GET READY, SET, AND SKIM

Are you ready? I don’t quite think you are. Just take a deep breath and let me apologize ahead of time for the insane amount of catching up being done in one huge blog post. Yes, I realize 34 photos is entirely uncalled for. Please blame the mission excitement/Turkey packing/finals week from hell and my life is so wonderful I forget to stop and record it all! 

So, here’s the line up….

-Tel Aviv

-Teaching English
-Neot Kedimim Field Trip
-Formal Talent Show

-Jerusalem Half-Marathon

-Rant (regarding my love for church here)

-Gethsemane Experience Re-do

-Finals

TEL AVIV

The perfect Tel Aviv day was actually not planned by our program. Instead, a group of kids took the reigns and 79 of us ventured to the capital of Israel on our free day. This day began with a quality bus ride next to the lovely Hannah Karina as we listened to my iPod and sang/danced the hour of driving away. As we got off the bus, the gorgeous Mediterranean was smack dab in front of us. We started sprinting to touch the water. (Check for another body of water touched. I’m serious when I say that list of waters touched is my absolute favorite list of all time.) Oh my word, I forgot how lovely the water could be. 

We continued on to Old Jaffa to overlook Tel Aviv, make a wish on a bridge that was actually closed off, see the beautiful St. Peter’s Cathedral, experience the flea market, buy fun jewelry, and eat lunch in a pretty park. (Side note: I have missed grass a whole lot.) 

After we played on the beach for a few hours, my absolute favorite part of the day began. Five girls and I separated from the group and rented bikes to ride down the boardwalk alongside the city of Tel Aviv. There may have been an absolute perfect moment where I was listening to some of my favorite music, watching the sun sink closer to the horizon, and feeling the sea spray hit my face. Oh my word, I know I’m cheesy. But come on…this moment truly was perfection. Along the way, the darling girls let me slow everyone down and stop to make a wish with a coin in a fountain and swing on some swings along the beach.

To top off this insanely lovely day, we ate the most delicious meal I have had since being here. The hummus, pita bread, and kabobs were all sorts of divine. And we got some lovely gelato after in celebration of darling Jessica’s birthday. The bus ride home talking with Ragan, one of my favorites here, was a lovely ending too.

TEACHING ENGLISH

We have a lot of humanitarian opportunities here and my favorite by far has been teaching English at a Palestinian school maybe a mile away from the Jerusalem Center. Spencer and I taught these darling 4-year-olds the letter “F” with the aid of a song involving frogs…that we then maybe took a bit too far as we played “Duck, duck, FROG” and “Red frog, green frog.” I loved hearing these kids speak Arabic, but of course the point was to speak English with them. Either way, this experience was divine. I learned a few more Arabic words, played games with darling children, and discovered that I may actually enjoy teaching. 

NEOT KEDUMIM

For lack of a better description, this huge wild land reserve preserves land as it would have been seen during biblical times. In other words, we herded some sheep, picked lots of flowers, ground herbs into spices, and made our own pitas out in some lovely nature. This day was strangely fun. It almost felt like we were camping, but sadly we weren't. And on a funnier note…after making pitas and soup, we need to wash lots of dishes in this outside sink area. I may have thoroughly enjoyed washing those disgusting pots. I miss doing dishes-I must be insane.

Oh and yes, we may have met a real Torah scribe and seen some of his incredible masterpieces. Hello stunning discipline, patience, and diligence. I cannot even fathom doing the work that this man has made into an art.

TALENT SHOW

As mentioned previously, I have been preparing to accompany two different solo acts for the Jerusalem Center’s formal talent show. This involved playing Sante Fe from Newsies for Tyler and Josh Groban’s Si Volvieras a Mi for Ragan. Long story short, everyone here is currently under the false impression that I am some long-time accompanist. Truth is, I accompanied for the first time here in Jerusalem. Fake it til you make it, right? I still firmly maintain that I have had the better end of the bargain. You see, I got to practice while boys with beautiful voices sang to me and then perform on a ten-foot Steinway on a stage overlooking Jerusalem. There is nothing more divine than that. And luckily enough, both pieces went really well. Success. (Shout out to the lovely Lindee-thanks for letting me borrow your skirt.)

JERUSALEM HALF-MARATHON

Yes yes, you read the right. I RAN A HALF MARATHON (21.1 km) THROUGH THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM with 17,000 of my closest friends. It was truly an incredibly experience. I wish I could describe it in more detail. Not only did I get to see parts of this stunning city that I had never seen before, but I got to be apart of that lovely race environment. Camaraderie, support, friendship-I love it and I love that it exists in such a similar way no matter what country I'm in. I ran the first 17 kilometers with my two lovely friends Hannah and Lindee. Along the way we made friends, my favorite being an LDS man in the Tiberias Branch currently working for the American Embassy. The last 4 kilometers were almost the death of me though. I hadn’t trained for this half marathon the way I really should have and I could only watch Lindee and Hannah kept up their pace and ran past me. While passing the 18-kilometer sign, I rounded a corner to see quite a lengthy hill in front of me…I began to walk feeling more than a bit defeated. I hadn’t even taken two walking steps though when a man’s hand was on my back pushing me forward, telling me that I couldn’t quit. I’m not going to lie, I was in an insane amount of pain. The idea of continuing on felt like it could kill me. But here was this man, who I now consider an answer to prayer, right there in my weakest moment pushing me to keep going. He stayed by me the rest of the race. His reassuring words every few minutes and confidence that I could make it were such a blessing. My only regret is not documenting this amazing man. I don’t even know his name. So dear 55-year-old whoever you are...thank you for getting me through that race and teaching me a few important life lessons along the way. You made those 21.1 kilometers unforgettable.

CHURCH IN THE HOLY LAND

I love love love Sabbath days here in Jerusalem. Simply attending church here is such a privilege. I adore the morning ward choir practices with the musical service couples. And Sacrament meeting is awe-inspiring because we get to partake of the Sacrament on the very Mount of Olives where Christ began the Atonement in Gethsemane. Sunday School is also strangely great; our teachers know just how to invite the spirit and the people surrounding me make such insightful comments. Ugh, I love it. The church block ends perfectly with lovely Relief Society lessons. Church here really is no different than any other church block, but there is a spirit here and an environment so connected with learning that I can’t help but love church a little extra.

GETHSEMANE-ROUND 2

After a little bit of bullying, I found myself walking back to Gethsemane today after church with 10 others. My first experience there had been nice, but I hadn’t fallen in love. Don't worry-today, I officially fell in love with the garden. I still do not believe that the Garden of Gethsemane is preserved in the perfect way, but with the right people, a few amazing hymns, and insightful scripture readings, the Garden of Gethsemane can bring such a beautiful spirit and appreciation for all that our Savior has done for us. I am so grateful for the gospel, my Savior, and the opportunity I have to be in the Holy Land learning more about Jesus Christ.

FINALS

This past week may have included 4 finals, 2 midterms, and a nasty paper on Sennacherib the King of Assyria…but the beautiful thing is that they are all OVER. And now we get to venture to the wonderful land of TURKEY. Hello Istanbul in just 14 more hours. I LOVE MY LIFE. Country number 10 baby.

LOVE YOU LOTS JEN/JACLYN/JULIANN/MOMMA.  

Weirdest/coolest/funniest/strangest side note yet: We drove past Palestinians escaping over the partition wall into Israeli territory. It was surreal watching something happen I had only read about in the news.

MY WISH CAME TRUE

WISH: To open my call and have that feeling of rightness hit. 

Thank you Tel Aviv Fountain. Just that happened. 

Now let’s go back to the beginning…

As we were walking into the Jerusalem Center after a long field trip day…I saw my branch president and before processing the envelopes in his hand I was already screaming and sprinting down the hallway. The poor man didn’t even get a chance to congratulate me. I grabbed it from his hands and proceeded to jump up and down almost sing-song screaming at that point. As more and more kids entered the building the screams continued on as the news spread that my call, along with two others, had finally arrived.

 

1 hour and about 16 minutes later, I was standing in front of the entire Jeru Crew and all of our lovely service couples and professor’s families ready to open my call. That moment of crazy anticipation with all sorts of wonderful people surrounding me was one I will never forget, especially as my darling friend Lindee called me Jessica in her prayer hahaha.

Alright, are we ready? Suspenseful.

Drum roll please....

“Dear Sister Hutchins:

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Florida Jacksonville Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the English language.”

Seeing Jacksonville Florida for the first time may have been the most surreal moment in my life. At first it didn’t process…and then it hit me. I had been feeling like I was going to serve in the South for a while. I had been joking with my roomie Hannah about it for weeks. I even guessed Alabama…pretty close. Little did I know how accurate that tiny inkling had been. I feel as if this picture best captures that insane happiness/surrealness/rightness…if only the darlin Lindee had made it in.

You would assume my whole mission would be in Florida….nope, not even close. This giant mission includes northern Florida, the east coast of Georgia, and the south east corner of South Carolina.  

All in all, I would say this experience was all I could have wanted. I was able to google chat with my family later and that was oh so nice. I have missed them like crazy. And now, as finals and big papers approach, I doodle in my notes about my mission all throughout class. Danger danger danger.

Fun Facts about Florida:

*State hit most by lightning

*18.8 million people

*Temperature: Low 40s to 100s. Oh baby. 

*SO MUCH RAIN. Bring on the humidy and my lovely poofy hair.

*Home to lovely alligators.

I LOVE THAT I AM GOING ON A MISSION. PTL PTL PTL PTL PTL. AND I LOVE ALL OF YOU!

Oh Happy Day

So, I’m sitting here in a strange state of exquisite happiness. I have one of my new favorite playlists going with all sorts of music I’d forgotten about. I have a diet coke in reach and after two weeks of lots and lots of water, it’s tasting all the more divine. I just finished chatting with the darling Julinanners for a solid half hour and hearing her kiddies on the other end of the line was all sorts of lovely. I have the Sisterhood of the Cam jacket on and am feeling oh so loved from my besties far away. I taught my second missionary discussion in a surprise lesson during my mission prep class this evening and though it was on the spot and rather flustering, I loved it; it felt so good to teach about the gospel. I am currently awaiting my mission call and making plans about how I am going to open it is just so real…I LOVE it. And tomorrow I’m headed to Tel Aviv to touch the Mediterranean, explore the flea market, eat yummy food, and go to a synagogue for the Purim celebration reading (of Ester story). Life is wonderful. Alright, alright…it’s time to share the more “picturesque” moments with you.

Earlier this week, we only had an hour of class (talk about the best day ever). A large group of us ventured out to the other churches dotting the Mount of Olives that we live on. First stop was the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension (traditionally spot where Christ is believed to have ascended to Heaven). After walking through a rather rough neighborhood, this darling church was stunning. The city noise disappeared and the crazy gorgeous flowers popped out of nowhere. I wish the Garden of Gethsemane had an olive tree garden like this. This place welcomed the spirit so much more.  (P.S. Please fall in love with that lovely door.)

Our next destination was what we casually refer to as the Golden Onion. From the city, all you can see of this Russian Orthodox Church is the strangely shaped gold tops. Seriously, they look like onions. Anyway, this is another traditional spot believed to be the birthplace of Mary Magdalene. No idea how likely that is, but still cool.  

Later this same day, we had a mock Jewish Passover Seder dinner. After our Arab culture night a few weeks ago, this was a completely different feel, but still so good. We took part in every bit of the traditional evening meal from the readings, musical numbers, and scavenger hunt, to the bitter herbs, delicious grape juice, and unleavened bread. I love gaining a better understanding of other cultures and religions. It is such a privilege to be here! Oh and yes...I was in of the musical numbers. We sang a Hebrew song. Die Ayy New is what the chorus sounded like...good luck understanding that one.

Side notes:
1. If given the option should you learn an Israeli folk dance or a traditional Arab dance? ISRAELI FOLK DANCE!! Love that we learned. No pictures….sorry!
2. Quote of the Day: “Was that a raindrop or did my tear just fall that far?” I love bonding moments on the balcony with Hannah Karina. She is all kinds of lovely.

3. New obsession: Voice memos from Jaclyn Michele. BEST THING EVER.
4. I GET MY MISSION CALL THIS WEEK. AGHHHHHHH.
5. Yes, I am working on the lighting issues with the camera I am borrowing! Promise to get better!

6. I adore you all!

7. What's coming in my blogging world: "The BEST of the Left-Over Photos Never Before Shared"/ "New Hero: My Holocaust Survivor Experience"
8. Jaclyn, I have honestly been trying to drop the word persnickety in here and couldn't find a place. It's officially my favorite word. Hope you love it.