12 May 2011

The original blog post for this day was erased off of blogspot.com for some odd reason. I hoping that it will return in a couple of days. If not, I will do my best to recall what happened on this day.

“If I forget thee, O Jerusalem…”

It was another perfect day in the ancient city of Jerusalem. The early morning began with Old Testament as usual. We are currently studying the Exodus and the Children of Israel in the Judean Wilderness. It has been interesting to learn about this while being in the land they were to inherit. It’s much easier to relate to what the people went through. Although, it would be nice if we could actually go to Egypt! There’s not much I can do about that though. We leave for Turkey on Sunday which I am excited for. It should be a really good experience. I feel like I am much more prepared than I was two years ago when I went to Turkey. Brother Judd, one of our faithful religion teachers, spent over two hours tonight going over Paul’s journey through Asia Minor. It was a lot of information, but it will be helpful when we get there. I hope to make this a spiritual experience rather than a tourist experience. I’ve had the latter. So I am going to spend the very long bus rides between sites studying Paul’s teachings.

Due to a family emergency, Dr. Ophir Yarden cancelled our Judaism class today. I felt bad and was kind of worried about what may have happened, but I was also elated. That meant an extra three hours to spend in Jerusalem. I chose to visit the Tomb of the Kings with quite a few other people: Josh, Jess, Joan, Adam, Taylor, and Scott. We had a blast! The tombs are said to have belonged to Queen Helena of Mesopotamia and her dynasty. You have to crawl through a little hole to get inside, and once you do, it is pitch black. The tombs are dark, damp, and smell of mold, but they were really cool. We enjoyed taking many, many pictures and climbing into tombs. Our clothes were covered in dirt and mold and who knows what when we left, but it was fun! After the tomb, we walked around East Jerusalem for a bit before heading back up to the J.C. for lunch and Islam.

I didn’t go back into the city in the afternoon. I ended up doing homework in preparation for Brother Judd’s lecture which I mentioned previously. They asked us to read quite a bit from Acts and Revelations and to study a few maps so that we would have a better idea of what Brother Judd was talking about. It was an exciting afternoon; let me tell you… Haha but it is good to take a break every once in a while. At least I went out in the morning. That was a blast. I really try to go out into the city daily. It would be a waste not to (as I am sure I have said multiple times). There’s no point to stay in the Jeru Center each and every day. Plus, I would go crazy! As much fun as it is to do homework and study and play volleyball, basketball, or ping-pong, it is much more enjoyable to run around the city and interact with the people there.

There is so much to see. I am so thankful to be here and to have this opportunity. I miss being home – more than words can express, but I wouldn’t give up this experience for anything else.