Welcome to the Holy Land

This last week has been one of the most overwhelming weeks of my life.  I already feel such a kinship with the people of this region.  It is going to be so hard to leave.

We arrived in the Holy Land last Wednesday afternoon after roughly 24 hours of travel and were shuttled from Tel Aviv to the Jerusalem Center.  After dinner and several hours of orientation we were finally led to our rooms to unpack, shower and sleep.  The next morning we had a "walking tour" of the city.  How awesome is it that I get to be here for the next 3 1/2 months?!  The tour whet my appetite to explore the city.

Friday was the first day of class.  Br. Huff is my Old Testament teacher and in the middle of class something came up about Nephi's family being in Jerusalem and we all had one of those "aha" moments as he said they were living right there (pointing to the city).  All 40 students 

collectively looked out the windows at the same time at the city and we all remembered that we were studying in Jerusalem and not in a random classroom in Provo. 

Because Friday is the Muslim Holy Day and this Friday was the first Friday of the month of Ramadan (where they fast during the daylight hours) we were on lockdown in the center meaning that we have to stay inside all day.  So a group of about 25 of us decided that we would play indoor soccer.  It was a blast and a good way for me to get to know some of the kids at the center.

Saturday in Jerusalem is the holy day for Jews (Shabbat) and the members of the church over here also observe Saturday as the day of rest to help accommodate with work schedules and to more easily fit in with the culture over here.  The student choir started up (we meet an hour before church starts) and we sang a Sally De Ford song, "My Grateful Spirit Sings," -- a simple, beautiful piece of music -- for prelude.

I got sustained as a Nursery leader in the branch.  I have three little 2-year old girls to take care of- Clair, Ellie, and Emily.  They are so cute.

A couple of us went to the Garden Tomb in between church and dinner.  It is kind of unreal to go to all of these

 places that you have heard about your whole life, seen pictures of, and visualized.  Actually being there is a different experience altogether.  Already I know that I will never be able to read the scriptures or anything about Jerusalem of the surrounding area without thinking of my time here.  The Garden Tomb is beautiful and compared to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre I think it is much more likely the place where Christ was buried and resurrected.

Sunday through Tuesday we just had class and explored the city.

Tuesday was a happy day.  I found my olive wood nativity!  Omar was so excited when I told him I was a Walton.  He told me that he was so happy he could cry and he looked teary-eyed.  What a sweet man!  I fell in love with my nativity and I know I will be happy with it forever.  It is different than the traditional nativity because it is more open and it has a giant palm tree.  I hand picked some of the pieces to help it match.  I can't wait to have it on display at Christmas!

On Wednesday we took a group Geography Field Trip to several overlooks of the city-- one to the east, one to the south, and one to the west, ending in Nebi Samwil near where Jacob dreamed about the ladder climbing into heaven.

A group of us took the ramparts walk tour on Thursday and we ended up in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City.  We only had two hours so we explored a little bit and toured the "Burnt House."  

Friday we were supposed to go to the Western Wall, but because of Ramadan security measures, our field trip got moved to after Egypt.  So once again we were on lockdown and we found ways to entertain ourselves in the center (sardines, working out, etc...).  

Shabbot was great again.  I taught the Nursery lesson and quickly learned that the kids only have about a 4-5 minute attention span for lessons, but since the lesson was called "I Have Feelings" it was pretty easy to cover.

Today we had a once in a lifetime experience.  We were blessed with the opportunity to see the Isaiah scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls.  For the first time in forty years, this scroll is on display.  It has only been on display since July and after Tuesday it will never be on display again.  I felt so blessed to be able to see this.  How neat that this writing has been around since 125 BC?!  We got to see a two-thousand year old document!  And the Isaiah scroll at that.  Br. Skinner gave us a fireside on the scrolls on Thursday night to prepare us for today.  I would have taken a picture if I could, but I will forever keep the mental image in my mind.    I love this place!

That's all for now!  Ma'a Salama!

Until Next Time,

Julie