Well I am about to leave for the airport. Friday, December 16 will literally be the longest day of my life--it will be a 32 hour day. Pretty crazy!
I start out by leaving for the airport a little over 5 hours before my flight leaves. I then fly for 12 hours with a 5 hour layover and then another 5 hour flight. It is going to be a great day!!! ;)
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Last day in Jerusalem
To start our last day in Jerusalem we decided to do the traditional "Via Dolorosa." It was pretty great. I will explain each of the 14 stops.
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| At the first station of the cross. This is where Jesus was condemned to death. |
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| Station two. Jesus is given his cross. |
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| Ecce Homo Arch. Where Pilate said "Behold the Man." |
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| Station three and fourth. 3--Jesus falls for the first time. 4--Jesus meets His mother. |
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| Station 5. Simon of Cyrene carries the cross. |
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| Station six. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Why had I never heard this story before? |
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| Station seven. Jesus falls the second time. |
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| Station eight. Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem. |
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| Station nine. Jesus falls for the third time. |
Station ten. Jesus is stripped of his garments.
Station eleven. Jesus is nailed to the cross.
Station twelve. Jesus dies on the cross.
Station thirteen. Jesus' body is removed from the cross.
Station fourteen. Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense.
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| Inside the tomb. I think this is beautiful. |
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| More in the tomb. |
Then we ran into another student who told us that the temple mount was open. Hooray! We ran in and took a few pictures before being ushered back out. It was great to be able to go one last time.
Then we hit the shop keepers one last time to say goodbye.
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| The famous Aladdin! We changed all our money back into dollars. This is how much I got back! Just kidding! |
*Information about stations of the cross was found via Wikipedia. While in Jerusalem I used my great guide book. I didn't just know it all. :)
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Last Full Day in Jerusalem!
For our second to last day we (Ben, Lindsay, Lindsay, Koryl, and me) went to the Israeli Museum. It was great being able to wander through without having an assignment to do. There was a modern section that made me feel like I was in a scary movie which was a little creepy but I loved the European section.
Then we walked into West Jerusalem and got some delicious donuts, some shawarma, and a crepe. It was pretty delicious!
As we started walking into the old city and we saw a sign for "Underground Prisoners" and pointed left. So we headed there. Guess what, there weren't any prisoners. Instead it was a museum that held prisoners during the British Mandate.
Then we got to the old city and I got the shirts from Shaban's and Sister Ohman picked us up and drove us back to the center.
We had our last night dinner where they went all out and had steak and stuff and then Lindsay Hall and I handed out the T-shirts.
Then we walked into West Jerusalem and got some delicious donuts, some shawarma, and a crepe. It was pretty delicious!
As we started walking into the old city and we saw a sign for "Underground Prisoners" and pointed left. So we headed there. Guess what, there weren't any prisoners. Instead it was a museum that held prisoners during the British Mandate.
Then we got to the old city and I got the shirts from Shaban's and Sister Ohman picked us up and drove us back to the center.
We had our last night dinner where they went all out and had steak and stuff and then Lindsay Hall and I handed out the T-shirts.
Then we had our final program. There were some glitches but in the end it turned out good!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Last Week Walk Day 2
Once again, this is a month late and thus my recollection is a bit different. I don't have the simple list like I did for day 2 so the following is from Brother Huntsman's blog--put here for easy convenience and so when I print this off I know what we did.
We ended our walk yesterday at the Cenacle (from the Latin coenaculum, for "dinner room"), the traditional site of the Last Supper. The gospels agree that after the Last Supper was over, Jesus and his disciples left the city and walked through the Kidron Valley, which with its tombs on the east side was in a real sense "the valley of shadow and death" that night (see Psalm 23). They then came to the Garden of Gethsemane, which means "place of the olive press" on the slope of the Mount of Olives.
The Basilica of the Agony, also known as the Church of All Nations (because funds were raised in many countries for its construction), lies at a site that traditionally contained the "stone of the agony," where Jesus prayed and suffered. Very old olive trees next to the church may include some whose root systems go back to the first century (Titus felled all the trees for miles around Jerusalem when he destroyed the city in A.D. 70), helping us recreated what the scene of the Lord's suffering might have been like. A new garden, just across the lane, is where our students frequently spend personal contemplative time, but today we took them into the church to help them appreciate the faith of people since Byzantine times who have shared a basic understanding and faith of what happened that terrible night.
After spending time in the Basilica, we went across the lane to the newer garden, where we held our own devotional. There Scott Walker read Luke 22:39–44, and talked about LDS insights into what happened at Gethsemane, reading from Alma 7 and D&C 19. We then sang “Reverently and Meekly Now,” after which Sarah Meyers spoke to us about the betrayal and abandonment of Jesus.
Vans picked us up after that and drove us south of the Old City, once again to Mount Zion. Today our objective was St. Peter's in Gallicantu, "or St. Peter's of the Cock Crow," a church built on what may have been the palace of Caiaphas, the high priest who plotted against Jesus. In the basement of these ruins, the Byzantines identified a cistern used as a pit-prison, as well as a holding room where captives were whipped and punished, both of which they included in a shrine church.
After walking through these areas, we went to the ruins outside of the modern church, next top which is a first century staircase that would have been one of the main ways that people ascended from the City of David and the Lower City to the Upper City where important figures like the high priest would have certainly lived. In other words, after Jesus was betrayed and arrested in Gethsemane, these are the very steps that he may well have been brought up by his captors. There Kate Preece read to us Mark 14:54, 66–72 and talked to us about Peter's denial, noting that while we cannot, and should not, judge the historical Peter, the literary character in the gospels can represent all of us who at times fall short in our discipleship, and yet Christ forgives and loves all of us nonetheless. In that vein, we sang “Be Thou Humble.”
Before we let the grounds of St. Peter's in Gallicantu, we spent some time with the large model there of Jerusalem in the Byzantine period. The students joke about my infatuation with all things Byzantine, but I have them trained on how to respond as to why I like that period and culture so much---it represents my three favorite things: they were Greek-speaking, Roman, and Christian! They were not perfect, of course, and the way they treated the Jews was despicable, banning them from the city and leaving the Temple Mount desolate and a garbage dump (they thought the ruin was a mute testimony to the prophecies of Mark 13). But look at the model, seeing the Church (churches, actually) of the Holy Sepulchre in its glory, and all the other commemorative churches was pretty neat.
We then skirted around the south and east of the Old City, giving our students a last, close-up view of the Temple Mount and entered the Via Dolorosa, or "Way of Sorrows" through the Lion's Gate (also known as St. Stephen's Gate). In the Church of the Flagellation Cameron McCord read Matthew 15:15–20 and we sang "O Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown." I talked briefly after that about Jesus as "the Man of Sorrows" and how his example should help us understand and accept our own sorrows and trials in life: so often we pray to be like Jesus, but then when the hardships and pain that will make us more like him come, we pray for God to take them away!
We then moved to the neighboring Church of the Condemnation, where Lauren Heyland read Mark 15:1–14 and talked about “The Problem of Culpability, or how blaming the Jewish leaders or the Romans for the condemnation of Jesus misses the point: as sinners we are all culpable and made his atoning death necessary.
We then took a break from our Passion Week commemoration, spending some time at St. Anne's, dedicated to the mother of Mary but significant historically because of its position next to the remains of the ancient Pool of Bethesda. In this church with its beautiful acoustics, student Rivkah Steele sang a beautiful solo of "O Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown" (she was in the other group, that had not sung that hymn with us in the Church of the Flagellation). We then sang some sacrament hymns that were very moving. After that the students sang some Christmas carols, which were fun to hear, though I sat back on that one, because it is not traditional to sing Christmas (as opposed to Advent) carols in Catholic churches until Christmas Eve. Going outside next to the Byzantine and Crusader ruins commemorating the healing of the man at the Pool of Bethesda, I taught about John 5 and the role of Jesus as healer and the healing power of his atonement. We then ate our lunch on the grounds, visited with Father Michel of the White Fathers, and gave the students some free time.
We then met the students at the Garden Tomb, the site preferred by some Protestants and many Latter-day Saints to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After the Richard Merion, the director the Garden Tomb and a good friend of our Center, greeted all of the students and shared a strong witness of Christ, we split into our respective classes for our final on-site devotional of the semester. In my class, Kaleb Valdez read John 19:17–30 and spoke of the meaning and symbolism of the cross. We then sang “Upon the Cross of Calvary” and “Behold the Great Redeemer Die.”
April Griffith then read John 20:1–2, 11–18 and shared a beautiful reflection on the resurrection, Mary Magdalene's experience at the tomb, and the model of her witness for everyone, but especially for women. We sang “He Is Risen” and “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.” The students did not want to stop and sat there singing several other hymns, ending with "Come Thou Fount." It was a fitting end to our semester.
We ended our walk yesterday at the Cenacle (from the Latin coenaculum, for "dinner room"), the traditional site of the Last Supper. The gospels agree that after the Last Supper was over, Jesus and his disciples left the city and walked through the Kidron Valley, which with its tombs on the east side was in a real sense "the valley of shadow and death" that night (see Psalm 23). They then came to the Garden of Gethsemane, which means "place of the olive press" on the slope of the Mount of Olives.
The Basilica of the Agony, also known as the Church of All Nations (because funds were raised in many countries for its construction), lies at a site that traditionally contained the "stone of the agony," where Jesus prayed and suffered. Very old olive trees next to the church may include some whose root systems go back to the first century (Titus felled all the trees for miles around Jerusalem when he destroyed the city in A.D. 70), helping us recreated what the scene of the Lord's suffering might have been like. A new garden, just across the lane, is where our students frequently spend personal contemplative time, but today we took them into the church to help them appreciate the faith of people since Byzantine times who have shared a basic understanding and faith of what happened that terrible night.
After spending time in the Basilica, we went across the lane to the newer garden, where we held our own devotional. There Scott Walker read Luke 22:39–44, and talked about LDS insights into what happened at Gethsemane, reading from Alma 7 and D&C 19. We then sang “Reverently and Meekly Now,” after which Sarah Meyers spoke to us about the betrayal and abandonment of Jesus.
Vans picked us up after that and drove us south of the Old City, once again to Mount Zion. Today our objective was St. Peter's in Gallicantu, "or St. Peter's of the Cock Crow," a church built on what may have been the palace of Caiaphas, the high priest who plotted against Jesus. In the basement of these ruins, the Byzantines identified a cistern used as a pit-prison, as well as a holding room where captives were whipped and punished, both of which they included in a shrine church.
After walking through these areas, we went to the ruins outside of the modern church, next top which is a first century staircase that would have been one of the main ways that people ascended from the City of David and the Lower City to the Upper City where important figures like the high priest would have certainly lived. In other words, after Jesus was betrayed and arrested in Gethsemane, these are the very steps that he may well have been brought up by his captors. There Kate Preece read to us Mark 14:54, 66–72 and talked to us about Peter's denial, noting that while we cannot, and should not, judge the historical Peter, the literary character in the gospels can represent all of us who at times fall short in our discipleship, and yet Christ forgives and loves all of us nonetheless. In that vein, we sang “Be Thou Humble.”
Before we let the grounds of St. Peter's in Gallicantu, we spent some time with the large model there of Jerusalem in the Byzantine period. The students joke about my infatuation with all things Byzantine, but I have them trained on how to respond as to why I like that period and culture so much---it represents my three favorite things: they were Greek-speaking, Roman, and Christian! They were not perfect, of course, and the way they treated the Jews was despicable, banning them from the city and leaving the Temple Mount desolate and a garbage dump (they thought the ruin was a mute testimony to the prophecies of Mark 13). But look at the model, seeing the Church (churches, actually) of the Holy Sepulchre in its glory, and all the other commemorative churches was pretty neat.
We then skirted around the south and east of the Old City, giving our students a last, close-up view of the Temple Mount and entered the Via Dolorosa, or "Way of Sorrows" through the Lion's Gate (also known as St. Stephen's Gate). In the Church of the Flagellation Cameron McCord read Matthew 15:15–20 and we sang "O Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown." I talked briefly after that about Jesus as "the Man of Sorrows" and how his example should help us understand and accept our own sorrows and trials in life: so often we pray to be like Jesus, but then when the hardships and pain that will make us more like him come, we pray for God to take them away!
We then moved to the neighboring Church of the Condemnation, where Lauren Heyland read Mark 15:1–14 and talked about “The Problem of Culpability, or how blaming the Jewish leaders or the Romans for the condemnation of Jesus misses the point: as sinners we are all culpable and made his atoning death necessary.
We then took a break from our Passion Week commemoration, spending some time at St. Anne's, dedicated to the mother of Mary but significant historically because of its position next to the remains of the ancient Pool of Bethesda. In this church with its beautiful acoustics, student Rivkah Steele sang a beautiful solo of "O Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown" (she was in the other group, that had not sung that hymn with us in the Church of the Flagellation). We then sang some sacrament hymns that were very moving. After that the students sang some Christmas carols, which were fun to hear, though I sat back on that one, because it is not traditional to sing Christmas (as opposed to Advent) carols in Catholic churches until Christmas Eve. Going outside next to the Byzantine and Crusader ruins commemorating the healing of the man at the Pool of Bethesda, I taught about John 5 and the role of Jesus as healer and the healing power of his atonement. We then ate our lunch on the grounds, visited with Father Michel of the White Fathers, and gave the students some free time.
We then met the students at the Garden Tomb, the site preferred by some Protestants and many Latter-day Saints to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After the Richard Merion, the director the Garden Tomb and a good friend of our Center, greeted all of the students and shared a strong witness of Christ, we split into our respective classes for our final on-site devotional of the semester. In my class, Kaleb Valdez read John 19:17–30 and spoke of the meaning and symbolism of the cross. We then sang “Upon the Cross of Calvary” and “Behold the Great Redeemer Die.”
April Griffith then read John 20:1–2, 11–18 and shared a beautiful reflection on the resurrection, Mary Magdalene's experience at the tomb, and the model of her witness for everyone, but especially for women. We sang “He Is Risen” and “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.” The students did not want to stop and sat there singing several other hymns, ending with "Come Thou Fount." It was a fitting end to our semester.
Last night as a class with Advent Program
Here was the program.
Celebrating the Advent of Jesus and Looking Forward to His Return
Welcome and Explanation: Brother Huntsman
Opening Prayer: Katherine Redd
A Brief Introduction and Some Memories of Advent: Lindsay Nelson
“Shine for Me Again: Star of Bethlehem” Brielle Kern
Hope
The Symbolism of the First Candle: Kara Stratton
Readings (Isaiah 61:1–2; Jacob 4:4–5; Romans 5:1–5; Moroni 7:41; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17): Katie Albrecht
A Reflection on Hope: Nick Bramwell
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”
The Annunciation to Zacharias and the Promise of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5–17): Jessica French and Charlotte Searle
Love
The Symbolism of the Second Candle: Amy Vanden Brink
Readings (Isaiah 49:13–16; 1 Nephi 11:14–22; John 3:16–17; Moroni 7:47–48): Lindsay Hall
A Reflection on Love: Kimberly Michels
“O Come, All Ye Faithful” (hymn 202)
The Annunciation to Mary (Luke 1:26–38): AnnaLeah Larson
A reflection on Mary's role: Maddy McHale
“Breath of Heaven” Liz Hilton
Joy
The Symbolism of the Third Candle: Alyse Wheeler
Readings (Isaiah 9:6–7; Isaiah 12:2–5; Mosiah 3:3–4; John 16:20–22): Devin Neff
A Reflection on Joy: Taylor Berhow
“Joy to the World” (hymn 201)
The Visitation and the Magnificat (Luke 1:39–56): Marianne Owen and Danielle Quist
Peace
The Symbolism of the Fourth Candle: Desiree Winters
Readings (Isaiah 11:1–10; Mosiah 15:18–20; John 14:27; Philippians 4:7): Sam Nielsen
A Reflection on Peace: Katie Robison
“It Came upon the Midnight Clear” (hymn 207)
The Annunciation to Joseph (Matthew 1:18–23): Jeff Nuckols
A Reflection on the Role of Joseph: Caleb Cunningham
“Guard Him Joseph” Kaitlyn Hull and Katleb Valdez
Christmas Eve
The Birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1–7): Rachel Holmes
A Reflection on Mary and Mothers: Brielle Kern
The Annunciation to the Shepherds (Luke 2:8–14): Suzannah Butler
A Reflection on the Good Tidings of Great Joy that is Christmas: Carter Cunningham
“Silent Night” (hymn 204)
Christmas and Easter: Brother Huntsman
“Jesus Once of Humble Birth” (hymn 196)
Closing Prayer: Robin Dailey
It was a great program and a great night!
Celebrating the Advent of Jesus and Looking Forward to His Return
Welcome and Explanation: Brother Huntsman
Opening Prayer: Katherine Redd
A Brief Introduction and Some Memories of Advent: Lindsay Nelson
“Shine for Me Again: Star of Bethlehem” Brielle Kern
Hope
The Symbolism of the First Candle: Kara Stratton
Readings (Isaiah 61:1–2; Jacob 4:4–5; Romans 5:1–5; Moroni 7:41; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17): Katie Albrecht
A Reflection on Hope: Nick Bramwell
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”
The Annunciation to Zacharias and the Promise of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5–17): Jessica French and Charlotte Searle
Love
The Symbolism of the Second Candle: Amy Vanden Brink
Readings (Isaiah 49:13–16; 1 Nephi 11:14–22; John 3:16–17; Moroni 7:47–48): Lindsay Hall
A Reflection on Love: Kimberly Michels
“O Come, All Ye Faithful” (hymn 202)
The Annunciation to Mary (Luke 1:26–38): AnnaLeah Larson
A reflection on Mary's role: Maddy McHale
“Breath of Heaven” Liz Hilton
Joy
The Symbolism of the Third Candle: Alyse Wheeler
Readings (Isaiah 9:6–7; Isaiah 12:2–5; Mosiah 3:3–4; John 16:20–22): Devin Neff
A Reflection on Joy: Taylor Berhow
“Joy to the World” (hymn 201)
The Visitation and the Magnificat (Luke 1:39–56): Marianne Owen and Danielle Quist
Peace
The Symbolism of the Fourth Candle: Desiree Winters
Readings (Isaiah 11:1–10; Mosiah 15:18–20; John 14:27; Philippians 4:7): Sam Nielsen
A Reflection on Peace: Katie Robison
“It Came upon the Midnight Clear” (hymn 207)
The Annunciation to Joseph (Matthew 1:18–23): Jeff Nuckols
A Reflection on the Role of Joseph: Caleb Cunningham
“Guard Him Joseph” Kaitlyn Hull and Katleb Valdez
Christmas Eve
The Birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1–7): Rachel Holmes
A Reflection on Mary and Mothers: Brielle Kern
The Annunciation to the Shepherds (Luke 2:8–14): Suzannah Butler
A Reflection on the Good Tidings of Great Joy that is Christmas: Carter Cunningham
“Silent Night” (hymn 204)
Christmas and Easter: Brother Huntsman
“Jesus Once of Humble Birth” (hymn 196)
Closing Prayer: Robin Dailey
It was a great program and a great night!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Last Week Walk Day 1
So I realize that I didn't do this as soon as I should have. Oddly enough through all of my time in Jerusalem these last few days were what I was most excited for...and yet I didn't blog about them until a month later. Pretty pathetic. But, I do have a list of what we did on these days. I think the scriptures were the important part so that each of us can go through and relive what I went through on each of these days.
Last Week Walk, Day 1
Bethany
At church: Elyse Barnes (John 1:1–8; cf. Mark 14:1–9, GSLW, 44–45, esp. “The Woman and Her Testimony”);
Hymn 295, “O Love that Glorifies the Son”
Outside of tomb: Thomas Kelly (John 11:38–46)
Bethpage
Adam Peterson (Mark 11:1–10; see GSLW, 13, on accepting Christ as King)
Hymn 69, “All Glory, Laud, and Honor”
Pater Noster
Kaitlyn Hull (Mark 11:20–26 on prayer and forgiveness; this passage was later harmonized with Luke 10:38–11:4, giving the site its later association with the Lord’s Prayer and its title Pater Noster or “Our Father”)
Hymn 145, “Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire”
Dominus Flevit
Whitney Ricks (Luke 19:41–44 [beginning of Jerusalem ministry]; Matthew 23:37–39 [close of Jerusalem ministry])
Orson Hyde Garden
Jared Maxfield (Mark 13:1–8, 24–33; cf. Zechariah 14:1–4 and GSLW, 37, on Second Coming)
Hymn 269, “Jehovah, Lord of Heaven and Earth”)
Upper Room
Matty Crandall (Mark 14:22–25; see GSLW, 55, “The Sacrament and Us”)
Hymn 174, “While of These Emblems We Partake”
St. Peter in Gallicantu
Kate Preece (Mark 14:54, 66–72; see GSLW, 68–69)
Hymn 130, “Be Thou Humble”
It was a pretty amazing day and I was so lucky to be able to be with my professors and students with these amazing experiences.
Bethany
At church: Elyse Barnes (John 1:1–8; cf. Mark 14:1–9, GSLW, 44–45, esp. “The Woman and Her Testimony”);
Hymn 295, “O Love that Glorifies the Son”
Outside of tomb: Thomas Kelly (John 11:38–46)
Bethpage
Adam Peterson (Mark 11:1–10; see GSLW, 13, on accepting Christ as King)
Hymn 69, “All Glory, Laud, and Honor”
Pater Noster
Kaitlyn Hull (Mark 11:20–26 on prayer and forgiveness; this passage was later harmonized with Luke 10:38–11:4, giving the site its later association with the Lord’s Prayer and its title Pater Noster or “Our Father”)
Hymn 145, “Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire”
Dominus Flevit
Whitney Ricks (Luke 19:41–44 [beginning of Jerusalem ministry]; Matthew 23:37–39 [close of Jerusalem ministry])
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| Lindsay and my attempt at being "candid" |
Orson Hyde Garden
Jared Maxfield (Mark 13:1–8, 24–33; cf. Zechariah 14:1–4 and GSLW, 37, on Second Coming)
Hymn 269, “Jehovah, Lord of Heaven and Earth”)
Upper Room
Matty Crandall (Mark 14:22–25; see GSLW, 55, “The Sacrament and Us”)
Hymn 174, “While of These Emblems We Partake”
St. Peter in Gallicantu
Kate Preece (Mark 14:54, 66–72; see GSLW, 68–69)
Hymn 130, “Be Thou Humble”
It was a pretty amazing day and I was so lucky to be able to be with my professors and students with these amazing experiences.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Finals Week!
Yay for finals week. Today I take my second of three finals (all the other ones were earlier in the semester). I am getting to the point where I don't feel like grades matter even though they do.
Also because I have been studying all day and haven't left the center in a few days I have been living off of hot chocolate and off brand Snickers. It is pretty healthy...right?
All in all...I can't wait for the tests to be over and real food!
Also because I have been studying all day and haven't left the center in a few days I have been living off of hot chocolate and off brand Snickers. It is pretty healthy...right?
All in all...I can't wait for the tests to be over and real food!
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Temple Sifting Project
In the 1990's there was a dig to add a new entrance to the underground mosque on the Temple Mount. They took all the dirt and just dumped it. (You would think that on a place as contested as the Temple Mount they would do careful archaeological work...but they didn't.)
So a group has put together a program where volunteers can come in, sift the "garbage" from the above dig, and try to find cool stuff. We got a group together and went. I thought it was super enjoyable and I absolutely loved it.
First we would choose a bucket, dump it in the sifter, and rinse the dirt off of everything.
And then put it in big buckets so that real archaeologists could sort through all the pieces we found and date them.
Some of our finds were considered "special" and got to go on the special plate. Within our group we had a roman nail, a glass mosaic piece, a roof tile, and a gold mosaic piece.
It was such a fabulous day and I enjoyed it so much!
So a group has put together a program where volunteers can come in, sift the "garbage" from the above dig, and try to find cool stuff. We got a group together and went. I thought it was super enjoyable and I absolutely loved it.
First we would choose a bucket, dump it in the sifter, and rinse the dirt off of everything.
We would then sort through the material trying to find 6 different categories--pottery, special stones, metal, bone, mosaic pieces, and glass.
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| My archeology team! |
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Massada, The Dead Sea, Ein Gedi, and Qumran
With one of our last full field trips we had a terrific day. We started out by going to Masada. This is one of the places that King Herod the Great is famous for. He made it pretty much awesome and almost impossible to attack. However, during the First Revolt against Rome after the Romans had conquered Jerusalem and the Herodian they came to Masada. They built a huge siege ramp, and took over Masada. But, when the Romans came into the city all of the Jews were dead. It is thought that they all committed suicide/killed one another so that they would not be slaves to the Romans.
Then we headed to the Dead Sea. It was pretty crazy. From what I have heard, the dead sea is usually pretty calm, but because it was windy there were a lot of waves. Getting into the water was tricky because we had to climb over salt rocks to get in. Once in we really did float. You could not drown if you wanted to. I was doing pretty well in the water and then a wave smacked me in the face. My throat burned, my eyes stung, and so I got out. It was pretty miserable and I almost started crying (to get the salt out of my eyes of course). I was probably in for less than 15 minutes but that was plenty long for me!
We then headed to Ein Gedi which was absolutely beautiful. David hid from Saul at Ein Gedi.
Our final stop was Qumran which is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. It was pretty amazing being able to see the site where the Essenes practiced monasticism and where they produced and preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was a pretty amazing place!
All in all it was an absolutely fantastic day!
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| With Lindsay Hall |
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| Picture from Lindsay's blog! Thanks Lindsay! |
We then headed to Ein Gedi which was absolutely beautiful. David hid from Saul at Ein Gedi.
Our final stop was Qumran which is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. It was pretty amazing being able to see the site where the Essenes practiced monasticism and where they produced and preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was a pretty amazing place! |
| The caves where the scrolls were found. |
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| The famous Cave 4. |
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Orson Hyde Park
Today we went to the Orson Hyde Park and consecrated the olive oil that we had picked and pressed. It was such a neat experience. I have never observed consecrating oil before and it was absolutely amazing.
(I was also going to go to a Primary lunch that the Presidency prepared for all the teachers. However, the center wouldn't allow us to go. I was super bummed about it, but oh well!)
(I was also going to go to a Primary lunch that the Presidency prepared for all the teachers. However, the center wouldn't allow us to go. I was super bummed about it, but oh well!)
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| With my group! YAY! |
Friday, December 2, 2011
Orthodox Synagogue
Before going to the synagogue I was pretty nervous. I had heard that women sat up in a balcony away from men. I was under the impression that women just watched the men worship. I planned on coming out of the evening feeling mad because women were being suppressed. Luckily I was wrong.
When we walked in we separated. The men were on the left and the women were on the right. The leader of the synagogue was right in the middle where everyone could see. Everyone prayed and sang along. The seven minute talk was then given by a woman! I was thrilled that everyone was able to worship and enjoy the night together! I was so happy!
One of the highlights of the night occurred after the service was over. A lot of the women that came to the service were newcomers testing out the synagogue. Many of them were soldiers (at least they carried big guns with them). Brielle told me that she really wanted to touch one of the guns but she was too scared. I then "accidentally" bumped into a soldier while putting my prayer book away and touched the end of the gun. Pretty crazy!!!
When we walked in we separated. The men were on the left and the women were on the right. The leader of the synagogue was right in the middle where everyone could see. Everyone prayed and sang along. The seven minute talk was then given by a woman! I was thrilled that everyone was able to worship and enjoy the night together! I was so happy!
One of the highlights of the night occurred after the service was over. A lot of the women that came to the service were newcomers testing out the synagogue. Many of them were soldiers (at least they carried big guns with them). Brielle told me that she really wanted to touch one of the guns but she was too scared. I then "accidentally" bumped into a soldier while putting my prayer book away and touched the end of the gun. Pretty crazy!!!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Russian Church, Tomb of the Prophets, and Light Show
This morning we had class and then left early to head to the Russian Orthodox Church. This church is only open on Tuesday and Thursday's from 10-12. Usually we are in class at this time so it has been difficult to get in. But, we finally made it. It was absolutely beautiful.
We then hiked up the hill and went into the tomb of the prophets. It was so awesome! We lit candles to illuminate the way before us. It was absolutely delightful exploring the cave! (I can't wait to post my awesome picture from here!)
Then we headed back to the center where I started studying for my quiz and then took the quiz. I felt pretty good about it.
Finally we bundled up and headed to the Tower of David for a light show. It was pretty amazing. I got caught up in the amazing technology being used and how cool everything looked that I didn't realize for quite a while that they were showing the history of Jerusalem. Oh well, it was still enjoyable. After the show we wandered around West Jerusalem for a while, got delicious waffles, and came back to the center! (One comment. Who knew that Jerusalem was going to get so cold? I thought I was always going to be hot here...but alas I freeze! Oh well.)
It ended up being quite a lovely evening!
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| With Lindsay in front of the church! YAY! |
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| With Ben and Koryl. I think the sign above us tells just how legit this place is. |
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| I died!!!!! |
Finally we bundled up and headed to the Tower of David for a light show. It was pretty amazing. I got caught up in the amazing technology being used and how cool everything looked that I didn't realize for quite a while that they were showing the history of Jerusalem. Oh well, it was still enjoyable. After the show we wandered around West Jerusalem for a while, got delicious waffles, and came back to the center! (One comment. Who knew that Jerusalem was going to get so cold? I thought I was always going to be hot here...but alas I freeze! Oh well.)
It ended up being quite a lovely evening!
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