My Galilee Photo Album

Galilee was with a doubt the best ten days of my entire Jerusalem Study Abroad experience. I wish I could bring all of you with me back to Galilee right this very second. Maybe if you scroll through the pictures really fast...it will feel like real life (or a really disjointed flip book). 

I came to Galilee with my top priority being spiritual growth, and let me tell you-I couldn't have imagined it any better. I sailed on the Sea of Galilee and had my own "Peace, Be Still" moment. I sat on the Mount of Beatitudes and read the Sermon on the Mount. I took more than 20 "selfie" photos with my best friends. I taught a Plan of Salvation missionary discussion with my "companion" along the Sea of Galilee and felt guided by the Spirit as I asked if the investigators I was teaching would be baptized (Yes, I was denied...but just you wait.) I learned how to cartwheel-shout out to Lindee Loo and Hanny. I wrote in my journal sitting on the beach about all the blessings in my life, only to look up an see a rainbow over the Sea of Galilee. I huddled in a crowded room praying that the internet would work well enough for us to watch a session of conference...and our prayers were answered. I fell so in love with President Eyrings talk. I talked for hours day after day to my favorite people swinging in hammocks. I bore my testimony in the Tiberias branch about the most simple and pure truth in my life: the existence of my Savior. I giggled like a 7th grader with my earbud-buddies during field trips as more and more receivers died and we were all forced to share. I fasted and received the extremely humbling answers to "What lack I yet?" like the man in Matthew chapter 19. I sat around a bonfire with 80 of my closest friends singing to Jason Mraz's "I Won't Give Up," eating smores, and taking polaroid photos. I studied my scriptures for four hours straight for the first time in my life. I watched more than enough Gilmore Girls with Swag by my side. I woke up early and ran along the edge of the Sea of Galilee and still had time to read my scriptures and eat breakfast (So excited for productive mornings on my mission). I stayed awake for every minute of my three hour New Testament classes because I made it such a priority to go to sleep early. I swam in the rocky Sea of Galilee and loved every minute of it. I read my mission call alongside the Sea of Galilee after reading the calling of the apostles from Christ (and luckily the rain helped me remember that I was going to be late for breakfast). When it gets down to it...I love Galilee more than any other place on earth.

Ready for my favorite photos?

Great...here are 43 haha. I don't have it in me to explain what each place is...but I'll throw in random comments along the way (maybe more than a few).

I am so eternally grateful that Swag caught this photo. I'm obsessed with touching water as the world knows and touching the Sea of Galilee was oh so divine.

Okay, these incredible people deserve a shout out. Erika broke her ankle in Eilat a few weeks ago, and these darling people were there every second helping her get to each of our field trip destinations. It was such a wonderful thing to witness. 

I'm eternally grateful for Hunter. He has taught me more about being a good missionary than anyone else. World's best fake investigator. 

Mount of Beatitudes

SHOUT OUT: I LOVE JESSICA. SO SO SO MUCH.

Harsh reality: This is what field trips really look like. 

Traditional site of the devils being cast into the swine. Quality re-enactment, don't ya think?

Bible photo shots for the win!

There were fish in this natural spring that ate your feet. Weirdest feeling of my entire life. Never again. 

Love story: Lizzie is in love with her boyfriend Dan. We were in the city of Dan. So naturally, she brought her pillowcase and made it her flag. Oh yes, she is the funniest/cutest girl in the world. 

Now, we didn't go to those countries...but we are CRAZY close to the border here. I had a mild panic attack of excitement. People shook their head initially when they saw what I was doing...and then suddenly everyone wanted the same photo. I'm not proud or anything. 

Seriously, I love selfies with Lindee Loo.

1948 War Bunkers on the border of Syria and Israel.

Traditional photo....yep, we are classy.

Moses' Seat of wickedness in Chorazin.

Mustard seed in Israel!!! I ate one!

Shout out to my darling old friend Juliet Anisa Norris. We made it to the Baha'i Temple and Gardens! They were exquisite. 

Waves came and NONE of us were expecting it. Especially Hanny.

Piggy-back races in a Hippodrome? We tied for first. Oh baby.

Goodbye beautiful Galilee. Oh how I love you.

Thanks for reading this whole thing. Love you all. But wait...guess what? I'M HOME IN 10 DAYS!!! Woot woot. So ready to squeeze the people I love oh so much. 

Holy Week in the Holy Land.

Since the very beginning of this Jerusalem Study Abroad, I have been documenting my feet everywhere I go…or I at least have tried. I did it with the intent of a scrapbook page or a blog post dedicated to all the places my feet have walked. This week, I documented my feet with a very different purpose in mind. This week, I walked the path of my Savior as He entered Jerusalem triumphantly on Palm Sunday, as He climbed the stairs up to the temple, as He performed the Sacrament in the upper room, as He prayed to Heavenly Father beneath an olive tree on the Mount of Olives, as He carried a cross on his back through Jerusalem, as He was laid to rest in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb, and as He appeared to Mary after He had been resurrected, triumphant over death.

Palm Sunday Service at an Episcopalian Church

Palm Sunday Walk: Path from the Church of Bethpage into Jerusalem.

Temple Mount: The stairs Christ climbed to get to the temple.

The Upper Room: Possible site of the Last Supper.

Via Dolorsa Walk: Path from Christ's trial to His crucifixion mount. 

Holy Sepulcher: Site where Christ is believed to have died, been anointed and laid to rest. 

Never before have I appreciated the last week of my Savior’s life with such gratitude in my heart. And as I sit this Easter morning looking out my balcony over the city of Jerusalem I am in complete awe of my life, my Savior, and how real His life now is to me. 

This morning I woke up at 4:30 am to get ready and walk up to the Garden Tomb for the English Easter morning sunrise service. There I stood, in the midst of thousands from every continent around the world, singing to Christian rock music, listening to the words of the Gospels as men of old told the story of Christ’s resurrection, looking at what might have been the tomb that Christ was laid in, as the sun rose and the Jewish Sabbath ended with the resurrection of my Savior. I cannot express in words the Holy Ghost that filled my whole being. My Savior lives. He suffered, bled, and died for me and now…He lives.

 The Garden Tomb: Possible site of Christ's Resurrection.

He atoned for my sins, pains, and weaknesses and through Him I am able to return to my Heavenly Father and forgiven of my sins if I turn to Christ with a contrite spirit and a broken heart. My theme for this year has been to make my hands like those of my Savior, to strive more to be like my Savior in all that I do. As I study and learn of my Savior here in the Holy Land, my desire to be more like my Savior has grown so much stronger than I could ever imagine. I testify that my Savior lives. He walked a literal path that I have followed here in Jerusalem, and he perfectly exemplified a path of righteous that I will follow the rest of my life. He is my elder brother, my Savior, and Redeemer and His grace is sufficient for you and me, no matter how inadequate we may feel. He loves us and has opened the door for us to have eternal life with our families. Oh how grateful I am for my Savior. He is the rock of my foundation and I have never been so excited to bear his name on my nametag as I go out on my mission in 58 days. I have never been so exquisitely happy-the gospel is real and with that knowledge, I have purpose, meaning and fulfillment each and every day of my life. And I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior, Amen. 

Side notes from last week that I never blogged about:

1. I stalked Obama one afternoon last week when he came to meet with the Israel Prime Minister. Of the four possible routes his motorcade had to pass to enter the King David Hotel....we chose the wrong one. Still strange to think I've been closer to the President of the United States half-way across the world, than I ever have been in the United States. And yes...we met some Secret Service men. That was all sorts of delightful (Security was EVERYWHERE).

2. We went on a field trip beneath the Western Wall to all the hidden tunnels built when King Herod extended the Temple Mount. Crazy cool. (Extra side note: I adore KC.)

3. We adventured to Southern Israel to snorkel in the Red Sea!!! Biggest successes of the day...I swam in the Dead Sea, I touched a fish with my toe, and I finally learned how to skip rocks. I owe you big time Preston!

4. Our field trip to Bethlehem, where Christ was born, was exquisite. My favorite part wasn't the actual Church of the Nativity, but instead the Shepherd's fields. Our devotional and testimony meeting sitting where the shepherds herded their sheep the night our Savior was born was beautiful and filled with such a great spirit. 

5. I may be obsessed with Arabic graffiti and the darling Jessica captured a bit of my obsession perfectly. 

6. We found the way up to the rooftops of the old city. You can walk/run/dance/jump/parkour across them all. LOVE IT. Oh and yes...we finally found Lina's too. Best hummus I have ever had. Oh my word, I could eat that everyday for the rest of my life and not be sad.

7. Old City field trips to a lot of places we have already gone on our own? Yes, appreciate the facial expressions. It was nice to learn more about these beautiful places though. 

Okay, yes...you've finally made it to THE END. Love you all. Have the best day. (And if you need a semi-opinated entry in your life, scroll down a bit to see what I posted yesterday about the Separation Wall.)

The Separation Wall

We went on a half day field trip yesterday to different parts of the separation wall in Israel that divides Palestinian territory from Israeli land. We had a guide, lots of information thrown at us, and three stops to make. And for the first time, the true crushing weight of the wall hit me.

I've been thinking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for three months now. I've taken an Israel class and a Palestine class here in Jerusalem. I've walked the streets between East and West Jerusalem and seen the dramatic changes between the neighborhoods. I've talked with Palestinians and Israelis. I've listened to my fair share of forum speakers who come every week to the Jerusalem center to discuss this conflict. I've read newspapers and written papers. And after all of this, I still feel as if I don't understand the entire issue at hand, but here's what's currently plaguing my mind about it all anyway.

So, there we were. 80 students, a few teachers, and our guide piling out of our tour buses to stop and learn more about the wall. There I stood taking photos, half-listening to our guide, reviewing New Testament apostles in my head, and feeling all sorts of exhausted from sleeping only three hours the night before. My head was completely lost in my day, my life, my world. And then like a slap to the face, I looked up and saw these three Palestinian boys to my right. The older boy on the bike was staring at us with a look of complete confusion. Maybe it's my own interpretation but I could see the wonder and disgust cross his face as he watched us. There we were, a large group of American tourists standing in front of him smiling for pictures with the wall, blissfully unaware of the harsh realities that were so real in his life because of that terrible dividing wall. 

I guess what kills me inside was that I was lost in the stress of something so little as a test. I was consumed in my own world, and I think that is the crux of all foreign conflict from an outside perspective. I was so far removed, even as I was standing in the land of that conflict! It's so incredibly hard to step outside of yourself and realize the stress and tragedy in other people's lives, to consider the trials others are facing because of something like ethnicity, religion, language, or family ties. There is no easy answer to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Whether it's a one-state or two-state goal, no one will ever be perfectly content with the solution if one is ever agreed upon. There are hundreds of men and women in the Israeli Knesset and PLO attempting to find a solution, thousands of Palestinians still in refugee camps, and 7.5 million people within Israel's borders with their own opinions regarding their rights, their home, and their family. There is no answer to this mess and things will only get worse from here if we postpone another solution and continue to allow Israeli settlements to pop up in Palestinian territory, just as more Arab countries get riled up and provide further support to the Palestians.

I have not, and will not pick a side to this conflict. Both are right, and both are wrong. I will however, make the effort to be aware of both sides of the issue and hope for a compromise. There are terrible things going on in the world around us. Someday I hope to be able to make a difference, maybe not in Israel but somewhere in the Middle East. And while I'm intimidated by it all, I've found my passion. Middle East foreign policy here I come.