St George's Monastery- Israel Pilgrimage

 Wadi Qelt-

 St George's Monastery

The Monastery of Saints John and George of Choziba, 

best known as Saint George Monastery in Wadi Qelt

or simply the Monastery of Choziba,

 is a monastery located in Wadi Qelt in the eastern  West Bank,
in  Area C  of the  Palestinian Authority territories. 

The cliff-hanging complex, which emerged from a larva 

established in the 420s
and reorganized as a monastery around AD 500,
with its ancient chapel and irrigated gardens,
is active and inhabited by  Greek Orthodox  monks.
It is reached by a pedestrian bridge across Wadi Qelt,
which many believe to be  Psalm 23's
"valley of the shadow of death".
The valley parallels the old Roman road to Jericho,
the backdrop for the parable of the Good Samaritan- Luke 10
 The monastery is open to pilgrims and visitors.

Established during the Byzantine period,
it was destroyed by the Persians in AD 614,
rebuilt in the 12th century during the Crusader period,
abandoned after their defeat, and rebuilt again by Greek monks
starting at the end of the 19th century.
The site is associated with the lives of  Elijah
 and that of the parents of the Virgin Mary,
and holds the relics of three Eastern Orthodox saints,
making it a site of intense pilgrimage.

 A great view point- you can hear the

 stream of water running down 

the mountain side to this oasis in the desert.

 We decided to walk down a little bit.

Then we had many bedouin helpers.

Actually - you just keep going.. 

around the next bend.....

and the next....

My donkey back up was Lila

 and my helper was Nehal.

St. George Monastery

Reflection:
As we could hear the water 
running down the mountain side
 we sat and read Psalm 42 - 
1As the deer pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, my God.
 2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
    When can I go and meet with God?...

and this makes me think also of-
Isaiah 35:6
"then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
    and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
    and streams in the desert"

The blessings of the Lord 

abound in the desert time also.