Last of Jerusalem

On our last day in Jerusalem a group of us went to the Garden Tomb to spend our last day in one of our favorite places in Jerusaelm. We also visited the Dome of the Rock for the last time....

Leaving Jerusalem I had mixed feelings. I was so excited to see my familiy and friends again but I knew I would miss Jerusalem. The experiences I had this summer are ones that will stay with me throughout my life. I made lifelong friends and learned so many things. I learned so much about Israel and Palestine and the conflict there. I developed a deep love for the Jews and the Palestinians and I miss them so much more than I thought I would. Most importantly I developed an even stronger relationship with Jesus Christ and God. It was such a tremendous opportunity to study and learn in one of the oldest cities in the world. There is so much history to be found there but I found so much more than cool artifacts in Jerusalem. I truly found myself and gained the peace I have been longing for in my life. I know my life is on the right track and I am doing what the Lord wants me to be doing at this point in my life. I also gained a strong testimony of my Savior and the truths of the gospel I have grown up with. I went to Jerusalem hoping I would gain a deeper relationship with my Savior, little did I know He would become my very best friend. Jerusalem taught me so much, many of the lessons were unexpected but I know that, like the blind man Christ healed, I have had my eyes opened and I can never deny the light that I have truly seen. I have a whole new perspective on life and pray I will never forget the lessons I learned in the Holy City of Jerusalem.

YUMMY!!

Some Roman Ruin in Galilee....

Roommates in Galilee :)

Pictures from Galilee :)

Sunset over the Sea of Galilee

Bethlehem!

I finally have some time to catch up a little bit on my blogging...so we went to Bethlehem a while ago. It was a really speical experience to be able to go to the Church of the Nativity, to remember and commemorate the birth of the Savior in the city where He was born. Bethlehem is now in the West Bank so you have to go through a checkpoint, I was struck by the graffiti on the Bethlehem side of the Seperation Wall, there was a lot of art work crying out for the breaking down of the wall and peace. I think that this is the message the Savior brought at His birth, one of peace and joy. And of course, we ate at this amazing resturant under a great big tent. They had wonderful pita and hummice...oh how I am going to miss that pita and hummice when I come back to the States. But anyway, I really enjoyed going and visiting Bethlehem :)

Seperation Barrier

About a month or so ago we had the opportunity to go on a little tour of the seperation barrier between Israel and the West Bank. The wall is about 1/2 mile behind the place I live. As I learned about the wall I had very mixed feelings. I can understand Israel's desire to put up a wall because of all the bombings and attacks that they had to endure. This city lived in constant fear of another bus bombing for far too long. They felt the only way to truly stop the attacks were to put up a physical barrier between themselves and those doing the attacking. The unfortunate thing about the wall is that it has cut off thousand of Palestinians from family, healthcare, and education. Just behind the Jerusalem Center there is the wall, and just beyond that wall is a Palestinian town that does not have access to the hospital located right down the street from the center, probably about 5 minutes away from the Palestinan town. They cannot come to this hospital in an emergency because the check point to get across and over to here is about a half an hour away. Lives have been lost because of inadequate hospital access in the West Bank. To some the walls may be neccessary but the implementation of the building of the walls has caused much heartache. I look forward to the day when this wall will come down and Jerusalem can live up to its name as the true and eternal city of peace.

Lessons from Galilee

The very first field trip that we had in Galilee started out with a boat ride across the sea. While sailing across we discussed the story of Peter walking on water. I have always loved that story but I developed a greater understanding and love for the many lessons that were taught in it. Firstly, Peter sees Christ walking across the water in the stormy sea and recognizes him. He calls out to the Savior and asks if He can come out to Him. Then Peter took that giant leap of faith by stepping out of the safety of the boat and onto the stormy and temptestuous sea. Think of how much faith that would require, to walk out towards the sea. But Peter knew He would be okay because He put His trust in the Savior and walked towards Him. After the first fews steps on water Peter made the mistake of looking away from the Savior and began to sink into the waves of the sea. Often, in our own lives it is when we take our eyes of the Savior and begin to succomb to the waves of doubt and despair that we find ourselves sinking. Peter called out to Jesus and immediately the Savior reached out to him and lifted him above the storm. We need to follow Peter's example and always turn to the Lord in our trials and tribulations. Christ is always there waiting for us, all we have to do is call to Him. He will immediately lift us into His arms and encompass us about in His love.

Later on that day we had the opportunity to go to St. Peter's Primacy, a little church dedicated to Peter on the Shores of the Sea of Galilee. It was here that we talked about the love and compassion of the Savior. He always looked after the needs of those around Him both temporally and spiritually. Something that really hit me as I was learning all these things was that the very miracles that Christ preforms in the New Testament are avaliable to us in our own lives. The people that Christ healed were people just like you and me. Jesus Christ lives today and He is able to heal us if we turn to Him and put our faith in Him. The compassion of Christ is something that I have come to know more personally since coming to the Holy Land. I know that our Savior loves us each personally and infinitely. I am so greatful for that knowledge.

Galilee is a very special place. It is so beautiful and green. It is a fitting place for the Savior to grow up and preform miracles. I know that He truly did walk, preach, and teach in the area around Galilee. I am thankful for the opportunity that I had to come to know my Savior more deeply by studying His life and teachings in the very place that He taught his disciples so long ago. Those same lessons can apply into our own lives, they are real and they are powerful. We can learn so much from the scriptures if we truly study and ponder them. I know my Savior loves me and I am so thankful for the lessons that I learned on the shores of Galilee.

Thank You!!

This is a shout out to my amazing parents! I love you guys so much. You have no idea how greatful I am to have been given this opportunity to come and study in the Holy Land. I know I wouldn't have been able to do it without the love and support you have given me. Thanks mom, for always pushing me to come here...even when I wasn't so sure about it my self. You were right, it is well worth the trip and I know the experiences I have had here will sustain me throughout my life. Thanks dad, for always being a quiet support to me in whatever I chose to do. I wouldn't have been able to figure everything out if it wasn't for you helping me fill out everything every step of the way. You are both tremendous parents. I know I wouldn't be half of the person that I am today without all of your love and support. I couldn't ask for a better mom and dad. I love you both! Thank you!!

Farewell Jordan :)

Our last day in Jordan we went to a couple of different places. One of them was a beautiful mosque, one of the biggest in Jordan. It was really beautiful and all of the girls had to wear these outfits that looked remotely like the ones death eaters wear in Harry Potter.... but we got to learn a little bit more about how Muslim's pray and it was really neat experience. Then we went to another ancient Roman site and museum. They have some of the copper dead sea scrolls there which were really cool to see. The picture is one that was taken in front of what remains of a temple dedicated to Hercules. After the mosque and museum we went to the Jordan River where some Christians believe that Christ was baptized. The river wasn't exactly what I pictured but it was still beautiful nonetheless and it was a very special experience to learn about Christ's baptism while sitting there on the banks of the Jordan River. I absolutely loved my time in Jordan and would love to go back in a heartbeat. While we were there we had the chance to talk to the district president there in Amman and he said some interesting things about why we as BYU students and representatives of the LDS church are there. He thinks there is a bigger purpose for us to be there, learning about the people and the language, than any of us know right now. I hope to be able to come home in just a few short weeks and carry the wonderful knowledge that i've gained about this truly holy land to everyone and be an ambassador for the Middle East back in the United States. I have developed a deep love for the people and places that I have had the opportunity to visit. I truly am blessed to have the tremendous experiences that I have had here :)

Exploring Amman :)

So, we had a couple of free nights to head out on the town and explore the wonderful city of Amman, Jordan. On one of those nights a bunch of us decided to go to the Royal Automobile Museum where the royal family has a lot of their really awesome cars on display. (don't worry dad, I got plenty of pictures just for you) after the car museum we went to one of the giant malls there. For a bunch of college students who hadn't seen a real mall in, I don't know...say about 3 months, we were all a little excited to be there. Needless to say we all had a lot of fun exploring the mall...especially the food court :) Jordan also has absolutely wonderful ice cream. The best i've ever had I think... but anyway, Amman was a great city full of really nice people and all of us BYU Jerusalem students had a lot of fun while we were there.

Jerash

After Petra we drove up to Amman Jordan. It is crazy how much like an American city it is. There were Applebee's and I even saw a Fuddruckers. It was just like being in a big American city excpet for the fact that everyone was speaking Arabic. The day after Petra we got to go to one of the best preserved Roman cities outside of Italy. It is called Jerash and there were so many beautiful Roman ruins and it was a lot of fun to explore and see a Roman theatre and Roman temples to Zeus and some of the other gods. And of course...how could we not get a picture on pillars, looking like muses? Hercules anyone :)

Petra!

Wow...I'm getting just a little behind on my blogging! Back when we were in Jordan we had the opportunity to go to Petra. It is absolutely beautiful with so many cool rock formations. It was an ancient city at one point so they carved a lot of intricite and amazing buildings into the walls of the rock. The most famous of course being the Treasury. One of the professors made a joke about how much pride the Jordanians have. He said that he has only seen flags as big as the ones in Jodan in two places, one of them being Jordan and the other Texas. They have flags up everywhere so me and Ash decided we mine as well get a picture with one. There was this fantastice view of "The end of the world" if you climbed up into the canyon. It truly was a breathtaking view and I absolutely loved sitting up there and looking out over the canyon. Petra was so much fun!

Jordan Field Trip...Day 1

So, we went to Jordan. It was pretty much awesome. On the way there we stopped at Mt. Nebo (where Moses saw the promised land) and then this amazing crusader castle called Shobeck. It was SO fun running around in these old catle ruins. It was way cool. Picture #1. Me overlooking the valley while sitting atop the castle. #2. Bethany and I posing in the entrance to the castle. It was way fun! Then we went to Petra! Horray! We got really really yummy ice cream from Switzerland or something and then we walked around the city and enjoyed the night life. We played soccer with some little Jordanian boys who rocked us hard core. We also took pictures with the Kings...King Abdullah is the king of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and his picture is up everywhere! Weird? Yes, i think so too but nonetheless it made for a good picture of me and Jessica.

Kotel Tunnel & Jewish Quarter

A couple of weeks ago on a free day a group of us decided to go to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. I LOVE the Jewish Quarter so much. We started out the day by going on a tour of the Kotel Tunnel. The Kotel Tunnel is the tunnel that runs under the city along the Western Wall. It was a really neat experience to learn a little bit more about Jewish culture and belief. We walked along the same road that exist back when Christ walked the streets of Jerusalem (Hence, the picture of my feet). The bottom picture is of Hannah, Katherine, and I in the tunnel at the beginning of the tour. The rest of the day consisted of visits to a couple of museums in the Jewish Quarter and a gummy expedition that didn't go well. Let me just say that gummies are the greatest thing in the world...despite the fact that they may or may not be sanitary and they all smell and taste relatively the same. But anyway, beware of the vendor who you buy your gummies from or you may end up having to put every single gummy back where it came from.... but anyway. It was another wonderful day in the city.

Red Crescent Hosptial

I had the opportunity to go and feed the newborn babies at the Red Crescent Hospital right down the street from the center. It was such a neat experience to be able to hold this beautiful little baby girl. She was SO precious and tiny. She was looking up at me with this beautiful brown eyes. Holding this little girl made me want peace for this troubled land more than ever. I don't want her to have to grow up amid all the conflict and trouble that this land has seen. But anyway, it was an amazing opportunity to spend just a little bit of time with this brand new baby.

Life in Biblical Times Field Trip

Pic #1: Reading the Torah Pic #2: Running away from the marriage trail :) Pic #3: Lisa and I making our spice!

A couple of weeks ago we went to this great big reserve type thing where they have it set up like life would've been in Bibilical times. It was a lot of fun! We got to draw water out of a well and sift hay and make our own spices. My favorite was herding the sheep though. There are so many neat lessons that can be learned from Sheperds and their sheep. We talked about how the sheperd must lead the sheep from behind. The sheep must be able to to see their destination. If someone tries to stand in front of them they will immediately stop. They must have their own agency to really see where their going. It is the sheperds job to put up boundaries so the sheep know what is expected of them and where to go but in the end the sheep are free to waander where they want. That has a lot of applicable lessons for our own lives. Our Heavnely Father gives us our agency and gives us the steps we need in order to get to our ultimate destination but it is up to us to get there. Sure we have people who help us get on the right path when we wander or make a mistake but we are never lead blindly. In the end it is our decision. I thought that was a really neat thing to think about. We also got to see a Torah scribe writing the Torah. He was working on the book of Esther while we were there. It takes about a year to write a Torah scroll because it is all done very neatly by hand. The scrolls run anywhere from $25,000-$100,000 dollars. They are amazing! Before the scribe writes the name of God in the Torah he must go and wash himself in a mikvah (ritual bath). That is why it often takes so long..think about how many times the name of God is written in the Old Testament! It was cool to learn more about it and see an actual scribe at work. It was a really fun day!

Hezekiah's Tunnel

Posing at Dormition Abbey

Shindler's Grave

Me and Ash playing David's Harp :)(Above)

Hezekiah's Tunnel! (Left)

We watched a 3D movie...it was so awesome, if you couldn't tell by our excited faces (below)

Hezekiah's tunnel was by far one of the funnest things we've done. We waded through ankle deep water for about a half an hour. We sang songs and had a grand old time! For part of it we turned off our lights and waded through in the dark just by holding on to the person in front of us. We sang "Hold to the rod"... I was thinking a lot about faith while we were walking and how often we don't know where life is going to take us but we just have to trust in the Lord and follow the path His son, Jesus Christ, has laid out for us. It was a cool experience. Afterwards we went up to Mount Zion and saw Schindler's grave and the Upper Room. My favorite was Dormition Abbey which is a church dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus. We sang a few hymns while down in the crypt and it was absolutely beautiful. Such a fun and exhausting day!

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringin'!

So...we had a free day in the city on Sunday. A group of us woke up early and went to a bunch of different masses at the Church of the Holy Seplechure. We got to go to a Coptic mass, a traditional Latin mass, a Greek Orthodox mass, and an Ethiopian mass. I absolutley loved going to all the different services. It was a great experience to see all these different manifestation of faith from all sorts of different sects. Bethany and I took a picture outside of the Church. Then after the Church of the Holy Seplechure we went to the YMCA in West Jerusalem. We got to ring the bells for the whole city to hear! It was sooo sooo fun! I played "Come Follow Me" with Hannah. It brought a whole new meaning to "I hear Jerusalem bells a ringin'!" (cheesy I know) but nevertheless it was a blast! The picture is of me and Brother Whipple in front of the bell keyboard. After we rang the bells we wandered over to the Jewish Quarter and looked around a little bit. It was a very exhuasting but awesome day :)

Via del la Rosa & West Jeru

So last Friday afternoon I went and walked the Via del la Rosa. It is the 14 stations of the cross that tradition says Christ walked on his way to Golgotha. It was really neat. After that we went into West Jerusalem which was completely empty because it was the start of Shabbot. We went to this delicious hamburger place just outside Jaffa Gate. It is called the meat burger and it is SO yummy! Then we went to McDonalds and got 3 sheckel ice cream cones. All in all another great day in the city!

Temple Mount

We got to go up on the Temple Mount for just a few minutes and I snapped a couple of photos. The Dome of the Rock is so beautiful. The temple complex is so big...I was a little surprised. It was really fun!