Sunday, The Lord’s Day, was spent in the Holy Land.  We started our day with another float in the Dead Sea. Next we went to Ein Gedi an oasis in the desert where David hid while fleeing from King Saul. When you think about it, it is odd to see water flowing in the desert.  Next was Qumran, the location where The Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  There are 11 caves, 4 natural and 7 man made.  Numbers 12 & 13 have been found in the last two months.  One thing I have been surprised at is the continuous excavations being done.  We saw a sycamore tree in Jericho said to be two thousand years old.We went back into Jericho for lunch at the Samar Cafe.  It was a half chicken on a freshly baked pita bread the size of the plate. Yum!

After lunch Helen, Terri, and I got to ride a camel who also gave kisses on the side of ones face. Yep! I got a camel kiss. Our first shopping stop was in Jericho at Hebron Handicrafts. I got a couple of pieces of tile, a Christmas ornament and glass bead. We stopped to view St. George Monastery where two monks still live to this day. Finally we were on our way to Jerusalem passing goat herds and Bedouin camps.  Communion was served at Mount Scopus to welcome us to Jerusalem and then we checked into the Dan Jerusalem hotel for the next 4 nights.

Pictures to follow - hopefully!