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!!