From the Lowest Point on Earth to the Peaks of Sinai

I think two of my highlights from eleven days in Egypt and Israel were floating in the Dead Sea and climbing to the top of Mt. Sinai. It is an extraordinary feeling to get in a body of water and automatically float to the surface. The 25% concentration of salt in the dead sea makes it impossible to sink and impossible for anything to live; hence the name. It is quite a relaxing feeling to lay motionless in such a big body of water.

The next day we were startled by a wake-up call at 1:00 am so that we could begin the ascent of Mt. Sinai by 2:00 am. A group of around 25 people began but most resorted to mounting a camel to take them up; at least to the final base camp. Around 10 people in our group were able to make it all the way to the peak on foot. It wasn't as bad as some peaks, but it also wasn't easy. The journey was worth it though as we summitted and caught a glimpse of the sky just after the sun appeared on the horizon. I was able to find a quiet place on a stone that blocked the strong bitter wind and where the sun was shining so that I could spend a half hour reflecting on the moment in history 4000 years ago when God met Moses on the same peak. It was a great time of personal worship, reflection and prayer. Once the others arrived we took some time to warm up by standing close together and praising God through songs, prayer and scripture. It was well worth the effort. We arrived back at the base around 9:30 so the total climb took us around 7 hours, but could have been less under other circumstances.

How amazing to experience the Old Testament firsthand!