11 August 2011

O Jerusalem, if I forget you…

It was a lot harder for me to wake up this morning than I thought it would be; but then again, I didn’t go to sleep until after two o’clock in the morning…haha so I should have expected to be tired! I didn’t let my sleepy eyes get the best of me, though. Rather, I got up and got dressed and ran upstairs for breakfast! Breakfast was…okay this morning. Nothing really sounded good so I had a couple pieces of watermelon and a piece of bread. I am excited to go back to a different breakfast every day. Oatmeal, pancakes, eggs, waffles, quiche, smoothies…the possibilities are endless! I am also excited for my Simply Orange. The orange juice in Jerusalem is more like Tang than anything else. I like Tang, but it isn’t Simply Orange…nothing really compares to a cold glass of Simply Orange, though. As soon as I finished breakfast, I headed downstairs to wait for Ashley on the fourth floor. We had planned to grab Jarom and go to Hezekiah’s tunnel this morning. But…Jarom wasn’t really up to it so we ended up changing our plans – it turned out really well, though! I love Hezekiah’s Tunnel but I am glad that we didn’t go today. There were other things that we did that I am happy we did instead.

Rather than go to Hezekiah’s we decided to go to the Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene. This church is set on the Mount of Olives above the Garden of Gethsemane and can be seen from miles around. Its golden spires are absolutely beautiful and unforgettable. We didn’t spend a lot of time inside of the church, just enough to get good pictures. Then we headed out so that we could accomplish other things and get to the Garden Tomb before it closed at noon! So we made our way to the bottom of the Mount of Olives – taking a walk around the Garden of Gethsemane – and walked up to Lion’s Gate. I have used Lion’s Gate a lot this semester. Most students choose to walk through Damascus Gate, but if I had a choice, I would choose Lion’s Gate. It is just as close to the sites of the Old City, but it isn’t as crowded. It is nice not to be shoved and suffocated when walking down the streets! We walked up to the Christian Quarter to purchase a few last items from Shabon; our visit lasted much longer than I thought it was going to, but I didn’t mind. I enjoyed sitting out in the streets and taking pictures of the people passing by.

As we made our way toward the Garden Tomb, we stopped to buy some saffron as well as some gummies for the plane ride home… The Garden Tomb is my favorite place in Jerusalem beside the Western Wall. I couldn’t leave without one more visit. While I wandered around the grounds of the garden, I reflected on my time here in Jerusalem and everything I have seen and done…all the people I have met and interacted with. It is hard to believe that I have been here for four months; it feels like it’s only been a few weeks or so. When I signed up to come on the BYU Jerusalem Study Abroad, my main reason for doing so was because I wanted to go to Egypt. The fact that I was going to Jerusalem did not really play into my decision. I wanted to go to Egypt and see the pyramids and learn about the ancient pharaohs. However, as many of you know, I did not get to go to Egypt. Instead, I was taken to Turkey. This bummed me out for a couple of weeks prior to departure. I thought about not going…but from the urging of a close friend, I decided to come and learn and see the Holy land. And I couldn’t be more grateful. I may have signed up for Egypt, but I came…I stayed to become closer to my Savior, my Redeemer – Jesus Christ. He is the reason I am here. He is the reason. The past four months I have come to know Him in ways unimaginable. I know that He lives. I know that he suffered and died for me so that I can return and be with Him and the Father again. He provided a way for me to be saved and I am so thankful for Him. I know He lives and I look forward to seeing Him again someday. Before leaving the Garden Tomb, we chose to sing a few Hymns. It left me with a feeling of peace and calm…I would be leaving Jerusalem, but it would not be leaving me.

Ashley, Jarom, and I walked back to the Jerusalem Center in silence. Few words were exchanged as we made our way past the walls of the City, through the Kidron Valley, and up the hill to the J.C. It wasn’t until we stopped for our last Magnum bar that any words were exchanged…that the threat of tears ever came. Lucky, we calmed our feelings of sadness by going to the park beneath the Center and playing on the teeter-totter and going down the slide. (We also played on a spinning toy…bad idea. Ashley and I were so sick afterward!!)
Back at the Center, I finished packing up my belongings and typing up my journal. It was a very calm afternoon…but very strange. As students rushed around to get their things together, to get their luggage up the stairs, I could help but wonder where they were going. And then, I remembered that they were leaving. At seven o’clock tonight, we walked out fifty of our best friends to say goodbye. It was hard; I’m not going to lie. Some tears were shed; hugs were given. No words can explain the feeling of watching their buses drive away…some of us felt like they were just going on a field trip and that we would see them again soon. But that wasn’t the case. They were going home and we would soon follow.

How do you spend eight hours at night? Well, I watch movies, copy pictures onto my hard drive, and stare at people. I had no idea that eight hours would pass by so slowly. I was ready to leave the Center by midnight…but our bus wasn’t leaving until three o’clock in the morning. It was a long and quiet night. It was almost eerie with only thirty of us left at the Center….

I am excited to go home. But I am going to miss Jerusalem. This has been the best summer of my life, the greatest experience of my life. I am so thankful for the chance I have had to come to this land…to learn about Jesus Christ and His life and to grow closer to Him and His Father. I know He lives. And I love Him. Thank you to all of those who made this trip possible…especially to my loving family, my grandparents, my parents. I wouldn’t be here without you. I’ll see you all in twenty-eight hours.