Swimming Where the Savior Walked

Needless to say finals were simply painful! I have to say overall this has been my roughest college semester on record and I have yet to see what my grades will actually be. Following finals week we had the opprotunity to travel to the Herodian including the Western Wall and the escavations taking place. As I placed my own prayer in the Western Wall, the wall closest to where the Holy of Holies would have been located thousands of years ago, I realized that this was my temple too. I watched as hundreds upon hundreds of my brothers and sisters prayed at this wall for the return of a way of life in which to fully worship their Lord and I was overcome with gratitude to know that when I come home I have the ability to fulfill their wishes in my personal life. How very blessed I am.

We also went to Bethlehem which commenced our study of the New Testament. Once again, Bethlehem was not what I had pictured it to be. A large Catholic church had been erected over the supposed location of the Savior's birth and the general feel of the place was once again dark and somewhat unhappy.

Classes continued for a week and the general feeling of the center was one of great excitement for our last, biggest trip. In order to entertain ourselves for the last few days we had our own Oscar's night and music videos as well as short films by the students were shown. I even showed up randomly in one of them! Hooray! Everyone dressed up for the occasion and I even bought a new skirt (6 dollars) for the night. What a fun night it was.

Finally after a few more movies were watched and hours spent in class, we headed off to Galilee on Monday, July 13. Our first stop on the way to Ein Gev (our resort) was at Caesarea Megiddo. This is where Herod the Great built one of his strongholds dedicated to Caesar. The uniquness of the site was that Herod also built his own harbor. The man had ego issues I think.....but he did succeed in his endeavors and the ruins in the ocean still hold strong.

Of course me being the adventurous person that I am, convinced a few of my classmates to join me out on the ruins in the middle of the ocean. The ancient cement was slippery and covered in various sea plant and animals (we even found a dead jelly fish!). As I headed out to the largest portion of the sea wall I realized that my foot hurt and upon investigation realized that I had torn my toe open and was bleeding profusely. I was then carried to shore by Mason and then Daniel carried me about a quarter of a mile to where the busses were parked. The mess was cleaned up and stiches weren't needed, don't worry! I just thought it was rather humorous because it always seems that I'm the one getting hurt!

This was taken before I realized that I was hurt. From left to right: Mason carrying around Becca, me, Emily, Mackenzie (my roommate for Galilee), and Jane.

Following this little adventure we stopped at an ancient Roman aquaduct and ran around the ruins as usual.

From left to right: Daniel, me, Rachel (my roommate from Jordan), and Brittany.

We stopped in Nazareth for a few hours and were allowed to enter a few churches concerning Jesus' ministry. Needless to say it was almost unbareably hot and we were all ready to go to the beach. How grateful we all were when we drove up to this scene!

This is the view of the Sea of Galilee right outside of my bungalo. Amazing right? Across the lake is Tiberias which was quite a sight after nightfall.

Unfortunately because of my injury I wasn't able to get in the water for a few days for fear of infection. I did, however, enjoy long days of tanning and reflection. The peace present in that place was incredible and it truly was no wonder that the Lord spent so much time there. I marveled at the beauty of it compared to the unrest of Jerusalem and told one of my friends, Camille how I felt. She then commented: "Well He's the one who made it this beautiful, why wouldn't He spend so much time here?" How very true that is. It was amazing to me that I was able to stand in the water that had heard the Savior's voice and obeyed His every command. Galilee truly is a land where you can feel that the Savior walked there.

Our first real field trip in Galilee consisted of a boat ride across the Sea to Tiberias and then a stop at the Mount of Beatitudes. I was pleasantly suprised at how beautiful the grounds have been kept on the Mount. Once again, you could feel that the Savior really had taught there.

Catholic church and garden on the Mount of Beattitudes.

The next day was spent rafting on the Jordan River and then we went to dinner at a fish restaurant. For those of you who know my reactions to not only sea food but also to any meat still on bone, it goes without saying that I ordered the pizza. How very grateful I was! The fish looked as if it had just been pulled out of the ocean, thrown on the grill and then put on a plate; eyes, tongue, and teeth all still present. I was teased mercilessly for not eating the fish but I am sure that I will never regret my decision!

The next few days were spent on the beach and in classes. How wonderful it was to have some sort of a vacation! I honestly slept most of the time, but it was amazing.

On Monday of the next week, July 20, we went to see the Jezreel Valley and some hot springs. In the Jezreel Valley we stopped at an ancient Roman city and as evidenced in the picture, we went climbing on the ruins. Don't worry mom, I only stood out on the pillar for just a few seconds to have my picture taken :) and it really wasn't that high up! Ok maybe it was.....but what a great picture!

Look mom! No harness! :)

The next day we were off to Hazor, Dan and the upper Galilee including Banias (Caesarea Philipi) and Nimrod's Castle. Honestly I don't remember much of Hazor, it was another one of those experiences where I'm going to need to identify another pile of ancient rocks and dirt. But I do remember that my headphones broke there! Don't worry though, Mary Lou had an extra pair and has lent them to me for the rest of the trip. Thank you!

Caesarea Philipi was wonderful though. This was the site of St Matthew 16 where Peter declares Christ as the Son of the Living God. Our teacher explained to us that it is no wonder that the Savior chose this place to call Peter a rock. The mountainside is amazing! Furthermore, the site had previously been dedicated to the Greek god Pan who ruled over the Underworld. The background of the next picture is what the Greeks called the opening to hell. Thus, the explanation for the faces made....

From left to right: Kristi, me, Savannah, Emily, and Matt (his expression is my favorite)

Nimrod's castle had no real historical value to our trip other than that it was a Crusader castle. We once again took amazing pictures though!
Once again, me on a rather large cliff......I was told quite quickly following this picture to get down....

At Dan we traveled around basically in the jungle, but the highlight of the trip was seeing this kindergarten class. Unfortunately since it was being taught in Hebrew I understood nothing but this little boy caught my attention. He looked so very intent and I loved his stance while he watched the lesson :)

Our last day in Galilee consisted of visiting Akko and Beth Shearim. In Akko we toured yet another Crusader castle, as well as a mosque where we were suprised to find beautiful Hawaiian flowers on the grounds. We take our little joys where we can in the heat and humidity I guess :)

Left to right: Emily, Ali, and me!

Shortly following this picture we traveled a short distance through the city to the coast and alongside the beautiful scene, we found some local Arab boys jumping off the walls! I was tempted to join them but did not due so for fear of being sent home early from the program....what a great story that would have been though!

Upon arriving home I was planning on taking only an hour nap and then heading off to the beach for one last time but unfortunately I forgot to turn my alarm on and didn't wake up till dinner. I did however spend time after dinner watching the sunset, attempted walking on water one last time (I still need more practice on that one....), and prepared myself for the testimony meeting that night.

I was overwhelmed at the testimony meeting with a burning confirmation that my Elder Brother lived in this land and that He truly loves me. I cannot express all of the feelings or thoughts that I had that night but I can say that I know without a doubt that Jesus Christ lives and that He came to this earth to save us all and that He loves each of us more than we will ever be able to comprehend.

My failed last attempt at walking on water

Sunset on the Sea of Galilee

Overall the trip was amazing and in all honesty I would love to go back someday. I have never felt such a daily testimony and power that the Savior's spirit dwells there. I cannot be grateful enough that I have had the opprotunity to come to the Holy Land. Who ever thought that I would be cool enough for this??

I am excited however to come home in just 2 and a half weeks! The days have simply flown by and once again we are preparing for finals. Papers will be written, tests taken, tshirts ordered (that's my task for the summer that I have put off till the last minute.....whoops!), many pictures taken and then I'll be on a plane at 2 AM before I know it! I'm excited to see all of you! I have missed you so much and cannot wait to share all of my experiences and pictures!!! Hope all is well at home, love you!

Da da da daaaaaaaa da da da (Indiana Jones Theme Song)

Well I officially survived another extended field trip from the center. The weeks from Egypt till Jordan were fun-filled and definitely exciting. There were Egyptian costume party dances (where I won "looks most like an Egyptian, can you tell??)

From left to right: Emily (she was staring me down.....kind of scary), Daniel (yes, he was a mummy out of toilet paper), and me!

Poetry slams, many nights of movies, many nights of studying, Jewish folk dancing, falling asleep in any chair available, and general mayhem in the city of Jerusalem. Many a cat was seen (as usual) and I even have a new puppy! She lives outside of the lower gate and I even attempted to sneak her into the center but thought I may receive some reprimands from the president of the university, so she yet lives outside the gate.

This week was our large field trip to Jordan, and what an adventure it was! We had an hour long bus ride to the Jordanian border where an incident of great indecency took place (ask me in person). Fortunately, our border crossing took less than 45 minutes this time (unlike Egypt back into Israel which took about 3 hours) and off we were to Petra!

On the way to our hotel in Petra we were treated with a stop to a Crusader's castle and even a stop at Mt. Nebo where Moses was translated (trust me, he was because I did not see him there!) Oh yes, we stormed the castle, had great pictures with much attitude present, and then got back on the bus for another 2 hour drive to the hotel. Unfortunately the hotel was not as pleasant as the ones in Egypt.....and the rules for Egypt still applied (much personal interpretation was instituted on this fact). I have to say in general, no restroom we stopped at was clean, and no bed that I slept in probably had clean sheets.....

Art representation of the serpent on the staff in the wilderness (oh yeah, I threw the sun in there too but I can't really take credit for making that......ok and I can't take credit for the art either.....just the picture)

Ali and me at the Crusader's castle posing with some attitude of course!

The hotel in Petra we will just name as "that which shall not be named." However, down the street was a very nice hotel which had supposedly the best ice cream of all time. Personally I was disappointed, it tasted more of butter than anything else (not that I eat butter straight, just that i recognize the flavor). I still favor Magnum Bars and BYU creamery ice cream to be honest. After getting some ice cream many members of our group decided to pay for massages at a local Turkish Bath. I think it goes without saying that I did not attend. Instead a large group of girls (myself included) walked up and down the street for a little while and then sat by the pool and talked. A rather fulfilling evening if I do say so myself, and I didn't even have one bug bite! (this did not last however.....)

The next morning we headed off to Petra (this site may be seen in the third Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). Unfortunately I did not find any old crusaders or a Holy Grail (trust me, I looked). The inside to the structure itself was rather disappointing, only a large room of nothingness and dirt.

Yes, that is really Petra in the background!

However, the rest of the area was covered in caves and dwellings! I even hiked 872 stairs (no I did not count them personally, that would have been just to painful to know) to a monastery. Once again, the Middle East has a rather strange definition of stairs.....we are not talking stairs in the Tanner Building or up to your bedroom but rather boulder like stairs which seem to laugh at you as you sweat in the sun. The weather, fortunately was about 90 degrees F, and I have to say I was rather grateful for it (no I'm not being sarcastic). It made me miss Arizona and remember why I simply do not like the snow.

At the monastery I met a little girl of about 10 years old who made a living for her and her family by selling necklaces that her mother makes for 2$. She told me that she wanted to grow up to be a doctor and that she has been working very hard in her Bedouin school to be able to do so. She talked to many of the girls in my group who are aspiring to be nurses and was very excited when they told her all of the classes she would need to take. It made me think how much I take my education for granted. To watch this little girl speak with such enthusiasm about her aspirations and to know that she rarely has the chance to ever see a school outside of her tent in Petra was heartbreaking to me.

My new best friend at Petra who wants to be a doctor.

After spending 7 hours at Petra, we rode horses back to the bus (mine was apparently stubborn and the owner said I wasn't allowed to try riding by myself), we headed off to Amman. The food at the hotel was interesting as usual.....but they did have very good fake pizza which I enjoyed. I then spent the night in the hotel attempting to do homework, but eventually gave into the sleepiness.

The next day we traveled to a Roman city called Jerash. It was absolutely incredible and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing those momentous structures that a truly breathtaking. We then stopped by the area where Jacob wrestled the angel (Genesis 32), and then met with the branch president of Jordan. He was inspiring and helped me to understand that maybe this trip is helping to prepare me to bring the Gospel in full force to the Middle East.

That night we (myself, Rachel, Stephanie, and Cali) decided to buy many many movies with discount prices, run around the strip mall, and through the streets of Amman. It's rather strange to walk through the city because total we saw about 3 women the entire time. Furthermore, because we are from America and do not follow the Islamic customs of wearing clothing that extends to our wrists as well as the covering of our heads, we had many men honking at us, attempting to stop us and talk, lots of staring and cat calls. Personally, I thought that the advances were worse than Egypt and more terrifying since we did not have a boy with us. We eventually found ice cream (main food group for the week) and enjoyed trying to speak Arabic/English to the store owner. Afterwards we were followed home for about a block and a half by a rather strange and scary man. We decided to walk back to the hotel by a different route and ended up safely back in our rooms and curled up in our beds to watch Hitch.

So here's a riddle: What do you do at 5:30 pm in Amman, Jordan if you are a BYU student at the Jerusalem Center??? Answer: go to the strip mall and ride the kids' rides!!!

The next morning we stopped at another Roman cite as well as a mosque and the river Jordan. At the river Jordan the temperature was supposedly 110, and yet again, I was loving it. We had a devotional at the river and even our tour guide was asking questions about our faith. After this we drove back to the Israeli border, took about an hour and a half to cross, then back to the Jerusalem center for a long, hot, clean shower, and a very good dinner.

This is the site where many churches recognize the baptism of Christ. Definitely not what I had envisioned.

This week, unfortunately, will be filled with studying for finals........not a very happy week if you ask me. My last final is on Friday and will be over at 3! Then on July 5 we are going snorkeling in the Red Sea and on July 13 off to Galilee for two weeks!!! Hooray!!!!!

Walk like an Egyptian

So I'm finally home from Egypt and what an experience it was. Top three rules when you travel to Egypt:

1. DO NOT EAT FRUIT OR VEGETABLES (avoid dairy products and just food in general if possible, sometimes you find ants crawling through your bread)

2. DO NOT DRINK THE WATER (unless it comes in a sealed bottle from Europe)

2 a. DO NOT JUMP IN THE NILE AND DRINK THE WATER (you will die)

3. BE VERY GRATEFUL FOR SOFT BEDS AND DRAMAMINE (the hotels we stayed at were BE-utiful and made being in Egypt actually livable. Ps. dramamine helps due to the lack of road rules in Egypt, especially when your bus driver decides to drive the wrong way on the freeway)

The trip began with traveling a few sites on the way to Egypt. We stopped at Beersheba (where Abraham lived) as well as this amazing fortress on the Spice route. We then went to a Kabutz where a small community of Jews live as agricultural leaders and farmers. It truly was a Zionistic society, and oh yeah they had basically the most amazing ice cream (oh yes better than the BYU creamery, I know, shocking).
We then traveled to Cairo. Honestly I have never seen such poverty in my entire life. We went to a very exciting light show at the pyramids/sphinx. When we drove around the corner and I saw the pyramids that day I basically screamed. Very exciting day my friends. The following day I even was able to go inside of the largest pyramid and man it was hot! No ventilation in there! But then again dead guys don't need much air as it is. I also was able to walk in and see King Tut's tomb (sorry no pictures allowed, apparently mummies just don't think they are very photogenic).

After two days in Cairo we took a plane to Luxor to see some wonderful ancient temples! The hotel was beautiful and I wish that I could have brought that bed home with me.....In Luxor I was able to ride a Falukah (I don't think I spelled that correctly) on the Nile and then went on a camel safari! I even made a new best friend/boyfriend (sorry Blake ;) ) His name is Usef and he is 4 years old. He was in charge of his very own donkey. We had a great conversation in Arabic and I even played a few hand games with him. I've realized that children are so alike all over the world. So willing to love and make new friends. If only everyone could keep that childlike humility.

(Usef, 4 years old, and his donkey)

Story of the week for Luxor. Dan (a rather daring and rebellious guy in our group) decided that it would be a wonderful experience to jump in the Nile even after being COMMANDED by our leaders to not do so. Oh yes, he's been sick for the past week. Moral of the story: don't jump in the Nile or you may die.

Following our stay in Luxor we took a night train back to Cairo. The bed was not as nice as the hotel but I lived. Being the klutz that I was, when I woke up in the morning to go to the bathroom, I shut my thumb in the door and received the largest blood blister on record. (I took a picture so ask me to see it when I get home, I didn't think that posting it on the internet was necessary.) Thank you, Thank you, I'll be here all week.

Once back at Cairo, we spent a few days shopping (oh yes a man offered 5 chickens for me as a wife) and then headed off to Sinai. We received our wake up call at 2 AM. Yes, I did say 2 AM. The hike took 2 and 1/2 hours to complete, 7 kilometers in all with the last 1/3 of the hike being 750 stairs (boulder like stairs). This was probably one of the hardest experiences of my life but I am so very grateful that I was able to complete it and see the amazing sunrise at the top.

(Emily and I at the top of Sinai at 5 AM, it was freezing!!)

After this we went swimming in the Red Sea. I chose to opt out on that one due to the 30 mosquito bites on my legs. But being able to tan on the beach was wonderful. We then went through the border (which took 2 1/2 hours). What a long day!!

Overall I am grateful that I was able to go but I'm not sure that I would ever want to go back. It was quite a unique experience that I will never forget.

The food, the people, the center!

Hey everyone!! I figured that instead of attempting to write/answer tons of emails I would simple write on this haha look at me all decked out in technology!! I'm so very proud of myself. Well I've been here for about three weeks now in Jerusalem and it has been quite the culture experience. Most days I stay in the center studying and studying and studying and did I mention study?? The classes that I'm taking are: Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Arabic, Old Testament, Judaism, and Islamic Studies! It's been quite the roller coaster and next week is the large field trip to Egypt!!

Most days i still can't believe that I'm here. I wake up every morning and look out the window to see the Dome of the Rock and the Old City. It is beyond incredible and I am so grateful that I am here.

One view from my balcony and a great Jerusalem summer night!!

I miss you all very very much and I wish that you were all here to share the adventure with me but I hope that some photos will help just a little bit. The places I've visited so far are: the Old City through Damascas Gate and Jafa Gate, the Garden Tomb, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Wailing Wall (or Western Wall), Jerico, Herod's winter palace, the Mountain of Temptations, St. Augusta Victoria Tower.

My roommate Ali and me at Damascas Gate

The big events for this week: the Pope is in town and we have security guards all over the center and living here with us, the Utah state governor visited, two huge midterms (which I kind of passed.....), cleaning checks, and oh yes I did my laundry!!! Hooray me!!

The roommates are great :) a little messy but that's ok....can you guess which side of the room is mine??

As I said, we're off to Egypt next week to play with the Pharaohs!! yay for mummies and camels!! I've already been practicing my Egyptian pose around the city and I must say it's rather impressive if i do say so myself. I hope that everything is going well back in the lands of Colorado and Utah!! Love you all so very much!!