Falafels have become my new staple! They're so much better here than in the US! Some Middle Eastern food I haven't been sold on but as long as I can find a falafel I'm good to go!We started yesterday visiting the ruins of Bet Shean, a Roman city that would have been here in Christ's time even though there is no mention of it in the New Testament. While Christ's comment to "render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's" is open to many interpretations, seeing the affluence of this Roman city gives added insight.
We drove to Jericho in the West Bank (Palestinian controlled) and saw Old and New Testament sites but the best part of Jericho was visiting Nuwall and her family. In 1985, Garland's family tried to adopt Nuwall when she was a 12 year old Bedouin girl but didn't get government clearance. Nuwall and Garland had not seen each other for 24 years and now she is married with 4 beautiful daughters and 2 darling little sons.
Quite honestly, one of the best parts of this trip was being at the home of this sweet Bedouin family and feeling of the love they had for Garland. It was really tender! It made Garland really happy to see that things had turned out well for Nuwall. Knowing Garland, I'm sure he's been praying for Nuwall daily!
Another big hit of the day was our visit to the Wadi Kelt canyon and the St. George's Monastery! The canyon is steep and winding with Arab boys selling donkey rides down to the monastery. The monastery dates back to the early 5th century and there are still icons and Christian art dating back to the Byzantine empire. It was absolutely amazing. About ten monks are currently living at St. George.
St George's Monastery isn't a big tourist attraction because it's difficult to get to and obviously the visit to Nuwall's Bedouin family isn't something a typical tourist gets to experience. We've decided these are often the best parts of any trip; surprises and meeting people of a completely different culture but finding our hearts still connect!
And last but not least, Paige got her highly anticipated Camel Ride in Jericho! So that was a touristy part of the day! But a fun one!
