Day 4: Sightseeing

Hello friends and family! Thank you for being patient with me not having wifi last night, but believe me it was worth it! I will go ahead and do two separate blog postings so that I can try to fully include all of my experiences these past few days.  

Day 4 started out with me being baptized in the Jordan River. This was a very special time for me as I have never been baptized before. It was such an amazing experience to feel God's presence during the ceremony. I came out with a renewed love for my Heavenly Father and awestruck wonder at the love He has for His children.  

After the baptism we drove through the West Bank (don't worry mom I'm fine :) and stopped near the Jordanian baptismal site where many believe John the Baptist spent his time in the wilderness, and was the most likely area where Christ was baptized.  It was a beautiful location and had wonderful nice,  DRY heat (no more humidity! !)  

Then came one of the most majestic places I've seen so far: Qumran. This is the area where several old manuscripts were discovered from the end of the second temple-period. It is also possible to see the cave where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.   

Now for the final part of my day, which you already know about--the Bedouin camp. When we first arrived we got to go on a camel ride through the desert (my horse riding skills actually came in slightly useful here) and then we met in the community tent to hear a little bit about Bedouin history. We then had dinner which consisted of rice, pitas, vegetables, the best pears I've ever had, and...camel meat. That's right guys, I can now say I've eaten camel. And just for those of you out there who question my bravery, I knew it was camel meat BEFORE eating it, and I still tried it. It actually was pretty tasty, and wasn't too different from a traditional meatball. I then went to our big shared tent and snagged the only hammock available while everyone else slept on mattresses on the ground. I can easily say I slept the best last night. :)  

Overall, the day was a very interesting one. My favorite part was definately getting baptized. I feel such a joy in my faith that I haven't had in a long time, and I'm so grateful for that. Now, on to day 5!

Picture: Baptism in the Jordan River (top row), Qumran (middle left), Jordanian baptism site (middle right), Bedouin camp (bottom row), CAMEL MEAT! (Bottom middle) :)