It is hard to believe that another week has come and gone. Wasn't it just the Sabbath? At times I feel like I have been here for over a month but then I look back and wonder where my week went. Time passes; that's for sure. I'm almost afraid to blink my eyes, in fear that I'll wake up from this beautiful dream.
As the first Sabbath of the month, it was fast and testimony meeting. The Spirit that was there was unbelievable. The testimonies that were shared testified of the Savior, His mission on the Earth, and His Atonement. The meeting passed by far too quickly.
I received a calling today. It came as a shock when the District President (similar to a Stake President) approached me yesterday afternoon to ask if I would accept this call; it may shock others as well. I have been called to be a seminary teacher in the Israel District for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. As a seminary teacher, I will have the opportunity to share my testimony with a few youth living within the district. The book of study for the year is The Doctrine and Covenants (beginning in Section 115), and the prophets will also be studied. I look forward to serving the youth of the Church with anticipation and worry. I have never taught anyone over the age of ten before! I don't know how to do this.. But I guess that's why I have been called. The Lord must have something in store for me, something to teach me. I am excited for the opportunity.
To answer a few questions that some of you may be harboring, there are very few Latter Day Saint youth living within Israel. However, there aren't zero. Many families move to the United States or send their children to the United States to attend colleges and universities. It is in the United States that they are introduced and converted to the Church. They then move back to Israel as members of the Church. (For those of you who are unaware, it is illegal for any LDS proselyting in Israel. The Church has made a contract with the Israeli government promising that no proselyting or missionary work of any kind will occur within the country, except for among those who are already members. So it is very rare for there to be Israeli/Palestinian members of the Church.) There are currently two students who are of seminary age. One is a young man living in Galilee. The other is the daughter of one of the professors teaching at the BYU Jerusalem Center. The young man will be taught via Skype, except when the opportunity arises to teach him in person. Megan, the young woman, will be taught once a week on Shabbat. While the group is small, the opportunity to learn is great. I look forward to serving in this capacity and learning more about the Doctrine and Covenants and the prophets of the Church.
In our Old Testament course, we are currently studying the Exodus. So what better way to spend the evening of Shabbat than watching The Prince of Egypt. With at least 60 students crammed into a small room, we sang and laughed and quoted a movie known to each of us from Sabbath days in the past. It was an evening of close quarters, but no one seemed to mind the heat or the uncomfortable positions. It was definitely an evening that will be remembered when looking back on our Jerusalem Study Abroad.
For Your Information: I have posted a link on this page. It is found under my main picture and profile information on the right side of the page. It is labeled "Jerusalem 2011 Pictures." I should warn you. I have not edited or sorted through good/bad pictures. There are some that were also left unlabeled, mostly scenery pictures. I will update these at least once a week. Again, thank you for all of your support!
No comments:
Post a Comment