a quiet repost from December 2010 (Our Israel Trip) taking some time today to work on our new blog!
The Sea is beyond words to describe; beautiful doesn't do it justice....................lying as smooth as glass in the mornings it seemed like a rainbow of colors with amazing blues and greens with white that accented the shore lines. There are rugged mountains that rise up on each side of the Dead Sea.....It is hard to tell where one mountain begins and one ends. The mountains seem to mirror each other in her calm waters. The water is so dense that it keeps you the human afloat. We heard so much about the healing of the salt water for people with arthritis to skin issues like psoriasis and the youthfulness of the mud itself......
The Dead Sea makes a dramatic path between the mountains of Judah to the west and Moab to the east. Moab was the last of the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land and homeland to Ruth.....The clarity of the scenes in the afternoon literally took our breath away.....With 30 percent salt and minerals makes it the MOST saline water in the world.........Floods and springs from oases like Ein Gedi and the Jordan River continue to deposit fresh water into the Dead Sea.......With an evaporation rate of as much as 60 inches a year, it leaves behind minerals and salt in large dense concentrations.
I was so amazed to learn that when we were floating in the dead sea that we were at that very moment in the very lowest place on Earth you could possibly be. Wow! (It is 1,300 feet below sea level), it extends all the way to East Africa. It is surrounded by the most beautiful scenery in the world. As Amy and I floated in the dead sea I felt like God was saying to me; "take it all in;" take all of His amazing craftsmanship in. I can only imagine what the place He has prepared for you and for me must look like. He is so detailed with His creation leaving nothing out........This was a treasured moment in time for me floating in the Dead Sea. It felt like therapy for my soul.... It was one of the happiest times for my soul.....I never stopped smiling and I didn't want that moment in time to end.
Amy and I desperately wanted to try for youthfulness! Since we were both in the waters at the same time we don't have the pics of what happened next. Why am I always the fearful one? I was unsure about walking into the Dead Sea so I followed the guides instructions to a tee. We were told we must wear shoes in the Sea. So I bought a very expensive pair of the cheesiest flip-flops available that looked like something we could get in America at the dollar store.(everything there was so expensive) I put them on like they told us to and wore them into the water. ( Of course "Amy, " the strong one kicks her shoes off before she stepped into the Sea. ) As I stepped into the water Amy was in front of me. They didn't warn us that the mud would be so thick that you would sink like quick sand. When I started to sink up my legs and couldn't walk any further, I panicked and began to climb; "YES CLIMB," up Amy's back. She was falling face first down into the dead sea.... I think I drew blood with my nails trying so hard to stand on her! All I cared about at that point was to stand on something... She was such a good sport about the whole thing. She was laughing so hard that I think she drank half of the dead sea!!!!It took me a little time to feel secure enough to climb off of her so she could catch her breath. She then proceeded to tell me that the Dead Sea is so salty nothing can live in it.......Wow what on earth was I thinking? Not even a boat can be used in the dead sea. So I relaxed and started to float. Interesting note that a Greek geographer, Pausanius, named this water the Dead Sea........... But in the bible, it was never called by that name. It was called the Salt Sea (Genesis 14:3 NIV) or the Eastern Sea (Ezekiel 47:10) Although Ezekiel's vision that the fish along its shores will be as many as the Great (Mediterranean ) Sea; it has not yet come true...but Israel scientists discovered the Dead Sea indeed has life. An algae-known as donaliella-thrives there and is a rich source of beta carotene now raised in pools of Red Sea water near Eilat, 100 miles south.
The Sea gives life in other ways: among its minerals is potash, a basic component of fertilizer which is sold all over the world. It also has bromide a natural tranquilizer (maybe the reason why I didn't want to get out of the water..lol) and combinations of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Amy and I thought we had just landed in the largest spa in the world so we floated so far out that they had to blow some type of horn to get us in.... it was starting to get dark... Our skin had never felt so youthful... After the mud was washed off we had this red glow about us. It was truly an incredible experience...
Due to the quicksand like mud one of my very expensive cheesy shoes were swallowed up in the mud. So here I go again , with one shoe on and one shoe off. Yes I had to leave the Dead Sea with one shoe on and one shoe off. For those of you who read about our arrival to Israel that is exactly how I arrived and landed in Tel A Viv with one shoe on and one shoe off. What is it about me and my shoes...Maybe God is trying to tell me something!!!!!all is grace,
Robbie
