08 May 2011

There is no student in the world who doesn’t appreciate the phrase “Snow Day.” While no snow falls during Jerusalem’s summer, school was not in session. Instead, we were granted a day of play. We could leave the city (with permission) or wander the ancient streets of Jerusalem or adventure through the tall skyscrapers of West Jerusalem. Every student left the J.C. in search of fun and excitement. I’d like to say we all found just that. I know I did.

Accompanied by Morgan Crockett and Kim Stone, I left the J.C. promptly at 8:00 o’clock in the morning for the Old City. We entered through Lion’s Gate and wandered into two churches: the Church of the Flagellation and the Church of Condemnation. These churches presented beautiful artwork. We then head to a Lutheran Cathedral down the way where we stopped in for a few minutes of Mass. The audience was made up for four nuns, two worships, and the three of us. Apparently there isn’t a large Lutheran population in the Old City. Either that or no one actively participates in the church services anymore. Oddly, I think the answer is somewhere in between. As with other parts of the world, Jerusalem is being desensitized from religion and turned to the things of the world.

Following the tradition of churches, we founded the Temple Mount the perfect place to go. After stopping by the Western Wall to snap a few photographs that weren’t taken when we welcomed Shabbat, we headed up the ramp and onto the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount is a sacred site for many religions, namely the Jewish and the Muslim. Currently, the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Asaq Mosques occupy the space upon the mount, with the Dome of the Rock on the holiest site of Mount Moriah. While this site holds little significance to me now, it will play a part in my future with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The gardens and buildings around the Temple Mount are beautiful, providing for many photographs to be taken. It was nice to get lost in thought and recognize the peacefulness of the Holy Spirit in the area. My one wish is to one day see the inside of the Dome of the Rock or even the Al-Asaq Mosque. Both are not open for visitation, strictly for Muslim worship. However, the views were breathtaking and the experience was a once in a lifetime chance for most.

At 11:00 in the morning, we met up at the Y.M.C.A. tomorrow with President Ohman and a few other students from the J.C. President Ohman, the Branch President, plays the carillon in the Y.M.C.A. Tower and invites students to come up with him to the top. I was given the opportunity to play the carillon for all of Jerusalem to hear. I chose to play Be Still, My Soul. It was amazing! I had never done anything like it before in my life. I now have a burning desire to learn how to play both the organ and the carillon. While I will probably rarely ever get to play the carillon, the organ is something I will be able to play throughout my life. And for those of you who are wondering how the organ played into this though, carillons have foot pedals. These foot pedals are exactly those on an organ except that they ring bells instead of blowing air through pipes. This was a great experience, and I hope to do it again before I leave in a few months.

Lunch was eaten in Independence Park in West Jerusalem. The rest of the day was spent wandering around West Jerusalem. We went to the Open Air Jewish Market and looked at different vegetables, spices, nuts, and meats. We wandered down King George Street and into the mall. We went back into the Old City to purchase a few things (gummies and baklava, of course). We made it back to the J.C. at 5:00 o’clock in the afternoon and relaxed until our delicious dinner began.

The remainder of the evening went smoothly. The Shekel Shack, a snack shack open within the J.C. from 8:30p-10:00p for all our snacking needs, opened with a celebration of music and games. I played Phase 10 with a group of people and lost miserably! I didn’t know I was that horrible at cards! It took me four or five rounds just to get back Phase One! Haha but I soon got over it when 9:30p rolled around and I had the opportunity to call home and speak with my family.. Happy Mother’s Day to the best mom in the world. I feel like shouting this from the top of Mount Scopus. It was like a dream to get to hear the voices of my family members and hear little Samantha say “Shell” and “Plane” over and over again in the background. It was good to tell them “I love you” and hear it in return. I miss my family. I’m not afraid to admit it. It is difficult to be away from home in another country. I constantly wonder how LDS missionaries do it. They must have great courage and strength because it is difficult. It was nice to speak with them for about an hour and wish my mom and Happy Mother’s Day. I look forward to speaking with them again in a couple of weeks. But until then…