It has been a great trip so far.

It is hard to describe. The desert on the Sinai Peninsula is beyond
belief dry and rocky. It is not like most deserts I have seen. I
have been to Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado deserts and it
is nothing like them. Sinai is desolate and DRY. There is hardly
any life. It's not like there is a scrub brush here and there or a
cactus once every mile. There is nearly nothing (if that is proper
to say) anywhere. I will try to post some pictures later.

Anyway, here is the deal. The hike up Sinai was brutal. We climbed
somewhere between 3,000 to 6,000 feet. There are two different
numbers we were told. Anyway, I'll probably stick with the 3,000.
The elevation of the summit is at 7,500 feet. We started our hike
at about 1:30 AM, we reached the summit just before sunrise at 5:45
AM. It was a sight to behold and I would recommend it to anyone. Be
ready, however. I would recommend you begin "training" 3-6 months
in advance. Also, be ready to turn down about 1,000 offers to ride
a camel. There are men all the way up the mountain that will give
you a ride on their camel for $10-17, depending on how firm you are
in your negotiation.

Here is a link to a few pictures of the sunrise.

http://www.plainfaith.com/public/sunrise1.jpg

http://www.plainfaith.com/public/sunrise2.jpg

http://www.plainfaith.com/public/moseswashere1.jpg

If we stopped at Sinai, the entire trip...time, cost, effort...would be
worth it. I cannot recommend it enough. I hope to go back one day
and get up there an hour or more before sunrise to relax, collect
my thoughts, see the stars in all their glory, and read some
Scripture.

The other neat thing we did yester day was stopped at a genuine
Bedouin camp. It was beside the road on our trip, but nothing fake
about it. These people are desert nomads that live in one of the
most inhospitable environments on earth. They prepared bread and
tea for us. The bread was unleavened and gritty with sand. The tea
was super hot (in the desert) and had floating stuff in it...not just
the tea leaves. I got a look at the wash bucket and realized I pray
for a reason!

Here are a couple of Bedouin camp shots.

http://www.plainfaith.com/public/bedouin1.jpg

http://www.plainfaith.com/public/bedouin2.jpg

We stayed at the Dead Sea last night. Several folks went swimming
at about 9:30 PM. I waded in. They floated; some on their belly
with arms, legs and head sticking up out of the water (like Super
Man). The water is crystal clear, a surprise to me. We were told it
is about 33% salt, while the oceans are about 1.5-2.5 %.

Today we visited Masada, the ancient fortress/palace built by Herod
the Great (the one who tried to kill baby Jesus). It was destroyed
in 73/74 AD by the Romans. After they sacked Jerusalem in 70 AD
they went to Masada to take care of the rest of the rebels. After a
three-year siege, building a massive ramp 500-700 feet high; enough
to carry the Roman legions up to the hill-top fortress and destroy
it. The view from the top is magnificent. Another must-do.

We then went to Jericho. We saw the remains of the walls and gained
a greater understanding of biblical history. The ancient city was
not all that big. It might have covered an area of 5-10 acres.
Thus, when you think about over 600,000 soldiers marching around
it, you understand the fear of its inhabitants.

We later traveled to Beth Sheat. This is the place where Saul and
his sons' bodies were hung after being killed. It was destroyed by
an earthquake after the Romans had taken it over. The quake
essentially buried the city and it was "lost" to history until the
1940s. It is being excavated and refurbished. The preservation is
unbelievable. You can see the original Roman tiles laid in the
floors; with color and writing intact. The columns along the road
are neat, but the best thing was the theater. Some of those on the
trip spontaneously began singing in it. Others joined in and it was
fantastic. It was a moving occasion to say the least.

As I write I am sitting in the lobby of a hotel in Tiberius, Israel
on the Sea of Galiliee. We are to tour the area over the next
couple of days and then it is on to Jerusalem. I am told the trip
will get better; something that is hard for me to believe.

I am taping as much as I can and taking tons of pictures. It will
take a while to sort through them all and edit the video. However,
I hope make them available on the web site. Some of it will be in
the "Sample Materials" section, the rest will be in the
members-only area.

It is late and I am quite tired. So I must go. I will try to send
another update before too long.

All the best,
Steven

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