the last melon!!

jerusalem..... if i forget you!!!

.... one month left....

i feel like the do-do birds on ice age... they started out with three melons to survive the upcoming apocalypse. i started here with about three months in jerusalem...just as two of their melons slipped away, so have two months slipped away, right out of my fingers... i don't know where they've gone, but as i look i realize i have only a month left. now all i have to say is "the last melon!!" each day is going to be spent well. each minute is going to be cherished, and every opportunity is going to be taken advantage of!

but these last few months have been so spectacular. 

adventure after adventure :) oh if life could always be so wonderful!

but i will try my best!

update time, eh? 

ein kereim

cutest lil' city just outside jeru. where zaccharias and elizabeth lived, where mary visited elizabeth (the magnificat canticle in luke), and where john the baptist was born. 

this picture is of "mary's spring," where mary would have gotten a drink when she visited elizabeth.

tile floor at the church of the visitation... gorgeous!

where mary said "the magnificat"

"my soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid..." (see luke 1:46-55)










the roman baths at the herodian (one of herod the great's palaces)...nothing like a lil' bath to clean off the jeru smell...

i do believe rachel could be on a pantene pro-v commercial, don't you?

bethlehem. 

"and Joseph also went...unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child."

the church of the nativity, where many christians believe the baby Jesus was born.

the altar of the nativity.

the "manger" or stone where the Jesus may have been laid.

"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

shepherd's field (one of three "shepherd's fields" in the bethlehem area).  yes we are shepherds and their sheep... i don't know that i'm that fond of being a sheep!

"and there were in the same country shepherd abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them... and the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

bethelehem definitely made the top of my charts... there are few more powerful ways to celebrate the work of our savior than through remembering his miraculous birth. somewhere in that city, jesus the christ was born. it's as true now as it was two thousand years ago. it was also refreshing to celebrate christmas in july with a few christmas hymns. what a great day :)

but back to jerusalem.... to explore the old city??? it's crunch time!! 

smurfs. arabic smurfs!!

oh the art in east jeru....

view from the window of dominus flevit... the cross stands directly over the church of the holy seplechre (where most christians believe christ was crucified and buried) --the blue domes right above the left side of the cross.

painting a mural at the princess bosma school.... jc service at its finest!

walking up the steps to the temple...many are the same steps jesus would have walked. this is one of the few excavated areas that goes all the way down to the time of christ...

there's something so tangible about truly walking where jesus walked!

the orson hyde door...

in the 18th and 19th centuries travellers would come to this hostel and stay the night, and many would carve their names into the door. when orson hyde came to this land in 1841, it was believed he stayed here...and he may have possibly carved his name into the door.

see the "HYDE" written there towards the bottom??

"Now, O Lord! Thy servant has been obedient to the heavenly vision which Thou gavest him in his native land; and under the shadow of Thine outstretched arm, he has safely arrived in this place to dedicate and consecrate this land unto Thee, for the gathering together of Judah's scattered remnants, according to the predictions of the holy Prophets -- for the building up of Jerusalem again after it has been trodden down by the Gentiles so long, and for rearing a Temple in honor of Thy name."  

Orson Hyde's Dedicatory Prayer on the Mount of Olives

megan and i are actually jungle explorers... 

the top of the lutheran church of the redeemer!
what a view of jerusalem!

a wee bit squished... good thing we love each other :)

TWINNERS!!!

hannah and i decided to match today. exactly. ;)

a young boy worshipping inside the hurva synangogue in the jewish quarter

i can feel the time floating away....gahhhh! it's unbelievable to me how the time has flown. 

galilee in only four days!! 

luckily, my amazing home teachers taught me the perfect lesson...

live life "always in the middle" (thank you president uchtdorf!)

"Yes, there will be moments of beginnings and moments of endings throughout our lives, but these are only markers along the way of the great middle of our eternal lives. Whether we are at the beginning or the end, whether we are young or old, the Lord can use us for His purposes if we simply set aside whatever thoughts limit our ability to serve and allow His will to shape our lives." 

thanks ian, and thanks for the superhero pj pants... ;)

the hashemite kingdom of jordan

jordan

just like turkey was an unexpectedly amazing adventure, jordan was absolutely fabulous! some sites were biblical sites, and others were simply important in biblical times... and some were completely unrelated at all... ;) 

we began at mt. nebo

"and moses went up from the plains of moab unto the mountain of nebo... and the Lord said unto him, this is the land which i sware unto abraham, unto isaac, and unto jacob..." 
it was here also that moses ascended in to heaven."


deuteronomy 34:1-4

 the mosaic map at madaba! 

a large mosaic map of the holy land during byzantine times... this pic is a close up of jerusalem... there i am!! 

machaerus--where john the baptist was imprisoned and executed...

classic jumping pic. although this one is a favorite...perhaps it's because we all look like ninja masters. 

it's just the jeru awesome. 

the two man band at our hotel in petra. mini dance party in the restaurant, no... bid deal! even the cooks and staff were 
in on the celebrating! 

now for the best part....

this is the part to be jealous of... 

*cue indiana jones theme*

PETRA!!


the treasury at petra--the location of the temple in indiana jones and the last crusade

"now, he who finds the grail must face 3  challenges. first, is the path of God: only the penitent men shall pass. second, is the word of God: only in the footsteps of God, shall he proceed. last is the breath of God: only in a leap from the lion's head shall he prove his worth."

so...

as any young jones-lover should, i had my own last crusade....my own search for the holy grail!

"the search for the grail is the search for the divine in all of us. but if you want the facts, indy, i've none to give you. at my age, i'm prepared to take a few things on faith."

sadly, i never found it...maybe it's because i wasn't seeking it for the right reasons. 

the crazy old knight even asked indiana, "ask yourself, why do you seek the Cup of Christ? is if for His glory, or for yours?"

temple of hercules in amman.
cursed disney songs get stuck in my head so easily!!

WHO PUT THE GLAD IN GLADIATOR!?!?
HERCULES!

the best part about this summer has been spiritual experiences that creep up unexpectedly....but quite regularly! i am constantly being fed by my professors and by the spirit. 








my experience here at the jabbok river was one of those little surprises... it was somewhere along this river that jacob has a heavenly visitation in which he "wrestles with a man," sees God face to face, and has his name changed to israel.

jacob desired the covenant blessings he was promised, so much so that he wrestled the angel and would not let him go until he received those covenants. brother huntsman challenged us all to be willing to "wrestle with God" or to wrestle with our own weaknesses and trials so that we can be worthy of covenant blessings...then as jacob's name was changed to israel ("one who prevails with God"), we can also be successful and gaining the blessings of eternal life.

just a little tidbit for you today :)

second favorite stop....

JERASH!

because you know....

bagpipes at roman ruins is normal...

legit.

now...

i have no idea what value this museum had to my knowledge of the bible, but i know a certain someone who would be incredibly jealous of this particular place.

the jordanian royal automobile museum

shout-out to you harmon! ;)

Jesus came to John the Baptist, in Judea long ago, and was baptized by immersion in the River Jordan's flow. "To fulfill the law," said Jesus, when the Baptist quesitoned why, "And to enter with my Father in the Kingdom up on high." Now we know that we must also witness faith in Jesus' word, be baptized to show obedience, as was Jesus Christ, our Lord.

  

i officially loved this place.

and upon returning...i have only 5 weeks left! where has the time gone??? 

"sometimes i feel that life is passing me by, not slowly either, but with ropes of steam and spark-spattered wheels and a hoarse roar of power or terror. it's passing, yet i'm the one who's doing all the moving."

mark amis







and i can't end without a holla to my native land...i haven't forgotten you!

happy 4th! 

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!