jordan

Once again I’m surprised at how cool the Middle East is. I just got back from a four day trip to Jordan which completely surpassed all my expectations. Who knew Jordan was such a sweet place? These itinerary posts are probably super boring to y’all but here’s another one. This is going to be long so no pressure. Just read at your leisure.
Monday morning came real early… But I somehow got myself up and on the bus by 6:45. I was in and out of sleep the whole time but woke up for the border crossing where we changed buses and met our guide Yousef. Our first stop was Mount Nebo, which is a peak on the west Jordanian Plateau facing the Jordan Valley. This is where Moses went to visualize the Promised Land and was translated. It was really cool because you could see all of the holy land from where we stood.





One thing that’s really cool about Jordan is the mosaics they have everywhere. We stopped at a place where they make mosaics and it was really cool. We got to watch them in the process. It looked pretty time-consuming but actually kind of fun. And that’s coming from a very non-artistic, non-crafty girl.



Our last stop of the day was the best. It was the site of Herodias’s palace where John the Baptist was beheaded. It was at the very top of a hill overlooking the Dead Sea. The view was absolutely incredible! While we were up there we had both Brother Huntsman and Brother Harper talk to us about John the Baptist and what an amazing prophet he was. I gained such a greater respect and love for the prophet John at this site. As Brother Harper said, John the Baptist may have died there while his enemies lived on, but I have no doubt in my mind that God’s perfect justice and mercy will be enacted and John will receive the glory far beyond anything his enemies could have ever acquired in this life.





Tuesday was Indiana Jones day! Petra was a site that once again, far exceeded my expectations. I thought it was going to just be a desert wasteland with the one cool treasury monument. I was way wrong. When we got there we began hiking through the most beautiful siq. It was a narrow valley eroded into the red sandstone and it was breathtaking. Then the siq opened up and right there was the treasury. It was incredible. And I rode a camel! So I thought that was all there was to Petra but then we moved on and found out that was just the beginning of an amazing city. There were ruins to ancient temples and tombs and all sorts of carvings in the walls. We then had the option to go up to the monastery, which I didn’t realize was quite a commitment. So 800 steps, a long hike, and one very sweaty girl later I found myself at the monastery. And believe me it did not disappoint. The monastery itself was quite a bit like the treasury but bigger. But the view was what was really amazing to me. We were on top of a mountain! I just can’t get over how beautiful and amazing Petra was. Think southern Utah, but better! Gorgeous! It’s places like Petra and Oregon that let me know that God loves us.











That night we stayed in Amman, the capital of Jordan. The next day was pretty packed. We started off by going to King Abdullah Mosque. All the girls had to wear full-on black cloaks to go inside. Not very flattering, but it gave me a new respect for the Muslim women that always dress that way. Our guide Yousef is Muslim so he had some neat insight and things to say to us while we were in the mosque. I am more and more impressed with Islam the more I learn about it. I am especially touched by their commitment to prayer. It is a very dedicated and consistent way for them to remember their relationship with God. I have a lot I can learn from them in this respect.


We then went to the citadel of Amman, which had the remains from several different peoples and time periods. The city was called Philadelphia by the Greeks and was then changed to Amman by the Arabs. There were some cool remains there and it had a great view of the city of Amman.



We made a quick pit stop at the Jabbok River, the site where Jacob wrestled with an angel in Genesis 32. We had a little devotional and sang a few hymns. It was nice.



Jerash was the real highlight of the day. Jerash is one of the best preserved Roman cities in the world. Who knew? I would even say it was as cool as Ephesus, but without the crowds. Just another hidden treasure in the Middle East. We watched a Roman gladiator/army reenactment, which was hilarious. And I rode on a chariot around the hippodrome!





Right now there is a BYU study abroad in Jordan for the students studying Arabic at BYU. My friend Esther and her husband Griffin are both there right now and I got to meet up with them! We went out to a Yemen restaurant where we ate on cushions on the floor. It was fun for me but not super comfortable for my 6’4 friends… After dinner we went back to their apartment and had some dessert. It was a really fun time. And we kept making random connections. Apparently one of Griffin’s best friends is Josh Snow, my friend Nicole’s husband. He’s been to Wilsonville for Josh and Nicole’s wedding. How crazy is that?! So I saw him 2 years ago in Wilsonville and then went to his apartment in Jordan. So random.



Thursday morning we went to the Roman theater in Amman. It was sweet! Of course I had to do the Lizzie Mcguire reenactment. (Julia and Melinda know what I’m talking about). A group of us even sang “What Dreams are Made of” on the stage together. Now there’s something to check off a bucket list. ☺



Our last stop in Jordan was of course the Jordan River. We went to the assumed baptismal site of Jesus and had a devotional there. To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting too much from the site just because we’d been to so many that they kind of start losing their novelty. But as soon as Brother Huntsman started talking about the baptism of Jesus Christ, I was overwhelmed by the spirit. I thought about my own baptism and the covenants I made when I was 8 and reflected on how well I was keeping those covenants. I thought about Tommy and how badly he wanted to follow Christ’s example and be baptized. And of course whenever I think about Tommy, all composure is lost. I am so grateful for the example Tommy has been to me in my life in his desire to follow Christ as I know he has been to many others as well. I know that baptism is an essential part of our progress back to our Father in Heaven and I am so grateful for that knowledge. I am so grateful for the example Jesus Christ set by being baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. I know that really did happen and that all mankind must follow His perfect example.

tommy's birthday

Hey y'all!
So just so you know, it's THE Elder Tommy Walter's birthday today and he's turning the big 2-1. So if you get the chance you should shoot him off a birthday email. His address is thomas.walter@myldsmail.com. He would love it!



Tomorrow I'm heading off to Jordan! We'll be spending four days there and I'm so stoked. Indiana Jones anyone?

a city with events

One problem with living in such an amazing place with so many things to see is that there really just isn't time for sleep. Today was the last day of Sukkot so after staying up until 1:30 last night writing a paper for my Old Testament class, I woke up at 5:30 to go to celebrate at the Western Wall. I realized that I haven't really explained Sukkot. It's a biblical holiday meaning Feast of the Tabernacles. Basically it's a thanksgiving holiday thanking God for the fruit of the harvest the year before. It lasts seven days and during that week Jews make and often sleep in a sukkah. The sukkah is like a fort you make when you're a kid. It's supposed to represent the types of houses the Israelites stayed in during their 40 years of wandering after their exodus from slavery in egypt. On the last day of Sukkot people pray for the agriculture of the coming year. They beat their willows on the ground and recite scripture. Think Indian rain dance. So this morning at 6:00 AM thousands of people gathered at the Western Wall for the festivities. It was crazy! Totally worth the four hours of sleep I got the night before. I got to see all this and still be back at the JC for breakfast and my Old Testament class at 8:00. How sweet is my life?!











We also had our separation wall field trip today. Danny Seideman, a jerusalem expert, took us on the tour. It was really fascinating. He basically just talked about the Israel-Palestine conflict and how it actually plays out in jerusalem. We saw a portion of the separation wall that's just a few miles from the Jerusalem Center. The separation wall is a barrier put up by the state of Israel separating the West Bank from Israel. The portion of the wall that we saw today went right through a neighborhood separating families and friends from places they've always been able to go. It was really interesting, but also sad.







P.S. if you haven't heard about the Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit that was released yesterday, you should look it up. Israel was going crazy! We weren't allowed in East Jerusalem or the Old City yesterday because of it. Front page headlines are happening right outside my front door.

hogwarts

The BYU Jerusalem Center is one of a kind. I like to think of it as Hogwarts because, well, it's just that unique. Let me give you an example. Friday afternoon I sit through a two hour lecture on ancient near east history with my professor Brother Ludlow. That night I play with his kids. The next day he is our fireside speaker bearing testimony to us. That afternoon his wife brings us cookies. The next day I sit next to his daughter on a four hour bus ride and then we all go snorkeling together. I live a crazy life here at the JC. And I love every minute of it! Now here's the details because I know you're all just dying to know.

Thursday was pretty much a free day because we only had one class in the morning. I went to the Israel museum with a few other people to do a homework assignment. There were actually a lot of really cool things there. The highlights were seeing the dead sea scrolls and a huge model of Jerusalem during the second temple period. I love being able to look at it and recognize what's still there and places I walk all the time. After the museum I went to the city with a few other friends and saw David's tomb and the Dormition Abbey.





Tommy's birthday is coming up real soon and I needed to mail him his package pronto so friday was the day. Well we're not allowed to leave the center until 3:00 on fridays so at three I went with a couple friends who also needed to go to the post office. Guess what we forgot? Everything closes up on fridays. So we got there and saw that it had been closed since noon and were way bummed. I'm a terrible girlfriend. His birthday package is going to be probably like a week late now... Oh well. Happy 21st Tommy! (October 23 in case you're wondering. You should all email him or send him a card)

So I've mentioned how strange the place is that we live in, but I haven't said too much about how strange the people are that I live with (myself included). Friday night's "informal" talent show would be a good way to show off just how strange we all are. It was hands down the best talent show I've ever been to. It was hilarious, super creative, and really impressive. There were skits, flexibility performances, singing the periodic table, singing, dancing, etc... All of the performances were really good and really entertaining. Unfortunately my friends and I didn't get the memo that "informal" didn't mean untalented.... We did this super embarrassing song and dance. Ok I'm not actually embarrassed about it but I probably should be. Let me preface it: So everyone here on this trip is super baby hungry... kind of joking, kind of not. I've never met a group of people so open about how badly they want to get married and have children. I love it. One day while we were sitting on a bus in Turkey I looked over at the bus next to us and there was the cutest little baby looking at me. I started playing with her and then everyone else saw the baby and all of us started freaking out about how much we wanted a baby. Well fortunately my friend got all of this on video. So for friday night's talent show we played the video to start off with and then walked out with our pregnant bellies and sang a song to Justin Bieber's "Baby" about how we're all baby hungry. It was so funny.





Saturday was great. At church we got to watch the general relief society broadcast which was way good. Everyone should read Elder Uchtdorf's talk. It was incredible. Then I had every intention of doing my Old Testament paper but took a three hour nap instead. Oops...

Yesterday was awesome! We all took a trip down to Eilat and went snorkeling in the Red Sea. Apparently Eilat has the second best snorkeling in the world. I loved it! I could have floated on my belly all day long looking at everything. The bus ride was quite long but totally worth it! I want to go back! And on the drive home we stopped at a rest stop along the Dead Sea and the moon was out and there was a long beautiful walk down to the shore. It was magical. I swear I've been to the most romantic places while on this trip. Such a waste...









Today we had our City of David field trip. It was super awesome! The City of David is just south of the temple mount in Jerusalem and it's where King David and Solomon ruled over the twelve tribes of Israel. The highlight of the field trip was definitely Hezekiah's tunnel. Hezekiah made the tunnel in an attempt to hide the Gihon spring from the Assyrians in 701 BCE. So we got to hike through the tunnel with water up to our knees the whole time. It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic or I probably would have cried. I loved it though!



Remember how I said we picked olives last week? Well today was the day that we actually got to press the olives we picked and make olive oil. I understand more now why olive oil is so expensive. It's a lot of work! First you crush the olives in a huge wheel thing, and then you put the mush into baskets that you then smash to squeeze all the juice out. It runs down some contraption and then sits there for a day or so until the oil rises to the top and everything else settles on the bottom. There are so many parallels to the atonement. Probably most of you already know this, but Gethsemane literally means "place of the olive press." As I watched the crushing weight of the stones smash the olives I kept thinking about the crushing weight of the atonement causing Jesus to suffer and bleed from every pore. It brings a new visual light to the incredible event that took place just down the hill 2000 years ago.

christmas for jews

It's been a busy few days! Monday we had a free day since we had a field trip on sunday. Well monday mornings are when a lot of Bar Mitzvahs happen at the Western Wall so I went with a group there to see what it was all about. It was really sweet. It's a huge deal to the Jews and I loved that. Then a group of us went on to a park in West Jerusalem and played ultimate frisbee. It was way fun except that I sucked. I need to practice my skills... It was sooo hot though so luckily there was a little creek that went through the park so we just ate our lunch with our feet in the creek and it was lovely. Then on the walk back to the center I found a miracle! A lady was walking down the street with a Dr Pepper! I chased her down and asked her where she got it. A perfect way to end my outing! It's funny how I can go years without drinking Dr Pepper but now that I can't get it anywhere I crave it all the time. I even kind of started liking Coke because that's the only thing they have here, but after that DP I remembered my roots :)



The real fun for the day was still yet to come! That night we had our center's replication of a Jewish Seder meal. This is the meal that Jews have on Passover. It was really nice and super interesting. Our Judaism teacher, Ophir, ran the show. There was lots of reading and singing and of course, eating! I had a narration part so lucky me, I sat at the head table right next to Ophir! I had to be on my best behavior :) My favorite part was the last song of the night that a few boys made up. It was a rap they had created and I even got a little shout-out in it. So I have this problem where I always forget to put sunscreen in my part which we all know is the worst place to get sunburned, so I always ask other people to put sunscreen in my part for me. So they made a little fun of me and said, "dang girl put some sunscreen in dat part." They said they came up with it because they were talking about parting the red sea. And the ginger jokes continue...







Last night a big group of us went to West Jerusalem in an attempt to go to a free jazz concert in the park. Well we got there and we were not by any park. I was just a tag-along so I followed and soon found out that no one had any idea where the jazz concert was at so we ended up just walking all over West Jerusalem. It was still fun though because I hadn't seen the West Jerusalem night life yet. Ben Yehuda street was fun. And we got a little creative with the graffiti doors...







Today I went to the Tomb of the Kings with a few friends. Sounds cool right? ha well it really wasn't. I still don't actually know what it is but it was fun. There was just this side door where we rang the doorbell and a girl told us they were closed. Then we asked when they would be open and she said, "uhhh I don't know." Sketch... Then they asked how many of us there were and we told them there were only 5 of us so they let us in and charged us 10 shekels each. I'm pretty sure it was just someone's house that happened to have this random archaeological site in their yard. So not knowing anything about it we just walked around and played a bit. Another check on my to-do list. ha.



After that we just went to a random Anglican cathedral. The best part was either the personalized chair cushions or Alfred, the very touchy janitor/self-appointed tour guide.



Now let me tell you one of the reasons why fall is the best time of the year to come to the Jerusalem center: We get to make olive oil! So today we spent a few hours picking olives on the many olive trees we have on our grounds. I have a tree right on my balcony so I mostly picked there. It was way fun though and now next week we get to press the olives and make the olive oil. It has already made me appreciate all the olive oil/olive tree references made in the scriptures. I love Jerusalem!



The other best thing about today is that it's Sukkot eve so all the Jews are making their Sukkahs to sleep and eat in. I really wanted to make one as well but I didn't get around to it. Maybe tomorrow. We celebrated by having a BBQ and dance party in the Oasis dining hall! Probably my favorite person here is Achmed, our cook. He treats us so well. The food is getting better and better. (and my pants tighter and tighter...)