Having the opportunity to celebrate my birthday in the Holy Land, was truly a blessed experience.
Not only was I able to turn 43 in Jordan, my tour group family was able to hold mass in one of the most difficult places to schedule one ~ at the Chapels of Prophet Elijah at Mount Nebo, where Moses was shown by the Lord a panoramic view of the Dead Sea, the Jordan River valley, Jericho, Bethlehem and the distant hills of Jerusalem.
The Basilica of Memorial of Moses ~
We held mass at the Chapel of Prophet Elijah
(With a panoramic view of the Promise land)
One of the most notable structures found at Mount Nebo is a representation of the life-saving bronze serpent set up by Moses in the dessert.
In Numbers 21:4-9, Moses makes a bronze serpent on a stick to heal the Hebrews' snake bites, as per God's instructions.
Do you see its resemblance to the Symbol of Medicine?
Written underneath the bronze serpent statue, "Jesus as Moses Lifted up the Serpent in the Dessert, the Son of Man Must be Lifted up, So that Everyone Who Believes in Him May Have Eternal Life (John 3:14-15)".
This olive tree was planted here by John Paul II in 2000 as a symbol of peace.
From Mount Nebo, our group made a quick stop at a Mosaic Center.
Did you know that Jordan is famous for mosaics, no wonder why their churches are decorated with these wonderful masterpieces. We were shown how they intricately assembled small pieces of glass, stone, or other nature-based materials into art.
Now the real surprise came after the tour of the Mosaic Center ~
A surprise birthday cake for the Birthday Girl (haha)!
Me with David, our Jordanian tour guide :P
After the singing and cake bingeing ~
Came LUNCH (Yehey!) at one of the Local Restaurants in Madaba, Jordan
Now becoming my favorite dish in Jordan (upside-down rice) ~
And then, more revelry with another surprise cake :P
We ended our day with a tour of the Amman Citadel.
The citadel is located at Jebel Al Qala'a, the highest hill in Amman,
giving you a perfect view of the entire city.
It is an important site showing a long history of occupation of many great civilizations that occupied the city.
Saying goodbye to our last sunset in Jordan ~
Follow our Holy Land Adventure:
- For Holy Land helpful Tips >>> Holy Land Tips
- DAY 1 - welcome to Cairo Egypt >>>> Day 1
- DAY 2 - touring the land of ancient monuments, pharaohs and great pyramids >>>> Day 2
- DAY 3 - road to Mt Sinai >>>> Day 3
- DAY 4 - from St Catherine Monastery to Israel >>>> Day 4
- DAY 5 - floating on the Dead Sea >>>> Day 5
- DAY 6 - around Jerusalem >>>> Day 6
- DAY 7 - around the OLD City of Jerusalem >>>> Day 7
- DAY 8 - Jaffa, Caesarea and remarrying my EX >>>> Day 8
- DAY 9 - The Trails of Jesus >>>> DAY 9
- DAY 10 ~ Mount Tabor >>>> DAY 10
- DAY 11 ~ Petra DAY 11
Please check also my separate post on all the hotels we've stayed at during our tour of the Holy Land.
For questions and inquiries on our Tour Package with CITTI please visit their facebook page at CORPORATE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURS INC.
