Finals Week!

This week was finals week! So this could be potentially boring. But I know grandma and mom will still read it. Thanks for sticking with me guys! 

I actually kicked off the week in an exciting way by performing in the talent show. I did the Napoleon Dynamite dance. If you haven't watched the video then you should go to my Facebook page and watch the video. Hopefully it will inspire you to be you even if you is kinda crazy. Just embrace it. Or it will just make you laugh. Or shudder. Either way. Watch it or not. But here is Jenna's documentation of it: 

And shout out to Jenna for being great. She also is really good at taking pictures at all these times when I would forget to take pictures. Actually, all the pictures this week are pictures she took of me, most of the time without me being aware. 

Like I said, all week was finals. They were really hard. And my brain was fried. But it's been a nice opportunity to reflect on what I've learned. Which I realized is a lot!

The Old Testament Final. 

Oh, how I love Dr. Muhlstein. He already knew and loved Elise so he's been watching out for me since day one. He gave me a setting apart blessing that meant a lot to me when I first got here. He is just such a wonderful teacher and person. Plus he's kind of like Indiana Jones. I had no idea how much I would learn from the Old Testament. It has become real for me. Sister Burton said "Making and keeping covenants means choosing to bind ourselves to our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ". It blows my mind how powerful our covenants are. From Jonathon having the confidence to single-handedly take on an army because he had God on his side, to King David's not so righteous posterity being preserved because of his single decision to make a covenant with God it amazed me. I read my patriarchal blessing differently now. I've believed in trusting in the Lord for awhile now, but I feel like I'm learning to trust the Lord. If He says something He will do it! 

The Israel and Palestine Finals. 

I can now appreciate how important it is to understand the full context of an issue before taking a side. The Palestinians and the Jews each have their own, long history and these histories shed a lot of light on why both groups feel the way they do. It has been an enriching experience to to hear these histories from a Palestinian and an Israeli, respectively. I especially feel like the Palestine class has prepared me to better understand issues concerning Islam that always seem to be in the news. 

The Arabic Final. 

Wasn't that hard. And I learned how to say some basics. Hopefully I will get to keep practicing. 

The Field Trip Final. 

It's also been rewarding to understand the history and context of the stories in the Bible. It's helped me understand the Bible better as well as the Book of Mormon. I love it!

I am sad to say goodbye to Old Testament, Arabic, Palestine, and Israel, but am super excited for New Testament! I am so excited to learn more about Jesus Christ and His life. 

Great things are in store for this week! Tomorrow we will celebrate the end of finals by going to Tel Aviv and visiting the Mediterranean Sea! Then on Monday, we head to Jordan with more Biblical and historical sights!

I hope you all had a blast at the family reunion. I definitely thought of you a lot this week. I miss you! Love you!

Double the Field Trips, Triple the Field Trips! Actually, just double.

Hey guys!
What a great week. It was a week for field trips and excursions! So this week will be best represented in pictures!
So, remember how when I decided to come here I was super excited but it wasn't my plan at first because I wanted to do an international development internship and I wanted to get dietetics hours? And then here I met the awesome lady changing the lives of Bedouin women (thus educating me on international development). Well this week I got to volunteer in a hospital kitchen. What! So there's some Dietetics hours. I just feel like Heavenly Father is blessing me so much while I've been here. And I feel like I'm not even doing anything super crazy to deserve all these blessings, Heavenly Father just knows the desires of my heart is blessing me with them right now. It's a special time!
So, would this hospital kitchen pass a state inspection in the U.S? Probably most definitely not. But they get a special award for having the kindest chef who answered all my questions about how they serve diabetic patients here and how they feed people during the month of Ramadan (when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk). And Fatuma, who taught me an awesome song. We practiced English and Arabic as we prepared raw chicken with her bare hands. Also, they didn't have a sink with soap so yeah...It was so fun though! I love them. Hopefully I 'll get to go back.

Also on the free day we went to the Grotto which is a cave underneath the Garden of Gethsemene. Some people believe that is where the Atonement was actually performed because it would make sense to keep watch in front of the mouth of a cave instead of in a garden. The Grotto is cool because that is where they kept the olive presses. There is so much symbolism with olive pressing and the Atonement. When you begin the smash the olives they release a reddish liquid. After being pummeled and ground they are used to make the sweet product of olive oil. During the Atonement Christ had to drink the bitter cup but He made it into something sweet for all of us. 

The next day we went on a field trip to a Biblical Nature Preserve! It was so awesome. The point was to help us get a feel for what daily life was like of the people living in Biblical times. We were challenged with shepherding and making unleavened bread over a fire. 

Speaking of shepherding, someone had a great comment in Sunday school today. We were talking about rescuing. They said that the question wasn't who the 99 were and who the 1 was that we should rescue. It's when we are the 1. There are moments when we are all just having one of those days, you know? So the person we reach out to doesn't have to be in obvious physical need. It could be our friend who seems like they've got it all together, but maybe just not today. 

At the preserve we also got to ground hyssop with a pestle and mortar. Hyssop is referred to in the Bible like in Exodus 12:22. By learning about the plant we learned some of it's symbolism. Hyssop has cleansing and antibacterial properties. It gives so much yet requires little rain or care. It becomes a symbol of humility. We crushed the hyssop and put it on our leavened bread. Yum. 

We also got to explore the City of David and King Hezekiah's tunnel. King Hezekiah built this underground tunnel as they were getting close to being attacked by the Assyrians. He didn't want to give them any help so he hid all of the city's water in these tunnels. We got to explore through the tunnels. It was a party in there!

Also, this video is pretty bad. And it's obvious I don't know the words to the song. #embarrassing! But it'll give you a feel for what the tunnel was like. 

Also, on a sad note, my friend Mary hasn't recovered fully from her concussion she got in Egypt and has to go back home :( We went to dinner with her and explored West Jerusalem as a last little hurrah. 

Today we went to the Garden Tomb again which is always a special experience. I was reading Elder McConkie's final Conference talk there. He was talking about how an angel came to Christ while He was performing the Atonement to help Him. Elder McConkie was saying how maybe that angel was Michael. I imagined what Adam must have felt like encouraging Christ in that moment. And then I thought about what I would feel like if I had been in that moment. What would I have said? Would I have been able to say anything? I'm not sure. All I know is that I know my Savior lives. I know that He lived and died for me. Heavenly Father loves us! 

Ruminations

Ok. So wow. This week was a little different from others. Consider yourselves warned- the post may be more of my ruminations and less exciting stuff I've done than usual. It was a heavier week than usual but so enriching at the same time.

Let's start with the light-stuff. We had midterms this week so free day was mostly studying. We decided to go to the Jewish Bakery for breakfast though before studying. The Jewish Bakery. The Myth. The Legend.

We got a little lost trying to find it. Yay for technology.

It was worth the search though. Our search was generously rewarded with chocolate filled pastries. For breakfast. I even got juice. I can see Dr. Bikman cringing. I may have cringed a little as well. But mostly smiled. Also at one point a huge gob or chocolate exploded on my face. So that was a highlight.

We also spent some of our free day doing some reading, but on the ancient city wall. So it was like homework but awesome homework. I was studying about how Jerusalem was invaded and that was cool to imagine from that wall. Cool to imagine how intimidating those armies must have looked coming over the hill and how terrified and regretful those people must have felt. 

Selfies are not my forte. But look at my cool friends study on the wall. 

You get the idea. 

We also read some of our homework at the pool of Bethesda, which has become one of my most favorite places in Jerusalem. I think I wrote about the special experience I had there already. While I was there we heard a choir singing Amazing Grace again. It was cool because the song was an answer to a prayer again but a different line of the song stuck out to me this time. The line was "The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures". Why am I prone to doubt blessings promised me in my patriarchal blessings? Why did the Israelites doubt that God would deliver them?

I have no reason for such doubts considering how God has always come through for me. He has seriously been blessing me so much while I have been here in ways I did not expect. In my mind I thought I was giving up interning at the refugee center with teaching nutrition. But this week I got an email inviting me to participate in an identical program in Provo in the fall. Heavenly Father is just so good and aware of our desires and wants to make them happen! He is the best. 

Our field trip this week was the Holocaust Museum here in Jerusalem. Our Jewish professor led us on the trip. It was a very sombering day. It hurt to see those memories brought to life and it hurt to watch Jewish people go through that museum and weep at what had happened to their people. 

More than one million children were killed during the Holocaust. One of the most poignant parts of the museum for me was visiting a memorial dedicated to those children. It was a room that was pitch-black inside. The walls were made of glass and behind the glass there were little lights. So imagine a dark room with reflected little lights all around you. Each little pinprick of light was designed to represent a child. While I was in there I thought of how those children were received into Heaven. I felt Heavenly Father's love for them and how He must have welcomed them into His loving arms and held them after the hell they had been through. 

Later that week a man named Elias came to talk to us. He is 98 and 3/4 years old. He is a Holocaust survivor. He survived 9 concentration camps but is the most delightful old man. A picture taken by my friend captures his personality well. 

He lost his mother, father, and all his siblings. He said he kept blinders on like a horse, staying focused on faith and food. After the war ended he moved to Guatemala because he had an uncle who had moved there before the war. Another cool thing about Elias is that he delivered his message in Spanish! He had translators but it was fun to hear his story from him first with his fun personality. 

Basically, it was a reminder that things that seem to tear us down actually build us up. While I was at the pool of Bethesda I read this about how because of Jerusalem's wickedness generation after generation the point came for God to humble them. The passage said that "Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps”. We talked about this image in class and the image that popped into my head was dad rototilling the garden at home.It reminded me of when we were trying to get rid of the rhubarb plant. We ripped it from the ground, chopped it up, threw it away, and raked the soil. Physically. Literally. Now imagine "plowing" a people or a person. 

There are times when we all feel like our insides are being all torn up. But the thing about plowing a garden is that is prepares the land to be fruitful. Because gardens go through so much upheaval they are beautiful and a great blessing later. I think it's the same with people. So much suffering can make them beautiful if they choose to look forward with faith to the harvest. Such is the case with Elias. He has an incredible soul. I want to be like Elias. 

I've been thinking a lot this week. I've been thinking about the Holocaust. I've been thinking about the terrorist attack that occurred in Tel Aviv this week. I've been thinking about current Palestinian-Israeli interactions. I've been thinking about the Stanford rape case. In the end, they are sad things to think about. But when I think about them for long enough, after I get past the anger and the sadness, I remember the Atonement. These things, as horrible as they are always cause me to remember how truly incomprehensible and all-ecompassing the Atonement is- that it could cover all the suffering of those victimized and that it could cover the travesties caused by sinners, even if they choose not to repent. It truly is incredible. 

Well. That's probably it for today. I hope you all are having a wonderful week! Love you!

The Red Sea isn't actually red

Kicked off the week by going to the Red Sea on free day!
Remember how when I was little I was obsessed with fish and the ocean? I had a fish poster, fish bedspread, fish pillowcases, the shared fish tank with Elise, and I wanted to be a marine biologist. Well, I don't really do that anymore. But that interest was totally validated when I went snorkeling in the Red Sea. It was seriously magical. There were tons of jelly fish and brightly colored fish. There were clown fish, Dory fish, a bright teal fish and it was just great. There was an octopus/squid thing too and beautiful coral! Plus, it was cool to think that God split that sea and the Israelites passed through on dry ground.

On the way home we stopped at a Kibbutz which is a community where a group of Jews settled together and shared a livelihood. This Kibbutz was dedicated to raising cows and selling dairy. It doesn't really seem that cool. But it was! They had really good ice cream, a comical video about the Kibbutz's soul, and this adorable cow bench.

Also, I might add that I was so proud of myself for not getting sun burned in Egypt. I definitely got burned at the Red Sea, but not too bad. I think the white and the red in this picture provide some nice contrast. 

The next day we went on an awesome field trip to the place where David killed Goliath. He had an incredible perspective. He really did understand that temporal things don't matter if God is on your side. Look at Jenna sling that rock. 

Another cool thing about pictures of Jenna besides it being a picture of Jenna is that we look pretty much the same so you can just pretend it's me. 

During the same trip we saw an olive press from Christ's time. The bitter olives are crushed with a huge stone and pulverized until they produce  a sweet pure oil. Through the Atonement Christ was able to take bitter parts of our lives and turn them into our greatest blessings and learning moments.

Some of my favorite moments on the trip have been being able to sing hymns in Sacred places. We found this huge cave that had been made to quarry limestone. I guess that wasn't holy (although it was HOLE-Y haha). But it did have great acoustics and it was awesome to sing the Battle Hymn of the Republic there. Sidenote- maybe sing that at my funeral. I want I Believe in Christ too. 

Also, this picture is a good example of what happens when you have an old camera and you forget to take your camera off panorama setting. I kinda like it this way though. It gives it character. Speaking of singing, Dr. Muhlestein is a pro at changing the words of famous songs to fit the places we are going to. In this rendition of "My Boyfriend's Back" we sing "Shphelah" instead of "Hey La". Shphelah is the valley were the David and Goliath story took place. Not a great video but you get the idea.

This week we also went to a light festival in Jerusalem. It was cool because we usually aren't allowed to go into the Old City at night so it was fun to go! 

You can't see much. But these are some great people. Emily, Jenna, and Christa. 

One of the highlights of the week for me was helping with the Passover meal. It's not actually Passover right now, but we hold one during the semester for the experience. Our Jewish teacher runs it so it is totally authentic except for it being at the wrong time of the year and we drink grape juice instead of wine. One thing that really impresses me about the Jews is how good they are at remembering. The scriptures always tell us to remember and in the Book of Mormon it even says one of the reason for writing down scripture is so we will remember our fathers. The whole Passover is for the Jews to commemorate God delivering them out of slavery in Egypt. On this trip I've been reminded that not only is that the Jew's heritage, but ours also. Yesterday in the Upper Room and today during the Sacrament I was thinking about how Christ instructed the disciples that the bread and water would now represent Him rather than the Exodus. But there is so much parallel between those two things. God redeemed His children from slavery and burdens that they could not have gotten rid of themselves. When Christ performed the Atonement He freed us from our enslavement  to worry, doubt, sin, pain, loneliness, and death. 

I am so glad He did. I am so grateful to be here and understand Him better. I am learning to not only trust in the Lord but trust the Lord. He always keeps His promises. He is mindful of us and wants us to be happy. Just as He delivered our fathers He will deliver us always. I love Him for that.