Home Sweet Home

I’m finally home after traveling across the world for 26 hours later! I can’t believe 3 ½ months has flown by already! It is so weird being home though. I’ve noticed there’s a lot that has changed around me; and that’s not all. I feel like I have definitely changed. I’ve traveled to Jordan, Turkey, and all over Israel. As the saying goes, I’ve been from Dan to Eilat. I’ve followed Paul’s trail in Turkey and Christ’s footsteps all over the Holy Land. I’ve seen where he walked while he carried the cross down the Via Dolorosa road, I’ve seen where he was crucified at Golgotha, and buried and resurrected at the Garden Tomb. I’ve seen the hundreds of churches and tombs commemorating one being: Christ. I’ve learned about and saw first hand the dedication of three main religions: Islam, Christian, and Judaism. I got to pray in the Islamic mosques, put a prayer in the Western Wall (what the Jews do), and praised the Lord with other Christians during the services at the Garden Tomb. I took 7 classes while going on field trips and working in the extra time to go explore Jerusalem and go out into the Old City. It was by far one of my hardest semesters, but one of the best and most memorable few months in my lifetime. I’ve learned how to study the scriptures and can indicate how the exegesis, eisegesis, propinquity, and redaction apply in the Bible and Book of Mormon. On some days, I thought my feet were going to fall off because I walked so much (probably AT LEAST 10 miles every day).  I learned how to endure, climb, and barder well with the shopkeepers. I swam in the Dardanelle Strait, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, and the Dead Sea. The smells, the smiles, the culture, the people, the studying, the cold, the hot, the humid, the dry, the camels, the donkeys, the prayers, the hope, the faith, the fighting, the revolts, the students, the professors, the languages, the genie outfits, the shop-keepers, the singing, the flowers, the stars, the sunsets, the crying, the laughing, the pain, the joy, the friendships, the rules, and the activities can’t even come close to describing all the things I experienced on this study abroad. But one thing I can tell my readers: I know Christ lives. I know he died for all of us, so that we may one day return with our Heavenly Father. My testimony and love for the Savior and for the Middle East people have grown SO much! I hope this blog has somewhat expressed what I’ve seen, been through, and learned. Thank you for all the love and interest I’ve received on this trip. Everyone NEEDS to go to the Holy Land and visit the religious sites themselves. From this, I have gained 81 friends, a stronger testimony and understanding of the gospel, a new perspective on the Bible, a greater appreciation for the different religions and the dedication they have in their lives, and memories that I will remember the rest of my life.

Thank you. Toda. Shukran.

Galilee

Tombs, Churches, and Other Sacred Sites

 On the last two field trips, we visited the holy sites all over Jerusalem. First, we went to Bethany (house of Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and Simon). We went to see Lazarus’s tomb from which the Christians among the thousands of years believe this is where Christ raised him from the dead. It was long and deep, but it was a really neat old tomb. I remember there were 8 of us students inside the very room in which Lazarus lay and we sang Nearer My God to Thee. It created an amazing echo and we all felt the spirit. We went to Bethphage next, to where the church commemorated Christ’s victory entrance (where the Palm Sunday walk started). We all got figs to eat (since Bethphage is Hebrew for “house of figs”). We went to Dormition Abbey and went in the Upper room where Christ had the Last Supper. There we sang four or five hymns and we attracted a lot of tourists that came close to us to listen. I will always remember singing hymns in that room and feeling the spirit so strong. It was some of the last songs we sang in a church as a class together. Down in the basement is Mary’s tomb along with 15^th century paintings lit by candles surrounded by more paintings of Mary’s perspective on Christ’s crucifixion. At one of the churches, I got to see the real steps Christ would have taken to the temple.

Probably one of my favorite churches to visit was St. Anne’s Cathedral – also known as the Pool of Bethesda). There were ruins of the pools, but a crusader church was built on top of it, so you can explore the remains. St. Anne’s Cathedral was built after the crusader church, but not on top of the ruins. It was built to the side to commemorate them. There was another Mormon group in the Cathedral singing hymns and we actually got to sing a song with them and then they sat down while we performed a couple of hymns for them. It was one of the prettiest churches I’ve been too and the music that echoed off the ceilings was nothing like I’ve ever heard. Some non-members came up to my professor after and told him it was so pretty that she was sure the angels were weeping. That is one way we can perform missionary work without talking about our religion is by singing in each church. People notice and many put everything down and come listen.

The very last place we went to on our last field trip was the garden tomb. My New Testament class reserved a spot where we sat to the side of the garden tomb and had a very spiritual testimony meeting. I will always remember the spirit that was felt. Many tears were shed as we were coming to a close of our study abroad and it was nice because we were so comfortable with each other that the students really spoke from their hearts.

Lazarus' Tomb

Bethphage

Bethphage: House of Figs

Rolling stone from an ancient tomb

The Lord's Prayer

Steps that Christ took to the temple

King David

Upper Room: Room of the Last Supper

Dormition Abbey

Inside Mary's Tomb

St. Anne's Cathedral

St. Anne's

A Special Easter

This morning, on April 20, 2014, all the students woke up at 5 a.m. and walked to the Garden Tomb where we got reserved seats right beside the empty tomb. There was a Christian program that we listened to with Christian music and read the versus in the Bible of the resurrection of Christ while we watched the sunrise over the Garden Tomb. It was one of the coolest Easter mornings I’ve had. Thousands of Christians were there and again, it was fun joining them in unity as we read of the resurrection of the Savior. There really aren’t that many differences among Christian faiths when you see it as a whole. It is one experience that I will never forget! I've also been to the places the exact day that the event's happened to Christ. I've become a pilgrim, following the footsteps of the Savior. 

Last night, we had a special program of the Upper room and a reenactment of the Last Supper. My Ancient Near Eastern professor gave us what the symbolism behind everything meant of the Last Supper.

This Jerusalem program has let me know the Savior a lot better and I have gained a greater love for Him. I’m excited to get to know him more as the years roll by. I know that Christ was resurrected and that we can all live with Him again one day. I know that my redeemer lives! Happy Easter!

Garden of Gethsemane

Church of All Nations

The rock where Christ prayed and suffered

The Last Supper

Christian Easter Sunrise program 

Christian Easter Sunrise program 

"He is not here - for He is risen!"

Palm Sunday

There were kids selling palm fronds streets when all the students went to the church where it commemorated where Christ entered the old city on his donkey and all the people around him had palm fronds in celebration and out of respect. It was so fun to be with thousands of Christians there. I actually feel at home when I meet a Christian, like when you travel outside the U.S. and you meet someone from the states, its like you have some sort of connection. Haha… Anyways, we started out at the church after they read the scripture of Christ’s entrance from the Bible in like 3 or 4 different languages.

We walked in the crowd, while each faith sung and rejoiced. It was so fun to start singing along to the hymns that I’ve never heard before for other faiths and we also sang along with the Christian pop. Each religion tried to sing as loud as they could, trying to out sing each other (some even brought a microphone and speakers). At one point, my friend and I got pulled aside and got interviewed by Fox News. I carried a tall palm frond and waved it the whole 3 hours that we walked from the church on the Mt. of Olives to the Pool of Bethsaida, just inside the Old City walls. It was so fun and such a great experience to sing in unity with all these faiths. I loved it!