30 April 2011

Saturday is a Holy Day for most of the religions in Jerusalem. We participate in this as well and hold church on Saturday. It is going to take some time to get used to it. The branch we attend is held in the Jerusalem Center and is made up mostly of BYU-Jerusalem students. The others are visitors to the country, faculty of the J.C. and their families, or Israeli members. It is basically a "glorified" student ward with a primary and a youth program. Prior to Sacrament Meeting, choir practice is held for all students of the J.C. We never sing in Sacrament Meeting - only before it begins. The director is an American living in Jerusalem with his family, Jay Williams. He has a passion for music and wants to teach us as well as direct us. It was a good experience and something I will continue to participate in during my stay here. Well...except when I take the occasion trip to the Garden Tomb on Sabbath morning. We have been told by countless individuals that it makes all the difference to your Sabbath day if you attend the Garden Tomb before church. I plan to make the 10 minute walk a few times, if possible.

Sacrament meeting stressed the importance of scripture study and the Holy Ghost. The spirit was very strong during the meeting and view looking out over the city during was perfect. Sabbath School was on the healing of the blind man and how we can be healed of our blindness by Christ. It was taught by a graduate student studying at Hebrew University. Relief Society was on the same lesson I had the past two weeks - Service by the Spirit. Being my third week with the same lesson, I was a bit disappointed! However, the lesson - given by our Relief Society President - had it's own special twist. It was great!! I am looking forward to the rest of the semester and what each Sabbath day will hold.

Sabbath afternoon was open for free-time. After some discussion, a few of us (a few being over half of the students) chose to visit one of the most spiritual places in all of Jerusalem: The Garden of Gethsemane. I wish I could describe the feeling, the beauty of the Garden. It was amazing. The Garden is located in a grotto near the Tomb of the Virgin Mary. You walk through a gated wall and are immediately inside of the Garden. There are eight olive trees that have withstood the test of time and haven't been cleared. It is among these eight olive trees where it is believed Christ's prayer of Atonement was offered to the Father. I was able to walk amongst the olive trees and ponder on Jesus Christ and His sacrifice and His love for me. It was an experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I look forward to going back as well. The Garden of Gethsemane is only a short walk (about twenty minutes) from the J.C. and many students like to go bi-weekly to study and ponder. I hope to do the same if possible. The ability to be where Christ was and be a witness of His spirit was the perfect edition to the Sabbath day.

The rest of the evening was spent appreciating the musical talents of each of the students. President Ohman, the music director and Branch President, wanted to see what each student could do on the piano, on the violin, and so on. Jefferson Campbell happily volunteered to play a piano piece, only the piece he had was an accompaniment piece. And who did he ask to sing? Me, of course. I sang "I Stand All Amazed" with butterflies and a pounding heart. I had never seen the music before. The reaction of everyone in the room was stunned silence and compliments in abundance. It was nice. But now I fear I may be asked to sing! Oh well, it's all about the experience, right? And I want to have every experience that I can while I am in this city. I plan on it.

29 April 2011

I cannot describe what things are like here. It is beyond amazing. We arrived yesterday in Tel Aviv at about 3:00p. We had to wait around for another flight to get in before we could leave for our "home away from home". Then we set off by bus for the Jerusalem Center. We drove through the Coastal Plains of Israel which is covered by vast amounts of agriculture. Everything is still very green, but it is yellowing and drying within a few areas. In a few weeks, everything will be dead again so I am taking advantage of the lush foliage while I can! It is beautiful. After leaving the coast, we begin climbing through the Judean Hills. You know the Christmas song Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains? Well, it has been lying to you, me, everyone! There are no plains in Judea. It's all hills! I guess the man who wrote it had never actually been to Jerusalem..

On the other side of the Judean countryside was Jerusalem. Every building within the city is made of a white stone. Many of the roofs are a red-brown brick. You can imagine the beauty. The Jerusalem Center is located between the Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus and is commonly know to Israelis as the "Mormon University."

The Jerusalem Center is difficult to describe, but it is basically cut into the rock. It's eight floors. My apartment is on the fourth floor. Something cool - the apartments are all accessed through a courtyard. Amazing. I have three roommates, one of which is stuck in New York still. One of the flights went through New York City and a storm caused all flights coming out of New York to be cancelled yesterday afternoon. There were 16 students there; 10 of them had confirmed flights for today but 6 of them were put on stand-by. We still haven't heard much about them. My two other roommates are named Chloe and Emily. I haven't really talked to them much. Last night, I unpacked, took an Ambien, and went straight to bed. I'm sure I will get to know them soon enough. After all, I'll be living with them until August! My apartment is small but great. There are four little beds (smaller than a twin!!), a table, and a desk. Everyone has a small closet. And then there is a bathroom. We have a sliding glass door that opens out to a deck. Our view? The Dome of the Rock, the Mount of Olives, and all of Old Jerusalem. It is amazing! Last night we were fortunate enough to watch a thunder storm from our balconies. The lightning was spectacular.

We spent the morning taking a walk through the Old City. It is beautiful. It is difficult to compare to anything else. It reminds me of Greece in a way though. The streets are all fairly small and have shopkeepers. It was a fun walk. We didn't really do much - just walked around with one of the faculty members. They just wanted to acquaint us with the city. I will still need a map to orient myself though! There are so many streets and alleys that it will be easy to get lost in! I am up for the adventure though. Wandering is something I have genetically inherited. I just hope I can get a couple more people to wander with me! I have met so many wonderful people in such a short amount of time. Each of our flights were divided into groups of 3-15 people. Those on each flight got really close to one another. Lucky for me, the flight I was on merged with two others, allowing for a large group of closeness! We all get along really well and interact with everyone around us. I look forward to meeting each person staying in the J.C. and making lifelong friends.

I am in Jerusalem. Can you believe it? It is still hard to believe that I am in the Holy Land, that I can see the Mount of Olives. There is so much history here. So much. It is beautiful.

10 Days

Ten days.

Ten days to say goodbye. Ten days to pack my suitcase. Ten days to finish buying. Ten days to clean my room. Ten days to see my family. Ten days to see my friends. Ten days to eat my favorite foods. Ten days to show my love.

Ten days.

Ten days until I leave the country. Ten days until I have to say goodbye. Ten days until I see the Holy Land. Ten days until I feel the hot, burning sun. Ten days until I walk where Jesus Walked. Ten days until I meet new friends. Ten days until I write my first letter home.

Ten days.

The next ten days are going to come and go like a flash of lightning. I'll be hugging my mom with tear filled eyes sooner than I want to believe. I'll be kissing my niece and holding her tight for the last time in far too long. But I am more than ready. The excitement, the anxiousness, the impatience is becoming too much for me. It is propelling me into what will be, where I want to be. Jerusalem is coming; Jerusalem is here.

Ten days.