Final days!

        Hey so i go home in a couple days. It is a bitter sweet moment. I have made some friends, I figure I have been to over 75 different sites around the Holy Land and have a comprehensive understanding of the culture and religion. I don't think that I could have had a better time learning and gaining a greater understanding of that which is not my own. It took a couple people getting me here and I think it has been one of the coolest trips of my life.  Thanks for the support.

This is the Dome of the Rock from the Church of the Redeemer bell tower.

This is my favorite shop keeper. His name is George and shares my passion for photography. He is from Armenia and his father came over after the Armenian genocide in turkey in the 1930's. I fell in love, not with him but his work. 

This is me and Tyler at the temple sifting project. Basically we sifted material from the temple mount that was dug out and then discarded to make room for a bigger mosque. It was pretty cool I found some pottery shards from the ottoman period.

We reenacted the scene at Masada. I really like the look that Taylor is giving on the right. :)

This is the view off the back of Masada. 

Merry almost Christmas!

It is Christmas time in the Jerusalem Center! I couldn't be more excited.

Kaleb Valdez and Rivka Steele at the formal talent show last night.

Charolette, Danielle, Deseree, Jeff, Me, Tiffany, and Suzie 

consecrating oil at the Orson Hyde Park.

 The entrance to the garden of Gethsemane

A view of the Jerusalem Center, on the left with the arches.

A view going up the steps from Mary's tomb. 

Jeff and I at the bottom of the temple mt. Just to the right were the 

steps where Jesus walked.

We painted a mural for a handicapped school.  

Fresh bread, hot, and all for one shekel.

Russian Orthodox church on the Mt. Of Olives

Church of the Ascension

Place were it was believed Christ ascended into heaven.

They had tried to get in before. We were locked out and a little upset. haha.

Last weeks in Jerusalem.

This probably isn't the tree that jesus suffered at, but it is pretty close. I have loved going to the garden of Gethsemane almost every single week and think about how the savior has helped me in my week. I will miss it.

Happy Thanksgiving people!

Hey family it was nice talking to those that were there! I hope that the turkey and everything worked out for ya. Things just couldn't be any better. I have just gotten back from the Galilee which Christ was raised and started his ministry. I got to see it all, the be attitudes, the mt. of transfiguration, and even a super cool castle called Nimrod's castle of all names. It was awesome. I am just so grateful for all the opportunities that I have been given in my life and those that are close to me. Here were are festivities in the last week.

top left clockwise

1. We got to drive the boat for a little bit headed to the middle of the lake.

2. chill-in' in Jesus town.

3. Thanksgiving Jerusalem center status. they had everything in case you were wondering, turkey, stuffing, even candied yams. It felt like a little slice of home.

4. they reenacted Elijah smiting down the priests of Ba'al.

5. (background) Another awesome view from the place that we held church at.

I am so grateful for all the things in my life. Hope you have a wonderful day!

The Beauty of the Galilee

From top left clockwise.

1. This was the view from where we had church. We were literally in Christ's home branch that week. It was so surreal.

2. Hifa is one of the largest port cities in Israel. This is the view right in front of the Bahi temple.

3. Mt. of Transfiguration or Mt. Hermon. This was the chapel inside

4. inside the chapel of the annunciation of Mary.

The Galilee

Well the Galilee was awesome this is just a little tid bit of my week.

from the upper left clock wise

1. Me on the Sea of Galilee. I am on a boat! it was super pretty, we sang the master the tempest is raging, and I got super wet trying to put my feet in the water.

2. Being pigs where the devils were cast into swine. We had a pig race down to the sea, I almost died; fun time.

3. This was the Kabutz place that we stayed at. I liked it.

4. If you can read it it says "Holy Water, not intended for drinking". We went to a famous baptismal site on the Jordan river.

5. Jeff and I chilling on the seat of Moses.

6. Matty, me, and Nick in the trenches that were used by the special forces of Israel during the 1967 war against Syria. That is Lebanon in the background.

Chorazin

Bethelhem

clockwise top left

We read scriptures in shepherd's field. You can see papa hunts on the right.

singing hymns in the manger

planking right outside Hezikah's tunnel

Josh Ludlow posing at the Herodian

the sign walking outside of the church in Bethlehem.

Travel is for when you go home you truly know what it is to be there. T.S. Eliot

        This week has been a great one. I have been up to finals this week. At the beginning of last week we went to Bethlehem. It was an interesting shift in what we had been learning. From up to that point it had been archaeology, the Assyrians did this, and the Philistines did that, or Herod was really insecure with himself so he built a huge palace so he could have a hot tub. They were all very exciting, but it was interesting to see the difference between the two. At Bethlehem we were able to go to the traditional site of where the manger was at. We had the tender privilege to sing Christmas hymns inside the cave were Christ was born. There are times like that where you can feel the peace that comes with gospel in your life, in which a still small voice whispers that not only logically this could have happened, but spiritually you feel the prompting that it did in your heart. We then got to sit in the Shepherd's field right at sundown and talk about the angels that came and told about Christ. When we were finishing a shepherd rode up on a donkey with his herd of sheep behind him. It was awesome.
this weeks top ten.
10.)We went to the Holocaust museum. That was a sobering experience. I can not, and hopefully never get to the point where i could, understand why someone would do that.
9.) We have been having powderpuff basketball. I have attended almost every single game. Love it!
8.) Practices are in full swing for the Christmas concert this December. I am singing bass.
7.) Studied for my Judaism final. I really liked it.
6.) We officially switched to New Testament if you hadn't figured out. We are studying about Jesus.
5.) I ate lunch with Suhiel. He is a Palestinian guy just down the street. Awesome man, he had alot of really interesting insights and his wife was a doll. Reminded me of the mission alot actually.
4.) We got to ride the light rail for the first time. It was also a bro day. Gotta love the ladies, but it was a nice change up.
3.)We are going to Galilee, staying on a beach, and learning about the whole life of Christ. I could do that.
2.)Sacrament meeting today was one of the best in a while. They talked about Gratitude and Trusting in the lord. It is interesting how it always seems to be what I needed that week.
1.)Just finished my Islam paper that took me butt long!

Jordan.

So we went to Petra. Beautiful, kinda reminded me of Southern Utah, but with cooler stuff.

So we hiked around and I met this guy on the top of the mountain serving mint tea. I didn't partake for obvious reasons,

but i smelled it.

The actual buildings remained a secret clear till the early 19th century and were solid, carved directly into the stone.

So we looked at it, jumped on it, smiled around it, and hoped to come back again.

Petra

Hey, so clockwise.

I rode a camel.

We saw the treasury,

and I was an Indiana Jones stand in.

There were gladiators

and hiked to the top of the world on mt. Nebo.

more people

So more people,

Aubrey, Jeff, Liz, Lacey and Shannon on our rampart walk about a month ago.

Thomas, Annaleah, Deseree, Alyse, Brielle, Marianne, Katherine, Sarah, Sam, and Carter all went on our walk in Zedikiah's tunnel underneath the old city.

Jeff, Marianne, and Tyler found some palm leaves and were doing a little reenactment.

Nick, Matty, and Tyler crush some olives with the olive press on campus.

Jerusalem is doing well ya'll. That is all.

Pictures are pretty, but people are prettier.

I had a conversation with Marianne I believe in which she said that her family and her went through all the pictures they took of a vacation and then threw them out if they didn't have people in them. "Just isn't the same memories." is what she said. So here are the memories of people in the Jerusalem.

From top left clockwise

This is Robin, she got a prayer at the wall on how to find a husband.

This was the Palestinian basketball team that we played against. It was triple over time and we actually ended in a tie. It was the first time ever but it was epic. Ask me some time when you are bored and I will explain the story.

This was the end of the Jewish holiday Sukkot. This was Matti (Super awesome photographer by the way) and me at the western wall at the end of the celebration.

This is Katie at the separation wall between "Palestine" and Israel.

The team! Jared, Jeff, Taylor, me, Michael Sean, Andrew, Izak, and Jeff Nuckols.

the week after midterms

   I think this was a much needed relief. After a slightly hectic week of mid terms we have had a little down time. Earlier this week we had the chance to pick the olive trees on the grounds. Before picking professor skinner explained a little about olives. he compared olive oil to the blood of christ. It is only after it is crushed can it truly be as pure as it is. He is a better speaker than me, and definitely a better orator than writer, but I liked it. It has been a good one. 

this week in random order. 

1. We went to Tel Aviv and Joppa 

2. Played bro basketball

4. Went to west jerusalem for a concert

5. Did an awesome skit of the talent show. 

singing hymns in an old chalk mine

walking in the city

absolon's tomb

a particularly good sunset from my room

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Western wall on Yom Kippur

being shepherds on a field trip

Arab night!

turkey

Yo, what up family. Things are going great, just got back from turkey. It was an awesome experience that I think has been one of the highlights of the whole trip. the Hagia Sophia is the freakin' bomb. It was huge. It was interesting how much ignorance I had about the whole country. Istanbul had been the capital of the world for like 1000 years, Hagia Sophia the largest building the the world for the longest time, and more culture and history than any other place I have been . I am just so grateful to have the experience to be educated about other people and how they have lived. I think that it has enriched my life especially when I go live back in the US of A. There's my two cents about turkey. There you go. thought I have made some better friends, happy times, and we totally had a dance party on the beach I liked it. Hope you all have a great time watching general conference!  

in front of the Blue Mosque

Theater that paul spoke in

Another view

inside the Hagia sophia

This was the largest building in the world for a thousand years.

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Sabbath

              This week was amazing. I think the best thing of the whole lot was this Sabbath. I think Jerusalem has an interesting point that everyone tries to make. Jesus lived here. It is interesting because the whole sacrament, Sunday school, and priesthood (even though it was on the law of chastity mind you) was centered on Christ. I don't know how other to explain than refreshing. Church of Jesus Christ. Kinda has a nice ring to it. 

           It also has been interesting to feel the difference in each of the different religious places I have been. I have probably seen the most devout in each religion, but it is amazing that each person has the same drive, the same devotion, and resoluteness about them that makes me wonder, is it all made up? If someone could devote their lives to something but only one be right, how does that work? I think so many times it comes back to something like this. A Sabbath that is just wonderful that I could reflect on what Christ did for us.
list of things done in random order.
1. made friends with a monk in the holy seplcure. His name was hose.
2. walked on the walls of Jerusalem
3. went to the coolest photo shop, he was Armenian, told me a story of the Armenian Genicide
4. bought a coke shirt and gummies
5. I went to Jericho, lowest place in the world.
6. I went to the garden tomb, sang songs.
7. I ate shwerma, google it haha.
8. talked to a guy that said he stood on top of the dome of the rock. (google that)
9. bought a nativity set
10. Went to west Jerusalem at night on the Sabbath.

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enterance to holy seplecure

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