06 August 2011

Due to the lateness of the hour when I went to bed last night, I ended up sleeping in this morning. I haven’t slept in very often since coming to Jerusalem; my body is craving rest! I woke up with about an hour to get ready and make it to church on time. All three of my roommates had gone to either the Garden Tomb or the Garden of Gethsemane so I had the room to myself for the next hour. That rarely happens. It was nice to be able to listen to my Sunday tunes and take up the entire bathroom as I got ready. That is something I have greatly missed. Don’t get me wrong, though. I love my roommates; I think they are great. But I miss the time I have always had to myself on Sabbath mornings to get ready and to think about the meaning of this special day.

As I climbed the stairs to the eighth floor of the Jerusalem Center to the auditorium where Sacrament Meeting is held, a thought flooded through me: this was my last Sabbath in Jerusalem. Next Sunday, I would be sitting inside of a chapel staring at a while wall instead of in the Jerusalem Center staring out over the beautiful Old City, the Dome of the Rock, the Judean Hills. I don’t want to see that white wall! All good things must come to an end, I guess. The meeting went by very smoothly. When I walked into the auditorium, I was pulled down to the stage with Joan to sing with the choir. I can’t remember what we sang, but I had never seen it before in my life! (People said it sounded good though.) As the first Sabbath of the month, it was Fast Sabbath – meaning fast and testimony meeting. President Ohman, our Branch President, made a point to let the permanent members share their testimonies before any of the students. I know that a few students were upset because this was our last Fast Sabbath in Jerusalem, but the messages, the stories, the spirit these people shared were exactly what I needed. The sweetness of a simple testimony can influence you in so many ways. It will be hard to go back to a meeting house that isn’t set on the Mount of Olives, that doesn’t overlook the Old City of Jerusalem. But, the spirit will be the same. That is one thing I love about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; no matter where you are in the world, no matter what language you are speaking, no matter what culture you are a part of, the Gospel that is taught is the same, the spirit is the same.

The two hours following church, I planned my lesson for seminary and just relaxed. At three o’clock in the afternoon, we were pleased to have a ‘fireside’ given by Professor Kearl. It wasn’t anything spiritual or doctrinal; rather, he shared the story of the Jerusalem Center and how it came to be. It was very interesting to learn about all that had to happen for me to be studying here. With the fireside over, we flooded into dinner and then I was able to give my seminary lesson, my last seminary lesson (at least for this time in my life). The lesson greatly centered on the Savior as we read The Living Christ and our roles as members of His Church. It was amazing how quickly time flew by. Before I knew it, it was six o’clock in the evening and time for me to run through songs with everyone and their dogs!

Tonight was our ‘experience’ in the Upper Room. A triclinium (three-sided table one would recline at) was constructed on the stage of the eighth floor auditorium, songs were sung, explanations were given, and John 13-17 and Matthew 26 were read by students. It was a very sweet experience to remember the Sacrament and think about the purpose of it. I accompanied on the piano for each of the special musical experiences – all three of them. And I didn’t mess up which was a definite relief! At the end of the program, we were given fifteen minutes of quiet contemplation time. It was amazing to remember the Savior and his Last Supper.

Later that night (like, 9:30p) I left the Jerusalem Center with the Chadwicks and a few girlfriends to hang out on Ben Yehuda Street…to close Shabbat. It was a lot of fun to hang out with them and welcome the new day! There was a girl there that was hula-hooping like no other! It was amazing. She had two hula-hoops; they both lit up with colored lights. And she sparked my newest dream in life. To be an Olympic Hula-Hooper! Sounds like just the life, right? Haha seriously, she was so entertaining. As we made our way up Ben Yehuda, we stopped to get some ice cream (the sun had set…Shabbat was over); I got triple chocolate and cookies n cream. Oh baby, oh baby – it was delicious! Triple chocolate has marshmallow in it! Nothing is better than marshmallow! (I don’t want to hear it Candace…you love marshmallow, and you know it!!) The night ended far too quickly, but we had a curfew to beat. So we piled back into the Chadwick’s car and headed back to the J.C…to find the building completely empty.

As we walked around the Center, there was no one in sight! It was kind of creepy. We eventually found them…in the Library…playing Murderer in the Dark!! Haha I love the people that I live with. They make life so much more fun! (This was also the night that Joshua and Chris tried to pour water into my mouth from the level above as I laid on the couch…yeah…it didn’t work!!) Haha we ended up going to be at about two o’clock in the morning…yeah. It was late. But why not?