Camel @ MindSay 
drawing
The Camels
Elephant(s)
They actually had a habitat, they were just pinned up while it was being cleaned.
Giraffe & Waterbucks
My mom in a sarfari jeep...
Zebra
Red River Hogs aka the wise, tassel-eared elf hogs
Gorilla
Poor baby seemed depressed. We were told not to look at it because it'd make it angry and it would run at the glass but all the poor thing did was stare off into space.
White tiger
Red panda
It seemed to have an itchy butt that the branch came in handy to alleviate.
River otter
I love otters!
Beaver
Turtle wrangler/The Mary Poppins of Tennessee/Someone you should keep away from your children
Jesus said that it was really hard to enter the kingdom of God—especially for us rich people. He said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
“‘How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!' The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’”
A camel through the eye of a needle. Um, shall we say, impossible? Yes. That was His point. However, He reassured His stunned disciples by adding, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
So…what does that mean for us rich folk? Because, you know, don’t you, that almost all of us Americans are rich, comparatively speaking, by the standards in the world and in the light of history. We really do live better than kings did in the past.
Where does that leave us?
Jesus answer was that nothing was impossible for God—even bringing a rich person into His kingdom. If you’re an American Christian, and if you’re in His kingdom—and that may be a point of discussion—then God has done the impossible. He has done something akin to squeezing a camel through a needle’s eye. We should be extraordinarily thankful.
So it seems that in order to enter His kingdom, we will need to get squeezed.
But getting squeezed is a good thing. Jesus said, “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Did you notice the “few” part?
I want to encourage you to get squeezed. Deny yourself. Don’t love the things of the world.
Enter the kingdom of God, shun the kingdom of man.
And please pray that I will do the same.
In Petra, rocks were obviously the predominant theme. Originally underwater, Petra is filled with large cliffs of rock that cut in many amazing shapes and contours that could have been created from having been submerged underwater for hundreds of thousands of years. Walking to the famous stone city of Petra entails walking through a two to three miles long path that had been cut through the giant rocks of the area by a river that once flowed in the region.
In this area, the combination of the lack of sand caused by the ancient Roman road that was constructed when they ruled this area and of the fact that the rocks are as high as towers causes you to feel like you are indoors or at the very least like you are in a massive and long cave. The beauty and majesty of this area is so great that I forgot that the rocks of Petra were not even the city’s main tourist attraction; however, after my 2-3 mile walk I clearly saw why so many people come to Petra.
Like a river flowing out into an ocean, the path that I had just trekked through simply opens up into a wide open area, a wide open area dominated by the ancient temple of Petra. The picture below can show what it looks like; however, neither that nor my words can capture its greatness. That is something that can only be done in person with one’s own eyes.
After the half hour I spent simply gazing in awe at the temple, I traveled around the rest of the ancient stone city of Petra. While it is carved into the sides of mountains, the city has the set up typical of any city from this period as it had an amphitheater, basic caves for the towns average citizens, and more ornate and impressive structures perched higher for the city’s elites. After this six hour trip, my group traveled about another hour south as we headed for Wadi Rum, land of the film Lawrence of Arabia.
Even though my group mates and I camped outside in the desert for the night, we had an experience completely different from that of the Bedouin home stay that we had three weeks earlier. For one, we were with each other and therefore surrounded by people who could speak English. Secondly, the camp that we stayed at was the Arabian version of a campground for vacationers as the small mountains around the camp were wired with lighting and stereos. In other words, the campground looked to be quite prepared for hosting desert rave parties. In addition, the landscape was very different from where my Bedouin home stay was. A bit south of Ma’an, my home stay was covered with rocks and soft dirt rather than sand. Wadi Rum though, two hours south of Ma’an, has the quintessential desert landscape as the sand is soft like that on a beach. Most of our activities at the camp revolved around interacting with and taking in this beautiful scenery.
I had many firsts in the activities that I did at the Wadi Rum campsite. My favorite activity was definitely riding a camel while catching the area’s sunset. Even though I had never ridden one before, I was very comfortable as I rode it without a guide holding the reins. At some I even had it sprinting and a galloping for a good ten seconds. After the camel ride, my group and I returned to the camp grounds for dinner, argheela, and music; however, after doing this for a couple of hours, my friend and I left the camp to see what the surround area away from the camp’s lights looked like at night. Night time in Wadi Rum is unlike any other place I have been. Because of how bright the stars and moon are, you can easily see what is 10-20 feet in front of you without any artificial light. After taking in this night time setting, on top of a smaller sized cliff, I went to bed ready to head back to Amman as I had now felt that I had seen the country’s most beautiful natural wonders.
Camel Riding in Wadi Rum
claimed the beast in reassurance, nabbing its ear with his index and thumb. Strapping her by the mein, he kenzied her into the swift valleys of Derg, perading her amongst the herders. Months of deep forest venturey had follied
any closepherence of meeting a beast tameable and fit right for form. Welts and Blisters from toxicant stings and bites of unknown creatures in the dark hems of the Nutrich Coil had left him flemmed. Inside a deep forgotten shine, Heldstrum half conscious drew back his bellows...
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