Pilgrims flock to River Jordan By GRACE HOUSHOLDER Seeing the River Jordan, so well known from the stories of the Bible, isn't exactly a disappointment, but it is a surprise. Over the centuries, because of the activities of man and Mother Nature, the river has become so narrow in places that you could almost jump across it. Nonetheless, the River Jordan is Israel's largest and most important water source. And some parts - but not the sections we saw - are said to be as impressive as the Nile. The River Jordan, which divides Israel and Jordan, flows south from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. There are five different locations, where according to various traditions, Jesus was baptized. Unfortunately, most of them are in forbidden and dangerous military zones. But there is a bustling modern site, complete with changing rooms (with white robes to wear in the water) and a large souvenir store, at the south end of the Sea of Galilee where the River Jordan is relatively wide. The area has lots of green foliage and several places where seating is available for groups of people who have come to be baptized or to reaffirm their baptism. It is well laid out, so that several groups can have religious observances at one time. I was impressed with the variety of Christians we saw: people in turbans and colorful robes from Lagos; Greek Orthodox priests; and enthusiastic Baptists with strong southern accents. Some of the baptisms involved total immersion and were accompanied by shrieks, clapping and screams of joy. Occasionally we heard parts of hymns being sung by onlookers and a number of pastors conducted Bible readings. Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians are all making preparations for a hoped-for flood of Christians in the year 2000. One of Jordan's "Jesus 2000" projects is to clear the mines from one of the traditional locations of Jesus' baptism and create a park-like setting similar, I believe, to the one we visited in Israel. Several people in our group filled containers with water from the River Jordan for the baptism of soon-to-be-born grandchildren. One grandfather joked that his family is getting so large he should take home a gallon!  Return to Holy Land up Close index   Return to News-Sun & Evening Star Copyright Kendallville Publishing Company