Twas the day before Christmas, and all was silent and still in the Wadi Rum desert, a place where a big blue sky meets an expansive, red earth armed with giant rocks.
My whole day was free, and at first, I decided to find a comfy spot near camp where I could chill with Jesus and enjoy the view. Well, the more I looked at it all, the more I found myself wanting to go and wander around. So, I looked over at Jesus to see what He was thinking, and He asked, “Wanna go explore this vast desert wilderness together?” Yes please! So off we went across the desert sea, walking from one set of giant rocks to another set.
Here’s a map of my whole journey:
First Stop: Halfway Point Worship Dance Party
Around the halfway point, Jesus looked at me and said, “This would be a pretty sweet spot for a quick worship dance party. Wanna unleash some freedom and joy around this place?” I couldn’t resist twirling and dancing as wild as I wanted without worrying about bumping into anything, so I worshiped and danced with Him right in the middle of where all the Bedouin people drive their trucks and ride their camels (it was empty at the time). Gotta love the spot He chose.
Second Stop: Panoramic Hill
Shortly after the worship dance party, Jesus and I got to the other side of the desert. For the record, I could see my camp the entire time I wandered the desert, so I always knew where I was. Anyways, the first place we went to was this rocky hill I’m going to call Panoramic Hill because this is where I got a really awesome view of all the giant rock structures that were around me. We hiked up together and then took some time to sit and enjoy the unique way God created the Wadi Rum desert.
Panoramic Hill ended up being right next to this giant rock I’m going to call Behemoth. There are slot canyons in Behemoth, and while I was resting on Panoramic Hill, I heard some echos coming out of the canyon by Behemoth. I didn’t want to stop exploring with Jesus, and I thought maybe some of my fellow World Racers might be there exploring as well, so I decided to make the trek over.
All was fine and dandy until I realized it was a group of Bedouin men.
Third Stop: A Hang with Bedouin Men
By the time I realized who I’d run into, they noticed me, and it was too late to turn around. They waved me over and invited me to sit by their fire. They served me Pepsi and Bedouin coffee (which is yellow and tastes like gingery goodness). Using Google translate, first they asked me if I needed help. I replied no and said that I am good. They were relieved at that, and they let me know I was in a safe place, which I thought was very kind and sweet of them.
Then they noticed a tattoo I had just gotten in Jordan. Part of the tattoo is “I desire” in Arabic, and they asked me what I desire. I told them “Jesus.” They nodded at that and then asked me if it was okay if they took my picture. It was a weird, fun, totally out there experience that only God could orchestrate. After the Bedouin men got their pictures, I excused myself and went to explore Behemoth some more.
There’s more to this story, so check out Wild Wadi Rum – Part 2 to read more about this adventure with Jesus.
