09 May 2011

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho. Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, and the walls come a tumbling down.

Promptly at 7:00a in the morning, buses pulled out from the J.C. for a field trip to Jericho. The anticipation on the bus was difficult to miss as students and staff eagerly awaited the arrival in the famous city where the walls did come a tumbling down. Jericho is no longer the small fortified city of 1200 B.C. It is now a thriving city with diverse economic activities and persons.

The field trip began at Herod the Great’s Winter Palace. Jericho has been a prized fertile area, inhabited by different rulers and countries. In 63 B.C., after the Roman conquest, Jericho fell into the hands of Herod the Great, an Idumaen convert to Judaism. Lacking political legitimacy, he married Maramne, the beautiful granddaughter of the last Hasmonean ruler. Herod constructed a chain of fortresses throughout the area: Herodium, Alexandrium, Masada, and Machaerus to name a few. His must splendid palace, however, was the Winter Palace at Jericho. It included luxurious living quarters, spacious reception halls and courtyards, a hippodrome, gardens, two swimming pools, and a spa. However, Herod was very sensitive about his lack of political legitimacy and became ruthless toward all those whom he perceived as being threats to his power, including his own family. He murdered many of his sons and his brother-in-law in fear that they would “dethrone” him. Herod died in the Winter Palace. Today it stands as an archaeological dig and as a history of his rule.

The focus of this field trip was organized around the archaeological mound of Ancient Jericho. This mound (or tell of land) is home to the oldest building on record, a tower dating back to the Neolithic Period (8000 B.C.) Jericho has been a focal point with respect to whether the tel’s meager archaeological evidence supports Israel’s conquest of Jericho – that the story of Joshua did, in fact, occur. Techniques have been used by three different excavators to determine the time period of different wall remnants. Early, Middle, and Late Bronze Eras have all been announced as possibilities. However, one of the archaeologists is convinced that Joshua’s battle never occurred because walls from his time period have not been validly found in the archaeological site. In contrast to her claim, Yadin suggests that the walls from the early time period could have survived until Joshua’s battle, when the with the Lord’s assistance, he brought them crumbling to the ground. Personally, I follow Yadin’s philosophy on the entire thing. I know that the Children of Israel brought down the walls of Jericho by following the commandments of the Lord.

The last stop we made was at the Wadi Qilt, a waterway that is still used today. This wadi is also the traditional site for the Road to Jericho. We hiked along the top of the wadi, seeing different the Quruntul Monastery, goats, and Bedouin settlements. It was a warm hike. The sun was blazing. However, when we stopped to talk about the Good Samaritan and Christ’s last walk from Jericho to Jerusalem, the heat was no longer a bother. While we were be burned by the sun, our hearts were filled with peace. It was a wonderful experience. The entire field trip was fun! I even got some yummy nuts to sneak back into the country for my family to try...

The remainder of the afternoon (we returned at 1:30p) was spent sleeping, reading, and studying. Following dinner, we met as a group to walk to Ben Yehuda Street, where we spent the night celebrating Israel’s Independence Day. What a party! The streets were so crowded that I felt like a sardine. It was a blast though. We got cotton candy, listened to live music, danced, socialized, and walked. I even got an Israeli flag wristband to help celebrate. This was an event I will never forget. The children ran around with cans of shaving cream and silly string spraying everyone in their paths. Adults and children alike hit people with blow-up and rubber hammers. It was quite the party. I am glad that I went. And I’m glad that I stayed until midnight so that I could see the fireworks. One thing I was sad about missing this summer was the fireworks on the Fourth of July, but I got them tonight. It was fun to sit in Independence Park as a study abroad group and watch the fireworks. It was freezing cold but no one seemed to care once they got started. (Quick side note: Jaret Lever noticed that I was freezing to death, shrugged out of his jacket, and put it around me. Apparently he wasn’t the only boy there with that thought. We have such great people in our group!) It was a good night. But now I must go to bed. We have classes early in the morning and big plans for tomorrow afternoon. I love you all. Thank you. For everything.

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…

07 May 2011

Shabbat Shalom!

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!