Off to Egypt We Go

So tomorrow morning we leave for Egypt. I'm so excited!

Thursday we went on a Biblical Landscape field trip. We learned about almond, fig and sycamore trees. We also learned about the Festival of Tabernacles and other cool stuff. Last night we watched The Ten Commandments. It was fantastic. Well I'll update things when I get back from Egypt.

On to Jericho

The last couple days have been great. Yesterday I ended up not going to Tel Aviv. Instead I went to the Western Wall again and wrote a little note to stick in a crevice in the wall. I also went to the YMCA Carillon and heard the carillon bells played and played a few notes myself. Then we went to Shaban's store on Christian Quarter Road. He loves us because we are BYU students. This time he gave us this amazing humus and homemade warm pita bread. It was quite possibly the best food I have had since coming here. It was absolutely amazing. I also bought some skirts so I can bear the heat of Egypt a little better when we go there in a next week.
Today we had another field trip. It was fantastic. We went to Jericho! It was so hot. I was sweating buckets. Well we went to the Samaritan Inn Museum. There was a dwelling that they had found on that spot that is believed to be a inn of some sort not necessarily the one in the parable. There was a museum on the site with Byzantine mosaics and ruins of a Byzantine church that had been built on the site to commemorate the parable of the Good Samaritan. Then we went to the tell of Jericho where the ancient city of Jericho would have been. We saw an excavation done by Katherine Kenyon that found a Neolithic Tower dated at 8000 BC. I saw the oldest man made structure on the Earth. I can't believe it. Jericho was so pretty. The tell was just a big mound of dirt but neat to imagine the city that once stood there. We also saw an excavation that showed a glacis that would have supported the wall and also piles of fallen bricks that looked to have fallen down--evidence of the walls of Jericho falling down flat when after the children of Israel circled around them for seven days. Then we went to the Zaccheus tree. It was a big sycamore fig tree--not the exact tree but one very similar to it. Then we went to the ruins of Herod's winter palace. Here is where he came in the winters to get away from the rain of Jerusalem and this is also where he assassinated his son and brother-in-law. Lastly we went to the Wadi Qelt Overlook and saw the Wadi Qelt--a river that travelers followed on their way from Jerusalem down to Jericho. This is where the Good Samaritan story would have taken place and where Christ would have made his lonely trip back home from Zaccheus' house to Lazarus, Mary & Martha's house in Bethany which is nearby Jerusalem. It was a great field trip but it was so hot. So much hotter there than in Jerusalem. Jericho is also 850 feet below sea level while Jerusalem is about 2500 feet above sea level. Well I'll try to post pictures sometime soon.

A Special Place

Friday we had classes in the morning. Dr. Chadwick told us about a tower that was found in Jericho that was built in 8000 BC. This is the oldest structure on Earth. So cool and we get to see it. We aren't allowed into East Jerusalem or the Old City until 3pm on Fridays because of some special religious ceremony the Muslims do on Friday mornings. Also I learned that for some reason Ramadan actually didn't end until Thursday night instead of on Wednesday night possibly because they didn't see the New Moon Wednesday signalling the end of the month of Ramadan. Muslims have a lunar calendar. This morning there were canons and celebration to wake everyone up to eat since Ramadan was over. Well right at 3 we went into East Jerusalem to try to exchange money but everything was closed because of Eid al Fitr which are feasts and celebrations for the end of Ramadan.

Friday night we all went to the Western Wall as a group. It was so amazing. It was the Sabbath and Rosh Hashana which is the beginning of their new year so there was a lot of excitement. There were so many people and many of the men were singing and dancing. There was a special feeling there. It was neat to see the devotion of these people to come and pray at this sacred sight, the closest thing to a temple the Jews have. It was also neat to see the pure joy of these people. Some of the younger girls also started singing and dancing. They were singing and dancing in jubilation. They were joyful for the coming Sabbath and the new year that was upon them. I have not seen such a pure joy in a long time. Others worshiped by touching the wall and reciting prayers. Although this was a Jewish worship site, I felt a special spirit as I watched these people worship in their different ways. There are many good people on this earth who are trying to do whats right and do the things they know to be true.

Today we had church and then after church we went to the Garden Tomb. This was also a very special experience. We all walked there as a group and then a Baptist service couple talked to us about the site. There was a special spirit there. There were many other groups there that came to see the Garden Tomb and that held special communions. Some taking the sacrament and others singing praises to God. We had our own special meeting and Easter songs together. It neat to see the tomb and realize this is where Christ could have died, been buried and risen again. It is neat to see places like this and then to go back and read the scriptural accounts of the events that took place there. The scriptures have come alive as I have been able to see where these scripture stories took place and imagine what it was like back then when the people in the scriptures were alive.

Picture Time

This is the Jerusalem Center. The building with all of the arches. We are so blessed to have this great building to live and study in while we are here. I live on the 4th floor and the dining hall and classrooms are on the 6th floor. The auditorium where we have church is on the 8th floor. It has huge windows that look out into Jerusalem so we can look out on this amazing city while we are listening to the speakers in church.

The view from my balcony and the Dome of the Rock.

In this huge cave called Zedekiah's cave which is under the houses of the old city where they quarried for rock for the second temple.

On our Geography Field Trip at the Elias Monastery with Bethlehem in the background. We just saw Bethlehem in the distance this time but will go back and go into the city in November.

At the Haas Promenade with Jerusalem and the City of David in the background.

Getting to Know Jerusalem and the Lands Round About

Today we had our first field trip. It was incredible. I still can't quite grasp the fact that I'm Jerusalem seeing all these sights that the Bible stories took place in. We went to a couple different sites to see the lands around Jerusalem. We saw the City of David which was the ancient Jerusalem, we saw Bethany where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived. We also saw Bethlehem and the separation wall between the West Bank and Jerusalem. They pointed out the building that used to be the BYU Jerusalem Center but is now a hotel. We also saw the city of Gibeon and saw Beth-el where Jacob saw the ladder coming down from heaven. We also saw the land of Ephraim and in the opposite direction the hills of Judea and the Jordan valley off in the distance. It was such a neat field trip. Dr. Chadwick taught us so much about Jerusalem and the lands round about and the scripture stories that took place there. Before coming here I didn't put together that many of the stories of the Old and New Testament took place in the same area.

Tuesday we had the rest of our classes. We are taking Jewish Civilization taught by an Israeli and Arabic Civilization class taught by a Palestinian and Hebrew. I am excited to learn everything they have to teach us.

Wednesday we had classes in the morning and then we had tours of underneath the center. The workers can walk around underneath the building and can fix maintenance problems from underneath. Wednesday afternoon I went into West Jerusalem and we got falafels and gelato. There were a bunch of Jewish Americans in West Jerusalem for the beginning of Rosh Hashana which began Wednesday night. Then we went into the Old City and got treats for Ramadan. Wednesday night was also the end of Ramadan. Now they are having feasts for the end of Ramadan. We had a forum with an LDS lady who works at the US Consulate. I learned so much about the situation here from her.

Today we had one class in the morning and then I went into the city with a group of people. We went to the pools of Bethesda which were really cool. These were the baths in John 5 where Jesus healed the lame man. There are also ruins of Byzantine and Crusader fortresses. St. Anne's Cathedral is also in the same area. It is in remembrance of Mary's mother and it is on the spot where Mary was supposedly born. We also went to Gethsemene on the way back to the center. It was neat to go there. The garden is next to the Church of All Nations. Then we came back, had dinner, and watched a National Geographic Movie about Egypt. We go there in a week!

So life is good. It is amazing to have the view of Jerusalem right out my window. I love hearing the call to prayer. It sounds so cool. I love learning about the culture and seeing places where Bible stories took place. The Bible is coming more alive the longer I am here. I have only been here a week and I have already learned so much. The people here are great. They are all fun. There aren't really any cliques so you can go out into the city with anyone. Everyday there is a group of people going. Each day is an adventure which makes life exciting and worth living.

Friday we are going to the Western wall as a group and then Saturday we are going to the Garden Tomb. Sunday I am going with a group to Tel Aviv. We are going to the beach and I'm not sure what else we are doing but I'm excited.

Hello from Jerusalem

Well I'm here in Jerusalem. I got here Wednesday night and I have been loving every minute of it. Wednesday we got into Tel Aviv and took a bus to the Center then we were given a tour of the Center and introduced to the director and teachers. Dr. Kent Jackson was just appointed as the new academic director of the center. They kept us busy so we wouldn't go to sleep too early and thus prolong getting over jetlag. Thursday we went on a tour of Jerusalem. I can't believe that I am here. We walked through East Jerusalem where the Palestinians live, the Old City and West Jerusalem where the Israelis live. We went into the church of the Holy Sepulcher which is the spot that Christians believe is where Christ was crucified and buried. Three Christian denominations own different sections of this church and there is a Muslim mosque nearby across the street. The Mormon church believes it occurred at the Garden tomb. I haven't been there yet but will go with the center next week. Friday we had our first 2 classes, Old Testament with Brother Frank Judd and Near Eastern Studies with Dr. Chadwick who is an archeologist. Both seem like they will be great teachers.

So Ramadan is going on right now and we can hear the call to prayer being broadcast from the mosques 5 times a day. Sometimes I am woken up by it at 4:30am. During Ramadan the call to prayer is more elaborate with readings of the Koran broadcast in addition to the normal call to prayer. At dusk a cannon goes off signalling that the sun has set and that everyone can eat. Friday was the last Friday of Ramadan so there was a big religious ceremony and we were thus not allowed into the city. We could see tons of cars and buses on the streets and someone told me that there were supposed to be over be over 20,000 people at the Dome of the Rock Friday night. That night I heard singing coming from the Dome of the Rock.

Today, Saturday was our Sabbath. We have sacrament meeting in the auditorium that has windows that looked out across the city of Jerusalem. It is an amazing sight. There were other members in the branch besides the center students. A new branch president was called today.

Right now there are peace talks going on in Washington between the Palestinians and the Israelis. They are trying to establish peace and decide who will gain control of the West Bank. Right now the West Bank and the Gaza strip are considered occupied territory with no one country owning them. One Thursday there were 4 Israelis shot by Hama terrorists in the West Bank. It has been relatively peaceful in the West Bank and Israel until the peace talks. The Hamas are trying to let the Israelis know that they don't like that the peace talks are going one. They don't want an Israel. They want a Palestine.

There are 78 students in my study abroad group. The Jerusalem Center is beautiful and so nice. I think it was built around the year 1994. We are spoiled. We have a nice cafeteria with multiple options for each meal and the opportunity to try local dishes.

Well tomorrow we have a free day and are going to walk on top of the city wall and going into Zedekiahs cave. This cave is where they quarried the rock for the wall around the Old City.