Day 9 ( already?!)

Our first site on this day was Masada. Another of Herod's palaces. The palace is built on the top of a mountain with all of the amenities of a 5 star hotel, steam baths, a pool, bath houses, a synagogue, and a church for monks who lived there for a time. The steam baths utilized a raised floor and a system of clay tubes in the walls to distribute the steam throughout the room. Hot water was poured in from the outside by a group of dedicated employees:)
The labor to build a site like this is unbelievable, and with the added extravagances makes it even more so.
We also took time here to have a small worship and reflect on the trip thus far. We said prayers for friends and family at home and sang "Be Thou My Vision".
The trip up was either by cable car, or a moderately difficult hiking trail called the snake path the climb was about 1100 ft (900 ft below sea level at the bottom to 200 ft above sea level at the top).
We misplaced Van Larson for a bit but discovered him safe and sound at the bottom. (he discovered a McDonalds restaurant at the visitors center so he was a pretty popular guy with a group tiring of falafels)
Our next stop was at Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. The site is not as developed as the others we have seen, but still a must see if your in the neighborhood.
The story is that a young Bedouin goatherd discovered the site by accident, our guide disagrees with this discovery and tells a less romantic version. Whatever...sometimes the fiction is better than the facts.
Our third and final stop,of the day was at the Dead Sea. At 1300+ feet below sea level it is the lowest dry land on earth. As you drive by you can see where the lake was at one time, and through evaporation and low rainfall it is steadily receding.
About half of the group chose to float in the sea. And if you chose to swim, you should also take advantage of local mud and apply it to your skin for a mud bath. Shortly after arriving 14 somewhat pale Scandinavian/Germans were covered in mud and loving it. The trick was to get clean afterward, the mud was rather sticky and took some scrubbing to get off (I think Pastor Troy was still wearing some at dinner). It was a great day, the weather cooperated and we are seeing and learning much.

Submitted by Jay
(miss you Emily, Karl, and T-bone)