ACYPL Summit Jordan: Baptismal Site

Dipping my hand in the Jordan River near where Jesus was baptized was one of the most profoundly spiritual events in my life.

I never thought I would have the opportunity to visit this site.  Indeed, I learned in the travel guide that this has only been cleared of land mines and open to the public for the last 10 years. The barbed wire, machine guns, and military vehicles were reminders of the tensions in the region.

The Jordan River is so narrow at this point that I felt like I could reach out and touch Israel. (You can see in this picture how close we are to the Israeli baptismal tourist facility on the other side.)

On the bus from the car park to the River we passed the site where Elijah ascended into heaven on a fiery chariot. (Mount Nebo, where Moses looked out onto the promised land, is also nearby.)

I later noticed (when I was looking at my pictures) that there is a website included on this mosaic:

 http://www.baptismsite.com/

On that website you can see short YouTube videos/tours of the areas that we visited.