, and there we shared
the bread of life and the cup of
salvation.
Sunday, April 11,
2010
I left off writing last night - too
tired and lacking the words to convey the meaning of the
day. But I left
the words I wrote.
After all, we each continue to search to find the
meaning of each day.
So here it is Sunday evening and
when I tell you that words fail me in describing today's
events I have not resorted to hyperbole. Most of us opted to
take a nature hike along what we understood to be a water
trail. WE wore
our boots and carried our backpacks and hats and water bottles
and cameras and when we arrived we relinquished all but the
boots. Our hike
required life vests!
Imagine! A
hike in the dessert wearing a life vest! The guide carefully
explained that on occasion the water would rise to under our
chins, at which those amongst us who are short were quick to
see whose chin he was referencing. In truth, the water
was never truly that deep but I was rushing at us through
narrow siqs, over improbable boulders, in the midst of
breath-taking canyons.
Not one of us would have traded the experience! As a quick jump to the
end of the story - all hikers are accounted for and have
returned safely to the hotel! If only there were
pictures to show you upon our return, but sadly no pics, so
you will have to question your pilgrim as to the adventures we
experienced!
Following our water hike, we
returned to our hotel - and such a hotel I have never
experienced. We
are on the Dead Sea so for several hours this afternoon many
of us have floated in the sea and have had the requisite mud
baths and then have visited the many spa facilities available
here. The evening
concluded with a dinner and a celebration of Gloria's birthday
- replete with a cake and singing
waiters!
So tomorrow we are off to Wadi Rum
to spend the night in tents and watch the stars and ride
camels and God only knows what adventures await us! I have my flashlight
ready, and am blessed with having Ethel as a roommate - she
has a headlamp and a spare flashlight, and a swiss army knife
and duct tape - we are prepared! There is no chance of
wifi at Wadi Rum - I will take notes and try to share our
experiences at the first availability of internet access,
perhaps on Tuesday evening at Petra, but perhaps not until
Wednesday.
Until then, trust that we are well
and are entranced with Jordan - I look forward to sharing more
of our stories with you
soon.
Love to
all,
Ross
