A Few of the Infinite Number of Things I Love About Jerusalem

A Beautiful Sunset in the Holy Land!

My Roommate SarahBeth and I With Some Kids in the Neighborhood

L to R (Front: Regard, Me, Ahmed, SarahBeth, Waleed... Top Row: Yazan, Ahmed)

Our Best Friend Fadi

Some of Our Good Friends

(Top to Bottom: Yosef, Fadi, Muhamad)

The Seperation Wall. We got to go on a tour of it last week.

Eating Lunch at the Kirresh home (Fadi's Family)

(Clockwise from L to R: Meme(16), SarahBeth, Tasneem(13), Fadi(17) Courtney Neaves, Tarteel(8), Yazan(10))

Chillin with the Abu Lafi Family (Muhamad's Family)

(L to R: Muhamad, Moona (the mother), Thaad(21), Dane Rigdon, Me, Rachel Ford, SarahBeth, Malek(7), Raya(22), and Riad(father))

You Can Take the Girl Out of Jerusalem But You Can't Take Jerusalem Out of the Girl

Sabaah ilheer! I apologize for my large lack of blog post these past couple weeks, (although for all I know, no one even noticed). Life here in the Holy City is just so chock full of things to do, places to go, and people to see, and becomes even more and more so as time goes on. This week is actually finals week round one for us weary students. It is a little daunting to have finals so early in the semester, but it is a great thing because after this week, 4 of our 5 classes end, and we start New Testament so we will only have two classes until the end of the semester. They do the program that way so that once we start studying the new testament, we can be more focused on Christ's life and not have so many other classes to worry about.

Anyway, let me recap a little bit on what life has been like since my last post, basically, it's been AWESOME! I love every single thing about being here in Jerusalem and although I miss all my family and friends, I am going to be really sad when I have to go home. I wish I could stay here longer. If they offered me an extension today, like they do for missionaries sometimes, I would take it. Without a doubt. But, there is a time and a season for all things in life and just because I am going to have to leave Jerusalem, doesn't mean that Jerusalem ever has to leave me. This experience has changed me life and will forever be a part of me.

Not only do our experiences have an immense role in shaping our lives, the people we interact with play a very drastic role in that as well. My adventures here in Jerusalem have been so great, and there have been times and places that I will never forget, but I the thing that will stick with me most, is the people I have met along my way. We as students here are always together and get to know each other incredibly well because of that. I do miss my family, and I'm excited to see them again, but I don't feel too bad because we've all created our own little family of sorts here. We have all gotten pretty close and I will miss seeing these people everyday.

Besides the students and faculty here, I have met some pretty amazing people here in the neighborhoods around our home. My roommate, SarahBeth, has a brother who came here 5 years ago. While he was here he met a twelve year old boy named Fadi who he became best friends with. They have stayed in contact via facebook over the years and when SarahBeth found out she was coming here, she got in contact with Fadi as well. They met, and we've been hanging out with him and his friends ever since. They are some of the greatest people I have EVER met, especially Fadi. If you've been to the BYU Jerusalem center and heard Jim Kearl's speech before, you know that he pretty much tries to scare the living daylights out of you and tries to make you think that if you step one toe out of line, the whole world will come crashing down. One of the things he addressed at this semester's orientation was to be wary of the locals here. The way he talked about them made it sound like they were pretty much all bad people who are out to get you which is not hardly the case. The people here are so incredibly friendly and kind and hospitable. One of the first times we met Fadi he invited us to come to his home and meet his family and when we went, they prepared a whole meal for us, and do the same thing last time we visited them as well. We've also been able to meet the family of Fadi's friend Muhamad and the first time we met them, they invited us to come back the next day for dinner, and when we came that night, they didn't want us to ever leave and told us that if for some reason we couldn't get back into the center that we could sleep at their home. Yesterday we visited our friend Regard's house. Regard is an 11 year old girl that we've had the opportunity to get to know as well. She is darling and her family to. They also fed us when we were there and the mother kept saying how she wish she had more for us. They also brought out all this jewelry that the mother makes and told us to take whatever we wanted, to remember them by. They don't have a lot economically, but they have everything as a family. They are incredible people.

Well considering that it's finals week, and I have a test today that I haven't studied for, pretty much at all, I'd better get going on that. But before I go, I've one more piece of news. I leave for Turkey on Sunday! We will be staying there for 7 days. I will miss all my Palestinian friends here, but I am also really excited.

Always remember that God loves you, that it is never too late to change and to become better, and that the atonement works for everyone, including you! I love you all!

My Olive Wood

This is the nativity I purchased.

The statue of Christ I got, Omar took the bread and the fish off for me so that it would be just Christ.

What a Wonderful Week

Well it's been another great week in Jerusalem. Not too much has happened this week. For the most part it's been filled with surprise midterms, thinking about how I should be studying instead of whatever I was doing at the moment, a few outings into the city, getting to know some people here in the center and in the city better as well as a few back home.

I will get to most of that but I firstly want to make a public declaration of my appreciation and love for my mother. It is said that you never know what you have until it is all gone and that is true, but it's been incredible to see how much my love and appreciation for and relationship with my mother has grown since my moving over 7,000 miles away. I've gotten the opportunity to talk to my mother on the telephone quite a bit the past couple days and I have loved every second of each conversation. I had some decisions to make this week that, for me, were very difficult, but when I called and talked to my mom about them she helped me to decide and feel so much more at peace with what she helped me to decide. My mother is such a wise and spiritual woman. I love and admire her so incredibly much. I cannot imagine what in the world life would be like without her. I am so glad that Heavenly Father knows so well what he is doing and knows us well enough to place us in the most perfect families to help us reach our spiritual potential. Your family may not be perfect, but they are perfect for you. And our family is not necessarily always the parents we are born to and the siblings we inherit. A family can be found in so many different things, places and people. I feel I have a family wherever I go. My biological family is always my family and is always there, but I seem to find family whenever I am away from them, wherever I go.

So one of my less favorite things that happened this week was that on Tuesday during class, our Israel teacher informed us that we would be having a midterm the next time we were scheduled to meet. Some of the students glanced at their calendars to find that our next scheduled class was indeed the next day. A brave student brought this concern up to the teacher to which he replied “Oh, well I guess our midterm is tomorrow then.” Ophir hath no mercy. (Ophir Yarden is the name of our teacher. Well, needless to say that night and the next day was filled with a lot of panic and worry but never fear, the midterm ended up being okay and the best news is that I never have to take a midterm in that class again. I don’t want to start thinking about the dreaded final yet though.

Another big thing that happened this week is that I finally purchased my big souvenirs for the semester. I bought a beautiful nativity from a man named Omar. He is famous here among the Mormons in the holy land for his beautiful craftsmanship and quality of his olivewood carvings. Both times we went it was only three or four of us so we were able to get some personal attention and consultation from Omar. It was really nice. The second time we went back to his shop this week he actually even came to the center to pick us up, bought us fruit cocktails while we were at his shop, and dropped us back off when we were done.

Anywho, this week has been a pretty great week! I hope that you all doing great and if you ever need to contact me feel free to email! Have a great week everyone!

Out in the Old City and the City of David

My roommates (L to R: SarahBeth, Me, Emilee, Codi) and I decked out for Arab Culture Night

The delicious doughnuts we stopped to buy while out in the Jewish Quarter of the City.

My good friend Ashley and I enjoying a piece of heaven

Courtney, Bonnie and I before Hezekiah's tunnel

Me, Courtney and Kaylee After Hezekiah's Tunnel

Staffs Serpents and Synagogues

It's been another great week in Jerusalem! When is a week in Jerusalem not a great week?? I'm sorry if I've said that before but I mean it one-hundred percent. Nothing too exciting happened this week so I will just tell you all the highlights.

At the beginning of this week we had a Midterm in Old Testament so that is pretty much what I spent the majority of the first of my week doing. We were tested on the first 5 books of the bible which included the creation story as well as the story of the serpent on the staff. Through studying with some of my friends here I learned some really cool things. We talked about how the serpent is a symbol of Christ which always confused me because of how Satan appeared as a serpent in the Garden of Eden. One of my friends that brought up the point that Satan appeared to Eve as a false Christ in the garden and that is why he was in Serpent form. That made so much more sense to me and cleared up a lot of confusion which is great. We also talked about the serpent on the staff story and one of my friends told us something their mission president taught them about that story. He talked about how many of the people didn't look upon the snake because they did not believe that it could heal them. That always confused me because I didn't understand how they could see people around them getting healed by the snake and not look at it themselves. His mission president said that a lot of people think that those people think that the people did not believe that it could HEAL them when really, his mission president thinks that they did not believe that it could heal THEM. They knew it could heal others but they did not thing that it could work for themselves. He related it to the atonement and how many people believe that it works, but not for them for one reason or the other. I learned a lot and it's really cool to think about the scriptures in such a different way.

On Friday of this week I had the opportunity to go to a Reform Jewish Synagogue. It was a pretty good experience. It is so interesting being here and learning about all these different cultures and religions. The more I learn about these different religions and their customs, traditions, pracitces, etc, the more I grateful I am for the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints and it's complete simplicity. At the Jewish Synagogue service there was a lot of ritualistic singing and recitation done which was really cool, and had a great meaning, but I'm grateful that I get to go to church each week and learn something new and feel whatever the spirit wants to tell me. I respect other religions 100%, and I admire the devotion of the members in them. I am grateful that there are so many people who love and believe in a loving God in heaven and who answers our prayers. While at the synagogue I met a woman from the states who is here in Jerusalem studying at a Jewish school. I told her a little bit about our program here at 'Mormon University' and she seemed really surprised that we learn so much about the land here and about both Judaism and Islam. She was also baffled that our Jewish professor would bring us to the service at the synagogue when we really couldn't understand much of what is going on but she also thought it was really cool. She saw a man there that she had met through a mutual friend a few days before who I also met. He didn't speak English so I didn't talk to him too much or learn a lot about him, but after the service he asked me for my facebook and when I looked at him with a confused face he clarified that it was for his friend, not for him, to which I gave a more confused (and probably somewhat frightened look). After many awkward exchanges of glances between me, the man, the Jewish woman I met, my friend Kaylee who was with me, and back to the man, the woman I met (Shawnee) finally started exchanging hebrew words with the man about this whole situation. I understood nothing and finally she just said "It's not appropriate!" He understood and left me be which was a relief.

Well, exhaustion has overtaken me, which I must battle with tomorrow morning for our early field trip, so I must now retire to slumber.

Remember the wise words of Henry Ford, "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."

Make every day the best day of your life!