I have been here less than two weeks, but it feels like so much longer than that! We had our second lockdown at the center since I have been here. Apparently if the Israeli police blimp is out, there is danger in the city. During Old Testament class, the police blimp came out. I was so sad because we were supposed to be going to the wailing wall that evening, but the field trip got postponed until after Ramadan in over and we get back from Egypt. Having to stay inside the center for the night ended up being a blast. My roommates and I actually had time to just sit around and talk girl talk for the first time. Because we couldn't leave the center, we had to get creative. We watched 'What about Bob', and then got a game or sardines (it is like hide and go seek but backwards)going. The game was my idea and I am proud to say it was a big success. By the end we had a big group of people playing and it was fun to run around the center and play. I actjually really loved yesterday because I feel like I really got know people better than if the day had gone as planned.
Today was my second Shabbat here in the Holy Land and it was great one. For some reason I volunteered last week to teach Relief Society this week. I guess I miss everyone looking at me. JK. I don't know why, but church just seems to fly by here, but seems eternally long everywhere else. A girl gave a talk in Sacrament today and told her conversion story. It is pretty amazing. Her mother is Muslim and her father is Jewish. Her parents divorced and she had to live with here dad and step mom. They didn't want her having anything to do with Christianity. After searching a long time she joined the church and they found out and disowned her. She hasn't talked to them since. People like that amaze me!
After church a group of us went to the garden tomb before dinner. This has been my favorite place I have visited so far. It was the first place that there was reverence and you could actually image how the place looked in Christ's time. The tomb as well as the natural environment were still there. There wasn't a shrine built on top, adn then a chapel on top of that. It is amazing the difference in the feeling going from the street into the Garden Tomb. Other than the evangelicals shouting praises in the seating area behind us, everyone was revatively reverent and in awe of where we were at. I am continually amazed at how much Christ did for us. I have now been to the two spots where the two most important things that happened for mankind happened, the garden of Gethsemane, and the the Tomb where Christ conquered death. Without the resurrection, the Atonement would have been useless, and without the Atonement the Resurrection would have been meaningless. Would it be okay if I just stayed here forever? I love going from one amazing place to another, and being told "Hello! Welcome! You are beautiful!" from all the men on the way. ha ha!
Today was my second Shabbat here in the Holy Land and it was great one. For some reason I volunteered last week to teach Relief Society this week. I guess I miss everyone looking at me. JK. I don't know why, but church just seems to fly by here, but seems eternally long everywhere else. A girl gave a talk in Sacrament today and told her conversion story. It is pretty amazing. Her mother is Muslim and her father is Jewish. Her parents divorced and she had to live with here dad and step mom. They didn't want her having anything to do with Christianity. After searching a long time she joined the church and they found out and disowned her. She hasn't talked to them since. People like that amaze me!
After church a group of us went to the garden tomb before dinner. This has been my favorite place I have visited so far. It was the first place that there was reverence and you could actually image how the place looked in Christ's time. The tomb as well as the natural environment were still there. There wasn't a shrine built on top, adn then a chapel on top of that. It is amazing the difference in the feeling going from the street into the Garden Tomb. Other than the evangelicals shouting praises in the seating area behind us, everyone was revatively reverent and in awe of where we were at. I am continually amazed at how much Christ did for us. I have now been to the two spots where the two most important things that happened for mankind happened, the garden of Gethsemane, and the the Tomb where Christ conquered death. Without the resurrection, the Atonement would have been useless, and without the Atonement the Resurrection would have been meaningless. Would it be okay if I just stayed here forever? I love going from one amazing place to another, and being told "Hello! Welcome! You are beautiful!" from all the men on the way. ha ha!
2 comments:
It sound so fun Mikael. I am jealous. I love to travel and see the beautiful world, the beautiful history of places, and the beautiful people. You better marry a pilot, you have been spoiled. Did you get those books read that I gave you? I think it would be so cool to see all of the things in them after reading and understanding about the places. I wish I could be there with you, not only to see and learn, but because being with you makes it so much more fun (as long as your belly is full and you have had enough sleep)!
Ha ha! I wish you were with me too! I never got those books read becasue my semester was so crazy last semester and I figured I would get Jerusalem overload once I got here. I think I will like them even more when I get home bc I will really be able to envision them. As far as marrying the pilot thing... I think I willl go for sor something more...profitable.
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