An offer I couldn’t refuse
The Holy Land Trip
It was a Sunday evening early in 1983 when the phone rang.
“Hi, Geoff,” said a familiar voice. “How would you like to go to the Holy Land with me?”
Of course I wanted to go but there were obstacles. How could I leave Lily and the job? How would I pay for.
“I’d love to Philip, but I do ‘t see How I could manage it?”
“We’ll, I’m taking your wife and I thought you’d like to come along!” He said with a chuckle.
Fr. Philip Weeks was a missionary, evangelist, teacher, friend, who had ministered in our congregation two or three times. He also raised funds by leading pilgrimages to the Holy Land. One of the perks of this enterprise was free tickets per so many paying customers. His wife June was unable to go with him on this trip. He wanted my help keeping track of the 40 paying customers and was offering us two for the price of one in exchange for my help. It was the proverbial offer I could not refuse!
Before we married neither Lily or I had traveled very far. In a few short years I had moved her from Rochester N.Y. To Burlington Vt. and back. Then, we moved to Webster, Ma. And now we were headed halfway round the world, passports in hand and just little nervous!
Air travel
We traveled an hour by car to Boston, caught a flight to New York City and there joined the rest of the gang for a long flight to Amman Jordan.
Jordon
In Amman, the airport was full of obvious security: soldiers with automatic weapons. Phil warned us to be on our best behavior. He told us we would be going strait to our hotel, where we should go to our rooms, freshen up and then meet in the hotel restaurant. We were by no means to engage the locals in conversation and especially not talk politics. The Queen was coming for a state visit and all were on high alert.
The next day we boarded a bus for a very long day trip to Petra. Just the travel was exciting. It was a two lane road just wide enough for our tour bus and an 18 wheeler to pass with about 6 inches clearance. The ride through the barren dessert was punctuated every few minutes by these encounters. Iraq and Iran were at war and this highway was the major supply route north from the gulf of Aqaba.
Occasionally we would see nomads, and once or twice small herds of wild camels. It was an on site Bible study for understanding 40 years the wilderness in 24 hours.
We also passed along a train track that brought back other memories and other history. This was the rail line Lawrence of Arabia, attacked. Petra it turned out years later was the scene of another favorite movie hero. If you are a fan of Indiana Jones then you have seen parts of Petra.
We took a pit stop about half way there. The way station looked like it was old in WWII. Hanging out front were three skinned goat carcasses attracting flies more than my taste buds. The toilet was another surprise. The hotel had western toilets. This bathroom had a porcelain circle attached directly to the floor. I surmise one was just supposed to squat. Much easier done wearing a robe than trousers!
When we arrived at our destination we still had about a half mile to the Petra ruins. This part of the trip was to be accomplished riding ponies. There was a raised platform to make it easier for tourist to mount these trusty beasts. All 40 managed. Just fine including the little old ladies. Then it was my turn. Each pony had an owner/handler. They weren’t actually going to let us control our own ponies. The handlers kept the reins. By this time there were on,y a few left, and though these all were eager for their fee and a good tip, none were eager to let their little pony carry the big American. Thankfully The youngest boy came forward and offered me his. I was also grateful the poor pony was able to carry me.
Petra is an Ancient Greek city carved into soft sandstone. There was a temple, an amphitheater and many homes. It has Biblical significance as the the legendary burial site for Moses’ brother Aaron. It is believed to be the residence of St. Paul during the first years following his conversion. In latter centuries there were Crusader Castles at the site.
On the way back to Amman we stopped at the spring of Mara. This is the place where Moses struck the Rock and caused the spring to be born. Lily made sure to sample. The travel back to the hotel was otherwise uneventful.
Mt, Nebo and into Israel
Next day was another one full of Biblical and modern adventures. We stopped at a church on the top of Mt. Nebo, where Moses was allowed to see but not enter the Promised Land. We however were unable to see it through the haze.
Then we headed for the Allenby Bridge to cross over into Israel. There was a little fuss on the Jordanian side. However, the eye opener was on the Israeli side. Phil emphatically told us not to let them stamp our passports. He gave us little slips of paper to use instead. The reason was that Jordan and Egypt at the time did not recognize the existence of the state of Israel. If we had the passports stamped by Israel the end of our trip would be impossible in that we were going to Cairo by bus and back to Amman from there by plane on the way home!
Masada
After we crossed the Jordon river into Israel we headed south to the fortress of Masada, it is an impressive site, both geologically and archaeologically. The plateau upon which the fortress sits rises almost vertically from the valley below. We rode a modern cabled tram to the top. This is where the last of the Jewish revolutionaries held of the seize of the Roman army. You can see the ruins of then Roman camp from the edge of the plateau. In Oder to win the siege the Roman build a mountain sized ramp from the valley to the top. Some years ago Hollywood restored the ramp for their mini series about the story. In the end the remaining Jewish holdouts committed mass sliced rather than be captured.
Since the reestablishment of the state of Israel each graduating class of the military come here to say “Never again!”
Jericho
Following Masada we boarded our buses and headed for a quiet lunch in the city of Jericho beneath the fragrant flowers of bougenvia . Then we took a short ride to the existed site of ancient city of Jericho, said to be one of the oldest known.
Jericho lies near the Dead Sea, one of the lowest places on earth, well below sea level. From there to Jerusalem is an uphill ride. It was along this road that was the scene of the parable of the Good Samaritan. The priest and Levites of that story would have lived in the “suburb” of Jericho and passed by the unfortunate traveler on their way to or from their service at the temple.
Jerusalem
We stayed about three days in Jerusalem, seeing all the important sites connected to the passion and visiting the bazaar in the old city. There are many “traditional” places and many actual places visit.
The thing to remember is the Romans, leveled the city in AD 70. Much of today’s city of Jerusalem is build upon many feet of rubble. The actual sights are mostly long gone. However, there are some where you know with a degree of certainty you are literally walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
The Garden of Gethsemane is still there and the olive trees present today could be off shoots from trees from 2000 years ago. They live that long. At the other end of them Kidron alley are stone steps rising up to the Church of Peter Giaconto which is built on the site of the palace belonging to the high priest Caiaphas. Lily took the picture from the bottom . She stepped on every one to be sure to walk where Jesus walked.
We didn’t climb up from the bottom. However, when we drove to the church in our bus, many walked part way down and back stepping on every stone, knowing that Jesus has come up this way when under arrest.
Inside the church, down in the bottom there are torture chambers and prison cells. You could feel the negative vibes emanating from these rooms.
Another actual site of interest is the the fortress of the Roman garrison. There on the stone floor is etched the outline of a game played by the soldiers. It was called the King’s Game. The winner of the game was proclaimed King for a year and his fellow soldiers had to wait on him and bring him gifts and women. However, at the end of the year they got to kill him. The authorities had outlawed this game, not wanting to lose good fighting men. Instead they would periodically let them have a prisoner taunt as a “king” for a day. Does this not sound familiar?
We also visited the Wailing Wall. This is a stone wall of foundation for the Temple Mount. It is all that is left of that wonderful and highly significant worship center for the Jews. On the top of the mount instead of the temple now sits the Dome of the Rock mosque.
The Rock is a huge boulder believed to be the place where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac and where the Prophet Mohamed ascended to heaven. The pillars of the mosque are made from parts of the Temple and there is much gold overlay throughout the building.
As we exited the front door looking out over the city someone asked “Why didn’t the Israelis just bomb this place during the six day war?
An Aha Moment
Our guide responded with what immediately seemed the correct answer. “Because it would have started World War III!”
There was a wonderful “aha” moment that came as we walked through the market in the Old City. Since I am tall the group put me at the head of the line for this walk so everyone could see me or at least my Indiana Jones style hat as we wound our way through the crowds. Suddenly a shop keeper came up to me and in an eager loud voice proclaimed, “90% discount for your group, 10% commission for your guide!” With that kind of deal he obviously would make nothing. My “aha” was exaggeration to make a point is part of the culture. It was his way of saying, “Have I got a deal for you!” More importantly it helped me understand those difficult sayings of Jesus about cutting off a hand or plunking out an eye rather than let the. Cause us to sin. He didn’t mean it literally. He was saying, “Pay attention, this is serious!”
As we left the market and I was hurrying to catch up to the group in order to count and make sure every one was present, including me, some one shouted at me, “You dropped something!”
Not wanting to lose any of the things I had purchased, I stopped, checked my bags. looking around I could not see that I had lost anything. “What did I drop?” I said, not knowing to whom I was speaking.
“Your footsteps!” Came the reply.
Exasperated, I resumed my rush to the bus.
I had learned a little about the middle eastern sense of humor.
Goliath didn’t have a chance
Leaving Jerusalem we stopped in Bethany along the way at the traditional site of Lazarus’ home and tomb. The fascinating thing here had nothing to do with Lazarus. A young boy who lived across the street was selling slings to the tourist. These were not the y shaped sling shots we used as kids. Rather they were pieces of string or twine with a patch of cloth in the middle where you placed the stone. He demonstrated. Swinging the sling over his head he let go of one end of the string. The stone went flying, easily at least 50 yards where it hit a telephone pole. At that moment I realized Goliath didn’t have a chance against David and his sling!
Galilee and beyond
There were many other wonderful sites to see. We had a boat ride from Tiberius to the site of Capernaum. We visited Nazareth and many other places in Galilee. We stood on the site of the fortress at Megiddo and came to understand why this was to be the place of Armageddon. It sits at the place where all trade routes from the North, South, East, and West converge. All the armies that have conquered this area had to pass this way.
I especially enjoyed visiting the amphitheater at Caesarea Philippi by the Mediterranean sea. I was able to stand on the stage and sing the Lord’s Prayer with the sea at my back and be easily heard by our group on the top row of seats. The acoustics were perfect, thousands of years after the building of the theater.
Diamonds
In Haifa we stopped at the diamond exchange. We didn’t buy any diamonds. However, we did buy matching gold wedding rings. Later at the border between Israel and Egypt we had Philip bless them and us as we renewed our wedding vows.
Cairo and the Pyramids
It was a long bus ride across the dessert across the Suez Canal and into Cairo. There we made three memorable stops. We visited the ancient Coptic church commemorating the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt. We went to the huge downtown museum containing the artifacts from Tutankhamen‘s tomb. It is impossible to describe how much gold there was!
As an aside one of the most remarkable things about Cairo was it’s over population, as juxtaposition of ancient and modern side by side. For example in the traffic circle outside the museum we watched 1950’s vintage transit buses loaded to over flowing slow but never stop as people jumped on and off. It was hard to see how any more could fit in, nor how anyone from inside manage to get off!
At the time we were there, in 1983, population of Cairo was 12 million. There was a huge building boom in progress with new sky scampers going up in every direction. However, our tour guide explained that many of them were not going to be connected to the ancient sewer system, that was already overloaded and outdated. While on the highways we passed both Mercedes limousines and donkey carts.
The third and best stop was to see the Sphinx and the Pyramids. I would never have comprehended the size of them without seeing. Just one block is bigger than a larger than a two story rectangular office building. I was suffering from an intestinal bug I acquired days before eating fresh salad, so I skipped the climb up into the pyramid. I did however, get my picture taken atop a camel with a pyramid for a back drop.
The morning we flew out of Cairo on our way home via Amman we got a look at how much smog we had been breathing for two days. As we looked out the plane wind of there was clear blue sky. As we looked down the city was hidden by a thick black cloud!
Airport Drama
When we got to the Amman airport I had the most traumatic moment of the trip. I sure fatigue and my continuing intestinal problems added to my loss of emotional control. We stood in a line in the terminal waiting to board our plane back to the States. As I looked out the window I watched a pickup truck drive up to the plane and unload luggage. There was no mistaking our groups baggage. I had been counting it every stop along the way and we all had bright orange tags.
Then the man took one large suitcase and put it back on his truck. It was mine! I started banging on the window and yelling. Soldiers armed with automatic weapons began to converge on us. I neither noticed nor cared. I wanted my luggage. Philip, who had been speaking with the stewardess at the head of the line, came and attempted to calm me. They finally managed to get us all on the plane, but I would not take my seat until the truck came back and I saw them put my suitcase on the plane! Everyone else was glad no one got shot or arrested.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. We were thinking of all the places we had been and happy to be home.
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