Love

As my time here in the Holy Land wraps up the one word that rings in my mind is Love. The love i've found in both the people of the Holy Land, the people I live with and the one who I love most, my Savior Jesus Christ. The Palestinian people never cease to amaze me. They will forever serve as an example to me of caring and loving people with an incredible love for family. Last week on Easter Sunday, I met the most incredible women. When I met her outside the Garden Tomb I knew there was something special about her. She is an artist from Sweden and she showed us her book. She has had a very interesting life, one that will forever serve as an example to me. After being abandoned by her husband she lived a life always looking out for those around her. Giving aid to those in need that she didn't even know. She was once a Chrsitian, came to Israel and converted to Judaism and is now Christian again. She invited us to her home and I think I found the house I want to live in later in life. It is perfect, and also serves as a bread and breakfast. There is so much I could say about this incredible woman's life. I will never forget her and the light she shines through her self-less life and beautiful art. She will forever be an inspiration to me.

Tonight we participated in a program simulating the Triclinium Last Supper dinner. It was set out in front of us as we read through John's Gospel. After the program I was thinking as I looked out over the Old City at night and tried to picture Christ's journey from Galilee here to Jerusalem. Even in the midst of betrayal, he showed love. On my way to the Garden of Gethsemane one of the little girls i've gotten to know recognized me and came running toward me, I turned around and she ran right into my arms. I picture the children doing just that to the Savior.

My time here has most definitely been well spent. I've learned some of the most important lessons here in Jerusalem- political, social and religous. I will never forget the time I've spent here and the impression Jerusalem has made on me. I believe this program and Jerusalem itself has given me a foundation stronger than I ever though I could have on which I am so excited to build my future on. Thank you Mom and Dad for allowing me to have this unforgettable experience.

Jerusalem on Good Friday

I woke up Friday morning like any other day and it didn't really sink in that it was Good Friday until...I sat in New Testament class reading the end of Luke which talks about Jesus's trial before Pilate and the last days of his life. Tamarra raised her hand and said something like, "...wait, wasn't this happening right now." We all stopped and looked at the clock. It was almost 9:00am the time at which Jesus would have stood before Pilate. At 12:00pm he would have been put upon the cross and at 6:00pm taken down. We stopped our class and sang a few hymns in remembrance of Christ. As we sang I looked out the window imagining Christ carrying his cross through those streets, it became more real and even more heartbreaking.

After class we arrived at the gate of the Old City in hopes of seeing some of the processions taking place. We missed most of it, but as I was walking toward the main street in the Christian corridor I couldn't help but think these are the streets he walked carrying his cross around this time many years ago. It is unbelievable to think about...as we stopped at the main road the Women's Procession was taking place and a small group of women were carrying a big wooden cross that must have been heavy as it seemed to weigh them down. That has so much meaning alone...sometimes our crosses are too heavy to carry but because the Savior carried his cross and suffered we have him to count on when our crosses become too heavy. We made our way to the Holy Seplechure and that was where the masses of people were. People of many different faiths all gathering to commemerate the saddest moments in the history of the world.

Never before have I learned and focused so much on the crucifixion as I have always been taught to focus on the fact that he is RISEN. And I do believe that is incredibly important. However, never has all that he suffered been so real to me before. I think the understanding of what he went through has helped me to have even more love for my Savior. I did not know this before but Christ did not only suffer for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane but again on the cross. He reached the lowest of lows as the Father withdrew from him and he experienced what it was truly like to be alone. He did that for us so he would know what it felt like to be completely alone, to not only suffer physical death but spiritual as well. This makes me even more grateful for the Savior of the world and all that he did for me and for everyone. Tomorrow is Easter sunday and I am so grateful to be able to attend sunrise service and services throughout the Holy Land commemorating the fact that He is Risen and He Lives.

Along the Shores of Galilee

The 10 days I spent on the shores of Galilee, I will remember forever. I have never learned so much about myself and about the Savior of the world before. We had New Testament class while we were there and many of our classes were held on the beach. Let me tell you, it doesn't get much better school wise than having class on the beach, let alone the beaches of Galilee. Every other day we would go on a field trip. We went to Capernaum where Matthew is from and where the Savior performed many of the his miracles. We stood in the Synagogue where Christ raised Jairus's daughter from the dead and also in front of the house they believe was once Peter's. In Nazareth we also visited a synagogue and read about the Savior's life there. Mt. Tibor was inredibly beautiful. President Kimball believed that Mt. Tibor is the place where the Mt. of Transfiguration took place but Mt. Hermon is where teh Bible Dicionary says it happened. We went to a fish restaurant where they serve you a whole fish with the eyes and bones...everything. I thought it was pretty good fish not the best i've had but i've never eaten a fish whole like that before.

We went to church at the branch in Tiberias. They have a small little house overlooking the sea that is beautiful, words don't quite describe the view. We held our church serivce there and I think that might be one of my favorite Sacrament meetings I have ever had. When you have church with about 40 people who you are so close to it is a really amazing. I think i've had Sacramet meeting in two of the most beautiful and important places in the world--Overlooking Galilee where the Savior grew up and overlooking Jerusalem where he finished his ministry and suffered and died for each one of us.

I visited many significant places throughout the Old and New Testament but the highlight of my Galilee experience was the time I spent on the beach by myself with my scriptures and my Journal. This was the first time in my life when I allowed myself the time to put aside everything that busies my life and read/write. I learned so much about the Savior as well as myself. I have never felt so much love for the Savior. His life is full of lessons I need to learn from and continue to apply to my life. His compassion, his selflessness his unwavering love. I think the most incredible thing I realized and have a hard time wrapping my mind around is the fact that the Savior gave everything and was given very little in return. He is the son of the creator of the world yet there was no room for him in the Inn-there is so much Irony in the Savior's life. This makes me want to serve him in every way that I can knowing that I am forever in debt. I hope to remember these crucial attributes throughout my life when I become immersed in normal life again. It is hard to keep this perspective when you are not constantly reminded of what is most important and that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope that I will be able to reflect on these experiences and things I've learned as I live my life. I know Christ lives and he knows me better than anyone in the world; and he is the reason I am here and can live my life in such a way as to return to him someday.

An observation I had while I was in Galilee was the sense of peace that is there. It is a different feeling than here in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a land in the center of so much conflict and for that reason there is more stress and tension here. Galilee is incredibly peaceful. I believe Jesus's heart was tied to Galilee, the land in which he grew up and after spending time there, I see why. The beauty and peace that is there is unlike anywhere I've every been before. I will be forever grateful for the time I spent at the Sea of Galilee, Jesus's home. I hope that I can return there someday.

This is at the Church on top of Mount Tibor.

Me on top of Mt. Tibor

Lauren, Chelsea and I at Capernaum a town where Jesus spent much of his ministry and performed miracles.

This was the view off the balcony of the church in Tiberias...Tamarra and Lauren, I love them so much:)

We went to a fish restaurant that serves you the entire fish--eyeballs included. I thought it was pretty good though!

I am back!

So it has been a marathon of finals and I have been insanely busy studying and playing...lots to catch up on! This is on the beaches of Tel-Aviv! I love Tel-Aviv so much, it is very much like a European resort beach town. It felt so good to be on the beach:)



Purim Festivities~A night to Remember

Last week was a major Jewish holiday and the last night is an all out party! We dressed up- went and I think that is one of the first times when we actually fit in! Purim on Benehuda Street is quite the sight to see. Silly string, poppers, horns, drunk people, men with Kippas dancing everywhere haha! Anyways it was definitely a highlight:)


Bethlehem~Shepherd's Field

I loved Bethlehem. We went to the Church of the Nativity to the place which is believed to be where Christ was born. Apparently, this is the one place believed to be the true spot where the event happened. As the atonement and the Resurrection are somewhat guesses....they say this is the most accurate. We also visited Bethlehem University where we received a lecture and mingled with the students a little bit. Bethlehem University is Christian and Muslim. It felt a lot like a High School to be honest because it was pretty small. But it is a really nice school and it is cool to see two very different groups of people working and learning together. Shepherd's field was a great experience. At Sunset we went to Shepherd's field and read through the story of Christ's birth in the book of Luke. As we were sitting on the hill looking out over Bethlehem there was a twinkling star directly over the Church of the Nativity...quite poetic as our New Testament teacher put it:) I think sometimes it is hard for my mind to comprehend how unbelievable these experiences are. Sometimes it hits me and sometimes it doesn't.


Lately the Palestinian Israeli conflict has dominated much of our conversation and comes up in almost every aspect of our lives here. We visited the Separation wall with a journalist and it was really interesting. Visiting the wall opened my eyes to how devastating the situation is here in Israel. People's lives are incredibly impaired and it is hard to believe how much Palestinians go through just to get to work, if they work in Israel. All the checkpoints and searches they have to deal with make their drive to work sometimes 2-3 hours. Our Modern Near East Professor who teaches us Palestinian history is from Bethlehem and we have had multiple classes canceled due to his inability to get through the checkpoints. There is really no lesson better on the Palestinian conflict than that. Also, a woman who comes to church here from Bethlehem was not able to come across the border for about 6 months and therefore was unable to go to church. She is an amazing woman with an unbelievable attitude in her situation. With a family who completely disapproves of her religion and a separation wall with checkpoints that prohibit her from going to church it would be very difficult to stay faithful and not give up. This woman is an unbelievable example to me.

In these past few weeks studying has been so overwhelming I found myself during my study breaks visiting the Palestinian friends i've made in the past few weeks...and making more. I love these people so much. It is going to be hard to leave for many reasons, but I think one of the hardest things will be leaving these people i've developed such a special connection with. The kids are so sweet and so helpful in their homes. One of the woman I've currently gotten to know and speaks pretty good english. It was so great to be able to communicate and have a full discussion. I mentioned how sad I was that I hadn't reached out to the people sooner in the program. She agreed with me and we talked about how incredibly distorted people from the outside world have of the Palestinians in general, when in fact the people all around here are incredibly sweet and loving. This woman actually had a friend at the Jerusalem Center 10 years ago when she was young and they would go out at night together and go do things in the Old City. She lost contact wiht her after 4 years and she was really excited to meet some more people from the Center. Today we went and cooked lunch with one of our friends and let me tell you homemade Arabic food is go-hood!

I am doing great and heading off to Galilee for about 2 weeks, so I will have lots to tell when I get back. Miss you all and hope all is well:)

Walking the streets of Jordan

I went to Jordan this past week and experienced yet another gem of the middle east. It is really amazing to me how Egypt, Israel and Jordan all have a very different feel to them. The Jordanian people are great people. I really enjoyed talking to them and seeing the type of lifestyles these people lead. Jordan was surprisingly very westernized...we went to Mecca Mall. It was pretty cool, HUGE but sort of felt like any other mall.

On our way to Petra we stopped at Mount Nebo where Moses is said to have stood and pointed out the promised land to the Children of Israel. Also, it is where they said Moses was buried or possibly 'translated.' After Mount Nebo we went to Maddaba and visited the St. Georges Mosaic Map Church. Only parts of the mosaic were left, nevertheless it was beautiful.

The first highlight was Petra...Indiana Jones Baby! It was so amazing...walking the trail with rocks in orange and red shades towering above your head with a small glimmer of light shinning in through the top is such a cool feeling. The fact that it is all natural is so mind boggling to me. Also, the fact that these people just looked at the rocks and said, lets build a monastery in that thing..seriously so cool! Anyways, it was also really interesting to see how the bedouins live, and try to sell you their dirtied up jewelry! There is a beautiful monastery with a great lookout point to you have to either hike up to or you can ride the donkeys. These donkeys are pretty crazy, but Tamarra and I decided to go for it. It was so much fun haha! We made it to the top except Jack(my donkey) had a little bit of trouble with his footing, I was worried a few times but we made it.

After Petra we made our way to Ammon, this was a more westernized area. We went to Jarash, the Jabbok River and the River Jordan. Jabbok is the river where in Genesis it talks about Jacob wrestling with God...where he sees him face to face, and his name is changed to Israel. It was the most beautiful and peaceful overlook. Jarash was awesome as well...the Roman ruins are unbelievable. We sat in the one of the theaters that seat hundreds of people and enjoyed a band of retired Army Generals on drums and bag pipes. In Ammon we were able to visit the Branch building in Jordan. The Branch president spoke to us for a bit and it was really interesting. He works in the intelligence sector of the army and has some sweet stories. The one thing that stuck with me about the whole thing is how much he stressed is how the middle east needs the Gospel. They don't know it yet, but they do and someday they will accept it. People here are curious. He had some really interesting stories. Even though there is such a small representation of the church there today and they aren't even recognized as a church I do believe that someday the church in Jordan will have quite a presence.

Our last day in Ammon we visited the Mosque of the Martyr King Abdullah Bin Al-Hussein where all the girls had to wear black cloaks. It was pretty creepy I must say, I felt a little like we were in Harry Potter haha. In the mosque our guide talked a lot about the Muslim faith and gave us a demonstration on how they pray. Some things really stuck out to me regarding the Islamc faith I was unaware of before. First of all there were a lot of similarities to the LDS faith that were highlighted. Most of all the focus Muslims have on family. Also, the fact they do not drink alchohol and keep the Sabbath Day Holy. Another fact that I found interesting was a question that was raised about what a Jihad is. It is a Holy War, however I have been taught or under the impression of in the US that a Holy War is militant. However, the true definition of a Jihad is the inner struggle between oneself and Satan.

After visiting hte mosque we went to the Citadel which had a museum that contained original portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls(copper). I wasn't aware of this but one of our professors Dr. Skinner was on the international team for translating protions of the Dead Sea Scrolls.(Leviticus) Something he said that stuck with me is the Joseph Smith Tranlsation of the Bible is actually closer to the actual translation of portionos of the Dead Sea Scrolls than our actual King James version of the Bible.

I would say a highlight of the trip was our visit to the River Jordan. We walked a long beautiful path to the spot believed to be where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Today it is only a small pond of water because the river has changed its course over the years. We continued walking and ended up at the banks fo the River Jordan. Peaceful, simple, beautiful is what the River Jordan is to me. One of our professors talked to us about John the Baptist and his important role in Christ's life as we were sitting on the banks of the Jordan River. Something I never realized before was that John the Baptist was so highly thought of among the people he knew that He must decrease and Jesus must Increase. It must have taken great humility on his part to present Jesus to the people and baptize him in the River Jordan. How willing are we to lay the groundwork and then step back. I think John the Baptist can serve as an excellent example to us. I had never realized this before but I feel my understanding of John the Baptist's important role in Christ's life is so much more real to me.

right outside our doorstep...

This week could have been the best week I have had of all my time here in Jerusalem. On Wednesday Tamarra wanted to go explore the Palestinian neighborhoods right next to the Jerusalem Center and meet the kids. So a small group of us, Tamarra and I along with 3 guys went and made our first stop at a balcony of kids who were just playing and eating candy. We tried practicing our pathetic Arabic on them and they basically laughed at us. haha...two little girls invited us onto their porch and Tamarra and I went and played clapping games with them. They kept pulling out candy from all over the place and feeding it to us. Then we decided to move on and see who else we could meet around the corner. There were a lot of kids out playing ball on the street. We ended up meeting a girl named Shu Shu who is 14 years old and she is such a sweetheart. She invited us into her home, so we went with the guys of course(don't worry Mom) and we sat in their living room and talked as much as we could(there is a definite language barrier). They actually have a nice home in comparison to the surrounding homes. Still, it is completely different and opens my eyes to how incredibly lucky I am to live where I do. Still it was a home, and if felt so good to be in a home! The Mother is so sweet and it turns out she is trying to learn English along with her daughter Shu Shu who is studying English in school right now. So really it was great for all of us. We are trying to work on our arabic and they are trying to work on their English! Anyways, Shu Shu took us into her room after a while and painted our nails...she is so cute. I think she really misses having her sister around who is now married. In Shu Shu's room she writes all over her walls. There are quotes on her walls like, " Love like war, easy to start, possible to end" and "Don't hate 4 ever LOVE" Pretty interesting huh!

It turns out a couple of students one of which is the cousin of Jeff who was with us became really good friends with this family about a year ago. The mother just seemed so grateful we had found her. She invited us to dinner on Friday night. So after we went to the Suk(Jewish) on Friday (in the pouring rain I might add) we went to their house for dinner. We didn't really know what to expect but she said she had good cooking! When we arrived the Mother told us that she had been having ear and tooth problems and was in the hospital that morning so she wasn't able to cook a lot for us. We made sure she knew we were just grateful to be in her home and to spend time with them, we didn't need food. Still she and Shu Shu went on to bring the food out into the living room on the coffee table little by little and it was most definitely a full on meal...Tamarra said I guess Mothers are the same all over the world. This woman had been in the hospital all morning and still prepared this wonderful meal. It was a large platter of Chicken and rice along with pita and dips. She also made these lemon drinks which were really strong but really good. Shu Shu has two brothers that remind me very much of Connor...little trouble-makers haha! They were pretty cute and had fun showing us all their magic tricks.

After we ate Shu Shu took me into her room and wanted to curl my hair. So she sat me down and she sure curled me hair haha...it was fun. It totally reminded me of how much I loved to do Holly's hair. I miss you Holly!!! Anyways, then I braided her hair in french braids and she LOVED it. We had so much fun...I feel like i've made a new friend and I hope it will stay like that. We are going to try and go shopping in the Old City with Shu Shu one of these days. When we left the home after dinner, the Mother expressed as best she could how much she wanted us to come and visit her whenever we walk by. I plan on visiting often and continuing to develop the friendship we've begun with these sweet people.

Each time I left these people's home I was so incredibly happy. It was so great to interact with the people we have been told to be so careful around and to see the good that lies within so many of the homes here in Israel. These people have so much good in them and a lot of them simply want peace and love more than anything in the world. The differences in culture, just in gatherings for meals was so interesting to me. I LOVE it:) The guys we were with mentioned afterwards how they felt a little bit like they were on a mission again. I think that experience opened my eyes to how incredible a mission would be. To be able to bring the Gospel, to people like Shu Shu and her family would be unbelievable. The experiences I've had this past week have truly been a highlight...unforgettable.

So I did a lot more stuff this week but that was all I wanted to write about haha...

This is me holding a 1000 year old book in the Khalidi Library in the Old City WOW!!

Me after hiking/wading through Hezekiah's tunnel...so much fun! It was pretty funny though when we got to the end there were these two Jewish Men having a ritual bath and they were in their underwear haha:) Some of the leaders were unhappy about that, I thought it was pretty funny.
This was at our Cedar dinner we had the other night...I think we spent 4 hours at that table. Good times, and good food...I was so so so full at the end of that!

and the week ends with a bang...

So it all began with our free day last Sunday when we decided to walk all day haha...not really but that is what ended up happening. We started by going to a Lutheran service at the Church next the Holy Sepulchre. That was really cool, there were people traveling from all over the world and it was really great to experience a different church service. Afterward, we went to Mea Shearim an extremely orthodox Jewish neighborhood. We were dressed in long skirts and long-sleeves--extremely modest! Still, when were about to leave, this man with the top hat and the whole orthodox get up started yelling at this man with a cane so we thought ok that's crazy but lets just keep walking. Then the man yelling stopped right in front of us and started yelling at us with his head turned and eyes closed. (They were yelling in Hebrew so we couldn't understand.) Then the man started spitting on us(thankfully just missed us) but still we were really confused, but just turned around and walked quickly the other way. We didn't do anything wrong but this area is just very unfriendly to people who look differently and dress differently than them.

We brushed that off and then made our way to a German village just outside of West Jerusalem. It was a pretty long walk and we didn't really know where we were going but we ended up stopping in a lot of really cute pastry shop, cafe type places and eating a lot of really good food--free samples!! It was a very european town. We also stopped at a park and took a little break. Then we ended up at a garden/trail just outside the Kenesset. We were walking around and Tamarra was up on a hill set above a rock wall. She was climbing down, eating a cucumber might I ad, and fell off the wall. Tamarra was laying next to this boulder and looked unconscious at first glance. I was so worried...then once we got to her we realized she had just rolled her ankle and was silent because that is how she handles pain haha. She is one lucky girl for not hitting her head on that rock...seriously it was a miracle. Anyways, that was the exciting end to that day!

Monday was an interesting adventure...I ate pigeon. We went to a small Greek Cafe because Emma really wanted Greek food. It definitely wasn't Greek food. All they had was chicken, lamb and Pigeon and pita haha. So we decided to go for it and try something different. Stuffed Pigeon is pretty good, kind of weird but tastes just like chicken. The place was pretty sketchy though I definitely wouldn't go back!

Tuesday I went to Princess Basma's Center for disabled children. Princess Basma's is a program where for about 3 weeks women and their children go through a program learning how to take care of their disabled child. They live at this center and go through different training and play sessions to help the development of their child. We just spent an hour playing with the kids. They were with their Mom's so it was a little difficult to get them to leave their Mom's and play with us but we had fun. Also, they didn't speak much English at all so there was definitely a language barrier. Still it was a really cool experience, another one that opened my eyes to how much I have been blessed with in my life. These women have 4-6 children at home and also have a disabled child. Yet, I they are still so happy, and show so much love for their child. I have found through past experiences that children with disabilities have a special something about them. I do believe they have been sent to this earth to bless the lives of those around them.


On Wednesday we went to Yad VaShem the Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was unbelievable...quite an experience. I've been taught about the holocaust countless times, however, I still am in awe each time at the horrific events that took place. After a very detailed tour with testimonials from survivors, I was left with somewhat of a sick, uneasy feeling. Outside the museum is a children's memorial. The memorial is a dark room with mirrors and just four small lights that reflect each other. They read the names of the children that gave their lives along with their age over the speakers. Something I thought was interesting is Yad VaShem comes from a verse in Isaiah. It literally means a house/memorial and a name. This is an appropriate name for this memorial because it gives those who died in the Holocaust the dignity of a memorial or remembrance.

Yesterday or Thursday was a great day! We did so much and again walked for like 6 hours straight. We started at the Church of Mary Magdalene, which is maybe one of my favorite churches here. It is absolutely beautiful, and the gardens around it are as well. Tamarra especially likes the nuns there who sell old postcards for cheap haha! On our way out we stopped byt he tomb of Absalom who we are actually reading about in 2 Samuel right now. After that we went to Dormition Abbey. When we walked in the Organs were pounding, it was awesome. Right next to Dormition Abbey is the upper room, or the room of the last supper. It was full of people but we spent a few minutes there. It is a very large beautiful room...it is so hard to wrap your mind around the fact that the Last Supper most likely took place in the very place I was standing.

Then we got Falafel at my new favorite place...I really don't know what I am going to do without it! It is so so good:) Last but definitely not least we went to the Pools of Bathesba. There is a church there that has the best acoustics ever...we stayed and sang for quite a while, it was beautiful, I took videos by the way: )

So last night the biggest storm we've had started. Thunder, lightning, rain, hail, wind the whole shebang! Today was Church and I don't know if i've said this already but as we sit in church we look out huge arching windows that overlook the city. So while we were in church the storm really picked up. During one guys talk a huge lightning bolt came right in the middle of our view. Everyone kind of gasped and the speaker didn't even know what was going on haha. There was a piano violin duet of I Stand All Amazed, I believe in Christ and There is a Green Hill Faraway and throughout the song there were loud pounds of thunder. Pretty cool!