Nov. 18... Galilee day #1

The Chirch of the Annunciation

I love these field trips that we go on. They are like mini vacations throughout the semester. Every University really should adopt this policy. On our way to Galilee, we stopped at several locations first. Our first stop was the Ceasarea. To tell you the truth, I can't remember why it was important, but I do remember playing in the Mediteranean. Next, we went to Megiddo. This is where the battle of Armageddon is supposed to happen. It pretty much looked like every other ruins I have seen, but they were up on a hill and you could see the fields where the battle is supposed to happen. The last place we stopped before going to Galilee was Nazareth. Nazareth is a small little town. It was so fun to see where Jesus grew up. They have several beautiful churches commemorating where Mary was told she would be the mother of Christ. My favorite location we went to was the synangogue they believe Jesus got up an read in when he started his ministry and told his hometown exactly who he was. It was really neat to walk around the Church of the Annunciation and see the different representations of Mary that different countries had given to the church. I think what was most memorable about this day was the reality of Mary. She was not a Child Development major with loads of experience raising children. She wasn't much older than my niece Decota. She was young and brave. She must have been scared to death but her faith got her through the criticism of the people in the small town she was from. Things were not easy for her and Joseph. They were the definition of great, humble people. The Christmas story will have so much more meaning and feelings tied to it now that I have a better understanding of the reality of Mary.

Back from Galilee

Well, If you haven't noticed, I haven't posted in a while because I was off prancing around The Galilee. We just barely got back from a long day of historical sites and a long bus ride, so I will try and get the journaling going as soon as I feel brave enough. Stay tuned for details and adventures....

p.s. I would just like to express how excited I am about Talon and Annie's baby announcement! I would like to take some credit for that. At my first trip to the Western Wall, I put a prayer in the wall that said, "bless that Talon and Annies prayers may be answered." Forget this morning and nightly prayer stuff. From now on I am going straight to the Western Wall.

The People I Love Most

For some reason, my family has been on my mind a lot lately. I feel like every one around me is probably getting sick of me talking about all my siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews, parents, and grandparents. Being so far away from everyone has really helped my realize just how much I love and appreciate everyone in my family. I don't care what anyone else says, I come from the best family. We all might be a little nuts, but we stick together. I have been so surprised as I talk to others to find out that my siblings ans I are closer than most families. I have never felt alone because I have always had a sibling watching out for me and making sure I knew they would fight for me if I needed it, lend their shoulder if I needed a good cry, or even just provide a good laugh if I hadn't smiled in a while.
The other day in my New Testament class, we were talking about the story of the the rich leader who sought out Christ to come heal his son. When he approaches Christ it seems like Christ is harsh with him, but really he was just testing his faith. The man sticks to his guns, and his son is healed. We talked about the humility and faith this father must have had to seek our Christ. He had wealth and had probably tried every other possible medical treatment. As we discussed this story, I couldn't help but feel my heart throb a little bit as I thought of the wonderful parents and spouses my sibling are, and all that they have done for their children and families. I have seen that kind of faith in my own brothers and sisters. I know I don't tell them enough, but they are my greatest examples and my closest friends.
Chanel has somehow managed to be my best friend and a mother figure at the same time. She has taught me so many important life lessons, and has never pretended to be anything other than herself. She is always encouraging me to be better and do better. She is constantly teaching me how to be a great mom someday, at the same time as she talks about make up, tv shows, and telling me stories of the little things that happen in the day that leave us rolling with laughter.
Brittani never ceases to amaze me. The woman can do anything and everything! She is the expert on finances, the lastest gossip, and she makes the best chicken noodle soup ever! She listens to all of us and our crazyness, gives loving advice, and never thinks anything less of you for makinglife so dramatic. She pays attention to the details and always makes me feel much more important than I am.
Chelsey shows a level of compassion I can only dream to have someday. I know I can escape to her house anytime life gets to be too much, and she will fill me with food, Dr. pepper, and a reminder that even if life is crazy, it sure is fun. Chelsey is possibly the only person who can wake me up to work out in the morning and I am actually excited about it. I know I will always have one person on my side as long as Chelsey is around.
I just might be Perry's biggest fan and I wouldn't have it any other way. He can make any moment in life more exciting, and is a great example of the faith I want to have. Perry has rescued me from some of my hardest moments in life just by simply offering to be a listening ear or inviting me over for a movie. I miss my lunch dates with Perry.
Andrew is the kind of man that are in short supply. If I have turned out good at all, I credit it to Andrew. He knows how to take great resposibility and never expect anything for all that he does. He is selfless and strong. It is a good thing his silent lessons leave a much longer impressions than the bruises from his toe pinches.
Talon has the softest, kindest heart of any person I know. We used to fight like cats and dogs, but I can't think of a better friendship than the one I have with Talon now. He always says he loves me at the end of every phone conversation. He has an enthusiasm for life that I admire. I always know I can count on Talon to find the excitement in a situation, whether it be staying up all night playing monopoly because we are too excited about Christmas or the new icecream shop down the street, Talon finds the simple joy in life.
John-D boy special Webb. I miss him every single day. He never thinks less of me no matter what stupid thing I do and tell him about. I only wish that my head could be screwed on as tight as his. I love it when he rolls his eyes at me pretending to be annoyed with me, but the little smile he doesn't hide eggs me on. Everyone who meets Johnathon knows he is going to do great things, and I am proud just to be his older sister. My favorite part in the Old Testament is that Jonathan and Michal are brother and sister.
I really could go on and on but I better not feed your pride anymore. I just had to make sure my family know that I love them!

Finals, Field trips, and Feasts

Sader Feast

Going down into the Grotto

In the Grotto. The star marks the spot where they say Mary had Jesus

I just love the Arabic on the coke bottles

Outside the Church of the Nativity...not THE star, but the moon. Would be cool though!


I realize that last post was a bit sticky, but it was mostly me taking out my frustrations on all the frustration over here. I really am loving everything I am learning! This past week and a half has been pretty amazing. Let's get the gunk out of the way. Last week we had our Old Testament final ( which was REDICULOUSLY hard), a midterm in Palestinian Near Eastern Studies, a midterm in our field trip class (we have to fill out a workbook on each field trip we go on and we were tested on questions from the workbook), and then yesterday I had my Hebrew final. I have loved starting the Testament and I absolutaly loved the little bit of Hebrew I know. Ask me to write your name for you in Hewbrew when I get home. We pass notes written in Hebrew all of the time now. This week I have two more finals and then we take off for Galilee next week.

Last week we had an Israeli lawyer come talk to us about the conflict over here and he took us to the seperation wall. I have been so lucky to be able to learn from the people they have come talk to us here at the center. This lawyer is pretty important although you would never know it by looking at him. He has already been contacted by the new president's office to be 'befriended' because of his high involvement with the issues over here. I don't know what it is about lawyers, but I really think I could sit and listen to them all say. Especially this guy. I envy their way with words and explaining things. I am sure there are many who would disagree with me, but law facinates me for some reason, and so naturally lawyers facinate me. I just need to find me a rich one and get him to marry me! Just kidding...but really.

On Friday night, our Jewish professor arranged for us to attend a Shabbat service at the synagogue he attends. It is definitly one of my favorite experinces of being in the Holy Land. I don't even know if I can explain it! The men and women sit on different sides of the room and are seperated by a thin sheet a material in the middle of the room. A Rabbi directs the services from the front of the room. At first it kind of bothered me that the men and women sit seperately, but I can see how it actually fosters a sense of unity between fathers and sons and mothers and daughters as they take their children to synagogue and teach them their roles. It also reinforces the differnt roles of men and women. Not that one is less than the other. Much of the service is sung, and it is one of the most beautiful sounds on earth. I was fortunate to sit behind a girl about my age and just on the other side of the cloth from a man, both of whom had beautiful voices. Even though I could not understand the Hebrew, I could feel the sincerity with which they read/sang the Torah. The people have always been more than kind when we have visited synagogue before, and this visit wasn't any different. Devout Jews do not drive on Shabbat , so families walk to and from synagogue together. It is actually quite amazing what a little walking can do. One of my favorite things to do is go walking with my sisters and mom. We could probably walk for hours, just as long as we get to be together and be talking. Some of my favorite memories here have happened while we have been walking around the city or walking from place to place. It really is quite amazing the feelings that walking fosters. After Synagogue, we had some Israeli folk dancing instructors come to the center and they taught us some Israeli folk dances. I thought about not going because I wasn't feeling well, but I am so glad I went. It was so much fun! We danced and danced until we were exhausted. Our intructor was a hoot. I suspect he is a little bit gay. We got a peek at his friut of the looms more than a few times.

On shabbat, I went to the Garden Tomb again. The Garden Tomb is one of my favorite places on earth. I love being with som many people from all over the world. I was walking around by myself and got stopped by a big group from India. One man asked to take a picture and I thought he wanted me to take a picture for him. Nope! He wanted a picture with me. Then, one by one, the rest of the people in the group lined up to get a photo with me. It was so wierd! I took pictures with families, couples, and old men. I was so confused! It was really funny. I met up with some people that had come to church that day and I was able to talk to them for a bit. They were in Israel for business. Turns out one man is the founder of New Skin. With him was one of his higher ups and his wife, and then two young people he was bringing over here to head up their division in Tel Aviv. The man that had brought him wife was a mission president in Georgia in 2003, so it was fun to talk to his wife about the mission president life.

On Sunday we had a Sader Feast, or the Passover feast. It isn't Passover, but our Jewish professor makes sure we are able to experience it while we are here. It was long long long, but definitly an experience worth having. I can't say I absolutley loved all of the food, but it is something that I am glad I experienced.

Yesterday we went on a field trip to Bethlehem. All of us students have been so excited to get the Christmas season going, and there is no better way than to visit the birthplace of the Savior. The trip was put together by our Palestinian professor who lives in Bethlehem. Our first stop was to a Palestinian 'think tank' where we were given an amazing presentation of the conflict. We were educated on the frustartion with the lack of mobility the Palestinians have and the control Israel is having on their lands and lives. The presentation had amazing maps to explain everything, but I am not going to lie, I was fighting my eyelids the entire time. All 80 plus of us were crammed into a little room, the light were out, and I had just eaten a huge breakfast. After our think tank experience, we went to Bethlehem University to talk to some students and get a tour of the University. The teachers at the University were all on strike, but the students came to talk to us anyway. It was so good to be able to interact and try and create as little of a friendship as we could with our peers in the West Bank. They told us about their frustration with living in refugee camps, having their land taken or disputed over, the struggle to get an education, and so many more issues. I was able to walk around the campus with a guy studying information system and we were able to talk just like any two twenty-something-year-olds would. After Bethlehem University, we ate an amazing lunch and then went to the the church plopped ontop of the Nativity site. It was hard for me to feel the sacredness of the location because of the other tourists and the fact that there was a funeral going on inside of the church. It was fun to hear our tour guide talk about how much he loves the Mormons. For once it sounded really sincere. He told us how we are so different from the other tourists because we aren't scared and love to be with the people. We are always smiling and he loves that. It was really neat to hear him say how much he loved us over and over again. After waiting in line forever to go into the grotto and then be quickly pushed out by angry Russian tourists, we went to the Shepard fields to have a sacred moment. My professor asked some of us to talk about specific people to talk about people involved in the birth of Christ and how they were testifiers of Him. I was the lucky one to get Herod. As I prepared, I struggled to know what to say about how Herod, the man who tried to kill the infant Christ, was a testifier of Christ. I finally came to the conclusion that is was his opposition that testified of Christ's importance to the world. As we sat on the hillside looking out at Bethlehem, it really was a special moment. I don't think Christmas will ever feel the same. It is like all my love for my experiences here have been channeled into Christmas. I am excited for the season, and can't help but feel more and more love for this place everyday!

The Plot Thickens

To be completely honest, I never really expected to fully understand the conflict over here. I hardly understood why the Israelis and Palestinians were having conflict before I came. I have been lucky enough to learn one hundred fold more ethan I knew before coming here, and yet it is still only scratching the surface. I have also been fortunate to attend a university where I have both a Jewish and a Palestinian professor. They are both highly educated men and have been able to explain the conflict from as nuetral a standpoint as someone who is deeply rooted in the conflict could. We have had forum after forum from a number of government officials who have concentrated on the Israeli Palestinian conflict as well. We have been asked to write our own ideas on achieving peace for assignments in class. I have been able to mingle with both the Jews and the Palestinians. I can honestly say I love both people. It seems to be which lecture I have had that day and which part of the city that I am in that pushes my opinions one way or another. I have flip flopped back and forth a million times. I don't know if there is a solution. Yesterday we visited Bethlehem University which is in the West Bank. We were able to ask many of the students questions and hear their personal stories and how they have been affected by the conflict. Many of the questions we asked clearly showed our own frustration with what we as Americans feel. we want to help. We sympothize with both sides. We can see how optimal it would be for the solution to come internally from those who are at war with one another. There is such great hope over here that Obama is going to not only bring great change to America, but the conflict over here as well. I can't say I share that same hope in Obama, but I could be wrong. It is so important for the people to become educated about the conflict and for there to be resourses for both side to turn to, but they rely so heavily on America to provide this. I wish there was a way for me to see a way to provide nuetral involvement, but if you try and advance the medical aid or education on one side it is seen as supporting that side politically. No action is done without it turning into an analysis of who's side you are supporting. It really is quite frustrating for everyone invovlved and even those of us just watching. I only know of one person who is a solution to all conflicts, healer of all wrongs, and is the ultimate uniter. Unfortunately, Christ and striving to have Christlike attributes are not topics of discussion when the building of a seperation wall and the creation of suicide bombs are resorted to as solutions.

Life after Jordan

Life has been moving along much too fast since I got back from Jordan. It is hard to explain the change in feeling. I officially hit my halfway mark here and am now on the "back nine". It really sounds funny to hear me talk about this as if it is my experience alone. It is as if I am experiencing everything through 80 pairs of eyes. All of us students are proabably experiencing the closest thing to Zionism as we will ever see in this lifetime. Even though I am just barely over halfway done here, I can't help but feel the bitter sweet realization that the end is coming. I am trying hard to cherish every single minute I have left. It has actually been a bitter sweet experience trying to soak every moment in. My love for the people around me, the experiences I have each day, and the happiness I feel at every second of the day are making me grow more and more attached to this whole experience. Not a bad thing right? I just hope when I get home I will be able to function normally and not annoy everyone around me with stories that all start with "When I was in Jerusalem..." If I ask two people to come with me to the store, just play along. I won't be used to being without the company of at the very least, two other people. There are many things I can hardly wait for when I get home:

Chips and Salsa

swapping secrets with my sisters

Laughing at my brothers even if they aren't funny to anyone else

Little hands wrapped around my finger and little voices calling me Mooch

Getting ready in the morning without haveing to say "excuse me" or "can I sneak past you?"

Mom listening to what ever stupid story I have to tell

Convincing Dad to get icecream and french fries even if it is much to late to be eating

As much as I miss these things at home, there are so many things that I will long for here:

Cobblestone walkways

Hearing the prayer call while I am saying my own prayers

Children in uniforms yelling "Hello!" and giving me high fives

Buying a pomagranite for 60 cents

Talking to people from all over the world and instantly being friends simply because we both love where we are

Sticking out like a sore thumb and loving it

Never knowing what time or day it is

Having time to look for the beauty around me

Being surrounded by some of the most beautiful, confident, kind, and hilarious people on earth

Well, I better get back to enjoying every minute, they seem to be slipping away faster

My last day in the Land I love

Obviously not an ancient Mosiac...there is a website at the top.

The Church by the River Jordan

I can honestly say I was sad to leave Jordan. It was so comfortable there, and I really would have loved to have been able to stay there longer. For the last day in Jordan, we were able to stop at the River Jordan to see where Christ was baptized. I love being able to go to some of the New Testament sites. With so much of our time being spent studying the Old Testament this first half, I always feel a little bit more refocused when we talk about locations that were imoptant during Christ's lifetime. Before visiting the River Jordan, we stopped at more Roman ruins and a museum that held artifacts gathered in the area. It was a pretty amazing little museum tucked away on a hill. Once again, seeing the Roman scultures and artifact tugged at my heart strings a little bit. The view from where the ruins were was pretty neat becasue you could look out over the city and realize, Wow! I really am half way across the world and in a completely different culture than I was raised...and I love it! After the ruins and museum it was off the the River Jordan. Because of the "heavy" rains we had seen the day before, the river Jordan was pretty muddy. The river has actually shifted quite a bit from where it was located when Christ was baptized. The location that is traditionally said to be THE spot where he and John the Baptist carried out the baptism is not a hole in the ground surrounded by ancient churches that now look like pavilions. Down stream is a church build to glorify the location. There is a small dock just down from the church where you can walk out and touch the water. This might sound funny, but traveling as much as I have, I have gained an appreciation for the Catholic Church. I loved the little church that was near the river. The painings on the cielings and walls were beautiful. Can you imagine what the art world would be like without the Catholic Church? Let's just not even try. Anyway, it was a neat experoence, and I am SO looking forward to starting the New Testament this week and having the rest of my time here filled with learning about the Savior. I love life!