Wilderness of Zin

 We had again a wonderful lunch

pita bread with fresh vegetables, cheese, hummus etc.

In a shaded place

close to another wadi

We had our picture taken (by Coleen)

filled up our water bladders in our camel packs and went down into this wadi

We walked on sand

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

 This desert was beautiful
but it is the floods that leave the sand

This water looks like still water, water that is not dangerous

but when there is a flood it is very dangerous to be here

he leads me beside quiet waters,

 we walked deeper into the canyon

behind our rabbi Todd

I was adjusting my picture of desert

this is the kind of place the Israelite nation stayed for 40 years

  In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

I am so glad I took the time to take these pictures

We came to a grove of trees

 We sat down

and here we shared our own desert stories

times of loss and times of loneliness

times when we needed community and it wasn't there

times of testing

I shared the year of loss, when in 7 weeks time we had

4 funerals, 3 unexpected.

But also seeing community as a help in those times.

and knowing that we can go with all our questions to our Lord.

 sitting under the trees a deer (Ibex) came by

we were reminded of the many places deer are mentioned in the Psalms

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
    he causes me to stand on the heights.

 Psalm 42: As the deer pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, my God.

It was good to share and to trust each other with our hurts

 time to leave the desert on Zin

we walked to the walls and it seemed we were going straight up

just like the deer :)

See the grove down there

This was a fun part of the hike

Made it to the top