The River Jordan

The Jordan River valley area is one of the most world-famous Bible Places. The Jordan River is mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible 181 times and 15 times in the New Testament. Jordan is derived from the Hebrew word pronounced "yar-dane," meaning descender and is an appropriate name for the river as it runs from the heights of its sources near Mount Hermon to the depths of the Dead Sea.

Sabbath Saturday Garth and I drove to the Galilee area and arrived just in time to catch the bus with the students on their way to church. It made our Sabbath even more special as we stopped at the River Jordan. It was filled with tourists and people of many denominations who were holding baptisms.

We were here in 1971 and since that time the whole area has become extremely commercialized but still one very special place to visit.

When we visited so many years ago, we took photos of Garth's parents who were traveling with us as they sat on the banks of the river. Coming back to this hallowed place brought back many fond memories of the summer we spent traveling all over Europe, Greece, and the Holy Land.

As we sat on the banks of the Jordan River, we didn't realize that the five days that followed would be some of the most educational and amazing days of our lives. (To be continued)