It was our last field trip day outside of Jerusalem today! I can't believe it has come to this point. Everyone made it a point to take tons of pictures, to make the most of the bus rides, and to have as much fun as physically possible. Of course, none of this would have been possibe without Brother Judd, his amazing fashion-sense, and his magical pink umbrella.
It was hot today. I know I have said this a million of times, but I mean it this time. I am talking 107 degrees. But, thankfully, we have an amazing assitant director this semester who allowed us to wear shorts today! Trust me; it would have been impossible to stand outside in the blazing sun for six hours in pants. We all would have died. Our day began at Qumran, a city situated below the cliffs of the Judean wilderness near the shore of the Dead Sea. Deeming the later Hasmonean and the Herodian rulers to have corrupted Judaism, the Essenes practiced "monasticism" at Qumran, where they produced or preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls. There emerged within Judaism two main factions by the Second Century BCE: Sadducees (hellenized elite hereditary priesthood) and Pharisees (rabbi-led commoners committed to Jewish culture). When the Hasmoneans, who led an anti-hellenization revolt, usurped the high priest's office and promoted hellinization, some Jews (most probably the "Essenes") disassociated themselves from "corrupt" Jewish society and established a virtually all-male monastery-like community at Qumran. There, calling themselves the "sons of light", they prepared militarily to defeat the "sons of darkness", in part through purifying themselve in mikvaot, with communal meals, and by copying sacred writings in a scriptorium. These writings were discovered in 1947 by a Bedouin in the caves at Qumran and have been properly named the Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls are the oldest Old Testament manuscripts in existence - pieces of true history.
Last week I was able to see the Dead Sea Scrolls in person at the Israel National Museum. So it was so cool to be able to see the site that they were discovered at, the very caves in which they were found! It was hot on the tel, but it was worth it. The view of the Dead Sea was amazing and the history of where we were standing was unbelievable. We really do have the opportunity to visit some great places. I may grumble about the number of tels that we visit, but each of the sites we visit has some importance, some connection to the Old Testament, to the Israelites.
Masada, another of Herod's Fortresses, was our next destination. Herod left his family at Masada, first fortified by Hasmonean ruler Alexander Jannaeus, when he went to Rome to be named puppet king of Judea and while he consolidated his power. To protect his tributary kingdom's southeast flank, Herod later rebuilt and enlarged Masada. Herod's complex featured northern and western palaces, Roman bath, swimming pool, storage buildings, and a casemate wall that included living quarters and a messhall (triclilnium) for the soldiers. Aqueducts (from the wadi to the south) and cisterns (in the western cliff-face) kept Masada supplied with water. During the First Revolt against Rome, Masada was seized by a band of robber-assassins called Sicarii, who - led by Eleazer Ben Yair - assassinated foreigners and Jewish collaborators and who raided nearby Jewish villages. The Sicarii remade the triclinium into a synagogue with its scriptorium inside and a mikva outside. The Romans attacked Masada after conquering Jerusalem and the Herodion. Although he was not present at the event, Josephus provides the only description of Masada's fall. According to him, the Romans built a siege ramp, besieged Masada for a period of about four months, and used siege engines and fire to destroy Herod's wall. On entering Masada, the Romans discovered that the Jewish inhabitants were all dead.
Wasn't that a great history? Basically, everyone died in the end...happy, I know. Masada is another tel, another fortress. It was cool to walk around...but very hot. At one point, I grabbed Emily Judd and put her on my shoulders; she was carrying an umbrella so I was shaded from the sun! It was the smartest decision I had made all day! My skin can only take so much before it begins to burn and boil. Curse my Scandinavian heritage! Haha. :) My favorite part of Masada was probably the western palace. It still had a lot of its decorations and mosaics. It was a great place to take pictures as well. The views that you get at these tels are amazing.
Ein Gedi came next on our agenda. Brother Judd gave us its biblical history before we got off of the bus (which was very kind of him) so we were given an entire hour to do as we pleased. I chose to use that time to the fullest and hiked through the harsh sun to see three (or four) different waterfalls. Ein Gedi is a site where two wadis meet, delivering spring water and creating waterfalls. The waterfalls were beautiful but incredibly crowded. I couldn't believe there were so many people there. And almost all of them were standing/swimming in the pools...making it impossible to get any good pictures. It was ridiculous. However, many of us found that if we walked up to the farthest waterfall, there were less people and better photo opportunities. It was hot and I was sweating up a storm by the time we got there, but it was worth it. Waterfalls really are breathtaking.
From Ein Gedi, we boarded the buses for the Dead Sea (or, as I called it all day, El Mar Muerto). The Dead Sea is located 1300 feet below Sea Level, making it the lowest spot on earth. It is also very, very rich in minerals, especially salt. The sea is 30% salt...three-times greater than the Great Salt Lake in Utah. So, you float. It was the coolest thing ever! I have never been to the Great Salt Lake so this was a brand new experience for me. We were all cautioned to avoid getting water on our faces or in our eyes...for obvious reasons (it burned forever if it got on in your eyes...it was awful). It was fun to float around and do cool tricks in the water. It was also very tiring. While you don't have to tread water, it's no fun if you just sit there. Most of us were running through the water and swimming in long trains. We had a lot of fun. But, like the outside temperature, the water was incredibly warm. Most of us only last about thirty minutes before we had to get out and rinse off. But we were able to get popsicles once we were out of the water, and who doesn't like popsicles? I can now say that I have swam in the Mediterrean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Dead Sea. Awesome. :)
The rest of the day/evening was spent very quietly. We were all exhausted from the field trip so we mostly just lounged around. I attempted to do laundry...but it was full, so I ended up studying instead. Festive, I know. However, I could only take studying for so long before I had to do something else, so I chose to call my mom and dad. I situated myself on the fifth floor (outside of the Chadwick's apartment, actually) and talked to them for a good while. They were both exhausted though so it was a fairly one-sided conversation...but that's okay! It was still great to talk to them. When I hung up, Brother Chadwick walked outside...so I ended up talking to him and Sister Chadwick for a good while. It was fun to catch up with them. It was a good way to leave my day. You can't go wrong with the Chadwicks!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
30 July 2011
Can you believe it's Sabbath again? Already? I remember the afternoon of my first Sabbath in Jerusalem. I was sitting in a group of people, and they were discussing how sad it would be when we had to go to church back in Utah, in Idaho, in Hawaii. Someone piped in and said that we had sixteen Sabbaths left in Jerusalem...that sixteen Sabbaths was a lot. Well, sixteen Sabbaths is nothing. I can't believe that there is only one more Sabbath Day left in Jerusalem...one more day to look out over the Old City during Sacrament meeting, one more day to listen to Brother Chadwick bust Mormon Myths in Sabbath School, one more day to share in the sweet spirit of Relief Society. I didn't expect this day to come for a few more weeks...months even. And now, here I am, wondering where all of the time went...wondering if I will ever have this again, if I will ever have another Sabbath (after next week) of partaking of the Sacrament in the same city where the Last Supper occurred.
Sacrament was fully centered around Jesus Christ - becoming like Him, seeking after Him, taking His name upon us. It was a great time to reflect on what I have learned about Him and on what He has done for me. I couldn't tell you why I chose to come to study in the Holy Land; the best answer I can come up with is that I wanted to go to Egypt. But as most of you know, that part of the program was cancelled and replaced with a trip to Turkey. As my time in Jerusalem is coming to an end, I have been searching for an answer to why I chose to come to Jerusalem, why I was supposed to come here. The one thing...or person, rather, that comes to my mind is my Savior, Jesus Christ. On this program, I have had many opportunities to grow closer to Jesus Christ through study, through personal experience, through prayer. It has been a chance for me to come to know my Savior in a different light, to leave the world behind and really focus in on Him and on His love for me. I know without a doubt that He is the promised Messiah, that He came into this world to save all men from sin, that He died upon the cross so that all men can return and live with Him and the Father someday. It is only through Jesus Christ and His Atonement, His Sacrifice that we can be saved. We have to make an effort. We have to be obedient to the commandments; we have to search after Him. We must do our part if we expect His Atonement to have any effect on us. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to come to know my Savior the past few months. I have said this before, and I will continue saying it. I know Jesus Christ is my Savior, my Redeemer, my Brother, my Friend. And I know that He lives; without a doubt in my mind, I know He lives.
Once church let out, I had the opportunity to go to the Old City with a few other students to participate in a service activity. We were able to meet with a elderly member of the Christian Quarter in the Old City, to learn a little bit about her life, and to sing a few songs to her. It was the first time I had been inside of a home in Jerusalem. It wasn't what I was expecting. They live very differently from me; their entire culture is different. She seemed to really appreciate our visit. Like in the United States, there are so many elderly people who are not visited, who are left alone. I think it is so important for us to reach out to the elderly in our societies. We don't truly understand how lonely they really are, how eager they are for a simple conversation until we speak with them. There is so much we can learn from them. Reach out to them. Go out and visit someone in your neighborhood, in your city. Adopt a grandmother; adopt a grandfather. You will not regret this decision.
We got back to the Jerusalem Center just in time for a delicious Sabbath meal in the Oasis. I always look forward to Sabbaths when it comes to food! There is always roast and potatoes and vegetables. I love it. And dessert tonight...I cannot express how amazing the dessert was tonight! Imagine a chocolate fudge brownie....covered in a hot chocolate sauce. It was amazing. And the chocolate was dark and rich. (Rachel...you would have been in heaven; it was that amazing! We don't always have amazing desserts at the J.C. Like many foreign countries, the desserts aren't always sweet. But tonight, this was not the case. Yum. Yum. Yum.
Seminary was amazing, as usual. And it was even better because I didn't have to teach! Lizzie taught the lesson tonight, and it was amazing. She finished up the prophets (Ezra Taft Benson, Howard W. Hunter, and Gordon B. Hinckley) and then spoke on The Family: A Proclamation to the World. For those of you who have not read that document recently (or ever), I encourage you to read it. (A copy can easily be located on lds.org.) The family truly is essential to the Father's Plan; without the family, His plan becomes pointless. I have gained such a great appreciation for my family this summer. I am so grateful for them and to them, and I am so thankful that we have the ability to be together forever. Forever it a scary thought sometimes, but through the Father's plan, this forever is perfect happiness. We watched one of those cheesy seminary videos made in the 1990s and I just...I started crying (and I am not usually one to outright cry). My mom and dad have given me everything in life. It is because of them that I am in Jerusalem, that I am studying at BYU, that I have the developed talents that I have, that I have a knowledge of my Savior, that I am happy. We don't realize how much our parents do for us until we stop and think about it, and I don't think I will ever truly realize the love and devotion they have for me until I have children of my own. It has been such a great experience for me to teach seminary this semester. The Lord really does call people to callings where they can grow, where they can learn.
Brother Judd gave a fireside tonight on the choices that we have in life and how we can better make those choices with our minds centered on Jesus Christ and our Father's Plan for us. He centered a lot on the Spirit of Revelation and how we can better turn to the Lord for assurance, for answers to our questions. The past few nights, I have had something on my mind that has been a little unsettling. This fireside helped to settle those feelings. God really will do all that He can to help us and to answer our questions and to guide us in life, but we have to do everything in our own power to accopmlish the goals that we seek and turn to Him before He will reach out to us. We have to show forth that faith. I loved the insights Brother Judd had. He really is an inspired man. I am lucky to have him as a professor in Jerusalem.
The day is over. And it was an amazing day. I know that I am continually saying that everyday I have is amazing, but I really do mean it. The way I am touched with the Spirit, the interactions I have with those around me, the insights I gain both through classes and experiences make each of my days amazing. Like I've said multiple times, you just can't have a bad day in Jerusalem. Even if you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, everything will work out by the end of the day.
Sacrament was fully centered around Jesus Christ - becoming like Him, seeking after Him, taking His name upon us. It was a great time to reflect on what I have learned about Him and on what He has done for me. I couldn't tell you why I chose to come to study in the Holy Land; the best answer I can come up with is that I wanted to go to Egypt. But as most of you know, that part of the program was cancelled and replaced with a trip to Turkey. As my time in Jerusalem is coming to an end, I have been searching for an answer to why I chose to come to Jerusalem, why I was supposed to come here. The one thing...or person, rather, that comes to my mind is my Savior, Jesus Christ. On this program, I have had many opportunities to grow closer to Jesus Christ through study, through personal experience, through prayer. It has been a chance for me to come to know my Savior in a different light, to leave the world behind and really focus in on Him and on His love for me. I know without a doubt that He is the promised Messiah, that He came into this world to save all men from sin, that He died upon the cross so that all men can return and live with Him and the Father someday. It is only through Jesus Christ and His Atonement, His Sacrifice that we can be saved. We have to make an effort. We have to be obedient to the commandments; we have to search after Him. We must do our part if we expect His Atonement to have any effect on us. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to come to know my Savior the past few months. I have said this before, and I will continue saying it. I know Jesus Christ is my Savior, my Redeemer, my Brother, my Friend. And I know that He lives; without a doubt in my mind, I know He lives.
Once church let out, I had the opportunity to go to the Old City with a few other students to participate in a service activity. We were able to meet with a elderly member of the Christian Quarter in the Old City, to learn a little bit about her life, and to sing a few songs to her. It was the first time I had been inside of a home in Jerusalem. It wasn't what I was expecting. They live very differently from me; their entire culture is different. She seemed to really appreciate our visit. Like in the United States, there are so many elderly people who are not visited, who are left alone. I think it is so important for us to reach out to the elderly in our societies. We don't truly understand how lonely they really are, how eager they are for a simple conversation until we speak with them. There is so much we can learn from them. Reach out to them. Go out and visit someone in your neighborhood, in your city. Adopt a grandmother; adopt a grandfather. You will not regret this decision.
We got back to the Jerusalem Center just in time for a delicious Sabbath meal in the Oasis. I always look forward to Sabbaths when it comes to food! There is always roast and potatoes and vegetables. I love it. And dessert tonight...I cannot express how amazing the dessert was tonight! Imagine a chocolate fudge brownie....covered in a hot chocolate sauce. It was amazing. And the chocolate was dark and rich. (Rachel...you would have been in heaven; it was that amazing! We don't always have amazing desserts at the J.C. Like many foreign countries, the desserts aren't always sweet. But tonight, this was not the case. Yum. Yum. Yum.
Seminary was amazing, as usual. And it was even better because I didn't have to teach! Lizzie taught the lesson tonight, and it was amazing. She finished up the prophets (Ezra Taft Benson, Howard W. Hunter, and Gordon B. Hinckley) and then spoke on The Family: A Proclamation to the World. For those of you who have not read that document recently (or ever), I encourage you to read it. (A copy can easily be located on lds.org.) The family truly is essential to the Father's Plan; without the family, His plan becomes pointless. I have gained such a great appreciation for my family this summer. I am so grateful for them and to them, and I am so thankful that we have the ability to be together forever. Forever it a scary thought sometimes, but through the Father's plan, this forever is perfect happiness. We watched one of those cheesy seminary videos made in the 1990s and I just...I started crying (and I am not usually one to outright cry). My mom and dad have given me everything in life. It is because of them that I am in Jerusalem, that I am studying at BYU, that I have the developed talents that I have, that I have a knowledge of my Savior, that I am happy. We don't realize how much our parents do for us until we stop and think about it, and I don't think I will ever truly realize the love and devotion they have for me until I have children of my own. It has been such a great experience for me to teach seminary this semester. The Lord really does call people to callings where they can grow, where they can learn.
Brother Judd gave a fireside tonight on the choices that we have in life and how we can better make those choices with our minds centered on Jesus Christ and our Father's Plan for us. He centered a lot on the Spirit of Revelation and how we can better turn to the Lord for assurance, for answers to our questions. The past few nights, I have had something on my mind that has been a little unsettling. This fireside helped to settle those feelings. God really will do all that He can to help us and to answer our questions and to guide us in life, but we have to do everything in our own power to accopmlish the goals that we seek and turn to Him before He will reach out to us. We have to show forth that faith. I loved the insights Brother Judd had. He really is an inspired man. I am lucky to have him as a professor in Jerusalem.
The day is over. And it was an amazing day. I know that I am continually saying that everyday I have is amazing, but I really do mean it. The way I am touched with the Spirit, the interactions I have with those around me, the insights I gain both through classes and experiences make each of my days amazing. Like I've said multiple times, you just can't have a bad day in Jerusalem. Even if you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, everything will work out by the end of the day.
29 July 2011
It has come to the point in the term that I cannot separate one day from another. I feel like everything this past week has been nothing more than a blur. This may have something to do with the fact that my days are so similar: class, study, city, sleep. There is little to no variation in my daily activities. However, it doesn't bother me. Each time I walk down the Kidron Valley and enter the Old City, I have a new experience; each time I enter Classroom One for New Testament, I learn something new. It doesn't matter if I have done something a million times or once; it always brings something new, something I have never felt. I truly hope this followed me back to the United States. The next four months are going to be fairly monotonous, so I hope I can continue finding the positive in doing the same thing over and over again. But Provo isn't Jerusalem - not even close.
New Testament was two hours today, rather than the usual three, which was a huge relief for most students, especially me. My attention span was next to non-existant this morning. If we hadn't taken a break halfway through the class, I'm not sure I would have made it. My eyelids were falling far too quickly. Once New Testament was over, I hurried into the Forum to wait for my next class to start - Ancient Near Eastern Studies. That's right; Chadwick is back! It has been so weird to have Doctor Chadwick and Sister Kim gone for the past three weeks. They were welcomed back with hugs and smiles. His class went by fairly smoothly. We were greeted with amazing news at the beginning of his lecture: no more midterms for the rest of the term! He has decided to stop giving them because he hasn't been able to teach us regularly enough. Instead, he has assigned us readings to do and report on. It was a relief.
As soon as lunch was over, we shuffled into the parking garage for a Humanitarian Activity....what did we do, you may ask? Well, we assembled hygiene kits! What else is there to do? It was so much fun...and incredibly hot. There is no air-conditioning in that garage. Within minutes, everyone's forehead was creased with sweat. Delightful. The activity didn't last as long as it was planned to...but only because we ran out of supplies! Our group has been the most proactive when it comes to hygiene kits. We get in there and we get the job done! The service couple definitely wasn't prepared for us! Haha what one group usually did in eight sessions, we did in five! It was awesome. And we met our quota: 10,000! We have reason to believe that we have done far more kits than 10,000...but I guess numbers aren't what really matter in this situation. What matters is that we are serving others...and that we are the winner! Mwahahahaha. :) But really, it's not a competition...because against us, there is no competition!
Once we ran out of toothbrushes I grabbed painting supplies and headed down to the playground on the first floor to seal the arches on the murals that were painted earlier in the semester. It took all of ten minutes to get it all done, but it was dangerously hot. The jeans I had on were stuck to me but falling down by the time I headed back into the building. It was ridiculous. This heat is beginning to get to me. It just keeps getting hotter and hotter! I miss being surrounded by air-conditioning... That was another great thing about Ein Gev. No matter what room, what building you walked into, you were greeted by a cold burst of air. The Jerusalem Center doesn't always use its air-conditioning so it gets fairly warm in certain areas of the building. But, I guess we can't be too bothered by that. After all, the building is beautiful and well-kept. There are much larger things that we could be complaining about.
I spent the afternoon attempting to complete one of my assignments for Doctor Chadwick's class. I got four out of the seven pages completed! I was rather proud of myself, but there is still a long way to go until I am finished. I have ten pages total that I have to write by August 8th. I can do it, no problem. It will just take a lot of focus to do so. It is difficult to focus when everyone around you is laughing and screaming and playing and having a good time! By eight o'clock at night, I couldn't take another minute of writing. So Kymberly and I decided to watch a movie, a classic: Charade. There is nothing better than an evening of Audrey Hepburn. She is by far one of my favorite actresses. She is just so proper, so...I don't know. I grew up with a mother would loves Audrey, and that love has definitely rubbed off on me. But I don't mind at all. I would much rather watch older movies than newer movies! You can't go wrong with Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Judy Garland, Ava Gardner, Doris Day, and Fred Astaire! As soon as Charade was over, I shuffled into the next room to watch a different movie: The Adjustment Bureau. Now that was the trippiest movie I have seen since Inception. I liked it, but it was different...and incredibly cheesy! But cheesy movies are always the best ones, right?
I didn't get to bed until fairly late. After the movie was done, I stayed and talked with Dan for a few minutes. And then on my way down to my room, I got a text from Kymberly so we stayed up talking for a few minutes. These early hours of the morning and I have got to stop meeting like this! There is no way that I am going to survive finals if I don't start going to bed at an earlier hour! Perhaps tomorrow night will be different...don't hold your breath...
New Testament was two hours today, rather than the usual three, which was a huge relief for most students, especially me. My attention span was next to non-existant this morning. If we hadn't taken a break halfway through the class, I'm not sure I would have made it. My eyelids were falling far too quickly. Once New Testament was over, I hurried into the Forum to wait for my next class to start - Ancient Near Eastern Studies. That's right; Chadwick is back! It has been so weird to have Doctor Chadwick and Sister Kim gone for the past three weeks. They were welcomed back with hugs and smiles. His class went by fairly smoothly. We were greeted with amazing news at the beginning of his lecture: no more midterms for the rest of the term! He has decided to stop giving them because he hasn't been able to teach us regularly enough. Instead, he has assigned us readings to do and report on. It was a relief.
As soon as lunch was over, we shuffled into the parking garage for a Humanitarian Activity....what did we do, you may ask? Well, we assembled hygiene kits! What else is there to do? It was so much fun...and incredibly hot. There is no air-conditioning in that garage. Within minutes, everyone's forehead was creased with sweat. Delightful. The activity didn't last as long as it was planned to...but only because we ran out of supplies! Our group has been the most proactive when it comes to hygiene kits. We get in there and we get the job done! The service couple definitely wasn't prepared for us! Haha what one group usually did in eight sessions, we did in five! It was awesome. And we met our quota: 10,000! We have reason to believe that we have done far more kits than 10,000...but I guess numbers aren't what really matter in this situation. What matters is that we are serving others...and that we are the winner! Mwahahahaha. :) But really, it's not a competition...because against us, there is no competition!
Once we ran out of toothbrushes I grabbed painting supplies and headed down to the playground on the first floor to seal the arches on the murals that were painted earlier in the semester. It took all of ten minutes to get it all done, but it was dangerously hot. The jeans I had on were stuck to me but falling down by the time I headed back into the building. It was ridiculous. This heat is beginning to get to me. It just keeps getting hotter and hotter! I miss being surrounded by air-conditioning... That was another great thing about Ein Gev. No matter what room, what building you walked into, you were greeted by a cold burst of air. The Jerusalem Center doesn't always use its air-conditioning so it gets fairly warm in certain areas of the building. But, I guess we can't be too bothered by that. After all, the building is beautiful and well-kept. There are much larger things that we could be complaining about.
I spent the afternoon attempting to complete one of my assignments for Doctor Chadwick's class. I got four out of the seven pages completed! I was rather proud of myself, but there is still a long way to go until I am finished. I have ten pages total that I have to write by August 8th. I can do it, no problem. It will just take a lot of focus to do so. It is difficult to focus when everyone around you is laughing and screaming and playing and having a good time! By eight o'clock at night, I couldn't take another minute of writing. So Kymberly and I decided to watch a movie, a classic: Charade. There is nothing better than an evening of Audrey Hepburn. She is by far one of my favorite actresses. She is just so proper, so...I don't know. I grew up with a mother would loves Audrey, and that love has definitely rubbed off on me. But I don't mind at all. I would much rather watch older movies than newer movies! You can't go wrong with Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Judy Garland, Ava Gardner, Doris Day, and Fred Astaire! As soon as Charade was over, I shuffled into the next room to watch a different movie: The Adjustment Bureau. Now that was the trippiest movie I have seen since Inception. I liked it, but it was different...and incredibly cheesy! But cheesy movies are always the best ones, right?
I didn't get to bed until fairly late. After the movie was done, I stayed and talked with Dan for a few minutes. And then on my way down to my room, I got a text from Kymberly so we stayed up talking for a few minutes. These early hours of the morning and I have got to stop meeting like this! There is no way that I am going to survive finals if I don't start going to bed at an earlier hour! Perhaps tomorrow night will be different...don't hold your breath...
Friday, July 29, 2011
28 July 2011
The semester is nearing to an end. I can almost taste the stress in the air. Finals begin one week from today. It is strange to think that the summer is almost over. Before I know it, I'll be back on the BYU-Provo campus on my way to the JFSB, the JKB, or the SWKT for class. I need more time; one month to prepare for another eight months of intense course work needs mental, emotional, and physical preparation. Otherwise, I will be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I guess I should get through with my upcoming finals before I start worrying about the next eight months, though. Bring it on.
After three hours of New Testament and a falafel lunch, I left the Jerusalem Center with Kymberly Stone and Jenny Stewart. We had originally planned to begin at the Garden Tomb, but our time schedules were incorrect. We had thirty minutes to spare before the Garden Tomb opened for the afternoon. We chose to spend that time (and then some) shopping in the Christian Quarter of the Old City. I am glad I purchased souvenirs and gifts throughout the entire semester; it has taken a definitely load off of my shoulders! After hitting a few different shops, we eventually made it up to Shabbon's on Christian Quarter Road - as usual. I ended up purchasing gifts for my siblings, grandparents, and parents all in his shop! You really just can't beat Shabbon's prices. Anything in his shop is half the price that other venders will charge you. There is no point to spend ten dollars on something that you can get for five dollars from Shabbon! You would think that the other shopkeeprs around the Old City would take a hint and do the same.
As the afternoon wore on, we finally made our way over the the Garden Tomb. We planned to go over there to read for a paper due in New Testament the following day; I am glad we chose to do so. The readings we were assigned all dealt with the atonement and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the prompts for the paper dealth with the same topics. It was nice to sit and ponder within the traditional site of the Savior's resurrection and write a paper about the way it has influenced and impacted my life. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have had to be so close to the different acts of my Savior, Jesus Christ. It is difficult to explain what it feels like to be where He was, where He atoned for my sins, where He raised from the dead, but I can tell you that you cannot enter those sites questions Christ's divinity and leave without an answer. Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He lived and died for all mankind; He has provided a way for all men to return to the HIm and Father someday. He lives and He will come again. I cannot testify of this enough. If you don't know for yourself that Jesus is the Christ, that He atoned for your sins, that He died for you, I challenge you to bow your head in humble prayer and ask with faith and sincerity if He is the Christ. The Spirit with testify of the truthfulness of these things. I know these things to be true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
The walk back up to the Jerusalem Center was miserable. That's all there really is to it. I had chosen to wear jeans that morning and didn't change out of them before I left for the city. It was the worst choice I had made in a long time. I don't know how so many people can stand to wear jeans here. If they aren't falling off of you, they are sticking to you because of the heat. It is uncomfortable, and they make things much warmer than they need to be! But, we finally made it back to the J.C., large bags in hand! I went straight to my room and flopped down on my bed to cool down before washing the dirt off of my feet. Because I always wear sandals into the city, my feet are always black by the time I gete back to the Center....the bottom's of my feet are permanently stained brown. It doesn't matter how hard I scrub. That dirt is not coming off! I am looking forward to going home and getting a pedicure; that's for sure!
Tonight was the night of the Formal Talent Show. I hadn't originally wanted to do anything (and to be honest, I still didn't), but a friend needed another piano player for her trio so I told her I would. From the time I got back to the J.C. until the start of the show I was practicing, eating dinner, and mentally preparing myself to perform. I hadn't performed on the piano since my Sophomore year in high school - over four years ago, so I was a little nervous. Thankfully, we were scheduled to go first. Along with Megan Judd and Megan Nuttall (never before have I wanted my name to be "Megan" so badly), I played a trio waltz composed by Rachmaninov, and it turned out fairly well. It was fun playing with them. Of course, I was shaking like a banshee by the time I sat back down in my seat, but it was a good experience. The rest of the talents were amazing. It was fun to sit and watch the different abilities of my fellow students. Some danced, some sang, some played music instruments; Joan Johnson did I 'silent play' about the Holy Land and the Light of Christ. It was a really good program. I am deifnitely here with a very talented group!
When the talent show came to a close, we all headed down to the Oasis for quick refreshements. I grabbed a piece of bread and then headed outside to my "spot" so studying my scriptures and spend a few minutes by myself. I haven't done this for a few weeks now, so it was nice to look out over the city and think about where I am and where I am going in life. It is hard to find that time in a building with eighty other students. It was a good way to end the day, though. I headed back inside near 10:30pm and washed my hair. As I was towelling it dry, I decided to clean the bathtub and mop up the floor a little bit; it was beyond needed...haha. There is a reason why I clean my own bathroom weekly (even bi-weekly) back in Provo!
In two weeks, I'll be preparing to go to the airport. It is so strange to think that I'll be heading home in only fourteen days. This summer has gone by so quickly, but I am thankful that I was able to spend it in the Holy Land, studying the life of my Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Gospel.
After three hours of New Testament and a falafel lunch, I left the Jerusalem Center with Kymberly Stone and Jenny Stewart. We had originally planned to begin at the Garden Tomb, but our time schedules were incorrect. We had thirty minutes to spare before the Garden Tomb opened for the afternoon. We chose to spend that time (and then some) shopping in the Christian Quarter of the Old City. I am glad I purchased souvenirs and gifts throughout the entire semester; it has taken a definitely load off of my shoulders! After hitting a few different shops, we eventually made it up to Shabbon's on Christian Quarter Road - as usual. I ended up purchasing gifts for my siblings, grandparents, and parents all in his shop! You really just can't beat Shabbon's prices. Anything in his shop is half the price that other venders will charge you. There is no point to spend ten dollars on something that you can get for five dollars from Shabbon! You would think that the other shopkeeprs around the Old City would take a hint and do the same.
As the afternoon wore on, we finally made our way over the the Garden Tomb. We planned to go over there to read for a paper due in New Testament the following day; I am glad we chose to do so. The readings we were assigned all dealt with the atonement and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the prompts for the paper dealth with the same topics. It was nice to sit and ponder within the traditional site of the Savior's resurrection and write a paper about the way it has influenced and impacted my life. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have had to be so close to the different acts of my Savior, Jesus Christ. It is difficult to explain what it feels like to be where He was, where He atoned for my sins, where He raised from the dead, but I can tell you that you cannot enter those sites questions Christ's divinity and leave without an answer. Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He lived and died for all mankind; He has provided a way for all men to return to the HIm and Father someday. He lives and He will come again. I cannot testify of this enough. If you don't know for yourself that Jesus is the Christ, that He atoned for your sins, that He died for you, I challenge you to bow your head in humble prayer and ask with faith and sincerity if He is the Christ. The Spirit with testify of the truthfulness of these things. I know these things to be true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
The walk back up to the Jerusalem Center was miserable. That's all there really is to it. I had chosen to wear jeans that morning and didn't change out of them before I left for the city. It was the worst choice I had made in a long time. I don't know how so many people can stand to wear jeans here. If they aren't falling off of you, they are sticking to you because of the heat. It is uncomfortable, and they make things much warmer than they need to be! But, we finally made it back to the J.C., large bags in hand! I went straight to my room and flopped down on my bed to cool down before washing the dirt off of my feet. Because I always wear sandals into the city, my feet are always black by the time I gete back to the Center....the bottom's of my feet are permanently stained brown. It doesn't matter how hard I scrub. That dirt is not coming off! I am looking forward to going home and getting a pedicure; that's for sure!
Tonight was the night of the Formal Talent Show. I hadn't originally wanted to do anything (and to be honest, I still didn't), but a friend needed another piano player for her trio so I told her I would. From the time I got back to the J.C. until the start of the show I was practicing, eating dinner, and mentally preparing myself to perform. I hadn't performed on the piano since my Sophomore year in high school - over four years ago, so I was a little nervous. Thankfully, we were scheduled to go first. Along with Megan Judd and Megan Nuttall (never before have I wanted my name to be "Megan" so badly), I played a trio waltz composed by Rachmaninov, and it turned out fairly well. It was fun playing with them. Of course, I was shaking like a banshee by the time I sat back down in my seat, but it was a good experience. The rest of the talents were amazing. It was fun to sit and watch the different abilities of my fellow students. Some danced, some sang, some played music instruments; Joan Johnson did I 'silent play' about the Holy Land and the Light of Christ. It was a really good program. I am deifnitely here with a very talented group!
When the talent show came to a close, we all headed down to the Oasis for quick refreshements. I grabbed a piece of bread and then headed outside to my "spot" so studying my scriptures and spend a few minutes by myself. I haven't done this for a few weeks now, so it was nice to look out over the city and think about where I am and where I am going in life. It is hard to find that time in a building with eighty other students. It was a good way to end the day, though. I headed back inside near 10:30pm and washed my hair. As I was towelling it dry, I decided to clean the bathtub and mop up the floor a little bit; it was beyond needed...haha. There is a reason why I clean my own bathroom weekly (even bi-weekly) back in Provo!
In two weeks, I'll be preparing to go to the airport. It is so strange to think that I'll be heading home in only fourteen days. This summer has gone by so quickly, but I am thankful that I was able to spend it in the Holy Land, studying the life of my Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Gospel.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
27 July 2011
It was another mob day through the Old City. Only this time, instead of clogging the streets of the Jewish Quarter, we clogged the streets of the Christian Quarter. I know how it feels to be on the outside of these 'mob' groups; I avoid tourist groups at all costs because they are impossible to get through or to get around. But I am slowly realizing that there isn't much a group can do about taking up an entire street. The streets of the Old City were not constructed for large groups. During our tour throughout the Christian Quarter we had the opportunity to visit six different churches: Terra Sancta, John the Baptist's, St. Mark's, Alexander Newsky, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was a busy but amazing day.
The Roman Catholic Church has several representatives in Jerusalem: the Papal Nuncio, the Latin Patriarch, and an official of the Franciscan monastic order who bears the title "Custos Terra Sancta". After the Greek and Latin Christianities split in 1054 AD, each church kept a patriarch in Jerusalem to oversee its interests. The Crusaders conquered Jerusalem in 1099, expelling the Greek Patriarch and giving exclusive jurisdiction over Christian sites to the Latin Patriarch. In 1187 AD the Kurdish Muslim leader, Saladdin, took Jerusalem and readmitted the Greek Patriarch into the city and awarded him a share in the key Christian sites. In the same year, the Crusaders (accompanied by the Latin Patriarch) withdrew to a fortified enclave at Akko; when Akko fell, succeeding Latin Patriarchs resided in Rome until 1847. Meanwhile, Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) founded the Franciscan Order, the mandate of which became preaching Christianity worldwide, including in the Holy Land. Franciscans began to distinguish between the old Crusader objective of Latin Christian political domination of the Holy Land and the new Franciscan objective of Latin Christian custody of Christian sites in the Holy Land for worship purposes. St. Francis himself traveled through Egypt, Syria, and Palestine, asking major rulers to let Franciscans pray at Holy Land Sites. After Akko fell in 1291 AD, Franciscans remained in Muslim-ruled Palestine to maintain the Christian shrines. The Franciscan Custos Terra Sancta became the local Roman Catholic community's effective leader.
In 1557, the Franscicans bought an ex-Georgian convent; there they built up the complex known as Terra Sancta. The complex grew to include a monastery with a cloister, a chapel (St. Saviour's), a school, and a hostel for pilgrims. Most European Christian pilgrims visiting Jerusalem stayed in the hostel of the Franciscan Terra Sancta complex. This hostel preserves the names of some of the pilgrims who carved their names on a stone or on a door. One of the several names appearing on the door is "Hyde", perhaps carved there by Orson Hyde. (It is, at any rater, very likely that Elder Hyde stayed in teh Franciscan hostel during his visit to Jerusalem in October 1841.) In 1847, the Pope sent the Latin Patriarch, Joseph Valerga, to reside in Jerusalem. The new division of labor endowed the Patriarch with general responsibility for the Catholic Church's interests in the Holy Land and the Custos Terra Sancta with specific responsibility for maintaining Christian holy places. The Latin Patriarch still maintains the responsibility for the Catholic Church in the Holy Land. When we arrived at the complex, we went straight into the chapel where we spent time singing songs until a Franciscan Brother arrived to give us a quick tour. He arrived late because he was at mass, but that didn't stop us from taking the tour. He spoke only Spanish, so we had a translator, but I chose to listen to the Spanish; it was amazing how much I understood! (I later learned that he is from Mendoza, Argentina...which is no where close to Rio Gallegos - where Mike is currently serving.)
John the Baptist's Church is a small Greek Orthodox Church in the Christian Quarter. To get inside the courtyard, you have to enter through a tiny door in the wall. It is rarely open, but through the powers of Brother Huntington, he called ahead and made sure that a nun would be there to let us in. I am very glad he did so. The church was beautiful. Two summers ago, I went to Greece with my family and while there, I fell in love with Greek Orthodox churches. The colors, the architecture, the artwork they use is beautiful, especially the greens and blues they use. After taking a few pictures, we went down to the crypt beneathe the church. The crypt had actually been turned into a chapel (the bodies had been removed...or so we were told). I have never been one for crypts, but I survived - the memory of the church's beautiful interior lingering in my mind.
Aramaic-speaking Monophysite Christians have maintained a shrine church commemorating the Last Supper and other New Testament events: the Church of St. Mark. In part to assert the primacy of Antioch over urban rivals and in part to rid themselves of Greek domination, by the Fifth Century AD Aramaic-speaking Christians of Syria espoused monophysitism and were declared heretics at the Council of Chalcedon. These Syrian Christian, centered in Antioch and Damascus, proceeded to form their own national church. Trying to stamp out this Syrian Orthodoxy, the Byzantines drove its adherents into the Syrian Desert, where Arab trives were converted, monasticism flourished, and Bishop Jacob Baradeus secretly ordained more than 100,000 new bishops and priests. Because of his role in perpetuating it, Syrian Orthodoxy has often be called "the Jacobite Church". After Muslim Arabs seized Syria-Palestine from the Byzantines in 636 AD, the Syrian Orthodox Church flourished under Arab-Muslim dynasties until the First Crusade inaugurated a long period of decline. Syrian Orthodoxy's headquarters in Jerusalem are at the Church of St. Marks, who present restoration of a Crusader-era edifice is located on the site of a Fourth Century AD Byzantine chapel. Like many church buildings in Jerusalem, St. Mark has long functioned as a shrine to commemorate New Testament Events. The Syrian Orthodox regard this place as having been the home of Mary - the mother of Mark, the site of the Last Supper, and the place where the Apostles and disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost at Pentecost.
When we first arrived at the church, we sat in the chapel and listened to a nun tell her story of conversion. While I do not agree with much of what was said, the Spirit was in that room. She knows that Jesus Christ is her Savior; she knows that His Spirit is on the Earth. No church, other than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, holds the fulness of the Gospel, but that doesn't mean that other churches don't have parts of the Gospel. This could not have been more true than today as I listened to her share her conversion to the Savior, Jesus Christ. As she finished, she sang to us the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic and then gave us a chance to go down to the Upper Room - the traditional site of the Last Supper. Whether this was the true site or not, it was nice to reflect back on the last night of Christ's life.
The Alexander Newsky Church is a Russian Orthodox Church in the middle of the Christian Quarter, one that 'shares' an eastern wall with the original Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It contains some of the most beautiful artwork I have ever seen. We didn't do much in this church besides take pictures. We discussed the architectural connections to the Holy Sepulchre; Brother Judd also shared a tradition of the "eye of the needle" being a hole in this churches wall. After taking pictures, we left the church bound for the Church of the Redeemer...however, it was closed! (I visited the church later in the day with friends, not to worry!) So we went down to the church's cloister to rest and eat lunches. I chose to get a falafel from a vendor across the street instead of face another pita sandwich! It was definitely the better choice!
The Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site to mark the places of Christ's crucifixion and burial, has been treated by Christians as Jerusalem's spiritual center. Roman Catholics and several Eastern denominations (including Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic) share the complex. In the early 2nd Century AD, the site of the present church had been a temple of Aphrodite. Emperor Constantine I ordered in about 325 AD that the temple be demolished and the soil - which had provided a flat surface for the temple - be removed, instructing Macarius of Jerusalem, the local Bishop, to build a church on the site. Constantine directed his mother, Helena, to build churches upon sites which commemorated the life of Jesus Christ; she was present at the construction of the church on the site, and involved herself in the excavations and construction. During the excavation, Helena is alleged to have rediscovered the True Cross, and a tomb. According to Eusebius, the tomb exhibited a clear and visible proof that it was the tomb of Jesus. Just as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (also founded by Constantine and Helena) commemorated the birth of Jesus, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre would commemorate his death and resurrection. Constantine's church was built as two connected churches over the two different holy sites, including a great basilica, an enclosed colonnaded atrium with the traditional site of Golgotha in one corner, and a rotunda which contained the remains of a rock-cut room that Helena identified as the burial site of Jesus.
The inside of the Holy Sepulchre seems almost scatter-brained. With so many different chapels and shrines, it is difficult to find your way around the building. However, it is anything but scatter-brained. When you first walk into the Holy Sepulchre, there is a staircase to your right that leads up to the place of crucifixion. From this point, you can walk down a different set of stairs to the Stone of Unction, the tradition site where Joseph of Aramathea prepared Jesus' body for burial. From this Stone, the sites around the church change to the different chapels of the different denominations. However, if you walk down the path to the right from the stone, you pass a set of stairs that leads down to Helena's Chapel, the traditional site of Christ's burial. It was amazing to walk around church, viewing the different artwork and architecture of the different chapels. Because this church is a pilgrimage site for many Christian faiths, it was highly crowded. So, making plans to come back early in the morning, I left the church with Andrew, Julie, Jacey, T.C., Justin, and Megan to explore a new area of the city.
Before leaving the walls of the Old City, we stepped inside the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. We decided to pay the five shekels to climb its tower; the view was amazing. You could see every point of the Old City! After climbing back down the 180 stairs, we entered into the chapel where we found Cyrstal and Morgan singing Hymns. We joined in on a few songs before departing for the Field of Blood: the traditional site of the death of Judas Iscariot. To get to the field, we were told (by Dan) to walk down past the City of David. As we walked, the hill got steeper and steeper. T.C. and I both noted the joy it would be to climb back up this hill. As we neared the bottom, the monastery came into view - the monastery near the Field of Blood. Unfortunately, both the monastery and its chapel were closed to visitors so we turned back around...and had no idea where the Field of Blood. After exploring a few tombs beneathe the monastery, we decided to walk farther down the hill. However, this did not lead us to the field. Rather, we had walked into a very residential area...one with no tourists and with confused residents staring at us. After walking and walking, we finally turned around and began our climb back up the Kidron Valley. Taking a different road, we walked past Absalom's Pillar and the Church of the Nativity and eventually made our way back up the Jerusalem Center. It was, indeed, an adventure. I don't think I will be going back there, but it was part of the Jerusalem experience, right?
I spent the evening catching up on homework (and blogs) and going to bed early. After a day of walking and walking, I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. So that is exactly what I did.
The Roman Catholic Church has several representatives in Jerusalem: the Papal Nuncio, the Latin Patriarch, and an official of the Franciscan monastic order who bears the title "Custos Terra Sancta". After the Greek and Latin Christianities split in 1054 AD, each church kept a patriarch in Jerusalem to oversee its interests. The Crusaders conquered Jerusalem in 1099, expelling the Greek Patriarch and giving exclusive jurisdiction over Christian sites to the Latin Patriarch. In 1187 AD the Kurdish Muslim leader, Saladdin, took Jerusalem and readmitted the Greek Patriarch into the city and awarded him a share in the key Christian sites. In the same year, the Crusaders (accompanied by the Latin Patriarch) withdrew to a fortified enclave at Akko; when Akko fell, succeeding Latin Patriarchs resided in Rome until 1847. Meanwhile, Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) founded the Franciscan Order, the mandate of which became preaching Christianity worldwide, including in the Holy Land. Franciscans began to distinguish between the old Crusader objective of Latin Christian political domination of the Holy Land and the new Franciscan objective of Latin Christian custody of Christian sites in the Holy Land for worship purposes. St. Francis himself traveled through Egypt, Syria, and Palestine, asking major rulers to let Franciscans pray at Holy Land Sites. After Akko fell in 1291 AD, Franciscans remained in Muslim-ruled Palestine to maintain the Christian shrines. The Franciscan Custos Terra Sancta became the local Roman Catholic community's effective leader.
In 1557, the Franscicans bought an ex-Georgian convent; there they built up the complex known as Terra Sancta. The complex grew to include a monastery with a cloister, a chapel (St. Saviour's), a school, and a hostel for pilgrims. Most European Christian pilgrims visiting Jerusalem stayed in the hostel of the Franciscan Terra Sancta complex. This hostel preserves the names of some of the pilgrims who carved their names on a stone or on a door. One of the several names appearing on the door is "Hyde", perhaps carved there by Orson Hyde. (It is, at any rater, very likely that Elder Hyde stayed in teh Franciscan hostel during his visit to Jerusalem in October 1841.) In 1847, the Pope sent the Latin Patriarch, Joseph Valerga, to reside in Jerusalem. The new division of labor endowed the Patriarch with general responsibility for the Catholic Church's interests in the Holy Land and the Custos Terra Sancta with specific responsibility for maintaining Christian holy places. The Latin Patriarch still maintains the responsibility for the Catholic Church in the Holy Land. When we arrived at the complex, we went straight into the chapel where we spent time singing songs until a Franciscan Brother arrived to give us a quick tour. He arrived late because he was at mass, but that didn't stop us from taking the tour. He spoke only Spanish, so we had a translator, but I chose to listen to the Spanish; it was amazing how much I understood! (I later learned that he is from Mendoza, Argentina...which is no where close to Rio Gallegos - where Mike is currently serving.)
John the Baptist's Church is a small Greek Orthodox Church in the Christian Quarter. To get inside the courtyard, you have to enter through a tiny door in the wall. It is rarely open, but through the powers of Brother Huntington, he called ahead and made sure that a nun would be there to let us in. I am very glad he did so. The church was beautiful. Two summers ago, I went to Greece with my family and while there, I fell in love with Greek Orthodox churches. The colors, the architecture, the artwork they use is beautiful, especially the greens and blues they use. After taking a few pictures, we went down to the crypt beneathe the church. The crypt had actually been turned into a chapel (the bodies had been removed...or so we were told). I have never been one for crypts, but I survived - the memory of the church's beautiful interior lingering in my mind.
Aramaic-speaking Monophysite Christians have maintained a shrine church commemorating the Last Supper and other New Testament events: the Church of St. Mark. In part to assert the primacy of Antioch over urban rivals and in part to rid themselves of Greek domination, by the Fifth Century AD Aramaic-speaking Christians of Syria espoused monophysitism and were declared heretics at the Council of Chalcedon. These Syrian Christian, centered in Antioch and Damascus, proceeded to form their own national church. Trying to stamp out this Syrian Orthodoxy, the Byzantines drove its adherents into the Syrian Desert, where Arab trives were converted, monasticism flourished, and Bishop Jacob Baradeus secretly ordained more than 100,000 new bishops and priests. Because of his role in perpetuating it, Syrian Orthodoxy has often be called "the Jacobite Church". After Muslim Arabs seized Syria-Palestine from the Byzantines in 636 AD, the Syrian Orthodox Church flourished under Arab-Muslim dynasties until the First Crusade inaugurated a long period of decline. Syrian Orthodoxy's headquarters in Jerusalem are at the Church of St. Marks, who present restoration of a Crusader-era edifice is located on the site of a Fourth Century AD Byzantine chapel. Like many church buildings in Jerusalem, St. Mark has long functioned as a shrine to commemorate New Testament Events. The Syrian Orthodox regard this place as having been the home of Mary - the mother of Mark, the site of the Last Supper, and the place where the Apostles and disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost at Pentecost.
When we first arrived at the church, we sat in the chapel and listened to a nun tell her story of conversion. While I do not agree with much of what was said, the Spirit was in that room. She knows that Jesus Christ is her Savior; she knows that His Spirit is on the Earth. No church, other than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, holds the fulness of the Gospel, but that doesn't mean that other churches don't have parts of the Gospel. This could not have been more true than today as I listened to her share her conversion to the Savior, Jesus Christ. As she finished, she sang to us the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic and then gave us a chance to go down to the Upper Room - the traditional site of the Last Supper. Whether this was the true site or not, it was nice to reflect back on the last night of Christ's life.
The Alexander Newsky Church is a Russian Orthodox Church in the middle of the Christian Quarter, one that 'shares' an eastern wall with the original Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It contains some of the most beautiful artwork I have ever seen. We didn't do much in this church besides take pictures. We discussed the architectural connections to the Holy Sepulchre; Brother Judd also shared a tradition of the "eye of the needle" being a hole in this churches wall. After taking pictures, we left the church bound for the Church of the Redeemer...however, it was closed! (I visited the church later in the day with friends, not to worry!) So we went down to the church's cloister to rest and eat lunches. I chose to get a falafel from a vendor across the street instead of face another pita sandwich! It was definitely the better choice!
The Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site to mark the places of Christ's crucifixion and burial, has been treated by Christians as Jerusalem's spiritual center. Roman Catholics and several Eastern denominations (including Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic) share the complex. In the early 2nd Century AD, the site of the present church had been a temple of Aphrodite. Emperor Constantine I ordered in about 325 AD that the temple be demolished and the soil - which had provided a flat surface for the temple - be removed, instructing Macarius of Jerusalem, the local Bishop, to build a church on the site. Constantine directed his mother, Helena, to build churches upon sites which commemorated the life of Jesus Christ; she was present at the construction of the church on the site, and involved herself in the excavations and construction. During the excavation, Helena is alleged to have rediscovered the True Cross, and a tomb. According to Eusebius, the tomb exhibited a clear and visible proof that it was the tomb of Jesus. Just as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (also founded by Constantine and Helena) commemorated the birth of Jesus, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre would commemorate his death and resurrection. Constantine's church was built as two connected churches over the two different holy sites, including a great basilica, an enclosed colonnaded atrium with the traditional site of Golgotha in one corner, and a rotunda which contained the remains of a rock-cut room that Helena identified as the burial site of Jesus.
The inside of the Holy Sepulchre seems almost scatter-brained. With so many different chapels and shrines, it is difficult to find your way around the building. However, it is anything but scatter-brained. When you first walk into the Holy Sepulchre, there is a staircase to your right that leads up to the place of crucifixion. From this point, you can walk down a different set of stairs to the Stone of Unction, the tradition site where Joseph of Aramathea prepared Jesus' body for burial. From this Stone, the sites around the church change to the different chapels of the different denominations. However, if you walk down the path to the right from the stone, you pass a set of stairs that leads down to Helena's Chapel, the traditional site of Christ's burial. It was amazing to walk around church, viewing the different artwork and architecture of the different chapels. Because this church is a pilgrimage site for many Christian faiths, it was highly crowded. So, making plans to come back early in the morning, I left the church with Andrew, Julie, Jacey, T.C., Justin, and Megan to explore a new area of the city.
Before leaving the walls of the Old City, we stepped inside the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. We decided to pay the five shekels to climb its tower; the view was amazing. You could see every point of the Old City! After climbing back down the 180 stairs, we entered into the chapel where we found Cyrstal and Morgan singing Hymns. We joined in on a few songs before departing for the Field of Blood: the traditional site of the death of Judas Iscariot. To get to the field, we were told (by Dan) to walk down past the City of David. As we walked, the hill got steeper and steeper. T.C. and I both noted the joy it would be to climb back up this hill. As we neared the bottom, the monastery came into view - the monastery near the Field of Blood. Unfortunately, both the monastery and its chapel were closed to visitors so we turned back around...and had no idea where the Field of Blood. After exploring a few tombs beneathe the monastery, we decided to walk farther down the hill. However, this did not lead us to the field. Rather, we had walked into a very residential area...one with no tourists and with confused residents staring at us. After walking and walking, we finally turned around and began our climb back up the Kidron Valley. Taking a different road, we walked past Absalom's Pillar and the Church of the Nativity and eventually made our way back up the Jerusalem Center. It was, indeed, an adventure. I don't think I will be going back there, but it was part of the Jerusalem experience, right?
I spent the evening catching up on homework (and blogs) and going to bed early. After a day of walking and walking, I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. So that is exactly what I did.
26 July 2011
It was rough waking up this morning. I had gone to my room with the intent of going to bed before midnight last night...however, like every other night, this did not happen. I got distracted by this and by that, and before I knew it, it was well past midnight and well past my bedtime. I climbed out of bed and headed straight for the shower, letting the warm water relax my tense muscles and wake up my body. I quickly got dressed and pulled my hair back, grabbed my scriptures, and ran up the stairs for breakfast. There were pancakes - my favorite! Once finished with eating, I skipped off to the Lounge on the Sixth Floor to finish reading for New Testament that morning. At 7:55, I wandered into Classroom One and class began.
We had New Testament for two hours this morning, but it wasn't too hard. We spent the morning discussing the Gospel of John - my favorite book in the New Testament. We were then released for an announcement session (which went far too long, as always) and linen exchange. There is nothing better than clean linens! Unfortunately, as soon as our beds were made, another hour of New Testament began. There are ups and downs to the beginning vs. the ending of the semester. We only have two classes now, but those classes last for hours. Luckily, it's the New Testament and not Calculus or Biology. There is no way I would make it through three hours of derivatives or cell divisions; I would be long gone as soon as I walked through the door.
Lunch brought two of my favorite foods at the J.C. Oasis: pizza and salmon. There is nothing better than eating cold salmon right off of the fish! (Dad, you would love it!) The food at the Oasis, while it repeats itself every week or so, is tolerable and I wouldn't mind acquiring the recipes for many of the dishes that are served. In the middle of lunch, a flashmob broke out in order to say goodbye to our Doctors, John and Christine. It was time for them to go home, so we thought it only appropriate to give them a loving goodbye. A song was written by a few students, the signal was made, and the dancing and singing began. It was hard to say goodbye to them! But, they were excited to go home to see their children and to see their grandchildren. Eighteen months is a long time to be away from your family. Tears, hugs, and promises to visit were exchange, and then we all dispersed to spend the afternoon in the Old City.
After much debate, I decided to go to the Tombs of the Prophets with Andrew, Julie, Lizzie, Jenny S., and Jeehee. The Tombs of the Prophets is located on the Mount of Olives, near the Seven Arches Hotel. Medieval tradition holds that these catacombs were the burial plots of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the last three prophets of the Hebrew Bible. As we neared the catacombs, the excitement set in: another burial site. But in all reality, burial sites are a lot cooler than they sound. It is so cool to explore the different passage ways and get lost in the many tunnels. Inside this particular catacomb, many of the tombs are connected by narrow tunnels that you have to crawl through. No one in my group dared crawl through these tunnels; we had no way of knowing where they would lead to or what we would be crawling through. (Jerusalem isn't always the cleanest of cities, and caves and tombs are used by many as more than just burial sites...if you know what I mean.) Instead, we decided to light some candles and do some stop-action photography. This brought me back to my freshman year! Haha it was pretty fun. Andrew enjoyed 'blowing fire' as the girls wrote out different sayings, like "I love you." However, just as we were getting the hang of it, the priest at the entrance requested we leave because we were being irreverant in a holy site... More likely than not, a couple who had been in the tombs with us were annoyed that they couldn't get passed us and complained (especially since I had taken pictures like this once before and was never asked to stop). But that's okay. We climbed out into the daylight and decided just to head back to the J.C. On the way back, I stopped and grabbed a popsicle - it was more of an ice push'em. And to my surprise! There were gummi bears frozen into it! Best. Thing. Ever.
I spent the rest of the afternoon doing homework and trying to get caught up on my adventures in Galilee. Being without a computer gets more and more frustrating every day, but at least the J.C. has computers I can use! After dinner, I had planned to go to Independence Park in West Jerusalem to play Ultimate Frisbee, but the fact that I was falling asleep in my mashed potatoes kept me from leaving. Instead, I spent some time outside on the seventh floor reading the scriptures and writing letters. I also took a few pictures with Kymberly! As soon as the bugs came out to play, I decided to go inside and see what everyone else was doing. I ended up in the Student Lounge watching Mama Mia and listening to Chris sing along to every song. It was most exellent. I didn't make it through the entire movie, but it was nice to watch part of it. I had forgotten how funny that movie is!
Back in my room, I finished writing a letter to my new friend, Elder Cline, and climbed into bed. I was beyond exhausted and fell asleep within minutes.
We had New Testament for two hours this morning, but it wasn't too hard. We spent the morning discussing the Gospel of John - my favorite book in the New Testament. We were then released for an announcement session (which went far too long, as always) and linen exchange. There is nothing better than clean linens! Unfortunately, as soon as our beds were made, another hour of New Testament began. There are ups and downs to the beginning vs. the ending of the semester. We only have two classes now, but those classes last for hours. Luckily, it's the New Testament and not Calculus or Biology. There is no way I would make it through three hours of derivatives or cell divisions; I would be long gone as soon as I walked through the door.
Lunch brought two of my favorite foods at the J.C. Oasis: pizza and salmon. There is nothing better than eating cold salmon right off of the fish! (Dad, you would love it!) The food at the Oasis, while it repeats itself every week or so, is tolerable and I wouldn't mind acquiring the recipes for many of the dishes that are served. In the middle of lunch, a flashmob broke out in order to say goodbye to our Doctors, John and Christine. It was time for them to go home, so we thought it only appropriate to give them a loving goodbye. A song was written by a few students, the signal was made, and the dancing and singing began. It was hard to say goodbye to them! But, they were excited to go home to see their children and to see their grandchildren. Eighteen months is a long time to be away from your family. Tears, hugs, and promises to visit were exchange, and then we all dispersed to spend the afternoon in the Old City.
After much debate, I decided to go to the Tombs of the Prophets with Andrew, Julie, Lizzie, Jenny S., and Jeehee. The Tombs of the Prophets is located on the Mount of Olives, near the Seven Arches Hotel. Medieval tradition holds that these catacombs were the burial plots of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the last three prophets of the Hebrew Bible. As we neared the catacombs, the excitement set in: another burial site. But in all reality, burial sites are a lot cooler than they sound. It is so cool to explore the different passage ways and get lost in the many tunnels. Inside this particular catacomb, many of the tombs are connected by narrow tunnels that you have to crawl through. No one in my group dared crawl through these tunnels; we had no way of knowing where they would lead to or what we would be crawling through. (Jerusalem isn't always the cleanest of cities, and caves and tombs are used by many as more than just burial sites...if you know what I mean.) Instead, we decided to light some candles and do some stop-action photography. This brought me back to my freshman year! Haha it was pretty fun. Andrew enjoyed 'blowing fire' as the girls wrote out different sayings, like "I love you." However, just as we were getting the hang of it, the priest at the entrance requested we leave because we were being irreverant in a holy site... More likely than not, a couple who had been in the tombs with us were annoyed that they couldn't get passed us and complained (especially since I had taken pictures like this once before and was never asked to stop). But that's okay. We climbed out into the daylight and decided just to head back to the J.C. On the way back, I stopped and grabbed a popsicle - it was more of an ice push'em. And to my surprise! There were gummi bears frozen into it! Best. Thing. Ever.
I spent the rest of the afternoon doing homework and trying to get caught up on my adventures in Galilee. Being without a computer gets more and more frustrating every day, but at least the J.C. has computers I can use! After dinner, I had planned to go to Independence Park in West Jerusalem to play Ultimate Frisbee, but the fact that I was falling asleep in my mashed potatoes kept me from leaving. Instead, I spent some time outside on the seventh floor reading the scriptures and writing letters. I also took a few pictures with Kymberly! As soon as the bugs came out to play, I decided to go inside and see what everyone else was doing. I ended up in the Student Lounge watching Mama Mia and listening to Chris sing along to every song. It was most exellent. I didn't make it through the entire movie, but it was nice to watch part of it. I had forgotten how funny that movie is!
Back in my room, I finished writing a letter to my new friend, Elder Cline, and climbed into bed. I was beyond exhausted and fell asleep within minutes.
25 July 2011
It isn't everyday that you see a hoard of eighty Mormon students walking through the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City.
Today was the exception. Promptly at 8:30 in the morning, we loaded vans and buses bound for the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. Dropping us off at Dung Gate, we climbed up stair after stair through the already sweltering heat to reach our destination: the Wohl Museum. Among Jerusalem's many archaeological sites, this is the only one "where the visitor can stroll along a residential quarter of Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period and experience an echo of the pulse of life which once beat there" (Avigad Nahman). Built over a strip of the Upper City excavated during 196901983, the Wohl Museum preserves six priestly houses in addition to some of their contents. Each house has at least one ritual bath, mosaics, frescoes, stone vessels, and pottery. The entry into the museum leads directly to the Western House, where the ritual bath shows remains of plaster (to prevent seepage). The impressive fresco has a rosette, a wave crest with palmettes, and an unusual spindle-shaped bottle. The corridor leads to an exhibit of First Temple-era storage jars and Hasmonean-era pottery. The architectural and artifact exhibit demonstrates Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian styles as found in Jerusalem and displays pottery and stone jars. The Middle Complex preserves remnants of two house. The largest, most impressive house is the Palatial Mansion where remains of burnt plaster, frescoes, and beams can be found from Roman destruction in 70 CE.
In addition to the Wohl Museum, we also visited the Burnt House. This home saw the same fate as each of the homes preserved in the Wohl Museum: destruction by the Roman soldiers prior to the destruction of the Temple. At the Burnt House, we were privileged to watch a movie illustrating this destruction; this was easiliy one of the worst yet most entertaining movies I have ever seen inside of a museum. It was great walking around the museum and viewing the different sites, but I was happy to get out into the open air and move on to something more pleasant and uplifting...
The main public access to Herod's Temple Mount complex would likely have been the setting for Jesus' various entries into and exits from the Temple. Archaeologists found data about Herod's construction techniques and inscriptions from the Temple Mount as well as details about the system for entering and exiting the Temple. The Ophel Park (or Davidson Archaeological Park) lies immediately below the south end of teh Temple Mount. In lowering the ground level along the southern end of the Western Wall, archaeologists found pristine ashlars in the walls's lower courses; they also found ashlars from the upper courses which had fallen onto the Herodian street during the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Near the southwest corner, the famed 'pinnacle of the temple', archaeologists uncovered a stone bearing the phrase 'trumpeting place'. It is at this site that many scholars, religious leaders, and archaeologists believed Christ was tempted by Satan in Matthew 4:5-7 and Luke 4:9-12. These ruins, these streets in the park were used during the time of Christ. It was on these streets that Christ ascended and descended from the Temple. As we sat on the staircase of the Temple Mount, Brother Judd shared some thoughts on the life of the Savior and our proximity to Him. It is amazing that I was sitting where He once stood and taught, where He healed the sick, and where He blessed those in need of comfort. We are always moving a mile a minute so it is difficult to take a step back and realize where we are, where Jesus once was. Jesus was here. He lived in this very city. He walked these streets. Jesus Christ is my Savior, my Redeemer. I know He lives; and I challenge each of you to find it out for yourself. You don't need to stand on the same street he walked on every day; you don't need to see where He healed the blind or raised the dead. All you have to do is turn to the Father in prayer, in faith, and trust in Him. You won't be turned away.
We were left the rest of the day to do as we pleased. I chose to wander through the city of Justin, Megan N., Morgan, Wayna, and Kymberly. We ended up on Christian Quarter Street, where I purchasd a few gifts for family members and a couple of items for myself. It was fairly relaxed. As we left the Old City, we stopped for gummies and music, and were separated by the crowds until returning to the J.C. I went with Megan and Justin to Saladin street, where we stopped in at Omar's so that I could purchase a nativity set for my parents. (It was really cool because I got to call and talk to my dad...he was awake at 6am...strange man that one is! Haha!) For lunch, I stopped and grabbed a falafel from my favorite place in Jerusalem and then we headed back to the Jerusalem Center. It was a day to just mosey around the city and I thoroughly enjoyed it. These next three weeks are going to be for me to say goodbye to a city I have grown to love and that means more than visiting sites; it means wandering and getting lost in new places and seeing the city for what it is undertneathe its touristy exterior.
The evening was spent as all the others: studying, blogging, playing the piano, and hanging out with friends. It was nice to get a few more things done, but I am still very behind on my blog. Galilee really set me back! Haha but I'll catch up eventually. It's my family that is suffering, not me. I am well aware of the different things I did while in the Galilee. Lol :) My last FHE was held tonight. It was weird saying goodbye to this group of people. Sam and Fenton (our Ma and Pa) shared their testimonies on the Savior, and then we had a short activity where we wrote notes to one another. It was the perfect way to end FHE, to say goodbye to that group of people. It also made me realize that those are the first of many goodbyes...my days here are numbered..
One last commment:
This semester, I did a little experiment. In one of my classes, our grades were based off of two papers (with the final paper being weighted far greater than the midterm paper). With this in mind, I made a choice at the beginning of the semester. I never did any of the readings; I barely listened to any of the lectures. I received my final grade today. I received a 97 (A), one of the highest grades in the class. I am not sure what this means exactly, but I am glad that I didn't stress myself out over a class that I didn't even need to attend to pass. I won't complain though. An 'A' is an 'A'; I will happily take my grade and run with it!
Today was the exception. Promptly at 8:30 in the morning, we loaded vans and buses bound for the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. Dropping us off at Dung Gate, we climbed up stair after stair through the already sweltering heat to reach our destination: the Wohl Museum. Among Jerusalem's many archaeological sites, this is the only one "where the visitor can stroll along a residential quarter of Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period and experience an echo of the pulse of life which once beat there" (Avigad Nahman). Built over a strip of the Upper City excavated during 196901983, the Wohl Museum preserves six priestly houses in addition to some of their contents. Each house has at least one ritual bath, mosaics, frescoes, stone vessels, and pottery. The entry into the museum leads directly to the Western House, where the ritual bath shows remains of plaster (to prevent seepage). The impressive fresco has a rosette, a wave crest with palmettes, and an unusual spindle-shaped bottle. The corridor leads to an exhibit of First Temple-era storage jars and Hasmonean-era pottery. The architectural and artifact exhibit demonstrates Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian styles as found in Jerusalem and displays pottery and stone jars. The Middle Complex preserves remnants of two house. The largest, most impressive house is the Palatial Mansion where remains of burnt plaster, frescoes, and beams can be found from Roman destruction in 70 CE.
In addition to the Wohl Museum, we also visited the Burnt House. This home saw the same fate as each of the homes preserved in the Wohl Museum: destruction by the Roman soldiers prior to the destruction of the Temple. At the Burnt House, we were privileged to watch a movie illustrating this destruction; this was easiliy one of the worst yet most entertaining movies I have ever seen inside of a museum. It was great walking around the museum and viewing the different sites, but I was happy to get out into the open air and move on to something more pleasant and uplifting...
The main public access to Herod's Temple Mount complex would likely have been the setting for Jesus' various entries into and exits from the Temple. Archaeologists found data about Herod's construction techniques and inscriptions from the Temple Mount as well as details about the system for entering and exiting the Temple. The Ophel Park (or Davidson Archaeological Park) lies immediately below the south end of teh Temple Mount. In lowering the ground level along the southern end of the Western Wall, archaeologists found pristine ashlars in the walls's lower courses; they also found ashlars from the upper courses which had fallen onto the Herodian street during the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Near the southwest corner, the famed 'pinnacle of the temple', archaeologists uncovered a stone bearing the phrase 'trumpeting place'. It is at this site that many scholars, religious leaders, and archaeologists believed Christ was tempted by Satan in Matthew 4:5-7 and Luke 4:9-12. These ruins, these streets in the park were used during the time of Christ. It was on these streets that Christ ascended and descended from the Temple. As we sat on the staircase of the Temple Mount, Brother Judd shared some thoughts on the life of the Savior and our proximity to Him. It is amazing that I was sitting where He once stood and taught, where He healed the sick, and where He blessed those in need of comfort. We are always moving a mile a minute so it is difficult to take a step back and realize where we are, where Jesus once was. Jesus was here. He lived in this very city. He walked these streets. Jesus Christ is my Savior, my Redeemer. I know He lives; and I challenge each of you to find it out for yourself. You don't need to stand on the same street he walked on every day; you don't need to see where He healed the blind or raised the dead. All you have to do is turn to the Father in prayer, in faith, and trust in Him. You won't be turned away.
We were left the rest of the day to do as we pleased. I chose to wander through the city of Justin, Megan N., Morgan, Wayna, and Kymberly. We ended up on Christian Quarter Street, where I purchasd a few gifts for family members and a couple of items for myself. It was fairly relaxed. As we left the Old City, we stopped for gummies and music, and were separated by the crowds until returning to the J.C. I went with Megan and Justin to Saladin street, where we stopped in at Omar's so that I could purchase a nativity set for my parents. (It was really cool because I got to call and talk to my dad...he was awake at 6am...strange man that one is! Haha!) For lunch, I stopped and grabbed a falafel from my favorite place in Jerusalem and then we headed back to the Jerusalem Center. It was a day to just mosey around the city and I thoroughly enjoyed it. These next three weeks are going to be for me to say goodbye to a city I have grown to love and that means more than visiting sites; it means wandering and getting lost in new places and seeing the city for what it is undertneathe its touristy exterior.
The evening was spent as all the others: studying, blogging, playing the piano, and hanging out with friends. It was nice to get a few more things done, but I am still very behind on my blog. Galilee really set me back! Haha but I'll catch up eventually. It's my family that is suffering, not me. I am well aware of the different things I did while in the Galilee. Lol :) My last FHE was held tonight. It was weird saying goodbye to this group of people. Sam and Fenton (our Ma and Pa) shared their testimonies on the Savior, and then we had a short activity where we wrote notes to one another. It was the perfect way to end FHE, to say goodbye to that group of people. It also made me realize that those are the first of many goodbyes...my days here are numbered..
One last commment:
This semester, I did a little experiment. In one of my classes, our grades were based off of two papers (with the final paper being weighted far greater than the midterm paper). With this in mind, I made a choice at the beginning of the semester. I never did any of the readings; I barely listened to any of the lectures. I received my final grade today. I received a 97 (A), one of the highest grades in the class. I am not sure what this means exactly, but I am glad that I didn't stress myself out over a class that I didn't even need to attend to pass. I won't complain though. An 'A' is an 'A'; I will happily take my grade and run with it!
24 July 2011
A Happy Pioneer Day to all of my friends and family in Utah! I hope you launched some fireworks and lit some sparklers for me!
It felt amazing to be back in the Old City of Jerusalem. You never realize how much you miss something until you have it back. Galilee was amazing, but it's not Jerusalem. I spent the day with Andrew Null and Julie Rencher; a day spent with them is guaranteed to fly by smoothly without drama or stress. We began the morning by making our way across Jerusalem to the Israel National Museum. I doubt I would have visited the museum if it hadn't been a part of an assignment, but I am so glad that I did! It was really cool (and yes, Rachel, there was a lot of pottery). As soon as we walked onto the museum grounds, we made our way over a model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period. I was expecting a standard model on a table top; I wasn't expecting what I found. It was amazing. The model displayed Herod's Temple in its glory; the model displayed each of the valleys and the hills. It was definitely one of the highlights of the museum, but it wasn't the highlight. From the model, we made our way into the Shrine of the Book exhibit: the home of the Dead Sea Scrolls. I was in paradise! It is amazing how excited one person can get over old scraps of parchment! It is just so cool to see something that old...it's the freaking Hebrew Bible people! Ah! Haha...anyway... ;) The rest of the museum was cool. We had a list of things we had to see so Julie and I bounced around finding all of the items while Andrew spent a little more time actually studying them. It worked out well in the end. Museums take a lot out of you. After two and a half hours of walking/standing, we were ready for a break! But, there was no break; we had bigger and better things to do.
We chose to walk back to the Old City/East Jerusalem by way of Emek Refaim street. On our we, we ran into Liberty Park and decided to walk through it. The park is beautiful and full of people. So many people were there laughing and playing; parks in foreign countries are always so great! In the center of this park, you can find a replica of the Liberty Bell (you know...Pass and Stow). I don't know the exact reason behind this (and I am far too lazy to look it up!!) so you will just have to Wikipedia it on your own. So ha. By the time we got out of the park we were on Emek Refaim street! We took a picture under the sign...and then we moved on. Haha. We made our way through the Old City; I picked up Mike's ring; and then we stopped by the Grill on Saladin Street for a Schawarma. It was delicious! We made it back to the J.C. very hot and very sweaty.
Back at the J.C., I didn't do very much. I finished writing a few letters to some friends and then I began writing a seven page paper for Chaddy's class. I didn't get very far. I ended up blogging for most of the night. I got about two posts done...if that, but at least I am making progress, right? I ended the night by FaceTiming with my family, and there was a surprise on the other end: my niece, Samantha! I was so excited. We talked for a long time. She was super confused at first, but after a while, she started talking! I can't believe she is using full sentences now; she is getting so big. It was so nice to talk to her, and my parents, and my little sister. I love my family so much! They are so wonderful. They make me smile in ways that I can't even begin to describe. Saying goodbye, as always, was hard. It was even harder with Samantha. She wants me to come home so that I can help her find Lumpy (The Heffalump Movie). She also wanted me home for dinner. It was heart breaking. But at least I know I'll be home soon to play with her! I love my family. There are no greater people out there. I ended the night with Kymberly again! Hehehehe :) We like movies, okay? Don't be so judgmental!
It felt amazing to be back in the Old City of Jerusalem. You never realize how much you miss something until you have it back. Galilee was amazing, but it's not Jerusalem. I spent the day with Andrew Null and Julie Rencher; a day spent with them is guaranteed to fly by smoothly without drama or stress. We began the morning by making our way across Jerusalem to the Israel National Museum. I doubt I would have visited the museum if it hadn't been a part of an assignment, but I am so glad that I did! It was really cool (and yes, Rachel, there was a lot of pottery). As soon as we walked onto the museum grounds, we made our way over a model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period. I was expecting a standard model on a table top; I wasn't expecting what I found. It was amazing. The model displayed Herod's Temple in its glory; the model displayed each of the valleys and the hills. It was definitely one of the highlights of the museum, but it wasn't the highlight. From the model, we made our way into the Shrine of the Book exhibit: the home of the Dead Sea Scrolls. I was in paradise! It is amazing how excited one person can get over old scraps of parchment! It is just so cool to see something that old...it's the freaking Hebrew Bible people! Ah! Haha...anyway... ;) The rest of the museum was cool. We had a list of things we had to see so Julie and I bounced around finding all of the items while Andrew spent a little more time actually studying them. It worked out well in the end. Museums take a lot out of you. After two and a half hours of walking/standing, we were ready for a break! But, there was no break; we had bigger and better things to do.
We chose to walk back to the Old City/East Jerusalem by way of Emek Refaim street. On our we, we ran into Liberty Park and decided to walk through it. The park is beautiful and full of people. So many people were there laughing and playing; parks in foreign countries are always so great! In the center of this park, you can find a replica of the Liberty Bell (you know...Pass and Stow). I don't know the exact reason behind this (and I am far too lazy to look it up!!) so you will just have to Wikipedia it on your own. So ha. By the time we got out of the park we were on Emek Refaim street! We took a picture under the sign...and then we moved on. Haha. We made our way through the Old City; I picked up Mike's ring; and then we stopped by the Grill on Saladin Street for a Schawarma. It was delicious! We made it back to the J.C. very hot and very sweaty.
Back at the J.C., I didn't do very much. I finished writing a few letters to some friends and then I began writing a seven page paper for Chaddy's class. I didn't get very far. I ended up blogging for most of the night. I got about two posts done...if that, but at least I am making progress, right? I ended the night by FaceTiming with my family, and there was a surprise on the other end: my niece, Samantha! I was so excited. We talked for a long time. She was super confused at first, but after a while, she started talking! I can't believe she is using full sentences now; she is getting so big. It was so nice to talk to her, and my parents, and my little sister. I love my family so much! They are so wonderful. They make me smile in ways that I can't even begin to describe. Saying goodbye, as always, was hard. It was even harder with Samantha. She wants me to come home so that I can help her find Lumpy (The Heffalump Movie). She also wanted me home for dinner. It was heart breaking. But at least I know I'll be home soon to play with her! I love my family. There are no greater people out there. I ended the night with Kymberly again! Hehehehe :) We like movies, okay? Don't be so judgmental!
23 July 2011
Happy Sabbath, everyone! There really is nothing comparable to a Sabbath in Jerusalem. They always leave me in the best of spirits, in the best of attitudes. They leave me happy and content. I hope this carries over when I get home...I guess that will be up to me!
There were pancakes at breakfast this morning. That should be a definite indicator that it was an amazing day. I love having pancakes on Sabbath morning (waffles and French toast are good too)! At breakfast, Andrew Null and Julie Rencher were trying to find someone to go with them to the Garden of Gethsemane before church started. I was interested, but I didn't say yes or no. They took my indecision as a yes and we met at 8:30 to walk down to Gethsemane together. I am very happy that I went with them. Starting off your day with a visit to Gethsemane (or the Garden Tomb) is unlike any other. It leaves you with such a sweet spirit. I read a talk given by Elder C. Scott Grow in the April 2011 General Conference entitled The Miracle of the Atonement. The Atonment is so encompassing. It brings hope to every individual on the earth if he will turn to Jesus Christ and repent. The love of Jesus Christ is impossible to comprehend. He did so much for us, so much for me. I am so thankful for the power of the Atonement in my life. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He suffered for me, making it possible for me to inherit Eternal Life. I am so thankful for Him and for His sacrifice. I am far from perfect, but the Atonement brings me one step closer to perfectiong, one step closer to him.
Church was amazing today. Sarah, Tyson, and Jeehee all spoke, but the talk that stuck out to me the most was Jeehee's. She spoke on making the best out of the situations we are handed in life. There will always be something that will go wrong in our lives; we can't control everything. But we can either look at these situations negatively or positively; we can either learn from them or allow them to bring us down. I have so many decisions to make in my life right now: what I want to be when I grow up, if I want to serve a mission, who I am going to marry, when I am going to start a family, etc. etc. Each of these decisions will have a postiive or a negative outcome; something could go wrong and I will have to take Plan B. But, as long as I have a positive outlook and turn to the Father in prayer for guidance, I will get through it. God doesn't leave us alone. He provides for us and creates ways for us to be comforted, for us to find peace. Instead of attending Sabbath School and Relief Society, I ended up in Primary today. It is a long story as to how this happened, but I am glad it did. I was with the Sunbeam class. The lesson was taught by Elise; it was simple but so powerful: be obedient. I fear I take the simpleness of the gospel for granted far too often. It is the little things that bring us back to our Father: prayer, scripture study, church attendence, kindness, keeping the Word of Wisdom - keeping the commandments. Sharing Time was about the temple and how we can prepare to enter into the temple. Again, it's the simple things that matter. If we do those little things, we will be better prepared to obtain the greater mysteries, the greater teachings of the gospel. The little things help us grow closer to our Savior and to our Father in Heaven.
When church was over, I carried sleeping Jacob Muhlestein to family's apartment on the fifth floor of the J.C. to put him into his bed. Before laying him down, he kissed my cheek and told me goodnight. It was the sweetest thing in the world. It is so much fun to have these kids in the Jerusalem Center; they bring a whole other level of Christ into my life. It is such a blessing. I spent the afternoon outside on the grass preparing for my seminary lesson, finishing letters, and taking a nap. It was an excellent afternoon. I didn't get much 'alone time' in Galilee so it was nice to have three hours all to myself. Dinner came and went without a bother; I was slightly disappointed that there wasn't any ice cream, though! Maybe tomorrow? Haha. After dinner, I went straight in to teach seminary. It isn't easy being a seminary teacher. There is a lot of information that you have to learn and to study in order to teach a student. But I realized something today...that I have known for many years; I am not the teacher. The Holy Ghost is the teacher. And it made all the difference. Very rarely did I need to look down at my notes, and when I did, I ended up getting lost in my lesson. It was an amazing feeling. I haven't been given very many opportunities to teach the gospel, to teach by the Spirit. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to be a seminary teacher the past few months. I have definitely seen the blessing that it has been in my life.
I spent the evening writing, listening to music, preparing a piano trio for the talent show, and talking with friends. It was farily quiet which was just what I needed. I am excited to get back out into the city tomorrow and explore everything that I have not yet explored and even things I have explored already. Galilee was wonderful, but I am happy to be able to wander around the streets of the Old City again!
There were pancakes at breakfast this morning. That should be a definite indicator that it was an amazing day. I love having pancakes on Sabbath morning (waffles and French toast are good too)! At breakfast, Andrew Null and Julie Rencher were trying to find someone to go with them to the Garden of Gethsemane before church started. I was interested, but I didn't say yes or no. They took my indecision as a yes and we met at 8:30 to walk down to Gethsemane together. I am very happy that I went with them. Starting off your day with a visit to Gethsemane (or the Garden Tomb) is unlike any other. It leaves you with such a sweet spirit. I read a talk given by Elder C. Scott Grow in the April 2011 General Conference entitled The Miracle of the Atonement. The Atonment is so encompassing. It brings hope to every individual on the earth if he will turn to Jesus Christ and repent. The love of Jesus Christ is impossible to comprehend. He did so much for us, so much for me. I am so thankful for the power of the Atonement in my life. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He suffered for me, making it possible for me to inherit Eternal Life. I am so thankful for Him and for His sacrifice. I am far from perfect, but the Atonement brings me one step closer to perfectiong, one step closer to him.
Church was amazing today. Sarah, Tyson, and Jeehee all spoke, but the talk that stuck out to me the most was Jeehee's. She spoke on making the best out of the situations we are handed in life. There will always be something that will go wrong in our lives; we can't control everything. But we can either look at these situations negatively or positively; we can either learn from them or allow them to bring us down. I have so many decisions to make in my life right now: what I want to be when I grow up, if I want to serve a mission, who I am going to marry, when I am going to start a family, etc. etc. Each of these decisions will have a postiive or a negative outcome; something could go wrong and I will have to take Plan B. But, as long as I have a positive outlook and turn to the Father in prayer for guidance, I will get through it. God doesn't leave us alone. He provides for us and creates ways for us to be comforted, for us to find peace. Instead of attending Sabbath School and Relief Society, I ended up in Primary today. It is a long story as to how this happened, but I am glad it did. I was with the Sunbeam class. The lesson was taught by Elise; it was simple but so powerful: be obedient. I fear I take the simpleness of the gospel for granted far too often. It is the little things that bring us back to our Father: prayer, scripture study, church attendence, kindness, keeping the Word of Wisdom - keeping the commandments. Sharing Time was about the temple and how we can prepare to enter into the temple. Again, it's the simple things that matter. If we do those little things, we will be better prepared to obtain the greater mysteries, the greater teachings of the gospel. The little things help us grow closer to our Savior and to our Father in Heaven.
When church was over, I carried sleeping Jacob Muhlestein to family's apartment on the fifth floor of the J.C. to put him into his bed. Before laying him down, he kissed my cheek and told me goodnight. It was the sweetest thing in the world. It is so much fun to have these kids in the Jerusalem Center; they bring a whole other level of Christ into my life. It is such a blessing. I spent the afternoon outside on the grass preparing for my seminary lesson, finishing letters, and taking a nap. It was an excellent afternoon. I didn't get much 'alone time' in Galilee so it was nice to have three hours all to myself. Dinner came and went without a bother; I was slightly disappointed that there wasn't any ice cream, though! Maybe tomorrow? Haha. After dinner, I went straight in to teach seminary. It isn't easy being a seminary teacher. There is a lot of information that you have to learn and to study in order to teach a student. But I realized something today...that I have known for many years; I am not the teacher. The Holy Ghost is the teacher. And it made all the difference. Very rarely did I need to look down at my notes, and when I did, I ended up getting lost in my lesson. It was an amazing feeling. I haven't been given very many opportunities to teach the gospel, to teach by the Spirit. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to be a seminary teacher the past few months. I have definitely seen the blessing that it has been in my life.
I spent the evening writing, listening to music, preparing a piano trio for the talent show, and talking with friends. It was farily quiet which was just what I needed. I am excited to get back out into the city tomorrow and explore everything that I have not yet explored and even things I have explored already. Galilee was wonderful, but I am happy to be able to wander around the streets of the Old City again!
22 July 2011
I had no idea where I was when I woke up this morning. I took me a minute to realize that the movement I made should have caused me to kick a wall or hit the ceiling. It wasn't until I opened my eyes and oriented myself ten or fifteen minutes later that I remembered that I was not longer in Galilee, that I wouldn't be able to walk out to the beach to greet the morning, that I wouldn't be spending the day in the Sea of Galilee. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. I begrudgingly got up and wandered upstairs to the gym with the idea of working out. All was well for about 25 minutes...until the stationary bike was nudged by my knee in a rough manner and my brand new iPod went crashing the ground. I should just stop using electronics all together. The damage isn't irreparable, but it was rather upsetting. It didn't add to my already pleasant mood, but there wasn't anything more I could do. So, I hopped down from the bike, pulled on a pair of sweat pants, and went into the Oasis to grab something to eat. I settled with yogurt, hoping not to upset my stomach after working out. It was a rather pleasant yogurt. Once finished, I slipped downstairs for a quick shower before heading up to my favorite study room to meet up with Kymberly.
Unfortunately, we had a New Testament midterm scheduled for today - that's right, the day after we returned from Galilee! Whoever made this schedule was crazy...everyone was falling asleep, including myself. I managed to read through my notes once before deciding that studying would do nothing but waste time so I spent the time writing a letter to Mike, writing a couple of blogposts on Galilee, looking through pictures, and listening to music. It was rather productive, if I do say so myself. The test began promptly at one o'clock in the afternoon. After singing a hymn and saying a prayer, Brother Judd handed out the 100 question (or so) test. After breezing through the first two pages, I was in high-spirits. The test wasn't anything that I needed to worry about. I didn't know some of the finer details, but because I had read through my notes once and paid attention in class, I was able to manage well enough. I ended up getting an 87 which I am more than happy about!
The rest of the afternoon went by without complaint. I was actually in really high spirits. I played the piano for a good part of the afternoon. I miss playing the piano. I wish I hadn't dropped it at the beginning of my sophomore year. I was busy with tennis and other things, but I could have made time for it at some time during the week, even if on a Saturday. I can still play the piano well, but I am not as great as I could have been. Oh well, I guess that just gives me more reason to practice my little heart out and continue loving to make music. That will be difficult once I get back to Provo and don't have a piano any longer, but my parents live close enough that I will still be able to play on a regular basis. In addition to playing the piano, I was able to get all of my laundry done. When we got back from Galilee yesterday, there was a mad dash for the laundry room. I chose to wait in order to avoid getting stressed out over nothing; it was a good choice. I was in and out of the laundry room without having to wait for a washer or a dryer to use. And now I won't be naked the rest of the week, so everyone will benefit from my doing laundry! Hahaha :)
At dinner, I was able to sit and talk with the Chadwicks a little bit. I have seriously missed them. Brother Chadwick has been at an archaeological dig he is in charge of for the past two weeks, and Mama Kim went with him. It was weird not having them around; I really enjoyed catching up with them and hearing all about the dirt...lol. I guess when they got out of the car, Sister Chadwick jumped and a cloud of dust came off of her. Haha I can't even imagine! It is good to have them back...for the weekend. They still have one more week left at the dig!
The Jerusalem Center Friday Night Movie Night was possibly my favorite movie night since coming to the Jerusalem Center. Brother Judd, the movie coordinator, gave the students that chance to vote on the movie for the evening. Some of the choices included Enchanted, Mary Poppins, Aladdin, and other family-friendly movies. Aladdin won by a landslide! That is one of my all time favorite movies. I sat by Kymberly, Josh, and Megan Judd; I am sure they regretted sitting next to me, though, because I was constantly singing along and quoting the movie (Josh was doing the same thing so I am sure he didn't mind too much). The last time I watched that movie was in November of last year with Brad McKeen. I don't remember singing much when we watched it...I think I have spent a lot of time listening to Disney music this summer! It has definitely paid off! I know the songs word for word.
When the movie was over, I went straight to my room to get ready for bed. I was exhausted and ready to get some sleep. I ended up watching part of a movie and writing a bit before going to bed. It was a fairly decent day...the morning may not have been perfect, but the afternoon made up for any problems I faced during the morning. I am happy to be back in Jerusalem. I have seriously missed being here. I can't believe there are only three weeks left; I am going to be at the Tel Aviv International Airport before I know it!
Unfortunately, we had a New Testament midterm scheduled for today - that's right, the day after we returned from Galilee! Whoever made this schedule was crazy...everyone was falling asleep, including myself. I managed to read through my notes once before deciding that studying would do nothing but waste time so I spent the time writing a letter to Mike, writing a couple of blogposts on Galilee, looking through pictures, and listening to music. It was rather productive, if I do say so myself. The test began promptly at one o'clock in the afternoon. After singing a hymn and saying a prayer, Brother Judd handed out the 100 question (or so) test. After breezing through the first two pages, I was in high-spirits. The test wasn't anything that I needed to worry about. I didn't know some of the finer details, but because I had read through my notes once and paid attention in class, I was able to manage well enough. I ended up getting an 87 which I am more than happy about!
The rest of the afternoon went by without complaint. I was actually in really high spirits. I played the piano for a good part of the afternoon. I miss playing the piano. I wish I hadn't dropped it at the beginning of my sophomore year. I was busy with tennis and other things, but I could have made time for it at some time during the week, even if on a Saturday. I can still play the piano well, but I am not as great as I could have been. Oh well, I guess that just gives me more reason to practice my little heart out and continue loving to make music. That will be difficult once I get back to Provo and don't have a piano any longer, but my parents live close enough that I will still be able to play on a regular basis. In addition to playing the piano, I was able to get all of my laundry done. When we got back from Galilee yesterday, there was a mad dash for the laundry room. I chose to wait in order to avoid getting stressed out over nothing; it was a good choice. I was in and out of the laundry room without having to wait for a washer or a dryer to use. And now I won't be naked the rest of the week, so everyone will benefit from my doing laundry! Hahaha :)
At dinner, I was able to sit and talk with the Chadwicks a little bit. I have seriously missed them. Brother Chadwick has been at an archaeological dig he is in charge of for the past two weeks, and Mama Kim went with him. It was weird not having them around; I really enjoyed catching up with them and hearing all about the dirt...lol. I guess when they got out of the car, Sister Chadwick jumped and a cloud of dust came off of her. Haha I can't even imagine! It is good to have them back...for the weekend. They still have one more week left at the dig!
The Jerusalem Center Friday Night Movie Night was possibly my favorite movie night since coming to the Jerusalem Center. Brother Judd, the movie coordinator, gave the students that chance to vote on the movie for the evening. Some of the choices included Enchanted, Mary Poppins, Aladdin, and other family-friendly movies. Aladdin won by a landslide! That is one of my all time favorite movies. I sat by Kymberly, Josh, and Megan Judd; I am sure they regretted sitting next to me, though, because I was constantly singing along and quoting the movie (Josh was doing the same thing so I am sure he didn't mind too much). The last time I watched that movie was in November of last year with Brad McKeen. I don't remember singing much when we watched it...I think I have spent a lot of time listening to Disney music this summer! It has definitely paid off! I know the songs word for word.
When the movie was over, I went straight to my room to get ready for bed. I was exhausted and ready to get some sleep. I ended up watching part of a movie and writing a bit before going to bed. It was a fairly decent day...the morning may not have been perfect, but the afternoon made up for any problems I faced during the morning. I am happy to be back in Jerusalem. I have seriously missed being here. I can't believe there are only three weeks left; I am going to be at the Tel Aviv International Airport before I know it!
21 July 2011
It was a bittersweet morning as I loaded my luggage onto the bus, turned in the key to my bungalow, and had one last walk on the beach along the Sea of Galilee. It was hard to say goodbye to a land I had grown to love, to a land I had felt the love and comfort of my Savior, to a land beautiful and bright.
As we made our way back to Jerusalem, we made stops along the Mediterranean coastline in Muhraqa (Mount Carmel), Haifa, and Caesarea. Dividing the coastal plain from the Jezreel Valley, Mount Carmel evokes Old Testament episodes, such as Elijah's challenge to King Ahab and the priest of Baal. Archaeologists have found evidence of habitation on Mount Carmel as early as the Old Stone Age (before 10,000 BC). However, while evidence of habitation was seemingly easy to find, it would be next to impossible to document archaeologically an incident like Elijah's contest with the priests of Baal. This contest symbolized the direciont of the northern Kingdom of Israel in the Divided Monarchy. Jeroboam led the tax revolt against Solomon's son, Rehoboam, leading to the establisment of the Kingdom of Israel. Almost immediately after the establishment of the Northern Kingdom, Jeroboam set up Egyptian-influenced altars at Bethel and Dan, both with a golden calf for worship. Within four generations, Jeroboam's line was overthrown by General Omri, who built a new capital at Samaria and reared up an altar for Baal in the House of Baal, which he had built in his new capital. It was at this altar where Elijah challenged the priests of Baal, proving to them that the God of Israel was more powerful than any of their gods, than all fo their gods. It was at Muhraqa on Mount Carmel that we visited the traditional site of this event. We put on a reenactment skit of Elijah's challenge and then visited other areas of the site, including a Catholic chapel where we sang a series of Hymns.
As we travelled down Highway 672 along the coast of the Mediterranean coast, we made a quick stop at the Bahai Gardens in Haifa to take some pictures. This compound includes the world headquarters of the Bahai faith and the tomb of the faith's herald surrounded by beautiful gardens on nineteen different complexes. We did not have time to go inside the Bahai shrine, but we were given time to take pictures in the gardens as well as take pictures of the Mediterranean in the background.
Before leaving Haifa, we stopped at the Templer Cemetery. This small cemetery evokes memories of the mid-Nineteenth Century AD German Templer movement and of the late-Nineteenth Century AD LDS missionary acitivity in the Holy Land. Beginning at Haifa, the Templers founded several colonies, through which they introduced European agricultural technology. By 1914, the Templer colonists number about 1,200 persons. In 1884, Elder Jacob Spori was sent from the LDS Swiss-German mission to create the "Turkish Mission", based in Istanbul. In August 1866, after having seen a blacksmith in a dream, Elder Spori traveled to Haifa, where he met Templer blacksmith Johan Georg Grau, who had seen Elder Spori in a dream the night before. Grau was baptized in Haifa Bay, as was his wife, Magdalena, one month later. LDS missionaries continued to be sent from Istanbul to labor in Haifa. Two of them passed away and were buried in the Templer Cemetery: Adolph Haag and John Clark. In addition, the cemetery holds the remains of both Brother and Sister Grau. We were given time to walk among the gravestones of the cemetery before getting back on the bus to drive to Caesarea.
A splendid city built by Herod for Greco-Roman sophisticates, Caesarea became Judea's Roman capital after Herod's death. Caesarea was a field of missionary labor for Philip, Peter, and Paul, was the home of Bishop/historian Eusebius, and was later rebuilt by the Crusaders. After Herod consolidated his power as Rome's vassal ruler of Judea, he enlarged Caesarea for two main reasons. First, he sought legitimacy in the eyes of his Greco-Roman subjects by building a modern Greco-Roman city - completely with a theater, amphitheater, hippodrome, cardo, royal palace, and pagan temple. Second, Herod sought to expand the port's commercial role in order to supercede Alexandria as the Eastern Mediterranean's main trading center. Because the site did not offer a naturally good harbor, Herod created an artificial one. His engineers built outer and inner basics protected by large walls of massive stones cemented to one another by a specially devised liquid adhesive that dried in place under water. They also built a high aqueduct to bring water from a source twelve miles away on Mount Carmel. After Herod's death, Roman authorities asserted more direct rule over Juda is two phases: comprehensive census for taxation pruposes and the annexation of Judea for direct control through their own "prefects" based at Caesarea. Thus, Caesarea was the base of the prefect Pontius Pilate, who traveled from there to Jerusalem to keep his Roman eyes on Jews during Passover and became involved in the trial of Jesus.
Caesarea later became an important Christian center. Before Paul's internment, Philip had preached there and Peter had baptized the Roman centurion, Cornelius, there. Later, the "Greek Father", Origen, founded a seminary and a library at Caesarea, which became the seat of the bishopric. An early Bishop of Caesarea was Eusebius, the first notable Christian historian. In their campaign to create "the Holy Land", the Byzantines built a domed octagonal church on the platform originally created to support Herod's Roman temple. Byzantine Caesarea was destroyed by a Persian invasion in 614 AD. By 641 AD, the Arab Muslims - who had conquered Palestine - built a mosque on Herod's platform. The Crusaders rebuilt Caesarea after they captured the area in 1101 AD. The Crusaders then replaced the mosque on Herod's platform with another church. By the time we reached Caesarea, the mid-afternoon heat had set in, so we quickly went through the city visiting different sites, including the theater, amphitheater, pagan temple, and harbor. From the harbor, we made our way back to the bus. Many of us stopped to get an ice cream on the way - the perfect treat on a hot day.
Due to heavey traffic, the Judd Bus made it back to the Jerusalem Center much later than the Muhlestein Bus. After carrying my suitcase down to my room, I went up to grab a quick bite in the Oasis and then headed into the gym to stretch and work my muscles on the stationary bike. I turned in earlier than usual (before midnight...) in hopes of making up for sleep lost in Galilee.
As we made our way back to Jerusalem, we made stops along the Mediterranean coastline in Muhraqa (Mount Carmel), Haifa, and Caesarea. Dividing the coastal plain from the Jezreel Valley, Mount Carmel evokes Old Testament episodes, such as Elijah's challenge to King Ahab and the priest of Baal. Archaeologists have found evidence of habitation on Mount Carmel as early as the Old Stone Age (before 10,000 BC). However, while evidence of habitation was seemingly easy to find, it would be next to impossible to document archaeologically an incident like Elijah's contest with the priests of Baal. This contest symbolized the direciont of the northern Kingdom of Israel in the Divided Monarchy. Jeroboam led the tax revolt against Solomon's son, Rehoboam, leading to the establisment of the Kingdom of Israel. Almost immediately after the establishment of the Northern Kingdom, Jeroboam set up Egyptian-influenced altars at Bethel and Dan, both with a golden calf for worship. Within four generations, Jeroboam's line was overthrown by General Omri, who built a new capital at Samaria and reared up an altar for Baal in the House of Baal, which he had built in his new capital. It was at this altar where Elijah challenged the priests of Baal, proving to them that the God of Israel was more powerful than any of their gods, than all fo their gods. It was at Muhraqa on Mount Carmel that we visited the traditional site of this event. We put on a reenactment skit of Elijah's challenge and then visited other areas of the site, including a Catholic chapel where we sang a series of Hymns.As we travelled down Highway 672 along the coast of the Mediterranean coast, we made a quick stop at the Bahai Gardens in Haifa to take some pictures. This compound includes the world headquarters of the Bahai faith and the tomb of the faith's herald surrounded by beautiful gardens on nineteen different complexes. We did not have time to go inside the Bahai shrine, but we were given time to take pictures in the gardens as well as take pictures of the Mediterranean in the background.
Before leaving Haifa, we stopped at the Templer Cemetery. This small cemetery evokes memories of the mid-Nineteenth Century AD German Templer movement and of the late-Nineteenth Century AD LDS missionary acitivity in the Holy Land. Beginning at Haifa, the Templers founded several colonies, through which they introduced European agricultural technology. By 1914, the Templer colonists number about 1,200 persons. In 1884, Elder Jacob Spori was sent from the LDS Swiss-German mission to create the "Turkish Mission", based in Istanbul. In August 1866, after having seen a blacksmith in a dream, Elder Spori traveled to Haifa, where he met Templer blacksmith Johan Georg Grau, who had seen Elder Spori in a dream the night before. Grau was baptized in Haifa Bay, as was his wife, Magdalena, one month later. LDS missionaries continued to be sent from Istanbul to labor in Haifa. Two of them passed away and were buried in the Templer Cemetery: Adolph Haag and John Clark. In addition, the cemetery holds the remains of both Brother and Sister Grau. We were given time to walk among the gravestones of the cemetery before getting back on the bus to drive to Caesarea. 
A splendid city built by Herod for Greco-Roman sophisticates, Caesarea became Judea's Roman capital after Herod's death. Caesarea was a field of missionary labor for Philip, Peter, and Paul, was the home of Bishop/historian Eusebius, and was later rebuilt by the Crusaders. After Herod consolidated his power as Rome's vassal ruler of Judea, he enlarged Caesarea for two main reasons. First, he sought legitimacy in the eyes of his Greco-Roman subjects by building a modern Greco-Roman city - completely with a theater, amphitheater, hippodrome, cardo, royal palace, and pagan temple. Second, Herod sought to expand the port's commercial role in order to supercede Alexandria as the Eastern Mediterranean's main trading center. Because the site did not offer a naturally good harbor, Herod created an artificial one. His engineers built outer and inner basics protected by large walls of massive stones cemented to one another by a specially devised liquid adhesive that dried in place under water. They also built a high aqueduct to bring water from a source twelve miles away on Mount Carmel. After Herod's death, Roman authorities asserted more direct rule over Juda is two phases: comprehensive census for taxation pruposes and the annexation of Judea for direct control through their own "prefects" based at Caesarea. Thus, Caesarea was the base of the prefect Pontius Pilate, who traveled from there to Jerusalem to keep his Roman eyes on Jews during Passover and became involved in the trial of Jesus.
Caesarea later became an important Christian center. Before Paul's internment, Philip had preached there and Peter had baptized the Roman centurion, Cornelius, there. Later, the "Greek Father", Origen, founded a seminary and a library at Caesarea, which became the seat of the bishopric. An early Bishop of Caesarea was Eusebius, the first notable Christian historian. In their campaign to create "the Holy Land", the Byzantines built a domed octagonal church on the platform originally created to support Herod's Roman temple. Byzantine Caesarea was destroyed by a Persian invasion in 614 AD. By 641 AD, the Arab Muslims - who had conquered Palestine - built a mosque on Herod's platform. The Crusaders rebuilt Caesarea after they captured the area in 1101 AD. The Crusaders then replaced the mosque on Herod's platform with another church. By the time we reached Caesarea, the mid-afternoon heat had set in, so we quickly went through the city visiting different sites, including the theater, amphitheater, pagan temple, and harbor. From the harbor, we made our way back to the bus. Many of us stopped to get an ice cream on the way - the perfect treat on a hot day.Due to heavey traffic, the Judd Bus made it back to the Jerusalem Center much later than the Muhlestein Bus. After carrying my suitcase down to my room, I went up to grab a quick bite in the Oasis and then headed into the gym to stretch and work my muscles on the stationary bike. I turned in earlier than usual (before midnight...) in hopes of making up for sleep lost in Galilee.
20 July 2011
It was another hot and humid day in the Galilee. With the sun burning down on our faces, we loaded the buses for a full day spent touring through three western cities of the Galilee: Chorazin, Sepphoris, and Akko.
The city of Chorazin was mentioned along with Capernaum and Bethsaida as a city where the Savior both visited and performed miracles. However, it was also mentioned along with Capernaum and Bethsaida as a cursed city - one bound for destruction - because its inhabitants would not accept the teachings of Christ and repent. The most astounding discovery at Chorazin was a black basalt stone armchair used in the synagogue during the reading of the Torah (or the Law of Moses). In Chorazin and other Galilean cities of Jesus' day, during the reading of the Law of Moses, the congregation sat on stone benches running along the sides of the walls. However, the elders sat facing the people with their backs to Jerusalem. The most distinguished of elders would sit on a stone armchair (similar to the one found) called the "seat of Moses". The stone armchair found at Chorazin is an exemplary illustration of the "seat of Moses" mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 23. He warned his disciples and the multitudes that "the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not according to their works, for they do not practice what they preach." It was a nice opportunity to reflect on the teachings of the Savior and His call for His people to repent and to follow after Him as their example as well as their teacher. (Chorazin is also a site where there are remnants of motes and beams!! So we took pictures of those as well!)
Sepphoris was the Roman capital of Galilee before Tiberias. This city later hosted members of the Sanhedrin, who completed the Mishnah there. Byzantine Christians and Crusaders also left their marks on the city. After Pompey conquered Judea in 63 BC, Sepphoris became the Roman capital of Galilee. Aided by his father, Anitpater, the future king Herod was named the governor of Galilee in 47 BC, with his headquarters in Sepphoris. After Herod's death in 4 BC, his son Antipas made Sepphoris the capital of his tetrarchy until he built a new capital at Tiberias. Roman-Herodian Sepphoris had a theater, a cardo, and many luxurious villas with fine mosaic floors, including the "Mone Lisa of the Galilee". It was among these mosaics that we spent most of our time. After the Second Revolt against Rome, The Jews were evicted from Judea. They were, however, allowed to live in Galilee. Consequently, the Sanhedrin moved to Sepphoris and completed the Mishnah in 200 AD. As part of their own effort to create the "Holy Land", Byzantine Christians built several churches at Sepphoris - one of which contained the famous "Nile mosaic". The first Crusdaers erected a small citadel atop Sepphoris. It was from Sepphoris that the Crusaders set out to meet Saladin at Hattin, where their defeat doomed the Crusader presence in the Holy Land. The mosaics were beautiful, especially the "Mona Lisa". It is amazing how one artist can fit together many different stones to create a work of art. The time spent to create such a work (the "Mona Lisa has approximately 500,000 stones) is unimaginable.
Akko was our final stop (and my favorite stop) before heading back to Ein Gev. Akko fuctioned as an important port during Canaanite, Old Testament, Roman, New Testament, and Crusader eras. Akko was captured by the Crusaders in 1104 AD and became the capital of the Crusader "kingdom" after Saladin took Jerusalem in 1187 AD. Genoese, Venetian, and Pisan merchants were assigned separate commerical quarters within the city, while the military orders - Templars and Hospitallers - each constructed large fortresses. These fortresses were the highlight of my visit. Inside the fortresses, we were able to explore different tunnels, water systems, and even Crusader latrines! As I stared at a map of the Crusader city of Akko, I was greeted with a memory of another Crusader city I had visited on the Greecian island of Rhodes. The city walls, the location of the port, the placement of the gates were almost identical to those in Rhodes. It wasn't until later that I learned that the same Crusaders had constructed both cities. After leaving the fortresses, we headed out to the pier (where there was a beautiful lighthouse!) to take pictures and play on the beach for a few minutes. I chose to stay on the pier to sketch and take pictures of everyone playing in the water. The couple of hours we spent in Akko were not enough to visit all of the sites that I wanted to see; two days would barely have been enough! I hope to someday be able to come back to Israel, even if it is just to go to Akko.
When we reached Ein Gev, we headed into dinner and I wandered down to the beach to take pictures of the sunset and wait for the night's fire bon. (If I haven't mentioned this already, the people at Ein Gev call bonfires "fire bons". We don't know why but it caught on among the students, and we now refer to bonfires as fire bons.) As I was taking pictures, Jenny S. came up behind me and asked me if I needed a photographer. I happily replied in the affirmative, and she spent the next little while taking pictures of me before the wood was lit for the fire bon. I was excited for another night of firelight with everyone. Unfortunately, it was not a night for s'mores but it was a night for skits. We were pleased to watch a skit called "Falling Rock" put on by Jarret Lever, Dallin Quinn, and Jarom Smith; I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time! Hahaha they did an excellent job and there were many calls for an encore, but Dallin disappeared to get some sleep so we were left to our disposal. I ended up spending the night talking to Ashley, as usual. We decided to take a last swim in the Sea of Galilee on our last night in Galilee....shhh, don't tell anyone! Haha. We ended up back on the beach around the fire with Holly, Amber, Josh, and Josiah for a little over an hour, talking and sharing stories. It was the perfect way to end our last night in Galilee...
The city of Chorazin was mentioned along with Capernaum and Bethsaida as a city where the Savior both visited and performed miracles. However, it was also mentioned along with Capernaum and Bethsaida as a cursed city - one bound for destruction - because its inhabitants would not accept the teachings of Christ and repent. The most astounding discovery at Chorazin was a black basalt stone armchair used in the synagogue during the reading of the Torah (or the Law of Moses). In Chorazin and other Galilean cities of Jesus' day, during the reading of the Law of Moses, the congregation sat on stone benches running along the sides of the walls. However, the elders sat facing the people with their backs to Jerusalem. The most distinguished of elders would sit on a stone armchair (similar to the one found) called the "seat of Moses". The stone armchair found at Chorazin is an exemplary illustration of the "seat of Moses" mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 23. He warned his disciples and the multitudes that "the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not according to their works, for they do not practice what they preach." It was a nice opportunity to reflect on the teachings of the Savior and His call for His people to repent and to follow after Him as their example as well as their teacher. (Chorazin is also a site where there are remnants of motes and beams!! So we took pictures of those as well!)
Sepphoris was the Roman capital of Galilee before Tiberias. This city later hosted members of the Sanhedrin, who completed the Mishnah there. Byzantine Christians and Crusaders also left their marks on the city. After Pompey conquered Judea in 63 BC, Sepphoris became the Roman capital of Galilee. Aided by his father, Anitpater, the future king Herod was named the governor of Galilee in 47 BC, with his headquarters in Sepphoris. After Herod's death in 4 BC, his son Antipas made Sepphoris the capital of his tetrarchy until he built a new capital at Tiberias. Roman-Herodian Sepphoris had a theater, a cardo, and many luxurious villas with fine mosaic floors, including the "Mone Lisa of the Galilee". It was among these mosaics that we spent most of our time. After the Second Revolt against Rome, The Jews were evicted from Judea. They were, however, allowed to live in Galilee. Consequently, the Sanhedrin moved to Sepphoris and completed the Mishnah in 200 AD. As part of their own effort to create the "Holy Land", Byzantine Christians built several churches at Sepphoris - one of which contained the famous "Nile mosaic". The first Crusdaers erected a small citadel atop Sepphoris. It was from Sepphoris that the Crusaders set out to meet Saladin at Hattin, where their defeat doomed the Crusader presence in the Holy Land. The mosaics were beautiful, especially the "Mona Lisa". It is amazing how one artist can fit together many different stones to create a work of art. The time spent to create such a work (the "Mona Lisa has approximately 500,000 stones) is unimaginable. 
Akko was our final stop (and my favorite stop) before heading back to Ein Gev. Akko fuctioned as an important port during Canaanite, Old Testament, Roman, New Testament, and Crusader eras. Akko was captured by the Crusaders in 1104 AD and became the capital of the Crusader "kingdom" after Saladin took Jerusalem in 1187 AD. Genoese, Venetian, and Pisan merchants were assigned separate commerical quarters within the city, while the military orders - Templars and Hospitallers - each constructed large fortresses. These fortresses were the highlight of my visit. Inside the fortresses, we were able to explore different tunnels, water systems, and even Crusader latrines! As I stared at a map of the Crusader city of Akko, I was greeted with a memory of another Crusader city I had visited on the Greecian island of Rhodes. The city walls, the location of the port, the placement of the gates were almost identical to those in Rhodes. It wasn't until later that I learned that the same Crusaders had constructed both cities. After leaving the fortresses, we headed out to the pier (where there was a beautiful lighthouse!) to take pictures and play on the beach for a few minutes. I chose to stay on the pier to sketch and take pictures of everyone playing in the water. The couple of hours we spent in Akko were not enough to visit all of the sites that I wanted to see; two days would barely have been enough! I hope to someday be able to come back to Israel, even if it is just to go to Akko.
When we reached Ein Gev, we headed into dinner and I wandered down to the beach to take pictures of the sunset and wait for the night's fire bon. (If I haven't mentioned this already, the people at Ein Gev call bonfires "fire bons". We don't know why but it caught on among the students, and we now refer to bonfires as fire bons.) As I was taking pictures, Jenny S. came up behind me and asked me if I needed a photographer. I happily replied in the affirmative, and she spent the next little while taking pictures of me before the wood was lit for the fire bon. I was excited for another night of firelight with everyone. Unfortunately, it was not a night for s'mores but it was a night for skits. We were pleased to watch a skit called "Falling Rock" put on by Jarret Lever, Dallin Quinn, and Jarom Smith; I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time! Hahaha they did an excellent job and there were many calls for an encore, but Dallin disappeared to get some sleep so we were left to our disposal. I ended up spending the night talking to Ashley, as usual. We decided to take a last swim in the Sea of Galilee on our last night in Galilee....shhh, don't tell anyone! Haha. We ended up back on the beach around the fire with Holly, Amber, Josh, and Josiah for a little over an hour, talking and sharing stories. It was the perfect way to end our last night in Galilee...
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
19 July 2011
Our days are numbered in Galilee...didn't we just get here? I feel as if all my mornings begin in the exact same way. I wake up, pull my hair into a ponytail, eat breakfast, and either get on the bus or go to class. So, you can imagine what I did this morning, I'm sure. It wasn't anything special. With breakfast finished, I went out to the bus so that we could make our way to the ancient city of Hazor. Hazor, the capitol of the greatest of the southern Canaanite city-states, was conquered by Joshua, became one of Solomon's "chariot cities", and was refortified by Ahab before the Assyrians destroyed it in the Eighth Century BC. Located north of the Sea of Galilee, it was built on a hilltop with an excellent water source.. From this hilltop vantage point, the inhabitants of Hazor controlled the north to south trade route between Damascus and Megiddo and the northwest to southeast route from Sidon to Beth Shean. Archaeologists found at least two temples at the stie - one of "standing stones" and a broadroom temple similar to the acropolis temple at Lachish. My favorite part of Hazor was standing on one of the guard towers and viewing the Upper Valleys of the Galilee in their entirity. Hazor really did have an advantage over its attackers because it was built on a hill.
After leaving Hazor, we returned to the buses to drive to Dan. Canaanite Laish, with a gate from Abraham's time, became Dan when the tribe of Dan conquered it, setting Israel's borders "from Dan to Beersheva." Archaeology has yielded evidence of the Danites' conquest, of the "House of David", and of Jeroboam's idolatrous altar. The ancient city of Dan is located in the midst of a nature reserve. It was absolutely beautiful to walk through the trees near natural springs in order to get to the tel. Plus, it was cool underneathe the cover of the trees' branches! Once we reached the tel, Brother Judd refreshed our minds with the history/significance of Dan in biblical times. Jeroboam's Kingdom (Israel) grew out of a tax revolt against King Solomon. Even though the tax revolt may have been motivated by righteous desires, it soon ended in idolatry for the newly established Kingdom of Israel when Jeroboam established idolatrous altars in Dan and Bethel. This idolatry has been contributed to the downfall of the Israelite Kingdom. Once Jeroboam constructed his altars and golden calves, idolatry had become the permanent ruler of the Israelite Kingdom until it was destoryed by the Assyrians in 721 BC. At the tel, we climb up to the "High Place" to take some pictures of golden calves and idol worshippers...the students, ourselves, became the golden calves and the worshippers. It was also at this point that Ashley began making up cheers about each of the sites we visited; this is what happens when the daughter of a varsity head-cheerleader is let loose! Haha :) At the top of the tel, we were able to look out into Lebanon and see the remains of a tank and a bunker used in the 1948 and 1967 wars. It was cool to have two separate histories from two separate times in the same place.
Banias (or Caesarea Philippi) was the location of our next stop. Situated at Mt. Hermon's foot, Banias guarded a major trade route from Tyre to Damascus and one of the Jordan's sources - the Banias River - which runs down to a spectacular waterfall. It was this waterfall that was the reason for our visit. The trek to the waterfall took us down various switchbacks, stairs, and pathes, but we eventually made it to the water! The water was raging, but it was beautiful. Covered by tree branches, it was relatively cool as the falling water misted the air, but as more and more people invaded the small space, it heated up quickly. I took a few quick pictures, and then went back to the bus to await the departure to our next destination: Nimrod Fortress.
The Nimrod Fortress, built up by Crusaders, was destroyed in 1219. The surviving castle represents a complete rebuilding by Ayyubid and Mamluk Muslim rulers in the mid-13th Century AD, but the rebuilders did incorporate feature typical of Crusader engineering and architecture: massive piers, pointed arches, and pointed vaults. To get into the castle, we did the obvious; with swords and shields in stands, and with Brother Muhlestein as our leader, we stormed the castle by running up its main ramp and through its main gate. Sword fights broke out, yelling occurred, and the castle was conquered. It was the perfect way to get us excited about the castle...well, some of us. Kymberly, who had spent the past summer studying in Wales and visiting castles every other day, wasn't looking forward to exploring another castle. But I dragged her along with me anyway! We began by making our way down to the dungeons, where we discovered a bunch of bats! I don't think I like bats... After making our way back up to the sunlight, I notice something in the distance: The Keep! And off we went. On our way to the Keep, we were attacked by Josiah and his followers. We sought for cover, but it was too late. We couldn't outrun them, and they had us outnumbered. We were given the choice to join their ranks or be killed. Unfortunately, I really wanted to go up to the Keep so we didn't join their ranks. The way to the Keep was steep and hot, but we eventually made it; the view was beautiful and the wind felt amazing! From the Keep, we travelled back down to the main gate of the castle (passed Josiah and his men). On our way, I grabbed T.C.'s hand and dragged him with us because he had been sitting on a rock in the same place since we got there! We visited another dungeon (where I acted out the part!) and then had to go back to the bus. On the way to the bus, I got a much needed Mango popsicle. It was just what I needed to help get me through the day.
Our last stop was at an overlook into Syria, one that had been used heavily by the military during the Six Days War of 1967. The bunkers, the bomb shelters, and the artillery units were fun to explore. We stayed at this site long enough for Brother Judd to explain a bit about it and for the students to take pictures, and then we got back on the buses to head back to Ein Gev.
As the night wore on, bonfires were lit on the beach and our true characters broke out. There is just something about the firelight that brings out the true selves of people. Sister Huntington provided supplies of marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. Yeah, that's right: S'mores! I haven't eaten a S'more since my senior year of high school. I have missed the taste of gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate in my mouth. Yum! I didn't last long at the bonfire and began falling asleep in my chair, so I decided to head up to my bungalow a little earlier than usual (10:30pm) in order to catch up on some sleep. By midnight, I was wide awake...so I got up and headed down to the beach to stare off into the water for about an hour. It did the trick, and I was able to fall quickly back to sleep.
After leaving Hazor, we returned to the buses to drive to Dan. Canaanite Laish, with a gate from Abraham's time, became Dan when the tribe of Dan conquered it, setting Israel's borders "from Dan to Beersheva." Archaeology has yielded evidence of the Danites' conquest, of the "House of David", and of Jeroboam's idolatrous altar. The ancient city of Dan is located in the midst of a nature reserve. It was absolutely beautiful to walk through the trees near natural springs in order to get to the tel. Plus, it was cool underneathe the cover of the trees' branches! Once we reached the tel, Brother Judd refreshed our minds with the history/significance of Dan in biblical times. Jeroboam's Kingdom (Israel) grew out of a tax revolt against King Solomon. Even though the tax revolt may have been motivated by righteous desires, it soon ended in idolatry for the newly established Kingdom of Israel when Jeroboam established idolatrous altars in Dan and Bethel. This idolatry has been contributed to the downfall of the Israelite Kingdom. Once Jeroboam constructed his altars and golden calves, idolatry had become the permanent ruler of the Israelite Kingdom until it was destoryed by the Assyrians in 721 BC. At the tel, we climb up to the "High Place" to take some pictures of golden calves and idol worshippers...the students, ourselves, became the golden calves and the worshippers. It was also at this point that Ashley began making up cheers about each of the sites we visited; this is what happens when the daughter of a varsity head-cheerleader is let loose! Haha :) At the top of the tel, we were able to look out into Lebanon and see the remains of a tank and a bunker used in the 1948 and 1967 wars. It was cool to have two separate histories from two separate times in the same place. 
Banias (or Caesarea Philippi) was the location of our next stop. Situated at Mt. Hermon's foot, Banias guarded a major trade route from Tyre to Damascus and one of the Jordan's sources - the Banias River - which runs down to a spectacular waterfall. It was this waterfall that was the reason for our visit. The trek to the waterfall took us down various switchbacks, stairs, and pathes, but we eventually made it to the water! The water was raging, but it was beautiful. Covered by tree branches, it was relatively cool as the falling water misted the air, but as more and more people invaded the small space, it heated up quickly. I took a few quick pictures, and then went back to the bus to await the departure to our next destination: Nimrod Fortress. 
The Nimrod Fortress, built up by Crusaders, was destroyed in 1219. The surviving castle represents a complete rebuilding by Ayyubid and Mamluk Muslim rulers in the mid-13th Century AD, but the rebuilders did incorporate feature typical of Crusader engineering and architecture: massive piers, pointed arches, and pointed vaults. To get into the castle, we did the obvious; with swords and shields in stands, and with Brother Muhlestein as our leader, we stormed the castle by running up its main ramp and through its main gate. Sword fights broke out, yelling occurred, and the castle was conquered. It was the perfect way to get us excited about the castle...well, some of us. Kymberly, who had spent the past summer studying in Wales and visiting castles every other day, wasn't looking forward to exploring another castle. But I dragged her along with me anyway! We began by making our way down to the dungeons, where we discovered a bunch of bats! I don't think I like bats... After making our way back up to the sunlight, I notice something in the distance: The Keep! And off we went. On our way to the Keep, we were attacked by Josiah and his followers. We sought for cover, but it was too late. We couldn't outrun them, and they had us outnumbered. We were given the choice to join their ranks or be killed. Unfortunately, I really wanted to go up to the Keep so we didn't join their ranks. The way to the Keep was steep and hot, but we eventually made it; the view was beautiful and the wind felt amazing! From the Keep, we travelled back down to the main gate of the castle (passed Josiah and his men). On our way, I grabbed T.C.'s hand and dragged him with us because he had been sitting on a rock in the same place since we got there! We visited another dungeon (where I acted out the part!) and then had to go back to the bus. On the way to the bus, I got a much needed Mango popsicle. It was just what I needed to help get me through the day. 
Our last stop was at an overlook into Syria, one that had been used heavily by the military during the Six Days War of 1967. The bunkers, the bomb shelters, and the artillery units were fun to explore. We stayed at this site long enough for Brother Judd to explain a bit about it and for the students to take pictures, and then we got back on the buses to head back to Ein Gev. As the night wore on, bonfires were lit on the beach and our true characters broke out. There is just something about the firelight that brings out the true selves of people. Sister Huntington provided supplies of marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. Yeah, that's right: S'mores! I haven't eaten a S'more since my senior year of high school. I have missed the taste of gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate in my mouth. Yum! I didn't last long at the bonfire and began falling asleep in my chair, so I decided to head up to my bungalow a little earlier than usual (10:30pm) in order to catch up on some sleep. By midnight, I was wide awake...so I got up and headed down to the beach to stare off into the water for about an hour. It did the trick, and I was able to fall quickly back to sleep.
18 July 2011
Our last free day on the beach was one well spent...
I woke up surprisingly chipper this morning even though I only got three hours of sleep last night! After three hours in New Testament, we ran to the beach! There is nothing better than swimming in the fresh water of the Sea of Galilee. I could spend hours playing in its waves, playing in its shallows; and with a group of amazing friends, it was all the better. The first couple of hours in the water were spent rather calmly. I swam back and forth, floated on the surface, and lounged in the shallows with the girls. As soon as lunch had come and gone, the real party began! We began the afternoon with a game of Utlimate Frisbee. Have you ever tried running through water that comes to your knees? It is a lot harder than it sounds! I made a few choice catches, but after diving and landing on a rock, I had to call it quits. The fact that my hand and knee were bleeding didn't help convince me to continue playing either! So I swam into the deeper waters where a group of girls had gathered. Within fifteen minutes we were ambushed! Those playing Ultimate Frisbee had constructed wands out of sticks and were running towards us shouting spells! It was hilarious! I have never been in a group this familiar with Harry Potter...it was the best. It got to the point that we were casting spells and reacting to them. My favorite, however, was when someone was declared a Port Key. Everyone else would dive at that person, who would then spin under the water and take everyone with him! It was great fun.
I woke up surprisingly chipper this morning even though I only got three hours of sleep last night! After three hours in New Testament, we ran to the beach! There is nothing better than swimming in the fresh water of the Sea of Galilee. I could spend hours playing in its waves, playing in its shallows; and with a group of amazing friends, it was all the better. The first couple of hours in the water were spent rather calmly. I swam back and forth, floated on the surface, and lounged in the shallows with the girls. As soon as lunch had come and gone, the real party began! We began the afternoon with a game of Utlimate Frisbee. Have you ever tried running through water that comes to your knees? It is a lot harder than it sounds! I made a few choice catches, but after diving and landing on a rock, I had to call it quits. The fact that my hand and knee were bleeding didn't help convince me to continue playing either! So I swam into the deeper waters where a group of girls had gathered. Within fifteen minutes we were ambushed! Those playing Ultimate Frisbee had constructed wands out of sticks and were running towards us shouting spells! It was hilarious! I have never been in a group this familiar with Harry Potter...it was the best. It got to the point that we were casting spells and reacting to them. My favorite, however, was when someone was declared a Port Key. Everyone else would dive at that person, who would then spin under the water and take everyone with him! It was great fun. As Harry Potter evolved, so did new games. We played Harry Potter Says - our own version of Simon Says - and Shipwrecked. It was in the middle of Shipwrecked that the waves began picking up. It was at this point that we formed circles, putting our arms around each other, and spun; could anything have been more fun? As the waves crashed over us, we continued to spin...choking out water. I nearly drowned, but it was fun. Six o'clock came much too quickly for any of us, but then I looked at my arms. From my shoulders down, my skin felt tight and it was beginning to glow. With a sigh, I gathered my stuff and headed up to my bungalow for a hot shower, to slather my skin in aloe vera, and to sit in a cold, wet towel. My children are doomed to be lobsters. It doesn't matter how much sunscreen I put on or how often I put it on; I will end up with a sunburn.
Dinner was fun, but it was after dinner that things really got going. A short Family Home Evening was held among ten to fifteen of us, and then we dispersed to do our own thing. I spent some time on the beach reading my scriptures, but I ended up near a random bungalow talking to Jenessa for most of the evening. It was nice talking to her and sharing things with her that I don't openly talk about with most people. This study abroad has really given me an opportunity to open up and meet new people; it came at the perfect time in my life. With friends getting married and going on missions, I was really worried about the fall semester, but now I have nothing to fear. It has always been harder for me to have girlfriends. Boys, no problem, but girls are tricky. So it has been great to have a few girls that I have been able to get close to and rely on these past few months. It will be fun when we get back to school and can spend time together in different settings!
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