"Luh-hi-tra-oot" Jerusalem

So this is my final post from Jerusalem! Just a quick little note. I realize my mom said I was regularly updating my blog which I was until we got SUPER busy with just trying to get everything done. I will do the last week when I get home. This has been an amazing experience and I couldn't ask for better friends here, or teachers, or really much of anything else. "Luh-hi-tra-oot" is how you say something in Hebrew and I don't know exactly hot to spell it but it basically means goodbye but not in a final way. I'm not saying shalom (goodbye) to Jerusalem for good just a little see you later. I'll be back here- I'll find a way.

Oh Jerusalem if I forget thee...

Count down 6-Shabbat Shalom Y'all!

ExpiresActive On ExpiresByType image/jpg "access 1 year" ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access 1 year" ExpiresByType image/gif "access 1 year" ExpiresByType image/png "access 1 year" ExpiresByType text/css "access 1 month" ExpiresByType text/html "access 1 month" ExpiresByType application/pdf "access 1 month" ExpiresByType text/x-javascript "access 1 month" ExpiresByType application/x-shockwave-flash "access 1 month" ExpiresByType image/x-icon "access 1 year" ExpiresDefault "access 1 month" Can you believe that I have less than a week left? I can't/I refuse to believe it. "Finished" finals today and only one paper, one shabbat, two field trips, and three free days left.

After finals today we went to the Western Wall to welcome in the Shabbat. I am so glad that we got to go again. We went like... the first week we were here I think. Anyway it was one of my favorite things that we have done this semester and I didn't think we were going to be able to make it back because we aren't allowed in East Jerusalem after dark. Luckily some people talked to some other people and got it worked out so that we had permission to go. Basically what it is is the welcoming in of the Sabbath for those of the Jewish faith. They go to the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) and pray and celebrate the shabbat. There's praying (as I said previously), dancing, singing- it's really a celebration. What a wonderful way to welcome in what should be the happiest day of the week. The men and women split up into different sides and while the men's side is usually a bit more fun we had our own party on the women's side. Singing, dancing in circles, and just talking- it's wonderful.

After the Western Wall we had choir practice, dinner, and then the activity days girls put on a play of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. After the play we ran up to our Christmas concert. I honestly wasn't positive when the concert was until this morning... shwoops. It went well though considering how prepared I personally felt. (I personally felt more ready for the EFY musical program that we worked on for 2.5 days than I did for tonight... just to put it in perspective) So now that we're done with the concert we're just chillin and watching Cool Runnings.

So onto what I'm going to miss about Jeru. I'm going to miss all of the variety! Sammamish and Provo are like 110% homogeneous (yes dad I know it's impossible to be over 100%) Here there are two different nations, 3 major religions, and a whole smattering of people that just want to come here. Tonight I heard the call to prayer, welcomed in the shabbat, and sang Christmas songs. I'm constantly seeing different tour groups from all over the world and meeting people who come to live here in the Holy Land from different countries just because of the religious significance. It's so cool. I'm going to miss it tons.

**I should start to say things that I'm excited for- I'm excited to be able to read all of the signs/understand everyone that's talking around me.

Count down 7

One week left? What de heck!?!?

Such a great day of doing absolutely nothing. (okay it was great aside from the studying I did/didn't do)

Woke up with 10 minutes left of breakfast (definitely excited about not having to be awake at a certain time to receive my daily rations) so I literally rolled out of bed got dressed/put my hair up in record time and ran up the stairs to get breakfast. Then we had choir practice for our Christmas concert. I then went out to the city and just explored more of East Jerusalem and got some delicious pastries. 3 pastries for 2 shekels? I'm going to miss how cheap things are here (that's like... 60 cents by the way)
That was followed by lunch, studying, a short nap, more studying, and then....
MAKING COOKIES!!! (literally)
Lauren's mom sent us stuff to make cookies with and we just used the Bentley's (service couple) kitchen. It was quite the adventure trying to figure out the Hebrew on the butter/conversion rates/how to work the oven. It was so fun baking (for the first time in like 6 months might I add) and getting to know Brother Bentley. The service couples/teachers here are absolutely amazing. There are 4 service couples: The Ohmans (organist/music), the Bentley's (Humanitarian mission), the Skinners (field trip teacher), and the Chapmans (doctor). President Ohman is like one of the top 3 organists in the world/nation(USA)- what's the difference right?- cue Bashir Bashir saying something about being reductionist/redactionist/redundant/etc. by the way that was a joke... But seriously he's one of the top organists. Brother Bentley was/is a lawyer and specializes in law with Joseph Smith- he's actually working on the Joseph Smith Papers. Brother Skinner might be one of the most intelligent and funniest men I have ever met and Sister Skinner is just the sweetest (as are all the women here). The Chapmans are one of the cutest couples I have ever seen- I honestly believe that they are just eternal young adults whose bodies just keep getting older while their spirits/personalities just stay 25.

These amazing people are my "count down 7" thing I will miss. The Skinners are leaving tomorrow as they were only here for 6 months though they will be back at some point to complete a mission here. All of the couples here are essential to this experience and this study abroad would not have been nearly as amazing with out them. I'll talk about the teacher another time... maybe after I get my final grades back. Though just for future reference they are all amazing whether my grades reflect it or not.

The last few days in pictures

Me and Lindsay with our delicious doughnuts from the Shook

In front of the Russian Orthodox Church

real boy band in front of the Church of the Ascension

Cool stained glass at the Church of the Ascension

Me and Christine at the Light show

Me and Floren at the Light show- roomie love

Maybe the most inclusively attractive picture ever taken. Doesn't everyone look great!?
This was taken at the Orsen Hyde Garden after we did Oil Consecrations-
definitely one of the most unique experiences of the study abroad

Lindsay, me, and Whitney at Masada

Classic Kaitlyn+me pic with ice cream :)

Me in front of Damascus Gate

Pictures of Galilee

Beth She'an
Beth She'an

train ride thing in Beth She'an


On the Sea of Galilee


yay pizza... can't wait for real pizza at home


This might be the best picture I have ever taken:
Lindsay being super cute, my failed attempt at crossing my eyes (notice lazy eye),
Brielle's Giraffe tongue, and Lauren in the background


Finally making it to the "waterfall"



jumping picture at Talmudic Community ruins


Syria is in the background after you get past the "no mans land"


Seat of Moses- replica

Beautiful view in Acre

Beautiful goodbye sunset in Galilee

count down 17

started the day at 7 am and went to Dome of the Rock- totally worth it

some cool graffiti in West Jerusalem

love this one

most delicious crepe's I have ever had

Partaking of said crepes

Between Dome of the Rock and crepes we went to the Jewish Quarter twice, Christian Quarter once, the Shook (out door market), and West Jerusalem. Personally ate a (another) caramel croissant, a chocolate pastry, and a pizza bagel.

Post crepes we went to Aladdin's to change money, Jimmy's, and our favorite place to get shirts/sweaters in East Jerusalem. Finally at about 4:00 we made it back and I took a 1.5 hour nap that I'm still recovering from.

Great Day!

I only have 18 days left :(

Okay so today was absolutely amazing. I really feel like this city is my home and I really am so sad to be leaving so soon. Today we went on a morning field trip. We went the the Wohl museum that is built over ruins of houses dating back 2000 years. We went to the Burnt house- remains from a house that was burned down by the Romans at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple. We also went to part of the Western Wall that had stairs that hadn't been reconstructed and where they found stones that had been thrown off the top of the Temple during the Second Temple destruction including the pinnacle stone where the shofar would be blown (kind of similar the Angel Moroni on top of LDS temples except it was a real person... details). We got pictures with Israeli soldiers (made my day) and after the field trip my roommates and I walked around the old city finishing Christmas shopping and eating delicious food. I personally finished all of my Christmas shopping for family and most of my own shopping and I ate a caramel croissant and shawarma. Good thing we spent all day (from 8:30 am-4:30 pm) walking including the huge hill up to the center. I think my exercise and eating habits cancel each other out- hopefully. I guess the truth will come out when I come home and start playing wii fit again with my family.

Tifereth Israel Synagogue that was blown by Jordanians after the War of Independence

I might be slightly in love with the guy to the left of me...
I might also be suffering from a 3:1 girl to boy ratio for the last 4 months

The stones behind me were the ones thrown off the temple

I really wish people would start spelling my name right...

Galilee!

Sorry for the slacking on the blog. We have been in Galilee for the past 10 days and it was absolutely amazing!
Day one: We spent the first day driving from Jerusalem to Galilee making a few stops on the way. We went to Beth She'an, Nazareth, and Arbel. Beth She'an had some great ruins. In Nazareth we saw the Church of the Annunciation and the Synagogue Church. Arbel had a great view of Galilee.

Day two: First field trip! We started the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We stopped in the middle of the "sea" and had a devotional. After the boat ride we went to a museum and saw a boat that was found in the Galilee and was dated to around the time of Jesus. Then we made our way up to the Mount of Beatitudes. It was absolutely beautiful- looked just like paradise. Then we went to St. Peter's Primacy and Capernaum. St. Peter's Primacy was the place of the "do you love me then feed my sheep" conversation between Peter and Jesus. In Capernaum we saw a synagogue that was built on the foundations of an older synagogue- potentially one that Jesus may have taught it.

Day three was cold and rainy. We spent the day in classes and watching movies.

Day four: Only a half day field trip. We went to Gamala part of the Golan Heights. Some of us tried to find a waterfall. It was rainy and muddy and very foggy. We found where the waterfall was supposed to be but unfortunately we couldn't see it. Then we went to Qaztrin and saw some ruins from a Talmudic community.

Day five: another class day

Day six: Shabbat. We had later church on Shabbat so that we could use the small chapel in Tiberias. It was a beautiful chapel and on the way home we went to the River Jordan. It was a beautiful view as the sun was setting and a great time to reflect on the Savior and his baptism.

Day seven: Class... this might have been the day that we had our midterm but I definitely blocked that from my memory.

Day eight: I honestly can't remember what we did. I think it was Mount Tabor, Nain, and Megiddo. Mount Tabor is one of the traditional sites of the transfiguration. It was a great field trip but I honestly don't remember what day it was.

Okay... because I can't remember the days here's a list of the things that we did.
-pictures on the shores of Galilee
- Tel Hazor
- Tel Dan
- Banias
- Muslim fortress/castle
- saw some great mosaics
- Acre/Acco
- Chorazin
- Sepphoris
- Haifa
- Mt. Carmel
- German Templar Cemetery which holds the graves of some of the missionaries that were in the Palestine mission

We came home yesterday afternoon. It's weird to call the JC home now- especially since I'm only here for a few more weeks. While we were gone the service couples had decorated the center and there a bunch of trees decorating the top few levels of the center. Our wonderful chef Achmed also had prepared an amazing Thanksgiving dinner for us including turkey, sweet potato marshmallow casserole, and stuffing. It was all delicious and was a sweet reminder of how blessed we all are to be here and the wonderful people that we are surrounded by.

Galilee was really amazing but it came with it's own challenges. Although I would have enjoyed a trial free vacation it was a great time to reflect on the atonement and how it has affected my life. I had some wonderful epiphanies while being there and just pondering over what I was going through. In the end it was a great blessing to be able to put my trust in my Savior. I was able to walk in places or in the air space of where Jesus walked and saw many of the places that Jesus spent a lot of his mortal ministry in. It was an amazing trip but it's great to be back in Jerusalem.

Count down: 3 weeks

Pictures of Bethlehem

Elyse and Me at the Herodian

Me and Thomas- also at the Herodian
(in real life Thomas is about a foot taller- he squatted for the picture)
Kaitlyn and me- Classic pic at the Tent Restaurant
Love this sign
Just some Katherines at St. Catherines

Oh Little Town

We went to Bethlehem! Definitely one of my favorite field trips so far. (by the way this is delayed by about... a week). Just a super quick summary of what we did.

First stop was the Herodian- Herod the Greats palace in Jerusalem and also the site where they very recently found his grave.

Second stop was Bethlehem University. We got to talk to a professor and some students there just about life and school. It was actually the first Palestinian Universities and some of the students have to pass through multiple check points on their commute from home to school. It was really interesting to hear about the University and how similar some of the problems are between American students and Palestinian students- but there are some major differences. The best part of that visit was just walking around talking to the students. Kaitlyn and I actually got asked out to coffee by some students. Unfortunately we had to decline because we were leaving soon... and we don't drink coffee.

After Bethlehem University we went to the Tent Restaurant for lunch. Basically it was delicious food eaten in a tent. And that's all I have to say about that.

Our next stop was Manger Square/Church of the Nativity. The line to the star of the place of the birth Christ was really long and we weren't sure if we could get through so a group of us just went through the rest of the church/cave. We had a really amazing time just Christmas songs- we had some people video taping us (pretty common reaction from other tourists actually) and some people from other churches started singing with us. It was a great experience to see (again) how music and religion brings people together. After the church we shopped around Manger Square. A bunch of us got Bethlehem baby blankets. I guess the only time they make money off of them is when the BYU students come- typical.

Our final stop was Shepherds Field. It is the place where LDS tourist groups go for the place where the angel appeared declared Christ's birth to the shepherds. It was pretty dark by the time we got there but there were still sheep walking through the hills. It literally looked exactly like I imagined it would- maybe a little less green but that's just because nothing is really green here. We had a little devotional there and then sang Christmas songs and had some quiet contemplative time which was really nice. It was a great time to think about Christ's Birth and how important his life and atonement is in my personal life.

I really do love being here. It is the best experience of my life and will probably remain in the top 10- I can't imagine too many things being better. It's incredible here. There is so much history and so much love here. I am so sad to be leaving in a short 5ish weeks. I will miss everything here. If any of you want to come to the Holy Land and need a tour guide let me know! I'll come with anyone in a heart beat and take you to all the cool places... well the ones I know about.

Just some of the 277 pictures I took in Jordan

Goodbye Israel- Hello Jordan!!!

Over look from Mt. Nebo

Making a fake mosaic

Muslim Barbies- I wish I had gotten one!

Hike up to where John the Baptist was supposedly beheaded

Sun over the Dead Sea
Entering the Siq

God is the COOLEST creator
The Siq- believed to be naturally carved by water

Little boy running up the rocks-I loving call him Aladdin

Through the crack is PETRA!!!

We made it!
Lindsey, me, and Lauren at the Treasury in Petra

my girl "Deema"- cute little girl selling necklace
(the Petra pictures to come feature the necklace I bought from her)
*I also love this picture because it looks like I have a small child in my water carrier*

a sweet little Bedouin boy selling rocks in Petra
If you can't see it in the picture he's covered in flies
I cried a little over this boy

these colored rocks were so cool- yellow, red, and blue from different chemicals
proof that God is the greatest creator
Man can carve stone with tools and color it with paint
but God can carve it with water and color it

At the monastery in Petra

"top of the world" view point

funniest attempt at a jumping picture at the "top of the world" view
We never actually got all of us jumping

on a camel in front of the Treasury in Petra- NBD

Just some night time ice cream in Amman

Roomie picture at the Mosque

The woman's mosque at the King Abdullah Mosque

Jordan had the CUTEST kids!

chariot racers at the gladiator show!

at the temple of Artemis

This rock "ruined" my picture

Look who I saw! JENNI!!!

silly picture in Amman after a long walk

We may or may not have found a way onto the roof of our hotel

Roman Theater
River Jordan
At the River Jordan