DAY 4 Mosque of King Abdullah and the JORDAN RIVER

If you are just signing on to read about my marvelous trip to JORDAN, you might want to start at Day 1 so the sequence of events could flow much nicer (just a thought). Our final day in Jordan started off with an amazing experience visiting the Mosque of King Abdullah, a memorial to the late King Hussein's Grandfather, which was a beautifully ornate building. The girls got to play dress-up as we were required to wear scarves covering our hair and these long black Harry Potter ropes. The guys didn't get so lucky as they could wear short-sleeved shirts. It was an informative experience to learn more about the Islamic faith and I was actually lucky enough to see a Muslim man recite his morning prayers and see with my own eyes the faithful conviction displayed. We then went to the Temple of Hercules which is larger than any temple in Rome itself. There really isn't much more history behind it so we all just took tons of pictures pretending to be ridiculously strong like Hunchules himself (By the way...this site has nothing to do with the Disney movie which is quite unfortunate). Our very last stop before it was time to go back home was the Jordan River which was the site I had been dying to see all week long (figuratively of course). Before I even got a good look at the place where Jesus Christ was baptized, I had a funny incident with the bus that must be shared. So I have this huge scab on my elbow due to some intense soccer matches and as I was walking carefully off the bus, I some how slipped on the step and fell flat on my butt on the ground. My elbow hit the stairs while on my trip downward, and my scab just busted open with it hanging by a thread as all the teachers and the lucky students that saw my clumsy act started freaking out and surrounding me. It was totally not a big deal to me and did not tarnish my pride in the least bit but some people made such a scene about it that it ended up being a traumatic experience. I think some people thought it was my skin that was scraped off so it was funny to me. It was quite an entrance unto the site of the river Jordan so it made for a unforgettable memory. Visiting the place where my Lord and Savior set the example of baptism for all that would follow after him was quite an incredible experience and left a lasting impression on me. Although no one is exactly certain where John the Baptist actually baptized Jesus Christ, I honestly don't care. All that really matters to me is the understanding I have gained over my years in primary and beyond that my Savior, although perfect, performed this ordinance that I may have the glorious opportunity to return to live with him again if I stay faithful to the covenants I have made and continue to follow in the footsteps of my Savior. Now that I am done describing my happenings in the beautiful country of Jordan, my next posts will be about my all-day field trip in Tel Aviv yesterday and about our half-day "Herodian" Field Trip tomorrow which I have no clue what that means but stay tuned, and you will know what I mean soon enough.