23 July 2011

Happy Sabbath, everyone! There really is nothing comparable to a Sabbath in Jerusalem. They always leave me in the best of spirits, in the best of attitudes. They leave me happy and content. I hope this carries over when I get home...I guess that will be up to me!

There were pancakes at breakfast this morning. That should be a definite indicator that it was an amazing day. I love having pancakes on Sabbath morning (waffles and French toast are good too)! At breakfast, Andrew Null and Julie Rencher were trying to find someone to go with them to the Garden of Gethsemane before church started. I was interested, but I didn't say yes or no. They took my indecision as a yes and we met at 8:30 to walk down to Gethsemane together. I am very happy that I went with them. Starting off your day with a visit to Gethsemane (or the Garden Tomb) is unlike any other. It leaves you with such a sweet spirit. I read a talk given by Elder C. Scott Grow in the April 2011 General Conference entitled The Miracle of the Atonement. The Atonment is so encompassing. It brings hope to every individual on the earth if he will turn to Jesus Christ and repent. The love of Jesus Christ is impossible to comprehend. He did so much for us, so much for me. I am so thankful for the power of the Atonement in my life. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He suffered for me, making it possible for me to inherit Eternal Life. I am so thankful for Him and for His sacrifice. I am far from perfect, but the Atonement brings me one step closer to perfectiong, one step closer to him.

Church was amazing today. Sarah, Tyson, and Jeehee all spoke, but the talk that stuck out to me the most was Jeehee's. She spoke on making the best out of the situations we are handed in life. There will always be something that will go wrong in our lives; we can't control everything. But we can either look at these situations negatively or positively; we can either learn from them or allow them to bring us down. I have so many decisions to make in my life right now: what I want to be when I grow up, if I want to serve a mission, who I am going to marry, when I am going to start a family, etc. etc. Each of these decisions will have a postiive or a negative outcome; something could go wrong and I will have to take Plan B. But, as long as I have a positive outlook and turn to the Father in prayer for guidance, I will get through it. God doesn't leave us alone. He provides for us and creates ways for us to be comforted, for us to find peace. Instead of attending Sabbath School and Relief Society, I ended up in Primary today. It is a long story as to how this happened, but I am glad it did. I was with the Sunbeam class. The lesson was taught by Elise; it was simple but so powerful: be obedient. I fear I take the simpleness of the gospel for granted far too often. It is the little things that bring us back to our Father: prayer, scripture study, church attendence, kindness, keeping the Word of Wisdom - keeping the commandments. Sharing Time was about the temple and how we can prepare to enter into the temple. Again, it's the simple things that matter. If we do those little things, we will be better prepared to obtain the greater mysteries, the greater teachings of the gospel. The little things help us grow closer to our Savior and to our Father in Heaven.

When church was over, I carried sleeping Jacob Muhlestein to family's apartment on the fifth floor of the J.C. to put him into his bed. Before laying him down, he kissed my cheek and told me goodnight. It was the sweetest thing in the world. It is so much fun to have these kids in the Jerusalem Center; they bring a whole other level of Christ into my life. It is such a blessing. I spent the afternoon outside on the grass preparing for my seminary lesson, finishing letters, and taking a nap. It was an excellent afternoon. I didn't get much 'alone time' in Galilee so it was nice to have three hours all to myself. Dinner came and went without a bother; I was slightly disappointed that there wasn't any ice cream, though! Maybe tomorrow? Haha. After dinner, I went straight in to teach seminary. It isn't easy being a seminary teacher. There is a lot of information that you have to learn and to study in order to teach a student. But I realized something today...that I have known for many years; I am not the teacher. The Holy Ghost is the teacher. And it made all the difference. Very rarely did I need to look down at my notes, and when I did, I ended up getting lost in my lesson. It was an amazing feeling. I haven't been given very many opportunities to teach the gospel, to teach by the Spirit. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to be a seminary teacher the past few months. I have definitely seen the blessing that it has been in my life.

I spent the evening writing, listening to music, preparing a piano trio for the talent show, and talking with friends. It was farily quiet which was just what I needed. I am excited to get back out into the city tomorrow and explore everything that I have not yet explored and even things I have explored already. Galilee was wonderful, but I am happy to be able to wander around the streets of the Old City again!