"Yardenit"

The last thing we did on March the 16th was go to Yardenit. This is the location on the Jordan River as it just runs out from the Galilee. Yardenit is where most people get baptized if they do so in the Jordan. There is no doubt it has become a very commercialized place, but something really cool happened anyway. We had been told there were changing rooms, and for a small fee, robes would be given out to us, but that these were very, very sheer and we should dress accordingly under the robes. We were also warned about our stuff being stolen and that we should give our clothes and cameras to someone to watch. Thus, most of us changed into our robes, got our clothes, cameras, passports and other valuables and took them down to the area we were assigned. As I recall, we also had an appointment time for our group, just one more sign of the commercialization of the area.
When we all gathered in our assigned area and instructions had been given, we had a time of worship and prayer. We then proceeded with the baptism. “The water is cold! Is that one of those fishy-things David McQueen told us about that I am feeling? What the heck…that was slippery…” Those were some of the very first and very un-spiritual thoughts I think we all must have had. In addition to all this, people from all over the world stop and stare to see how “we” got baptized. To say there were a lot of distractions would be an understatement!

Nevertheless, we each got into position, stated our name, name of home church, and why we were being baptized. That is when it got heavenly: it came down to who we were, what we wanted to be and why we wanted to share this very public act. There were many testimonies and I don’t really remember them much…but He does. I do remember weeping, I remember being touched by the testimonies, I do remember Andy helping baptize Renee, I do remember how special we all felt, I remember the four pastors from four different churches standing in the water next to each other; and how the tourist part of the whole deal disappeared. I remember more when I look at the pictures.
There is way more that could be said about Yardenit, like the way other people got baptized and other rituals we saw, but it’s what happened in the heart that was really cool. The physical part of the water is long gone, but the spiritual part is ongoing. Isn’t that what we believe? I am still discovering all that really happened and this blog is just part of His touch on me that afternoon.

PS: The cold water is why later we wanted hot coffee and almost broke kosher!!