Crossing Jordan

We made it back! We are back in Israel and really appreciate the Israeli people. The Beduoins are our next favorite people.
Judy here (by the way, if you don't think something is spelled right, don't worry. Just think "phonetic" as I have because spell check doesn't know alot of these words!):
Check list:
Go somewhere warm, leaving 6 feet of snow in our yard (our weather has been in the high 60s and 70s!) - CHECK
Be at Wailing Wall at beginning of Shabbott (Sabbath) - check
Swim with dolphins (my swimming partner was the dolphins favorite so we had dolphins all around us! Wait till you see our video!) - check
Follow the entire Via Dolorosa, the walk of pain/agony Jesus took through Jerusalem to the cross - check
Walk on rocks 4-6,000 years old! - check
Walk the old market place where Jesus walked with his desciples - check
Touch the rock of Calvary (at least what tradition says is the rock) - check
Visit the traditional recognized tomb of Jesus - check
See Jerusalem with a "local" guides, personal tour on foot - check
Walk through the Jewish, Christian and Muslim quarters of the old City of Jerusalem - check
See the Market Places (I would say we "survived" this experience. The streets are crammed with many high-pressure Palestinian vendors who harassed anyone who paused or even slowed down to take a look at their goods.) - check
Stay within the old city gates (We stayed in a Christian, Austrian Guest House in the Muslim Quarter for 5 nights - a wonderful oasis right on the Via Dolorosa!) - check
Visit Garden of Gethsemany, Mt of Olives, cave where Jesus taught his desciples how to pray (the Lord's Prayer), Mt Zion, the Upper Room where the Last Supper was held, the Temple Mount, walk underground along the real "original" western wall, pray for Jerusalem at the Wailing wall (Bruce went into the Synagog with the men at Shabbot), see archeological preservations and aquaducts that brought water to the city (water IS life, especially in the desert) - check
See Petra where Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was filmed - also one of the 7 wonders of the modern world - check
ride donkey in the desert - check
Eat "local" Middle Eastern food in each locale (and liked it! Our friend Naim taught us how, what a gift to us!) - check
sunrise/sunset over Israel - check
stay in Kibbutz - check
eat with Buduions in a cave at sunset - check
Med Sea, Dead Sea, Red Sea - check

Unexpected blessings!
Saw the Holy Rock Cafe
Saw the Holy Sand Cafe
Experienced "Holy" dust :)
Met the "Holder of the Key" to the Church of the Sepulcur. The different Christian churches couldn't agree to who should have control over the key to the church so the same Muslim family has held that responsibility for hundreds of years and we met the man of this family that currently has the key and opens the door every morning and locks it up each night.
See awesome mosaics thousands of years old.
Met totally by accident a man who went by "Mike" (Abn Nassar) the man who guided Condie Rice, Clintons and Carters through the old city, who now works at the US Consul. He walked us through Jerusalem, bought us tea with freshly picked leaves at the fountain and introduced us to more family. He also told us how to shop and took us the the best shop in Jerusalem where we found "treasures".
Bought a Bedhouin dagger and treasures for Judy in the market place.
Bruce made friends with Armenian Monk who reminded me of Friar Tuck from Robin Hood, on the hill of Golgotha.
Seeing armed Israeli military and police (both male and female) presence everywhere (we felt very safe). Citizens are allowed to carry firearms openly for their own protection, and nobody bats an eye. I recall someone saying "An armed society is a polite society."
Finding the perfect people to show us their Jerusalem.
Bruce found a Yalmulcha (Jewish, men's head covering) that fit and wouldn't slide off!
Unexpected Angels! (We were lost in Jerusalem after dinner. It was dark, the passages were narrow and filled with people. We were tired and longing for home. I asked one vendor how to get to Via Dolorosa and he gave me the opposite directions - communications misunderstanding are common. A voice inside me said "Ask a woman". There next to me were two women walking, one young and one older. I asked for Via Dolorosa and they said follow us. They took us right to our "home"!) Yes, God does provide angels. The next day trying to find our way out of Jerusalem in our newly, rented car through construction, unable to read the warning and directional signs (they are in Hebrew & Arabic - go figure!), we were confused and panicy. I said "Lord, show us the way" and a man stopped his car next to ours, right on the street, rolled down his window, and said, "Do you need help?" We said we were trying to find our way out of town and to the Dead Sea. He said "Follow me and go straight when I turn left". We trusted and were led through a maze we never would have successfully maneuvered by ourselves! God Provides!!!
At Ein Gede Bruce pampered me with a mineral mud bath, mineral bath, massage and dinner overlooking the Dead Sea. The next day I got a water massage and we padded around in the Dead Sea!
Timna Park just north of Eilot or King Solomon's Mines where copper has been mined for 3,000 years. The use of copper brought man out of the stone age. Moses and the Israelites probably camped there after fleeing Egypt. Today a reconstructed tent-style temple has been built there to show people where they worshipped and sacrificed to God. Inside is a Mennorah, a table for bread and the Holy of Holies. This is where Moses kept the Arc of the Covenant that contained the 10 Commandment stones, some manna and Aaron's staff to remind them where God had brought them from. Walking into the Holy of Holies, I got a serious case of goose-bumps! Wow! Our guide was a Christian Jew. She invited us to a multi-faith/nationality worship service that night. What a blessing!

I haven't blogged for so many days (no computers) so I've tried to give you a "brief" look at several weeks of experiences. It's impossible to capture every impression or feeling - I'd be writing a book! Yesterday we were driven to the border by a man who was King Hussein's driver, walked out of Jordan, crossed the border and were back in Israel. We both had a sense of "coming home". Smiling, happy people, pride in their country, and a feeling of welcome.
We leave here on Thursday, fly to Tel Aviv, meet friends for dinner in Tel Aviv and then start our long, 2-day journey home on Friday. We will need 2 days of "down" time at home to start to recover from the most amazing trip we've could have had. God has blessed us with angels, good weather, safe travels, many incredible new friends and unforgettable experiences. We are truly blessed.