Arkansas weekend

Our husbands were busy this weekend; Adam went to men's retreat and Al was involved in an interview with a church plant pastor so Jill and I decided to go down to Arkansas to see the cousins.

 The girls all traveled so well!

Emeri and Eli were so excited to see their far-away cousins from Kansas!

It was really cold.  It was May but it had just snowed the night before.  Em and Eli even made a May-man (a May snowman).

 I showed the girls how those twirly-birds off a maple tree works.

Emeri and Eli's other grandparents live right next door and they have a fish pond.  

The grandparents had a nest in the wreath in their door.  It looks like 2 different kinds of eggs!


On Saturday we celebrated their dog, Molly's birthday.

 They watched "Cars"

 They built a fort

We went back next door to their grandparents basement.  They have all the toys set up there and they had so much fun!

Claire had her own fun with the kids' toys

Saturday evening we went to Jump Zone.

 For having crazy socks, the kids got $2 off each

 

Bummer - being the oldest does have some disadvantages

A princess came to visit!

 

So much fun!

That evening after the kids went to bed 

Sunday morning - New Heights

All too soon, it was time to go back to Kansas

A 5 1/2 hour trip, but a stop at Culver's always helps!

Jericho

We left the Samaritan village and headed toward Jericho.

We drove through several villages

There are lots of pharmacies.  Actually, later when we arrived at Jericho, Al, Jim and the bus driver drove to a pharmacy so Al could pick up some medicines for a few of our group who were ill.  We had brought quite a bit of meds with us, but needed more.  Amazing what can be had without prescriptions!

There are military everywhere

Wilderness

We arrived at Jericho,  the "city of palms" (Judges 3:13)

Modern day Jericho - It is the lowest city on earth; 750 feet below sea level.

Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of more than 20 successive settlements in Jericho, the first of which they say dates back to around 9000 BC.

Elijah was said to have been taken up into heaven close to Jericho (2 Kings 2:1-14)

2 Kings 2:18-22

Ruins of Jericho
Jericho was the 1st city taken by the Israelites after crossing the Jordan.  Joshua placed a curse on the city, that whoever rebuilt it would do so at the cost of his firstborn and youngest son. (Joshua 5)

The city lay totally abandoned for centuries until Hiel, the Bethelite rebuilt it in the 9th century - at the cost of his firstborn and youngest son.

In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.  1 Kings 16:34

We looked out just beyond the ruins - just to think that the Israelites marched around this city and the Lord made the walls fall down right out there!  Amazing!

The parable of the Good Samaritan is placed in context of Jericho (Luke 10:25-37)

Jesus went to Zacchaeus' house in Jericho.  (Luke 19:1-10)

Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus here also (Mark 10:46-52)