Rewind to Thursday/Friday

Many of you might have already read this in an email, but I wanted to post it so you could see pictures!

Thursday when I arrived after a LONG flight: I was greeted by the glorious Jerusalem center! What a great building to be greeted in the Holy Land by. It is so beautiful!
The Stairwell that goes all the way up the building, (from the dorms to the 8th floor!)

My room entry:


Our back patio (aren't the flowers beautiful!?)

Friday, May 1st we got to go on our own to the Holy City and a little group and I visited the Orson Hyde Memorial, the Garden of Gethsemane, and just walked around East Jerusalem. Orson Hyde was quite an amazing man, and I think I want to read the biography on him now written by M. Hyde. Orson Hyde dedicated this land for the return of the Jews, (FYI a lot of people thought he dedicated it for the preaching of the gospel to the Jews, but that is incorrect). The memorial is on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Lions Gate and the city wall. Very beautiful, although, unfortunately it is a hang out place for a lot of druggies now, but many people, even locals, still come to walk around to observe it's beauty.


It was an awesome experience to to be at the Garden of Gethsemane where the Savior bled from every pore. The olive trees can live for thousands of years, so the trunks a huge tangled mass and very old so there was a gate around the couple of trees protecting them.


It was very reverent there because it is kept up by monks and sits next to a Catholic church so I was grateful for that. The garden of Gethsemane is actually honored by three churches: Datinus Flevet, St. Mary Magdalene, and the Church of all Nations. The Datinus Flevet, the Catholic Church right next to the Garden, had the huge slab of rock inside and we asked one of the monks the signifance of it and he said that it was the Rock of Unction where they believed Christ knelt upon when he suffered right before he was betrayed.

Walking around town was an interesting experience, there were lots of old women selling vegetables on the floor of the street, Israeli soldiers standing around with their guns, guys taking pictures of us without us noticing... haha a little weird but apparently that happens a lot. We also saw the Via Dolorosa where the Catholics take a walk singing hymns through the city where they believed Christ walked with the cross.

As we headed back before sunset, we got to see a pretty good view of the Jerusalem center. It's such a beautiful building at such an ideal location, we are very lucky :). Right before went back into the center, we played a little game of soccer with the neighborhood kids, it was fun to make friends with our Palestinian neighbors :)


Today was fast Sunday, well actually Saturday because they celebrate the sabbath on Saturday, but it was an amazing experience. We did a full 24 hour fast which I don't think I really do often it's certainly been a humbling experience. We had sacrament meeting in the Jerusalem center where the wall behind the pulpit is completely glass so as we partook of the sacrament we got to overlook the Holy City.
We had fast and testimony meeting with our little branch. There are actually a few members here, most from America serving here for the government and such or attending Hebrew University, but there are about 2 natives that went to BYU that converted to our church, isn't that incredible!? I sang with the choir in this grand acoustic room, the hymn Jesus, Lover of my Soul, and was able to bear my testimony of the Savior today in front of the congregation; I felt the spirit so strongly. Already, this trip has affected me so much. I better head off cause I have some Old Testament reading awaiting me and I can break my fast ;) I love you all