Shabot Shalom!

Shabot Shalom!! (Basically- Welcome Sabbath)

Wow A LOT has happened since I last wrote! I just got off the phone with my Pops- SO good to talk to him! Thanks Daddy!!!

Okay last friday night was the Jewish celebration of welcoming the Sabbath (Shabot Shalom) at THE Western Wall!!! SO COOL!!!! Man, those people know how to celebrate. I think we should add a little bit more umph to our church celebrations. The section touching the western wall was split with a Women's side and a Men's side. The Men's side was filled with soldiers and all the different sects of Judaism and they were louder and more boisterous than the Women, but the Women's side was really fun to! The Girls sang at the top of their lungs these great Hebrew songs and they would form layered circles and dance. They would pull us in and sing and laugh and dance. It was SOOO much fun!!! I love celebrating with the Jews! It was really sweet- the next day, Shabot, a girl in Relief Society shared her testimony- she talke about how she feels "bad at Relief Society", (I had to chuckle- who feels "good" at it?) but she said how the Jewish girls were such good examples of including everyone and physically pulling us and other girls into their circles. She said that is how she would have Relief Society be like. And I couldn't agree more. I am learning so much from these different cultures and their religion. The Muslim call to prayer reminds me to think of my Savior and to pray. My Mom pointed out to me that I am learning from these people becuase they are LIVING their religion. What good examples. I love them!!!
I just got back from an amazing field trip! We went to Jericho and it was gorgeous! Jericho- the land of Palm trees, really delicious fruit and love nuts! :) We saw the Mount of Temptation (where it is said Jesus was tempted by Satan), King Herod's winter palace remains (where some think because of the time of year, that this is the place the wise men would have come to talk to him), the walls of Jericho, and the Road to Jericho on the Wadi Qelt. King Herod's winter palace was basically an archeolgical site- which I LOVED! We could see the formations of the rooms, some of the walls were still standing. There were parts of columns standing, a huge hot tub room was in pretty good order, and we stood in the throne room where the wise men would have met with Herod and we saw the huge swimming pool where he murdered his nephew Aristobulus. The walls of Jericho were only bits and pieces in a wall of dirt, but we saw the oldest man-made structure in the world today- a tower type structure built in the Neolithic age. We also saw the glacis formation that would have been the foundation for the walls of Jericho. Beneath the glacis was burn marks left from bricks from the time of the walls of Jericho. My teacher said that our ancestors would have blew the horns and shouted and climbed over the fallen walls right where we were. It is so neat to think of the people we are learning about as our ancestors. They really are. I definately feel that I have a heritage here. The Wadi Qelt with the road to Jericho (or the road to Jerusalem- depending on where you want to go!) was sooo neat! Jesus Christ walked that road. We saw a Roman aqueduct over the path that might have been there when Christ walked it. The good Samaritan story would have taken place there if it was real. My teacher pointed out that the Priest and the Levite that passed the injured man would have probably been on their way to Jerusalem to do temple service. if they had touched him, they would have become unclean and therefore unable to perform their temple duties. My teacher talked about how we need to make the best choice over the good and better choices. The Priest and the Levite were doing good things, but the best thing would have been to help the man that fell among the thieves. Me told us to promise ourselves that we would never pass to help the person in need in order to do better or good things. I will remember that lesson forever.

Walking to the Western Wall I was talking to a friend and for some reason wondered if I need to keep praying and pondering if a mission is still right for me. At the wall we met lots of wonderful people from all around the world. We talked with one woman and her daughter that was from Holland. It was so hard not to be able to share what we believed to these people! Talking to this women and her daughter- I had this HUGE feeling of love for them. I wanted them to know the truthfulness of this gospel SO BAD!!! I wanted to share the truth with them soo badly! That was a tender mercy for me to see that my desire is there and that a mission is still a good choice for me. I am SOO EXCITED!!! There is another girl turning in her papers while she is here and it is so fun to talk to her and be excited with her. I know that I am learning all these wonderful things to help my testimony to grow but also to share it with others on my mission, in my future family, and in future seminary or sabbath school (That is what they call it here!) lessons. I know I am not learning it solely for my personal use- I feel very responsible to share it.

I have been sick a lot of this week which hasn't been fun at all- it is so hard to miss out on such fun things in the city! We have also been on lock down in the JC. It started yesterday and is going on until we leave for Turkey- which is TOMMORROW!!!! I am SOOO excited for Turkey- Istanbul, Ephesus, etc... AHH!!!! Back to the lock-down: it was Israeli Independence Day starting Monday evening and ending on Tuesday evening (we went to the festivities in West Jerusalem which were so fun! The JC crew had a huge dance party in the street and the locals were filming us and taking pictures! haha crazy Americans!). The Palestines call it the day of Disaster. They have been having protests in leu of the Israelis celebrations and festivities. We have been hearing explosives. And our neighbors have been setting off explosives everynight so it sounds like it is right outside our windows. It is so crazy!!! As our security guy put it, "It is a war..." I am not too worried. The security said they don't think it will escalate, but for now we can't even go outside on the porches because the Palestinians will worry that we will in-form Israeli soldiers about them. So for now we are just trying to enjoy and not get nervous about hearing explosives outside. Woohoo!!! We are in the middle of the conflict- literally- look at a map. It is kind of exciting for me, others are worried.

But we are going to TURKEY TOMMORROW!!!! AHHHH!!!!! We have had as couple of lectures on what we are going to see and what to expect and things. The teachers are SO excited to go because they have been to Egypt lots of times and Turkey hardly at all. We are basically a guinea pig group so this should definately be an adventure! Hey I am ALL up for Adventures!!!

So I will not have access to a computer or phone really so this is my last word for a week. OH!!!! I got a calling- Seminary Teacher!!! It is in the blood! It is more like how we did seminary in Montreal- our student does the daily lessons at home everyday and we meet for an hour on Shabot. Me and Michelle are the teachers for Megan Judd- one of our teacher's daughters. I LOVE teaching Seminary!!!! LOVE IT!!! And we are doing D&C which I am ALL over- esp. after Susan Easton Blacks classes this year! Holly and Andrew are skyping a kid from Tiberius to teach him seminary each week. CRAZY!!! I love being a part of the Jerusalem Branch.

I was a bit homesick this week. But I am doing better and having so much fun!!! I still can't beleive I am here!!!! I get to go out to Old Jerusalem everyday after classes. I get to have professional Professors teach me abou the Holy Land, the Conflict, and the Old Testament. I am learning so many great things and my testimony is growing SO much!!! I am stressing a bit about making sure I am making the most of this experience, but I am trying to just relax and not stress so much. I know i will do better if I don't stress. But I am definately going to come home changed. That is for dang sure. I will make sure of it. :) I love the Holy Land! And I love all ya'll!!!
Abby and Jack- Please write me!!! i would love to hear from you!!!
And roomies- I love and miss you a lot! Hope you are having fun in Provo and India!
Ali- I love and miss you girl! And gurl I would be so happy if you called me at 1 in the morning! Are you allowed to call me now? Probably not, but if you can- please do!!!! I was SOOO sad I couldn't be apart of the phone conversation, but as Mom pointed out, I will be able to talk to you soon!!!

LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU!!!! HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!!