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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