The Final Countdown

Tonight I am to be set apart as a full time missionary and my quest to serve the Mexican people will begin.  Needless to say, I'm just a tinsy-winsy bit excited!  It also reminds me that I never finished my stories of Israel, something that I have been seriously lazy about and has now come to bite me in the keister.  So I have created a sparks note version of my adventures for your enjoyment.  

1.  Fourth best field trip ever... (inside joke)

The week after Galilee we had a field trip that took us to Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea, and another place which name escapes me now.... but it had a waterfall!

We couldn't resist showing off a little skin

Qumran: "Qumran, Qumran, just a little older than your mom!" ...no offense.  A harmless rap that one of our classmates came up with.  We know mothers are wonderful, but that's besides the point. In case you were curious, Qumran is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  Visually, not the most incredible place.  Everything is tan and covered in dirt.  So while the history is great and significant, we didn't stay long.

Masada:  A facinating site filled with history.  Looking at what is left of the ruins, it's mind-boggleing to imagine how great the fortress was pre-destruction.  We divided up into small groups and set off on a scavenger hunt for knowledge, a.k.a. filling out a questionnaire with facts from signs.  It was fun to explore and according to legend, Micael Jackson himself once came to Masada.  To commemorate the moment, I put my beats by dre around my neck, pumped up the volume, and created portable speakers to blast every King of Pop song on my phone.

Don't worry, I wasn't disrespectful.  Sure, dancing to "P.Y.T." in ancient cisterns was fun but the history was far more interesting.

Dead Sea:  One of the coolest places in Israel!  Most definitely in my top five places to revisit.  But if you happen to be planing a trip let me advise you on a few precautions you should take.

1. Don't drink the water.  Don't even lick your lips after they get wet.  That water is 30% salt and no matter how salty you like your french fries you will NOT like how this tastes.  It's horrible and never leaves your mouth.  I had to chew on some mentos to finally get rid of it.

2. Don't get the water in your eyes.  If you do you will go blind... or that's what I'm told the experience feels like.  I took great care to stay away from any splashing so I don't know what it's like first hand.  But those less fortunate than me did not have pleasant things to say about it.

3. Don't jokingly splash anyone in the face.  No matter how nice of a person they are you will get yelled at and be put on their "to murder" list.  Seriously, it stings that bad.

4. DON'T have any open wounds.  Paper cuts, hangnails, it doesn't matter how small, the salt will sting like crazy!  Despite the rare opportunity to show off our legs, us girls stopped shaving about three days prior just to be careful.  I'm sure the guys did the same... in regards to their face, not legs.  Sadly I had acquired two gargantuan sized blisters on my feet the Saturday before from a long day of walking in the wrong shoes.  Even though several days had passed, scabs had yet to form and so the wounds were still fresh.  My clenched fists and locked jaw could not prevent squeaks of pain from escaping through my teeth as I stepped into the ancient sea.  But it wasn't as bad as I expected.  Sure, it stung like a thousand hornets at first, but it soon numbed and I joined my friends.  Each time I let my feet bob above the water and then submerge them again the hornets came back.  But it became the type of pain that felt good... or maybe I was slowly loosing my sanity.  Moral of the story, do everything you can to not have any open cuts, but if you do, relax.  As long as you don't have a cannon ball wound, I think you'll live.

Despite all the above, you'll still have a lovely trip.  Floating, without effort, in water is a surreal sensation.  We could have stayed there for hours and I would have still been amused.  Unfortunately we didn't have hours to spare so our swim was short in order to make time for mud baths.  Once we had taken satisfactory pictures of each other completely covered in black mud we washed off and headed to our last sight.  Two excellent waterfalls with disregarded "no swimming" signs.

 

   2.  Sunset Club

I've always loved sunsets.  What good natured human being doesn't?  They can transform the sky, clouds, buildings, trees, and peoples faces in the space of an hour, or just a few minutes.  One of God's daily gifts to us.  Each one is incredible no matter where you are, but I have a favorite place.  The 8th floor balcony of the BYU Jerusalem center.  The last few weeks of our stay saw the formation of the "Sunset Club."  Membership was open to all and meetings were not mandatory.  After dinner, whoever wanted to could make their way to the balcony and join in the fun.  It was always a sweet time in which we would reminisce over all that we had experienced together.  Swapping stories and feelings and sharing a mutual dread for what we all knew was close at hand... leaving.  Sometimes a few of the guys would carry up guitars and we'd sing/mumble along with whatever they played.  But the best part was watching the sunset.  Always.  The way those reddish hues were painted across the sky and fell upon the old, limestone buildings of Jerusalem created a timeless image that I sorely wish I could see again.  So beautiful and unmatched.

   3.  Palestinian Soccer

There was a couch randomly left in the middle of a
empty filed/playground.  Silly Israelis...

A circumstance that I will not soon forget and possibly the most awkward moment out of the entire semester.  Taking a break from studying from finals, a group of us went out to play soccer with some of the neighborhood kids.  I was looking forward to a fun, casual game of soccer and it looked like that was what I'd get.... until they picked teams.  It's not what you think, I wasn't traumatized by being picked last.  On the contrary, I was one of the first to be selected.  But as each team grew, so did my anxiety.  In the end we had three teams.  One all boys, including our Ben and Skylar.  Another with all of the BYU girls and a few girls from the neighborhood.  And last, but certainly most odd, my team which consisted of yours truly... and a bunch of Palestinian boys.

Me and my new best friend Bassam

How did this happen?  Beats me.  Had the team captain acquired knowledge of my impressive defense skills from my elementary days?  Not likely.  Was it my riveting beauty and charm?  Even less likely.  All I know is that one moment I was surrounded by familiar girl faces and the next they were replaced by strange boys with an unfortunate amount of acne.  But that shouldn't affect me, after all, back home I would wrestle with my brothers all the time.  And the acne thing?  Been there, done that.

The problem was that I had been brainwashed.  Flashback to the very beginning of the semester:

They separated us, girls from the boys, and lead us into different classrooms.  Unfamiliar with the girls surrounding me, I clung to my sketchbook, absorbing myself in the stylization of a school boy's tie in order to escape monotonous small talk.  The instructors began to talk, I continued to doodle, and after an hour we were all eating lunch.  Yet in that small space of an hour, all we had previously conceived about the confusing yet intriguing gender of man had been replaced with a new, more terrifying image.

A superb flashback was it not?  I should have been an english major.  Regardless, how about some background info on the background story?  In that little meeting us female students were informed on  safety precautions for living in Israel.  More specifically, how to avoid unwanted attention from the local men.  In doing so, they shared stories from previous semesters that, quite honestly, scared the bejeebers out of me.

Despite a few... creative cat calls, no harm came to any of us those four months in Israel.  Nonetheless, I was still didn't want to break culture protocol, which hindered my playing ability quite a bit.  Every time the ball came my way, so did all the boys causing me to pull back last minute in order to not run into them.  It was a big ol' mess of awkwardness and the other girls teased me relentlessly.  But we did have a good laugh and in-between games the guys filled me in on all the Palestinian political wrong doings... it was interesting.

Needless to say I wasn't MVP that day.  I'm glad I went though.  One more awkward story to add to my long and ever growing list.  I also got to meet Bassam, our team goalie.  Since the rest of our team did an excellent job of keeping the ball away from me and on the other end of the field, Bassam and I were left with plenty of time to chat and get to know each other.  He is fourteen and reminded me a lot of my brother Garrett, both in love with the sport soccer.  

They managed to capture a rare moment when I actually participated.

   4.  Talent Show

Previously in the semester we held a "Formal Talent Show" in which we were treated with violin, piano, guitar, and vocal performances by our fellow students, as wells as some poetry reading and Irish clogging.  So the rest of us goofballs didn't feel left out, another "Informal Talent Show" was held.  In other words, anyone in possession of little or no talent, but enjoyed making a fool of themselves was able to walk on stage for a little lime light.

There was dancing, rapping, singing, whistling, and even origami folding.   Being my... overly theatrical self I couldn't resist putting on an outfit and doing a jig of my own.  With the combined powers of my lovely roommate Amber and myself we created our own spin off of the song "Loathing" from the fabulous musical Wicked.  Our personalities as well as appearance (minus the green skin) fit perfectly with the characters of Elphaba and Glinda.  While our performance was far from Broadway worthy, it was a blast to do.

   

 5.  President Uchtdorf

Possibly one of the most amazing experiences of the semester.  We had a visit from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.  He and his family were visiting the Holy Land and we managed to convince them to stay with us for a few days.  It became a not so uncommon thing to see them eating breakfast or lunch with us in the Oasis, or heading out for a day in the city.  Several times I or a group of us would run into him in the hallways and have a little conversation, then skip away squealing to ourselves "did that just happen?"

On two occasions he spoke to us formally.  Once in our District Conference and again in a program dedicated to the events of the Upper Room.  Both times were wonderful.  In District Conference our choir got to sing for him and, with some careful maneuvering, I managed to claim the seat right in front of the podium for myself.  So when President Uchtdorf stood up to speak I was just two feet away from him!  If he was a spitter, I would have felt it!  But he's not, unfortunately.  The second time he spoke I wasn't nearly that close to him, regardless, he, as usual, spoke very inspiring words filled with the spirit.   I would describe them further, but I'm afraid I don't have the time.  All in all, it was a surreal experience to have him in our presence.  Not something I will soon forget.

     6. Roommates

I realize that I rarely ever mentioned my roommates in my posts.  Let me fix that now because these girls were/are amazing.

Kirsten Anderson (far left):  ABBA's dancing queen in flesh and blood.  A film major and dancing minor.  She was also my "nook buddy" which means our bed were in the same corner of the room.  Many nights we'd stay up late talking about anything and everything. 

Paige Bartholomew (middle left):  Before Jerusalem she went on another study abroad in Vienna.  Also a dancer (but not majoring) and extremely down to earth.  Can get along with anyone and loves everyone.  

Amber Feigleson (far right):  Madam President of the Jerusalem class of Winter 2013 and Mother Hen to all.  She served her mission in Finland and does a mean Velociraptor impersonation.

In no way do these descriptions do justice.  There is simply no way that I can write out all of our adventures, talks, and feelings that we've shared.  We might not have been the most cuddly of roommates, but we loved each other and we all knew it.  We always had each other's back and a listening ear when needed.  They each give me tremendous support with my decision to serve a mission and were ecstatic when I first shared the news, but we all regret not having the opportunity to room together again.  Being the youngest in the group, by the time I go back to school they will all most likely have graduated or been married.  Hopefully by then I will have some old companions to house with...but still,  I will never forget theses three angels.  They helped make my semester great and I expect many reunions in the future.

     7. T-shirt Contest

Did I forget to mention I won a t-shirt contest?  Every semester the students submit designs for the semester t-shirt.  The competition was heavy this year since there were four art majors in attendance. There were two voting's.  The first to select the top three designs, the second, to pick the winner.  I don't mean to brag, but two out of the top three were my designs and after everyone voted again, I won!  You see the end result below.  The design incorporated the three significant buildings/places we went to that semester.  Turkey and the Blue Mosque,  Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock, and our beloved Jerusalem Center.  Home.

      8.  The Last Week

When I first learned that we would not be retracing the last week of the Savior's life during Holy Week I was extremely upset.  How could they not realize that it would have been the perfect way to enhance an already spiritual week and give us new meaning to the biblical stories?  It was still an amazing week and you can read about it here, but I thought it could be just a bit better.

As usual, I was wrong.  Not in the fact that it would have heightened the spirituality of the week, but as to when it would be the best time to reflect on the Savior's life.

By walking in the steps of the Savior's last week our last week, we remembered why we were there.  Why this place was so special.   At each site students could sign up to say a few words.  I was lucky enough to do so at one of my favorite spots, Dominus Flevit.  We ended our stay on a spiritual high, with a greater love for the land, people, gospel, atonement, Savior, and each other.  We ended our "journey" back at the Garden Tomb.  Ironic that that was also our very first field trip.  After hearing a few more words from teachers and students, time was given for a testimony meeting.  If ever there was a time the Spirit was so strong it was tangible, that was it.  How could they possibly send us home after that!?!  Again, there is much more I could say on the subject, but due to time, I must hold back.

Garden of Gethsemane

"Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem"

   10.  One more day

It didn't feel like our last day.  We set out like we did any other free day, but we made sure to stop by all our favorite places.  Hezekaia's  tunnel, Shabbon's shop, shawarma in the old city, pastries in the Jewish quarter, gelato in West Jerusalem, and Magnum bars at the 7/11... notice how everything involves food?

Even though the gelato is to die for, our main reason for the long trek to West J was to support our fellow JCrew members.  Lexi and Lizzy had taken their violins to the middle of the square, left their cases open, and were playing for shekels.  It was awesome!  They are really talented and it was super fun to watch.  When they finished they were able to buy everyone gelato with their earnings.  Score!

It was very strange when the day ended because it did not feel like goodbye.  It was hard to imagine that we wouldn't see each other the next day.  No one wanted to think about it so after we were all packed, we went outside for one last sunset club meeting.  Mother Nature didn't disappoint.  It was beautiful.  We shared hugs, emails, and swore to write each other on missions.  Eventually the time came to leave.  It was hard and I became shockingly less talkative.  No other time in my life will be like Jerusalem.  If I could, I would have stopped time with all of us there.  Sadly I lack that supernatural power.

This past summer National Geographic came out with the movie Jerusalem. When I first saw the trailer I could hardly hold in my excitement.  I haven't been able to see the actual movie, but whenever I start to miss Israel, I just watch the trailer to feel a little better.

I can't really think of any words to further describe my experience and love.  There are no words really.  Not unless you've been there.  Not unless you're in the JCrew.  We all have a mutual understanding.  So I guess that's it.  Time for my next adventure in Mexico.  If you're curious, check out my mission blog.

Jerusalem, if I forget you...

Galilee Part 2

Don't worry, I didn't forget to finish writing about my adventures in the Galilee... I just wanted to build up the suspense.

My Galilee roommates:
Kari, Aubriegh, and Sarah

On the Sabbath we attended church with the Tiberias Branch right on the Sea of Galilee.  It was their testimony meeting and it was great to be able to see all the different types of people brought together in that one tiny Branch.  Four different languages were spoken amongst these people and we were able to here the sacrament blessing given in Hebrew.  What must have been very similar to what the Savior spoke when He initiated it in the Upper Room.  Now that was pretty awesome.

   The perk about going to the Holy Land with a Biblical name is that you find it everywhere.  I tend to forget that I have an odd name which made it hard growing up.  You see, in elementary school all of the cool kids had pencils, backpacks, magnets even with their names on them.  And while Walmart always had a surplus of pencils with Emily, Elizabeth, and Emma on them, I could never find an Eden pencil!  Trust me, it's a devastating experience for a third grader to go through.  So I've learned to treasure the rare moments when I see my name on a street sign, or as the brand for some gardening product.  But in the Holy Land I couldn't escape it!  Everywhere I looked I found my name on signs, buildings, perfume bottles, etc.  I loved it!  My personal favorite was when we were on the bus leaving Assos in Turkey.  I looked out the window just in time to see "Eden's Disco" fly by.  How I wish we could have stopped the bus to take a picture!

Get it? ARMageddon.  ARM wrestling.

Sunday we visited Mt Tabor, Nain, and Megiddo.  Most believe that Megiddo is where Armageddon will happen.  An epic battle that signals the  end  of  the  world!!!!!! Just in case you were wondering, that battle already happened and yours truly participated and won!  For your convenience I have included a picture.

Since we all were excessively hot and sweaty from battle we made one last stop at Gan Ha-Shelosha and went for a swim in the natural spring.  It was a charming little hideaway with  soft grass, shady trees, singing birds, and tiny waterfalls.  The water was just the right temperature and everywhere you looked you could see all sorts of people, children, parents, teens, BYU students, and an alarming amount of extremely harry grandpas, lounging about.

My favorite part had to be the tiny fish that would come up and nibble our toes.  At one point, there were ten or more of us standing on the steps into the spring, trying to see who could last the longest with the fish munching on their feet and not flinch away.  And as we try to outlast each other, we are all laughing/screaming our heads off.  It is such a weird sensation, yet the sight of a bunch of 20+ year olds giggling (including the men) and crowded on the stairs probably beat it.  I learned a valuable lesson that afternoon: If I'm ever entered into a tickling fight against a tank of tiny fish, I'm putting my money on the fish.

That night, like the one before, we all gathered together to watch General Conference.  Due to the difference in time zones, the ten o'clock morning session was seven o'clock p.m. our time. The night before we were able to project the broadcast  in one of the basement rooms at Ein Gev.  However, the room was booked for another group Sunday night so someone suggested that we try projecting it on one of the buildings outside.  It took a lot of work to set up and the internet connection broke often, turning a two hour session into three, but if you were to ask anyone of the students there I guarantee that we would all say that it was possible the best session of General Conference we ever have or will experience.

What an amazing opportunity it was to sit along the sore of the Sea of Galilee, a place that the Savior Himself often taught His disciples, and be taught by modern Prophets and Apostles of the Lord.  Imagine our delight to hear Elder Anderson say, "Can you imagine the scene of the eleven Apostles on the mountain near Galilee see the risen Lord come to them...?"  Uh... YES!  We were actually there!  To think how long it must have been since disciples of Christ were taught gospel principles, by a Prophet of God, along those shores.  And I got to be there.  I got to participate in that Spirit, that moment, and let me tell you it was beautiful.  The sun set melted into the waters of the Galilee, creating a gorgeous backdrop along with the palm tress bending with the breeze.  A sweet and peaceful memory for all of us to share.

It was such a grand experience, even the Church news wrote about it.  If you'd like to read the short article click here.  It even showed up in the September edition of the Ensign.

To continue, Monday, April 8th, we traveled through upper Galilee: Hazor, Tel Dan, Banias, Nimrod's Castle, and Har Bental.  The morning began with rain clouds and shivering students, but as the day progressed the raincoats and sweatshirts were shed and we ran about taking pictures in every possible location in typical tourist manner.

Best. Class. Ever.
@ Tel Dan

Following Jerusalem Center regulations, each site we went to was interesting and on most occasions, spiritual.  However, my personal favorite of the day was Nimrod's Castle.  After unloading the busses our teachers set us free to run, jump, and cartwheel amongst the ruins for the next hour.  No lecture, historical background, or assignments to hold us back.  Just our cameras and curiosity.  I ran around like a three year old, climbing on anything I could with my phone blasting out classic rock.  Everything sounds better with background music.

One of the crumbling towers of the castle 

You can't see it, but it point's to Washington DC
on the other side.

By the Mediterranean with my
lovely roommate Kirsten.

Tuesday was dedicated to visiting western Galilee: Chorazin, Sepphoris, Akko crusader Fortress, and Old Akko.  I'm not going to go into much detail about these sights because they weren't necessarily places where events might have occurred, rather they helped us to gain historical/cultural background on biblical parables and the like.  Akko was simply a really cool old fortress along the Mediterranean sea.  P.S.  I really like the Mediterranean sea.

We ended the day with another bonfire.  The pig-skin was tossed, s'mores were made, and spooky stories shared.  Some of my favorite memories of my time spent in Israel are when all of the students were just chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool (pardon the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reference).  But in all reality, I love people, and I love getting to know them.  So I could never be happier then getting to spend time with amazing individuals like the ones I met in Israel.

Our last day in Galilee we drove along the Mediterranean, stopping at sites like Muhraqa, the Haifa Overlook, and most important for me, the Haifa Templer Cemetery.

I had been looking forward to going to Haifa ever since a year ago when I received my acceptance letter into the Jerusalem program.  Now why, when given the opportunity to walk through Jerusalem, ride a camel in Jordan, and swim in the Dead Sea, would I be most excited to visit a tiny little cemetery?  I'll tell you.  There is a man by the name of John Alexander Clark buried there, and I'm related to him.  He's actually my great-great-great half uncle... through polygamy.  Sounds like the character backgrounds for a Soap Opera right?

John A. Clark was teaching school in Minersville, Utah, when he received a mission call to serve in Turkey for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He first travelled to Liverpool, England and then on to Beirut, Syria, where he studied the Arabic language.  He then served in Haifa where he worked mostly with a group of German settlors who had emigrated from Germany.  He subsequently contracted small pox, which was epidemic at the time, and died Feb. 8th 1896.  He was, as mentioned before, buried in the Haifa cemetery.

I will admit that throughout my stay at Jerusalem I didn't feel much of an emotional connection whenever thinking about our up and coming visit to the cemetery.  I was excited for it nonetheless.  Don't forget that I had been looking forward to that trip for over six months.  I was excited for the pictures that would be taken, for the momentous occasion of a family member visiting John's grave (considering it's distance from home I assume it's not a common occurrence), and the ability to say that one of my relatives helped enable the building of the Jerusalem Center.  But no, there was no emotional connection for me.  After all I had, of course, never met him.  It was a very distant relationship through polygamy nonetheless.  I felt justified.

As we entered the cemetery I appeared very calm, but my insides were as anxious as a beehive.  There were other LDS graves to visit first, but to be honest, I didn't pay much attention to what was said about them.  Despite all that, I was grateful Elder Clark was saved for last.

Knowing my connection to John Clark, Brother Judd (my Old Testament teacher) had me speak to the rest of our group concerning his background story.  I was shocked to find my sight blurred with tears as I shared what little information I knew of my distant relative.  Despite my original emotions in regards to Elder Clark at that moment, to my immense surprise, I felt as though we were the same person.

It didn't help that Brother Judd then pulled out a letter from Elder Clark to his sister, an item that I didn't even know existed, and asked me to read it to the class.  It was a simple letter, nothing earth shattering enclosed, just a brother wishing a sister well at school.  She was attending Brigham Young University, a school that he had desired to go to but gave up in order to serve his mission.

Only a week or so before this moment had I come to the decision to serve a mission myself.  A decision that I had struggled immensely over.  While the words Elder Clark wrote to his sister concerning mission work could probably be found in any letter from a missionary, his pierced me.  He was family, and he gave up all, even his life, to serve a mission.  To stand at his grave and ponder my own resolution to serve... words cannot express.  And while many other thoughts ran through my brain, the significance of that precious slice of time I will never forget.  Haifa did not disappoint.

Caesarea was the perfect way to end the day.  After a short history lesson we were free to roam the ruins.  A few of us had our own race in the ancient Hippodrome which was followed by the Crippled Run.  We had two members of our class with broken/sprained ankles who "rode" on the backs of others... soon everyone wanted to race piggy-back style, creating the Crippled Run.  Afterwards, I and my lovely friend Susana moseyed about, discussing life, exploring the decaying structures, and taking glamor shots of each other. 

Add a bathroom break, ten minute stop at the Roman Aqueducts, a few hours drive back to the Jerusalem center, and that makes the end to a wonderful day and our stay at Galilee.

The Roman Aqueduct

Myself, Susana, Ashley, and the smoldering Spencer.

Galilee

So I am officially back from Jerusalem.  Have been for a week now, but it wouldn't be fair to you if I stopped blogging simply because I don't live there anymore.  So much happened that I haven't talked about yet!  We just became so busy the last couple of weeks that I had no time to write.  So I guess that means it time to play catch up!

On the first of April we set off for Galiee.  I assumed we would be traveling most of the day, which we were, but I didn't anticipate so may amazing stops along the way.  I have reached a point where getting off the bus at each new site isn't as exciting as it once was.  Most times I want to remain on the bus and continue to sleep instead of look at some fallen rocks that look just like twenty other places I've seen.  But I'm not one to pass up a good photo op.  We stopped by Bet Shean, an old Byzantine city with lots of old stones.  But most importantly, it had a bathhouse.  How could I pass up the opportunity to get a bath in the same spot as ancient Romans?  And while I was at it, I finished my field trip reading on an ancient loo. 

We then visited Nazareth, the home of Christ.  There are several churches there that hold significance as either the synagog in which Jesus read scripture and introduced Himself as the Messiah, where Joseph the carpenter's home was, or where the Annunciation of Mary occurred.   At the latter church, they have artistic interpretations of the Annunciation from many different countries (I can't remember the exact number).  Anyway, after much searching, I managed to find one from Uruguay.  Hurrah for family history!

We also stopped by St. Peter's Primacy which is traditionally believed to be the spot where the Savior told Peter to feed His sheep.  Our last stop was the Jordan River where we had some free thinking time which I always appreciate.  Finally a bunch of tired, travel worn, hungry students arrived at En Gev, the Kibbutz we were going to stay at for the next ten days.

The Jordan River

Yay for family history!

The next day we took a boat ride out onto the Sea of Galilee.  We hoisted a flag, sang the national anthem, and had Christian rock blasting on the intercom.  But after awhile we stopped the engine and floated on the calm water while we had a devotional.  I will tell you right now that that was the highlight of my day.

On the Sea of Galilee

Capernaum

The rest of the day we went to Mt. Arbel, Capernaum, and the traditional Mt. of Beatitudes.  It doesn't sound like much but by the time we arrived back at En Gev I was so tired I went back to my apartment and passed out!  However, a bonfire was scheduled for that night so I woke myself up in time to eat dinner and sing some kumbaya around the campfire with my peers.

Overlooking Gamla

Later on in the week we also hiked to Gamla and Kursi.  Gamla has an absolutely gorge-eous view (get it? cuz it's got a lot of gorges).  And Kursi is one of the many spots where the miracle of the casting of devils into swine occurred.

It's all good in the Kursi Hood

After we got back from Kursi some of us slipped into our swimsuits and headed down to the Jordan river.  We put on the worlds grimiest life-jackets, picked our kaiaks and partners, and slid into the water.  That's right, I went kaiaking down the river Jordan.  My partner Lindsay and I quickly paddled past the five/six person rafts and down a giant two foot waterfall (I'm a wild woman I know) until we had left the noise, splashing, and boat-tipping behind us.

Lindsay and I were the perfect team.  I enjoyed proving my awesome strength and stamina by paddling by myself and she enjoyed the role of photographer.  Both artists, we preferred to take in the beauty around us, hence our quick escape from our comrades and boat tipping.  We/I paddled casually along, enjoying the moment, our surroundings, and situation.  It was very calm and relaxing mixed with the occasional patch of strong current which switched our fight mode on.  Before we knew it we had reached the end.  Not quite ready to be done and since everyone else was still behind us, we decided to turn around and see how far upstream we could go.  We then pulled our paddles in, stuck our feet into the water, and floated along discussing the natural beauty around us the way only artists could.  How the light seeped through the trees and landed on the water, finding hidden colors everywhere, and discussing the various techniques that could be used to recreate it.  It was so refreshing to be able to have such a conversation with someone who understood my thought process on the subject.  No explanations were necessary. 

Eventually we had floated back to the end and our friends had caught up with us, so we exited out of our water vehicles and boarded the bus to head back to En Gev.

Just call me a hairless monkey

The next day a handful of us went on a hike.  In case I hadn't made it clear before, I love the outdoors.  More specifically I like climbing things outdoors.  Piles of rocks, vines, cliffs, mountains, trees are a particular favorite of mine and back in the day I was queen of the monkey bars at recess.  I don't get many opportunities to do stuff like that though so I was really excited for this chance.  Our "wilderness" guide was a spry, gray-haired fella who had lead 20+ BYU groups through this same trail before.

We hiked down, through, and up a gorge.  It wasn't anything like climbing up to the Y in Provo, which I'm ashamed to say I have yet to do.  More like a nature exploration.  Climb over here for a great sight, down there for another, and as we went our guide would give us little brain teasers that made me feel like I was back in middle school.  Along the way we passed two waterfalls, the latter of which we got to swim in.  While the majority of us had our swimming gear with us, only half of the group actually got in the water.  

For those Bill Cosby fans out there, you might recall a certain story of his titled Niagara Falls.  To summarize, he and his wife go swimming there, he dives in, not considering the fact that the water is runoff off melted snow, and as he describes it, the freezing water turns his body into a giant goose-pimple.  I now know what that feels like and I sympathize with you Bill, where ever you are.  Stepping into that water was like.... stepping into really cold water.  But I wasn't about to miss out on this opportunity so I dunked myself under and got the worse part over with.  I found that that, along with a lot of screaming, really helps.  Everyone in the water was screaming their heads off... now that I think about it, that's probably why the others weren't so keen on joining us...  Regardless, eventually our bodies numbed to the cold and it was actually quite a delightful swim.  But we were smart, and before  there was even a risk of hypothermia, we dried off and resumed our hike feeling fresh, alive, and our senses heightened.

At the top of the waterfall...

...and swimming down under it.

Family photo!

Kissing the Lilies

For those who don't know, a few weeks ago was Holy Week.  On of the best reason for attending BYU Jerusalem during the Winter Semester.

I got to start the week off by participating in the Palm Sunday walk.  After visiting a few sights in the city, Dormition Abbey, Schindler's grave, one of the many spots claiming to be the room where the Last Supper took place, and grabbing a bite of Shawarma, my group made its way to a church where the opening service would occur before the walk began.

In front of the Dormition Abbey w/ Tye

Outside the Upper Room w/ Spencer

Hundreds of pilgrims from all over the world surrounded the church, filling the courtyard and spilling out into the streets.  Everyone either had an olive or palm branch in their hands as we slowly walked to Old Jerusalem, recreating the Savior's grandiose entrance.  There were so many people that the progress was extremely slow, but fun nonetheless.  We walked next to a group from Portugal that loved to sing and dance.  It was a party in the streets.  They strummed the guitar, banged on drums, and sung at the top of their lungs hosanna!  The joy was contagious.  We would not have been able to stop ourselves from joining them even if we wanted to.

Not only did people walk to commemorate the biblical history, but many walked for peace in Israel and Palestine.  Ironically, at the beginning of the walk, a fight between teenage boys broke out right next to me.  As far as I know, none of the walkers were harmed except for being pushed around a bit.  It was an interesting way to start a walk for peace. 

The next day I didn't go out when class was over.  Instead, I gave blood!  This was a first for me people and I'll admit I was rather nervous.  In fact, I couldn't stop laughing throughout the whole process.  Lay out a tray full of shots before me and I wont bat an eye, but giving blood is a tad different.  I wouldn't be surprised if the woman taking my blood thought I was marginally coo-coo in my giggling.  However, there were no hiccups and I was soon allowed to go and eat my way through half the refreshment table.  I figured I earned it.

The rest of the week was filled with filed trips into the city.  We walked all over both the Jewish and Christian quarters, exploring all the different churches.  Church of the Holy Sepulcher will always be one of my favorites. It is so beautiful.  I could never tire of gazing upon all the amazing and detailed mosaics, and the dome has possibly my favorite design out of all the churches that I have seen.  Not only do I love it for it's artistic value, but I find it so wonderful how that one building brings together so many different religions.  The location holds such importance to all of them that they are able to put aside their differences and worship together.

Another stop that we made were the "Steps to the Temple," or so the caption says under the picture in the back of the Bible.  These steps lead up to where the Temple of Herod was and date back to the time of the Savior.  If there is one place where we can say for a certainty that we walked where Jesus walked, this is the place.  Other locations significance are just traditional belief and we don't know the exact routes He might have taken while walking in Jerusalem, but He had to walk up these stairs to teach at the temple.

When American astronaut Neil Armstrong, a devout Christian, visited Israel after his trip to the moon, he was taken on a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem by Israeli archaeologist Meir Ben-Dov. When they got to the Hulda Gate, which is at the top of the stairs leading to the Temple Mount, Armstrong asked Ben-Dov whether Jesus had stepped anywhere around there. 

“I told him, ‘Look, Jesus was a Jew,’” recalled Ben-Dov.
“These are the steps that lead to the Temple, so he must have walked here many times.” 

Armstrong then asked if these were the original steps, and Ben-Dov confirmed that they were. 

“So Jesus stepped right here?” asked Armstrong.
“That’s right,” answered Ben-Dov.
“I have to tell you,” Armstrong said to the Israeli archaeologist, “I am more excited stepping on these stones than I was stepping on the moon.”

Amen to that.

The seperation wall

The rest of the week was filled with more trips to the city, the separation wall of Israel and Palestine, and a tour of the Israel Museum.

There is a charming little nook in the Christian quarter

to sit and enjoy a good discussion with friends in the 

city.  And if you get there early enough, none of the

vendors are there to pester you!

I'm sure you can guess what the highlight of the week was.  Sunday we woke up at a ridiculously early hour in order to walk to the Garden Tomb for a special Easter Service that was broadcasted world-wide.  As we walked through the pitch black city, our only light being the yellow/orange street lamps, I became aware that there was no sign of the clashing cultures I had become accustom to.  The city was completely still but for the mass of BYU students, dressed in church attire, whispering in tired excitement to one another.  It was as though the city itself knew the sacredness of the day, and for that time, the city was ours.  Not the Muslims, not the Jews, but the Christians (LDS included...duh).

Before the service began.   Dawn was just beginning to break

Walking into the garden was like stepping out of Israel and into the Bible belt south.  It was filled to the brim with those who had come from all across the world to worship and they were all singing Christian rock at the top of their lungs.  A live band played right next to the tomb and I was taken back to my days working at The Clay Chameleon (a paint your own pottery studio).  My employers were very devout Christians and often played Christian rock on the radio in the studio.

I had never been to a service of a different religion before, and it was very interesting to note the differences and similarities.  

All in all, it was a beautiful Easter morning.  The garden flowers were blooming and the the morning sun streamed through the leaves in the trees.  It was easy to imagine the grand splendor of that first Easter morning so long ago.  Doesn't that sound like the perfect Easter?  But wait, it gets better...

As some of you may know, I had a personal goal that by the end of my time here at the Jerusalem Center I would have made a decision as to wether or not I'd serve a mission.  I was starting to get worried because the end of the semester was coming up fast and I still wasn't sure of anything.  But making a wonderful day even sweeter, I received an answer at the Garden Tomb.  It was so perfect I couldn't stop smiling the rest of the day.  Now I'm thrilled to let you all know that when I return to the U.S. in two weeks, I will start my papers to become a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

About a week before, while out in the city, my roommate Paige bought some lilies to decorate our room for Easter.  Although the man who sold them to her said that they would open before Easter Sunday, several days went by without any change.  Worried that the three little flowers would never open, we decided that all they needed was a little extra love and motivation.  So every morning and night we would each kiss the lilies one by one, whispering words of encouragement to them.  While it was a fun little roommate ritual that we joked about with others, we secretly hoped that it would help our dear flowers bloom.  Yet Saturday came and went and the lilies were still sealed shut.

We each kissed the lilies as usual when we walked out of our room Sunday morning.  A bit of disappointment settling in our hearts.  But reaching the Garden Tomb they were soon forgotten.  Imagine my delight to then return, after such an amazing, life changing morning, to find our flowers in bloom.  It was the sweet frosting on a most delicious cake.  My Easter was complete.  It's going to be really difficult to top it next year.

I love my life.  But I know that the only reason I do is because I have a knowledge of this amazing and wonderful gospel.  It makes my life hold so much more wonder, excitement, and meaning and that is why I love it so much.  I have been so blessed to be here in the Holy Land and learn about Christ's life and ministry right where it all happened.  I have always loved mission work and am so excited (and terrified) to go out and spread this glorious gospel on a mission of my own.  Wish me luck!