Tuesday evening, 10 pm

Can't believe it's already 10 pm! I wanted to be in bed by now.

Got up at 6 this am, breakfast at 7. The food here is good and healthy -- fruit and yogurt and eggs and chicken sausage and hummus were all in the breakfast buffet. We took off early and headed up to Jabbok, the place where in Genesis 32:22 Jacob wrestled with the angel.

Then we took off for Jerash. There are some who say that the Gerasene demoniac, the one who was chained up in a graveyard, the one who, after his encounter with Jesus was "clothed and in his right mind" -- there are some who say this guy was from Jerash. There are others who say he was not. There is no disputing that Jerash was a Middle Eastern city under Roman occupation, so it was interesting to look at the vestiges of Roman culture -- the huge columns, the amphitheaters, the stone streets, the temples to the various gods, and so on. It's even more impressive when you consider that these are the conditions under which Jesus lived.

And what conditions they were! We must have gotten to Jerash around noon, at which time it began to rain. One minute it would be sunny, the next minute it would be windy and rainy -- and when we were at high altitudes it was cold, as well. At first I felt a little odd having brought my winter coat, but by day's end, I was quite happy!

One of the temples, -- I think to Diana, but I could be mistaken -- was set up around the divine number seven. So there were seven sets of seven steps up until one could see the temple -- then a couple more sets. I don't do enough cardio.

We saw a Byzantine church reconstructed over --- something -- and an old Muslim graveyard and a Jordanian museum of antiquities. We saw the old city of Amman, which used to be called something else before it was called Philadelphia. We saw an old palace. We did lots and lots of walking around in the rain, on hard streets, up hills, and up steps. I have tons of pictures and a new appreciation for the conditions people must have lived in centuries ago.

There is more, of course. i'm just too tired to write down my reflectuions. But I think it's interesting that I started the day at a place where Jacob said "I won't let go til you bless me" and ended the day wit a renewed appreciation for the power of history to inform and then to transform.

It's thundering and lightning outside. I don't trust the electricity here enough to keep typing, although I know I'm leaving out something really important. But I have to pack. Tomorrow we're off to Madaba, then into Israel. We're due to have lunch in Jericho. I'm excited.