We are mosaics...

Today our journey is along the dessert highway of Jordan. The name of our new guide is Rabei which means springtime and we can see spring is preparing to arrive here soon. As we travelled along, sheep herds and fresh produce stands speckled the shoulders of the road. Our mini bus swerving around each one. We learn from our guide that the people of Jordan and Israel have learned to live together in harmony. In Jordan anything of importance is commemorated with a mossiac, and we discover this to be true in our travels.

Our first stop is the Bethany beyond the Jordan. Here we were excited to see the place where John the Baptist was living and the site where Jesus Christ was baptized. Although the rain water in the river was muddy, the air smelled fresh and crisp like an ocean would.

Next we went to Mount Nebo,the specified burial place of Moses. Many selfies and photos were taken in front of the view (Moses would have had) of the Promised Land. The sky was hazy, so the view of Jerusalem from this side was not possible today.

Our group enjoyed a mosaic demonstration at a workshop for special needs people ( like Sarcan at home). The key message in making a mosaic piece of art, they are not looking for the precious stone just the right colour.

We had a traditional Jordanian lunch. The fresh pita bread and hummus made my whole day (oh Jada how I wish you could have tasted it). Little deep fried donuts dipped in honey were the dessert. Although delish, they were so rich only one was needed. Mosaics decorated the stone restaurant walls.

Next we visited a Greek Orthodox church in Madaba that houses a treasure of early Christianity. Imagine the excitement in 1884 when builders came across the remnants of a Byzantine church on their construction site. Among the rubble, having survived fire and neglect, the flooring they discovered wasn’t just another mosaic but one with extraordinary significance: to this day, it represents the oldest map of Palestine in existence and provides many historical insights into the region.

From here we continued our travels down the highway, the place the Israelites had wandered in the dessert, to Petra. Stopping at caravan stops and paying to use the toilets along the way. Our guide shared many interesting cultural stories with us to help pass the 4 hour drive. The one most prominent in my mind is that they still have a custom to sacrifice an animal when a baby is born. 1 sheep for a girl and 2 for a boy and then the families feast together.

A fun pit stop was made to fill our water bottles from Moses springs, one of two possible locations in Jordan for the site where Moses struck the rock with his staff and water gushed forth to the thirsty Israelites (the other possible site is near Mt Nebo where we were earlier). Of course, the guide offered to do it for me but I wanted to touch and feel for myself. Yes, I am going to taste it! My style of travel is to capture sensory experiences whenever and wherever possible.

My concluding thought for the day is Jordanian based, to view our life as a mosaic. We saw today that beautiful mosaics are made of broken pieces. God can restore what is broken and change it into something beautiful. All you need is faith. When we are not enough, God accepts us as we are and loves us anyways fulfilling all the things we aren’t and putting all our broken pieces back together. We are His wonderful works. We are His mosaics.

[I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. - Psalm 139:14]Baca selengkapnya