Türkiye

i'm home from turkey! no, i did not eat any turkey while i was there, but i had my share of eggplant goulash, meatballs of all sorts, desserts saturated in syrup, lentil soup, and bread to last a lifetime! some more delicious investments on my part where the baklava and goat milk ice cream....here's my pistachio baklava. delishhhhhhh!

but aside from the food...turkey is AWESOME! i mean REALLY AWESOME! i couldn't have asked to go anywhere better! we visited sites from the pauline epistles as well as several of the cities that john writes to in the book of revelation. 

we began in istanbul...

with a boat ride up the bosphorus straight :)

 topkapi palace!

 a beautiful istanbul sunset :)

and on to troy.... 

 where hector was supposedly killed....we can't always keep it g rated here...

THE trojan horse! ok maybe it's not completely authentic...

 and assos. favorite. 

during paul's missions he would have travelled through troy as well as assos, miletus, and ephesus...sites that we were able to stop at on our trip!

but on to pergamon! 

john the revelator wrote to the people of pergamon in rev. 2:12-16 

and ephesus. oh ephesus.

 another site of paul's ministry! 

 the library at ephesus...don't we look studious???

"We are the muses.

Goddesses of the arts

and proclaimers of heroes. 

Heroes like Hercules.

Honey, you mean HUNKules!"

john wrote to the people of ephesus as well in rev. 2:1-6 

paul spent three years ministering to the people here in ephesus, and he would have been in that very theater.  we even re-enacted acts 19....quite entertaining. what with evil spirits, exorcists, and an angry mob you can imagine the raucous we caused! 

church of st. john the beloved...and his grave................... :P

now for priene! so beautiful!

sardis.

 also one of the cities john mentions in revelation.

 the gymnasium at sardis... i work out! 

so does camila!

and our tour guide fatih!

karen and i were about to jump ship while on our way back to istanbul...but brother jackson caught us. lame!

istanbul one final time!!!!

in front of the hagia sophia with blake!

i swirled my finger all the way around...14 years of good luck! 

 and the blue mosque!

many pictures...i know...and i could have posted so many more you know... but turkey is just plain amazing! the history here is incredibly. not only is it rich in WORLD history, but also the history of the gospel of Jesus Christ. and i am so grateful to be able to increase my testimony as i travel throughout this land. He is teaching me....so much. 

"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him...

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God...

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."

1 Corinthians 2:9-13

on a journey...where?

and yet another tremendous week in the Holy Land.... 

each day is not only an adventure, but it's a learning experience. i feel like i am growing each day...learning more things about myself and about what i want from life. i see so much of who i want to become versus who i am at this very moment...and what path lies in between. one step at a time, and i'll make it there someday! plus... i know that my time here will come to an end too quickly, as i'm closing in on three weeks already! but this week has been fabulous! i leave for turkey in two days, and i'll be gone for a week!

oh. so guess what....

VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!

you better believe it :) this crew=unstoppable!

matisyahu forever!

Lag BaOmer

festival in west jerusalem...bonfires lit all around the city to commemorate the life of Rabbi Simon bar Yachai

we women weren't allowed to dance, and you can see the crowd of women up against the wall of the building...the men were dancing below. but we decided to hike up to the overlooking patio for a sweet view of the fire and dancing!

outside the abdin mosque, the roomies and some worshipping muslims

pool of bethesda, where jesus healed the lame man on the sabbath...probably one of my favorite sites so far. absolutely beautiful...and the crusader chapel nearby--wonderful. we ever got to sing together inside, and were followed up by a group of romanians who sang so strongly but beautifully :) it was a wonderful way to worship and remember.

Carl Bloch's depiction of the healing at Bethesda

It was said that if the waters of the pool started to bubble, the first man in would be healed. 

"A certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 

Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.

And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath."

John 5:5-9

ruins around the roman baths at Bethesda

me and d-wight. just a-climbin some ruins...

joseph ludlow, you are just too cute. why do you have to be 13?? ;)

dormition abbey....second favorite stop of that day. an absolutely beautiful place...where the virgin Mary was buried. absolutely beautiful!

"So what can I be? What can I be? We can be what heavenly parents designed us and intend us and help us to be. How does one fill the measure of his or her creation? We do so by thrusting in a sickle and reaping with all our strength—and by rejoicing in our uniqueness and our difference. To be all that you can be, your only assignment is (1) to cherish your course and savor your own distinctiveness, (2) to shut out conflicting voices and listen to the voice within, which is God telling you who you are and what you will be, and (3) to free yourself from the love of profession, position, or the approval of men by remembering that what God really wants us to be is someone's sister, someone's brother, and someone's friend.

I bear my testimony that each of you has a purpose. It is different, it is distinct, it is divine. God lives. God loves you. And I do, too. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
(Patricia T. Holland, wife of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, in a BYU Devotional titled "Filling the Measure of Your Creation.")

I Believe in Christ

Bruce R. McConkie gave his final General Conference address in April of 1985. He knew that his health was failing him, and despite the advice from his doctor, he gave one final testimony in front of millions of viewers... he bore powerful testimony of Jesus Christ and his Atonement. I took a copy of this talk, titled "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane," with me today as I visited Gethsemane. This talk was actually the basis of our hymn "I Believe in Christ." I hope and pray that I might be able to gain such a testimony before I see His face.

"In speaking of these wondrous things i shall use my own words, though you may think they are the words of scripture, words spoken by other Apostles and prophets. True it is that they were first proclaimed by others, but they are now mine, for the Holy Spirit of God has borne witness to me that they are true, and it is now as though the Lord had revealed them to me in the first instance. I have thereby heard his voice and know his word."

"We do not know, we cannot tell, no mortal mind can conceive, the full import of what Christ did in Gethsemane."

"In Gethsemane we will see the Son of God ransom man from the temporal and spiritual death that came to us because of the Fall."

"And now, as pertaining to this perfect atonement, wrought by the shedding of the blood of God--I testify that it took place in Gethsemane and at Golgotha, and as pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God and was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself independent of any other person.

I am one of his witnesses, and in the coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears. But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God's Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way."

I believe in Christ. He is my King. With all my heart, to Him I'll sing!

one week already??

so. so. much. i don't know how jess ever did it! or anyone for that matter.... i feel like there is simply TOO MUCH that happens, i can never possibly write it all down! i will do my best to give you the best snapshot that i can! here it goes!

i cannot describe the culture here. it is so incredibly diverse. one moment i am trekking through damascus gate and into the muslim quarter, where i buy a delicious falafel at eddy's. i pass by shaban and grab some juice, and nacer takes me upstairs to show me his "secret stash" for us mormons. the shop owners LOVE the mormon students! ...there's trash littered everywhere... each store owner tries convincing me to buy his sandles, or his spices, or his scarves, or his carvings, or his...whatever! 

if i enter west jerusalem the scence completely changes! it's clean, and i can see jews in their complete clothing ensemble walking up and down streets all over! from arabic to hebrew, from one culture to another, it's a complete change! it's amazing to me that such a place exists, and that i get to experience it firsthand for the next 3 and a half months! 

i'm taking my time...trying to get a feel for the city. i'm beginning to get a hang of the streets and such, and i have even tried to get to know the locals! ahhh i have a feeling it will all pass too quickly... 

but to keep you entertained, i thought i'd add some pictures, as usual :)

the ramparts...climbing up and down the old city walls. this gave us a chance to see the old city from a different view...each quarter is SO different. it really is amazing. i loved passing the citrus trees in the christian quarter...smelled so good! i felt i had traveled back to medieval times, like maybe i could be a guard at the gate! four o'clock and aaaaall's weeeeell! 

 view from up on the ramparts! see all the wall in the background?

 the western wall! the most accessible point of the remaining temple of solomon...the most sacred place for the jews. i definitely want to write a prayer to shove into one of the cracks!

 still on the ramparts, but an amazing view of the dome of the rock! beautiful!

oh little town of bethlehem! 

an old army bunker! this is right before a nice gust of wind decided to have a sense of humor and blow my skirt up in the air!!!

this ridge was could have very easily been where abraham came to mt. moriah to sacrifice isaac, as he was coming from the south. (genesis 22:4) "on the third day, abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off." 

a monastery built where samuel the prophet was supposedly born and buried.... nabi samwil

jerusalem. the center of the universe!

may possibly have been the most delicious thing of my life. besides the frasier in france hayley :)

banana boom pancake...HOLY YUM.

joseph of arimathea's grave at the church of the holy seplechre.... in a dark little cave, dwight and i were a wee bit frightened!

pretty sure they are my favorite :)

in zedekiah's cave...you can see the pillars from the second temple of solomon

we have a "make funny faces in every picture" club....for the cool kids. 

apparently we are supposed to be owls??

my two new best friends...nabeel who wrapped my head in a scarf--jeru style! 

and joe. you're the best, end of story :)

now if i can only stay afloat in my classes.....it's so hard with a city SO AMAZING right at my doorstep! 
and to say no to volleyball every night....
with that, i say good night!