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Redwood Falls, Minn. —
Gwenn Harrington, Postmaster of the Redwood Falls Post Office, didn’t expect to visit the Holy Lands any time soon.
However, she didn’t have much say in the matter. Her sister Wendy told her at a Christian motorcycle association meeting last year that the two of them were was going, and that was that.
They left New York on June 11, and arrived in Jordan two days later.
“According to our guide when we arrived, everyone is just one big happy family in Jordan,” said Gwenn. “Tourism is down 90 percent in Jordan, and 40 percent in Israel, so everyone was really grateful to see us.
“The first street vendor we met told us it was very safe there, and if we had any problems we could just ask anyone for help.”
However, the facts of life in the Middle East became clear when Gwenn saw a group of school children on a field trip to the Wailing Wall, one of the holiest sites of Judaism.
When a child needed to leave the group for any reason, he or she was escorted by a armed guard.
“For our last four nights in Jerusalem, every night we went out wandering just by ourselves,” Gwenn said. “You can’t go too far without seeing two to four guys with guns posted there. There’s always a large military presence.
“We spent one day in Palestine, and weren’t allowed to wander there,” Gwenn said. “Some places had fences around them because there were still active land mines.”
“Israel is real green at this time of year, full of flowers and vegetation,” Gwenn said. “Their corn was just about ready to eat.”
Gwenn added the weather forecast in Israel gets pretty monotonous.
“They told us the weather would be the same for the next couple months: no rain, sunny, dry, and in the 90s.
“We did hit one sandstorm, and it was like a whiteout in a snowstorm. You didn’t dare open your car windows.”
“I was surprised at how much Roman influence there still is in Israel. With so much sand and heat, so much (Roman architecture) still stands.”
So much of it stands that, like everything else in the Holy Lands, it is fodder for arguments.
The facts behind many Holy Land sites are disputed. One expert claims an event happened here, another claims it happened at a different site few miles away.
Gwenn Harrington, Postmaster of the Redwood Falls Post Office, didn’t expect to visit the Holy Lands any time soon.
However, she didn’t have much say in the matter. Her sister Wendy told her at a Christian motorcycle association meeting last year that the two of them were was going, and that was that.
They left New York on June 11, and arrived in Jordan two days later.
“According to our guide when we arrived, everyone is just one big happy family in Jordan,” said Gwenn. “Tourism is down 90 percent in Jordan, and 40 percent in Israel, so everyone was really grateful to see us.
“The first street vendor we met told us it was very safe there, and if we had any problems we could just ask anyone for help.”
However, the facts of life in the Middle East became clear when Gwenn saw a group of school children on a field trip to the Wailing Wall, one of the holiest sites of Judaism.
When a child needed to leave the group for any reason, he or she was escorted by a armed guard.
“For our last four nights in Jerusalem, every night we went out wandering just by ourselves,” Gwenn said. “You can’t go too far without seeing two to four guys with guns posted there. There’s always a large military presence.
“We spent one day in Palestine, and weren’t allowed to wander there,” Gwenn said. “Some places had fences around them because there were still active land mines.”
“Israel is real green at this time of year, full of flowers and vegetation,” Gwenn said. “Their corn was just about ready to eat.”
Gwenn added the weather forecast in Israel gets pretty monotonous.
“They told us the weather would be the same for the next couple months: no rain, sunny, dry, and in the 90s.
“We did hit one sandstorm, and it was like a whiteout in a snowstorm. You didn’t dare open your car windows.”
“I was surprised at how much Roman influence there still is in Israel. With so much sand and heat, so much (Roman architecture) still stands.”
So much of it stands that, like everything else in the Holy Lands, it is fodder for arguments.
The facts behind many Holy Land sites are disputed. One expert claims an event happened here, another claims it happened at a different site few miles away.
Among the holy sites the sisters visited were Jesus’s supposed birthplace, and both places where his tomb is claimed to be, and St. Peter’s reputed house, which is now underground, located under a church with a glass bottom.
“The whole area is covered with ruins, with big huge cathedrals built on top of things,” Gwenn said. “The only place we weren’t allowed to take our cameras was in the museum where the Dead Sea Scrolls are kept.”
Security is so tight, if the museum is attacked, the center part holding the Dead Sea Scrolls lowers into the ground for greater protection.
Flying into Jordan, Gwenn said she didn’t encounter any more security than is typical in the United States.
However, flying out, she had to pass through four separate levels of security in Istanbul.
“On the way home, we flew Turkish Airlines, and I was beeped and wanded all the way,” she said.
The trip changed how Gwenn will view how she sees the Middle East, both in the way it’s portrayed in the news, and in the Bible.
“You hear about the strife and bombings, and then you see how the people live,” Gwenn said. “Kids can’t go anywhere without someone with a machine gun accompanying them.”
