The Red Sea Parting > Jindo Sea Parting

As mentioned in my previous post, Nicole and I signed up for a trip to the Jindo Sea Parting Festival at the end of March.  Evidently a few times a year, the sea in this particular area parts so that you can walk from the main land to a small island in water that is typically ankle deep but sometimes slightly higher.  Since this is an annually occurring event, Koreans have created a festival to go along with it.  As would Americans as well.  The main part of the festival is a chance to walk across the land while the sea has parted.  So that's what we signed up to do, but we didn't realize at the time that this would be taking place at 4 in the morning!

After stopping at the green tea fields, we stopped in the town of Jindo for dinner and then went to our hotel.  Since we were leaving at 3:15 Nicole, Nicky, Emma, and Karlien (all friends from church and my roommates for this trip) decided to try to get some sleep first.  It was not the most restful night and the early wake up call was not exciting, but in the end it was quite a unique experience.

First we purchased some crazy orange boots that come up to mid-thigh.  Then we got a torch from the Enjoy Korea company we were with and then among a throng of people we started to walk in the sea.  It was quite surreal.  There were steps down to the sea and then a rocky area before getting to mostly sand with some seaweed mixed in.  The waves were lapping to our right and left and the water was cold.  It never reached my knees and for the most part stayed ankle deep.  We walked about half-way to the island across the way before they told us to turn around.  Evidently the sea did not fully part and the rain and currents were against as the water was beginning to rise again and we would not get to walk the full way.  As we headed back the shot off some fireworks and the wind picked up and blew out most of the torches.  Thankfully they had some powerful lights to help us see as we walked back to dry ground.

Barely ankle deep as we get started!

People walking in the water!

Before I left and even once I was there, I continually thought at the story in the Bible of God parting the  Red Sea to allow the Israelites to cross on dry ground as he delivered them from Pharaoh and the Egyptian Army.  It is quite a story of God's power.  I've heard many who struggle to believe the details in the Bible claim that there are areas of the red sea that are not that deep and that had to be where the Israelites crossed at.  But that is not what the Bible says.  It says "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land.  The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left" (Exodus 14:21-22).  I walked through the sea as it was parting.  I could not really see much but I could see the water lapping on both sides of me as though I was on a narrow stretch of beach.  I felt the cold water on my feet and trusted the organizer of the event that I would be able to continue to to walk in this fashion as I followed them forward.  But I never walked on dry ground.  The sea had parted, but not in the fashion described in the Bible.  This sea parting happens briefly a few times a year.  God parted the Red Sea at that specific time in a unique and supernatural way in order to deliver the Israelites.  How incredible!  This experience added to my understanding and to my awe of God.  His power is beyond my complete understanding.  As I left around 6:30 to go back to the hotel I was intrigued by what I had experienced and how it really was nothing like Moses and the parting of the Red Sea. 

Here you can see the small waves lapping behind me.  This happened on both sides and this was at the end as the water was rising once again.  Even here the area, I'm standing at doesn't even cover my feet.  

This is the highest the water ever got.  It's about mid-calf here.  

However, I learned and gained so much more when we came back at lunch time.  As Nicole and I walked up to where we had been walking just about 7 hours earlier an saw much deeper water I was shocked.  I struggled to put together the two experience.  I had walked down about 7-8 stairs to get to the water and the last step down was high!  I could have easily had another step or two for that last step.  Then from there the water was extremely shallow.  It had not even covered my feet for the first 5 yards or so.  And we walked a good 30 yards or more I would guess in mostly ankle deep water.  When we returned 7 hours later, there were only about 2 of my steps that were water free!  The water was so high!  I still struggle to put into words my experience and my feelings to first walk in the water and second to see the difference in how deep the water normally is!  Boats cross through the area that I had walked on!  Then I think back to Moses and the Israelites.  How scared they were to be staring at the Red Sea in front of them and the approaching Egyptian army behind them.  Then how incredible and surreal it must of been to watch God at work as He delivered them by sending a wind to hold back the water.  They walked with a wall of water on their right and left!  I walked with water lapping in waves on my right and left.  They walked on dry ground with no need for boots!  I stayed in mostly ankle deep water and was very thankful for my boots to protect against the cold water!  And then just as I saw the water back to its normal place, the Israelites also witnessed the water return to it normal place and in the process they also witnessed the demise of the Egyptian army as they were all caught in the Red Sea as the waters returned!  

This is where I walked just 7 hours before I took this picture! 

I think this is the clearest picture to show how much the water changed in that 7 hours.  There are about 2-3 steps that cannot be see where the railing continues.  Then it was that huge step down.  Where all that water is in the picture in front of the steps was rocks and mostly wet sand with no waters 7 hours previously!

This is the same area that I walked down!  I stood in this same spot to take the picture above of people walking in the water.  The picture above I'm just turned slightly to the left to see the railing on the left side instead of the right.  So incredible to see the difference to me!

The weekend was quite unique!  I love that through it and through my reflections of it God is teaching me more of who He is.  He is allowing me to understand Him more fully!  I'm thankful for this experience and even the lack of sleep because God is using it to draw me closer to him!  Oh so thankful!