In The Desert Places

I was not able to update the blog yesterday because I was in the desert. It was a place that most people probably think of when they think of Israel. It was barren. I was the tallest non man made object in the desert for miles. No trees or bushes or anything. There is some small undergrowth which the donkeys, camels, and other animals eat (ok, so the camels are taller than me). We spent the night in a Bedouin camp. Bedouins are Muslim Arabs who wander the desert while herding flocks of animals. The Bedouin camp we stayed at was a nice model type of a Bedouin camp.

When we first arrived at the camp we were welcomed and immediately rode camels. The camels were all lying on the ground so we could get on them, but once they stood up they were well over 8ft tall. It was so much fun to ride a camel, although it was more like a pony ride since all of the camels were tethered together with a man leading them by rope. I am glad for that, however, because my camel kept wanting to run. I later found out that they can go faster than 35 miles per hour. After the camel ride we talked in a tent with a man named Mohammed about Bedouins. While he talked another man prepared the customary tea, coffee, and bread for visitors. The coffee is traditionally given first because it is very expensive, showing the Bedouin's hospitality, and very bitter, showing the bitterness of the land. The tea is given second and is very sweet, showing the kindness and hospitality of the Bedouin. After Mohammed was done speaking, he played music for us. Again, as the young man on the trip I was volunteered to play music along with Mohammed. It was a transcendent moment playing percussion with a coffee mortar and pestle as Mohammed played the lute. As the music played, a small fire which had made the bread and heated the tea and coffee was filling the tent with a slight smoke. The others sat on colorful rugs cross legged and clapped along. The taste of the sweet tea was still in my mouth. If I closed my eyes I went back in time and far away....

After dinner I sat on a bench and was able to read for a while. Once the sun went down two other men and I went on a walk into the desert so we could get a good look at the stars away from any light the camp may have given off. Once a few minutes outside of camp I was able to look up and see stars all around. Although it was a little cloudy, the stars were gorgeous. As we were away from the camp, there was no noise from any man made object, but just the songs of dogs, donkeys, and camels. The songs of the animals continued all night long with a finale in the morning with the birds. While it was loud, and at times annoying, it was beautiful. Since we slept in large open tents we were able to hear everything. As I was doing my morning devotions, the noises of the animals all came full circle as I read Psalm 150 as the final verse says, "Let every creature that has breath praise the Lord."

Although I was in a desert, and all of the other nights I was in a city, last night was the first night on the trip that I did not feel alone. I'm not sure if it was the beauty of the landscape or the music of the animals, but being alone in God's wilderness made me not feel alone at all. I hope that each one of you, and I can continue to find times where we can be absolutely alone with God from all man made things, and realize that we are not alone at all.