Day -1: Off to Jordan

After a very hectic day of packing, I believe that I am ready to head to Jordan. I spent a majority of yesterday’s morning putting the final touches on the academic papers that we had to complete for the class portion of the dig. With all the reading and research that I did for these papers, I feel like I have a decent knowledge of Jordan. My knowledge, however, is based solely on information garnered from books so I am not expecting it to hold true.

Upon arrival in Jordan tomorrow, I will make my way our hotel and research center to eat and freshen up a bit. Jordan is seven hours ahead of CST and six ahead of EST, so the jet-lag shouldn’t be too bad. The trip will span a total of three weeks—one week spent traveling and exploring; two weeks spent on the dig site. While we travel around Jordan, we

will be visiting numerous places, including, Bethany-on-the Jordan (where scholars agree JBap baptized his followers), Madaba, the Dead Sea, Machaerus (where Josephus writes that Herod Antipas imprisoned and executed JBap), and many many more.

The dig itself will span the final two weeks of the trip, with weekend trips

to Wadi Rum—where we will be riding camels to a campsite out in the desert—and a behind-the-scenes look at Petra—the Nabatean treasury (pictured on the right from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). On the dig site, we will be sifting through different layers of civilizations which will primarily be comprised of Nabatean and Roman remains. Archaeologists from last years preliminary dig classified two structures on the site as a Roman bathhouse and a possible residential structure.

My Aunt Karen made an astute observation the other day: what I was passionate about in the first-grade is what I am still passionate about today: digging holes in the dirt. I am extremely blessed to be able to go on a trip like this. I will do my best to post picture

s and write as often as possible. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Ma’a salama!

Brad