Our adventure started early Friday morning, when Ashleigh, Naomi, and I caught an early morning bus to Eilat. Our hiking packs were stuffed with camping gear, beach clothes, and a "survival kit" from the kitchen (bread--well, in my case, rice cakes--peanut butter, fruit, and vegetables).
Once in Eilat we met up with other JUCers on one of the beaches. We rented snorkeling gear and explored some of the reefs right off the shore. Never before have I seen such beautiful fish and coral! I felt like I was on the Discovery Channel, or in the movie "Finding Nemo." Bright blue angelfish, silver barracudas, orange and green coral, clownfish...it was a whole other world.
That night we set up camp right on the beach. I fell asleep to sound of the Red Sea waves, and woke up to the sun rising over the Jordanian mountains. Before it got too hot, we went hiking through the wilderness right behind the beach. From the top of one of the peaks we could see Israel, Jordan, and Egypt spread out before us, with Saudi Arabia somewhere in the distance.
Yesterday afternoon, as we hiked to the bus station, we commented on how relaxing and uneventful the weekend had been. That changed once we got to the bus station! It's a long story, but as we were boarding our bus, a group of IDF soldiers came and grabbed us, shouting in Hebrew. The bus pulled away without us, the driver screaming at us. We were herded out of the bus station and stood in the sweltering heat, waiting. Finally, someone who spoke English explained that they suspected a bomb had been placed in a bag next to our bus. Shortly after, we heard a loud explosion, and after some more waiting, we were allowed back in the bus station. In a daze, we boarded our bus and safely arrived back in Jerusalem five hours later. There is never a dull moment around here!
Bus station craziness aside, this weekend was really refreshing for me. On the way to Eilat, I thought a lot about the importance of taking our Sabbath rest, and how often I fail to rest until I feel totally burned-out. God intended for us to rest one day a week so that we can serve Him with energy the other six days. And sometimes, we need an "extended Sabbath" to get ready for the work God has for us ahead (like Nehemiah did before he rebuilt Jerusalem's walls). I want to grow in my obedience of observing Sabbath.
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