02 July 2011

It has been such a wonderful day! I can’t believe another week has gone by, though. Wasn’t it just the Sabbath? I was fortunate enough to visit Orson Hyde Park and the Garden of Gethsemane early this morning. It was a very special experience for me. Both Orson Hyde Park and Gethsemane are located on the base of the Mount of Olives, where ancient Gethsemane spanned. As I wandered through Orson Hyde Park and Gethsemane all of my thoughts were turned to a passage found in Luke, one describing the Atonement of the Savior. “And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives…and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou will be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done… And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling on the ground.” The sacrifice of the Savior is more than any man can imagine, than any man can conceive. He took on all the sins of the world, feeling the pains, the sorrows of all mankind. He made a perfect atonement, one that can be experienced by all men if they repent and turn to Him. The atonement of Jesus Christ redeems all mankind from the fall of Adam and protects them from their own individual sins through the process of repentance. I know that through the Savior, Jesus Christ, we can find happiness and joy; we can return to the Father again and live in an exalted state. Christ paid the ultimate price for me. He knows my pains; he knows my sorrows. He understands my fears; he understands my heartaches. If I open the door, He will travel every step with me on this earth, carrying me when times are hard, holding my hand when I feel like I can’t go on. Jesus Christ is my Savior. I testify of His glory, of His godliness. He lives. He is the Only Begotten Son of the Father. He came to this earth to redeem all mankind. His arm is outstretched still, beckoning man to “come follow Him.”

I spent the afternoon in the gardens of the Jerusalem Center, sitting on the grass while leaning against a pillar. The sun was shining; the air was still. It was the perfect day to spend outside. I began by writing a couple of letters to friends and family. There’s nothing quite like writing an actual letter with pen and paper. It has such a calming effect on me. With letters written and addressed, I sat and listened to music while staring out over the Old City. I quickly lost track of the time. (I may or may not have fallen asleep.) Before I knew it, the time had come for dinner to be served in the Oasis. My stomach was delighted, as it had been growling since nine o’clock in the morning! Dinner consisted of the usual Sabbath meal: rice, vegetables, potatoes, meat, and the crowd favorite, ice cream. It was quite delicious.

With dinner completed, it was time for me to teach seminary. There are only four lessons left! I taught on three presidents of the church and different acts they performed during their presidencies: John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow. I felt like the lesson went fairly well. It is always difficult for me to tell, however, because my student is so quiet. She hardly ever makes a sound. I often wonder if she is listening to me at times. I can only hope that she is gaining an understanding of the Doctrine and Covenants and the previous prophets of the church.

The evening was spent in the Student Lounge watching The Sound of Music. Julie Andrews is one of my favorite actresses, next to Audrey Hepburn and Sandra Bullock. Her voice knocks me clear out of the water. I happily sang along with many of the songs, adding to the commentaries of those sitting around me. Once the movie was over, I made my way back to my room with full intentions of going to bed. Only I ended up watching Emma instead. Emma is one of those movies that I could watch over and over again so it was worth staying up to watch. Plus, it put a perfect end to yet another perfect day in the city of Jerusalem.