The River Jordan

Here are my two favorite quotes about the River Jordan:

Hold Me

Like The River Jordan

And I Will Then Say To Thee

You Are My Friend

-Michael Jackson

Also...

And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. Mark 1:9

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There are few historically significant places I've been to this semester that have looked and felt like what I had imagined. The majority of religiously significant locations are under some sort of monument or church building that honors that place. While these memorials do pay tribute to the significant sites they often make it hard to feel the spirit of the place and imagine the important event that happened there. 

One of the places that feels and looks like what I had imagined is the Garden Tomb. Though it's likely not the actual tomb Christ was buried in it resembles an actual tomb and is located in a garden area where there is space to sit and meditate. The River Jordan is another one of these places. 

We don't know where exactly Christ was baptized but it was probably closer to the Dead Sea which is almost directly west of Jerusalem. I took this picture from the Jordan side and on the left is the Israel side. There was a church built in honor of John the Baptist that you can see on the horizon. The water was very dirty because of the rain that had fallen the day before.

When we got to one of the overlooks we saw an actual baptism in the river taking place! The members of the Church here often go to the Jordan River to baptize their children. 

On the bank of the river Sister Strathearn, yet again, taught an inspired lesson. She talked about how John was sent to baptize and how he already knew Christ. I love to think about how selflessly John accepted his role in preparing the way for Christ. Sister Strathearn also talked about the connection between repentance and service. She explained that to retain a remission of our sin we must serve others (Mosiah 4:26). 

After her lesson we got to take our shoes off and step into the river. It was an unforgettable experience. 

We had a few other stops that day before crossing back over the border into Israel. 

We visited the church office building before leaving Amman. 

It was just one floor of the building and included a chapel, classrooms, administrative offices, and apartment rooms for those called to work there full-time!

We also visited a mosque in Amman. 

Our guide walked us through how Muslims pray in the mosque. 

The trip to Jordan was so fun and full of valuable lessons. I'm grateful I got to go and experience yet another country here in the Middle East.