Gosh this week has been so eventful. We went to Bethlehem on Monday!!! It. Was. Amazing!! I can’t believe it’s actually real! It is actually a city! My favorite part was sitting in the shepherd fields overlooking the little town. We watched the sunset and had a night-time devotional. Oh, Christmas will never be the same. It was just as I always pictured it to be. We sang all the Christmas hymns in the hymn book, and it even seemed to smell like Christmas :) 

     I’ve learned so so much this week. It’s hard to remember it all, and the most frustrating part is I really really want to remember it all. We had a forum on Tuesday from someone in a NGO but leaning more towards pro-palestinian then yesterday we had one of the actual government officials of Israel talk to us followed tonight by one of the leaders in the PLO! (I didn’t use commas to try to help you see A) how confusing it all was/is and B) to show you how much we learned and how overwhelming it was! I sure hope I actually come away from this experience learning something instead of just being overwhelmed with everything. 

     Today was also amazing because we went on ANOTHER field trip to the Jewish quarter of the Old City. We saw the broad wall built by Hezikiah, the burnt house (evidence of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem during the 2nd temple period), then down to the actual temple mount to see the ruins and excavations. 

     As we approached the end of the walk, we went up to what once were the main gates to the temple. It was so special. I could really feel something different. I stayed after with a group and tried desperately to get that feeling back, but it’s so difficult to have spiritual moments while in a group. I knew Christ had gone through those doors! And I know Christ loved to go through those doors. I walked over to the stairs and wanted to caress them and just have a moment alone to sit and think about how His feet had actually walked on them, towards the temple! Oh man, it was just so special. I can’t wait to go back. 

     I have learned so much from this experience about how to improve my temple worship. While at the temple, we talked about Miqot, the ritual baths. I love the thought of washing before entering the temple. Mary would have washed there, while Joseph held her baby before entering the temple and then unexpectedly meeting Simon and Anna. It’s just so fun to piece things together in a way I never would have if I hadn’t visited this place. 

Sabbath - November 15, 2014 

Here is some more detail from the week. Thursday we had another great experience at Dormition Abbey, an active Benedictine community honoring Mary, the mother of Jesus. While there, my group and I (Mackenzie, Courtney, Catherine, Adam, Bryce, and I) all sat down in the grotto under the church and sang some primary songs about Mary. “Mary, Mary hush see the child . . .” then we went up into the church and sang. I helped lead so we would be more in tune and pause after every line. It was so beautiful that way. We were walking back home when suddenly we were approached by someone who desperately asked if any of us spoke Portuguese. Adam served his mission in Brazil so he said yes. Then we saw this beautiful, short, dark skinned woman in tears. She had lost her group! She didn’t speak a lick of English and didn’t have any info about her tour group or a phone number or anything . . . It was a miracle we ran into her. To make a long story short, we helped her find a Brazilian tour group who promised to take good care of her and would help her find her friends again.     

     Today we held our Primary program at church. Those little voices . . . they have the Spirit so strong, and I love love being around them! I can’t wait to have little babies!