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