Middle East Log 2007-5

by Darris McNeely

Submitted October 2, 2007

It is said that travel is a major educational experience.I agree wholeheartedly. Travel  broadens your view of the greater world and opens vistas of understanding we don''t get in our local, comfortable, world.

My travel through Jordan this year has taken us now to Aqaba on the southern tip of the country. Here in Aqaba Jordan and Israel share the beauty of the Red Sea in an idyllic setting. The Israeli city of Eilat sites to the east of us. Further down the coast Egypt has a resort city called Taba. All three share the beauty of this region. It is too bad that what these nations do here cannot be leveraged into a larger comprehensive peace accord.

We heard a sermon today about the late King Hussein of Jordan called "The Benevolent Heart of A King". Cory Erickson, our host for this trip lived in the country for five years and once had an audience with the king. Cory's admiration for King Hussein is very deep.

Hussein became king at a young age when his grandfather, King Abdullah, was assassinated in Jerusalem. Hussein was spared from death when the bullet fired at his heart was stopped by a medal the young man wore that day in the Al Aska mosque. It did not stop the life of a man who went on to rule Jordan and guide it through a tumultuous period. Hussein loved his enemies by trying to make peace with his enemies. His grandfather was shot while trying to make peace with Israel.In many ways he represented the qualities of a merciful and compassionate ruler described in many of the Proverbs.

On our way to Aqaba yesterday we made a stop at Wadi Rum, a beautiful desert that was the site of the movie Lawrence of Arabia. We drove through the desert in  four wheel drives and had lunch in a beduoin tent.

After services today it was time to relax. I took a scuba dive along the coral reef of the bay-my first. It was a great experience.

Tomorrow we travel to the Dead Sea, Mt. Nebo and a place called Tel Hammam-the latest, and likely, candidate for the site of ancient Sodom from the book of Genesis.

I'll try and catch up with you tomorrow night on my arrival back to Amman.