update: photographs

May I just say how much I love Fridays?! I truly enjoy them because it's a day where we both stay home, cook, catch up on things, etc. It's a complete day of rest (cooking is not considered work, right?:). I will also add that we have totally switched over to Friday and Saturday being the weekend and Sunday being the first day of the week. Ok, now unto the pictures. 

This set was taken over 2 days. First, we visited 11 active (monks and nuns live and take care of the place) monasteries and on day two we visited the wilderness and went to Jericho.

The next few pictures are of the Romanian Orthodox monastery. It's a fairly new compound with a beautiful church and a great hospice. Did you know that hospice does not only mean a home or service caring for the ill and dying? But it also carries the definition of being a lodging place for visitors, especially when it is run by a religious group.
So hospice = hotel. 

The art is absolutely beautiful! From the floor to the ceiling (this is a picture of a ceiling) you have exquisite paintings and the most attention to detail.

Some of the monasteries had collections and displays of human bones, bones that they believe are of the saints. One monastery, the Coptic, supposedly had Lazarus's finger. Another one had a full body of a monk that died over 60 years ago. Now, his body is not in an air sealed case and it's not decaying either. It still has the skin, hair, eyes, etc. which can be seen through the glass (I spared you the picture, thinking many of you wouldn't want a surprising glimpse of a corps). The reason why they keep the bones is because they believe that the Holy Spirit is in the bones of the person.

This mountain is called the "Mountain of Temptation." It is believed that this is where Jesus was taken up and tempted as written in Matthew 4:8. Half way up the mountain you see a long building, this is a Greek Orthodox monastery. This was my favorite monastery! It is so beautiful and unique. It's built right into the mountain, so as you walk you have one side being the bare mountain and the other side is a man made structure. This place also has some pretty awesome caves where monks would retrieve to and enjoy solitude with the Lord. 

Entrance to the monastery.

 These pictures were taken just inside the monastery. As you see, there is solid rock on the right and the rooms/building on the left. These were the only pictures I was able to capture before we were told that we can't take pictures inside. 

Some monasteries have to support themselves my grow crops and selling them in the markets. The husband among green pepper plants. 

Most of the monasteries have caves where you go to be alone with the Lord. However, not everyone can fit without bumping their head once or twice on the ceiling of the cave. 
:( 

This, my friends, is the wilderness. When the Bible speaks of the wilderness, this is what it is talking about. Here you have no source of water, no tree to hid you from the sun, and no one to protect you from wild animals. Your hope? God, and He alone. 

As we were standing on top of the mountain and having class, this bedouin (nomad) fellow and his son saw that we arrived and came to sell us their "goods."

 This boy is so cute! And the donkey surely made us smile as well! It found this patch of grass and simply. would. not. move! The boy tried everything, but the animal just wouldn't budge. The phrase, "stubborn as a donkey," sure came to life. 

Isn't he adorable?!

Can you tell I'm I'm slightly obsessed with this pair? Ok, i'm done now.

 This monastery was a beauty as well. Not to mention the monks served us coffee in cute, miniature cups. Win!

Then came time to cross the wadi. A wadi is a gorge or ravine that is typically dry and waterless, except during the rainy season.

Some made it across with help on both sides.  Isn't this epic?:)

Others got across with a little push from behind.

And some simply didn't make it:(

Still to come is the post on Samaria and.... our three day trip that we are starting tomorrow! Excited to visit the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean. So check back next week for the posting of these lovely events. 

Have yourself a very fabulous weekend!