Midterms have been a bit hectic last week, so the center has been partying the last few days from being cooped up in the center. Therefore, no blog until the middle of the week. Sorry.
1. Did Moses really part the Red Sea that we know today? No. There was a mistranslation from Hebrew to Greek. The Hebrew term is 'Yum Suph' for the sea where the Israelites crossed. The Greek translation thought that suph meant 'red', but it actually means 'reeds'. 'Yum Suph' therefore translates into Reed Sea not Red Sea. Traditionally the Red Sea is how we know it today, but there are different areas where scholars believe it happened. Blew my mind.
2. SUNDAY: St. James Church (saw a live service), King David's Tomb, and walked around Jewish Quarter
MONDAY: a bedouin village, Tel Beersheva, and Tel Arad
TUESDAY: Judaism Midterm
WEDNESDAY: Old Testament Midterm
THURSDAY: Hebrew Midterm
FRIDAY: Palestine/Islam Midterm and my missionary buddy (the only other one who will receive their mission call here in the JC) received his call! He's going to the Boston, Massachusettes Spanish speaking!!!
SATURDAY: (Yom Kippur, aka Day of Atonement for Jews) Western Wall and the Garden of Gethsemane (fitting right?)
3. On Friday after finishing finals, I hung out with the little girls of the center. I love having the families here at the center. They are my tender mercy. Whenever I see little Melia, Marissa, and Abby, I just get so excited. There's nothing like having kids here in the center to brighten these walls. The families tell us that the center is boring without the students, but the center would be stressful all the time without the little kids. They add such a dynamic to this center that no student could bring. I love the families.
4. If you hadn't noticed. Last week was kind of...well...stressful. We had almost all of our midterms last week. On Monday night, everyone was a bit looney. I'll tell you about my looney experience. I felt like I was all over the place because I had a study group to get to while planning some other things at the same time, and giving good luck notes to people made in FHE (Friendship Home Evening since we're technically not a Family). I delivered my notes, but I wanted to do it in secret. So I got into the room where I delivered my notes and then I went to my room to get my study stuff (I was already late to my study group, so my stress levels were beginning to rise). I got to my room and realized that I left my keys in my room. We usually keep the back door unlocked, so I went through the room where I left the notes (because I knew it was open) and wandered through the patios to get to my patio. Once I traveled through about 3 patios I got to my patio which was locked. Now things were getting desperate. I noticed my roommate's laundry was on the ground outside (we occasionally hang our laundry outside), so I picked it up and treaded back through the patios and my friends' room (which no one was in the entire time). As I hustled to my study group, I saw my roommate at the end of the hall, and she had the strangest look on her face and asked, "What are you doing with my clothes?". I couldn't handle it anymore (a lot of the times when I'm stressed, everything's funny); I dropped everything which consisted of my roommate's clothes and paper and pens for FHE along with spoons (we were going to play the game Spoons). I went to the ground and started laughing my head off. Those around me started laughing too. Eliza joined me on the floor because the sight looked hysterical, and my roommate, Suzy, looked at both of us wondering if she should get the doctor. That's just one story that started off the night. The rest of the evening had many more instances of stress was getting to us. It was pretty dang funny.
5. On the Sabbath, there was a special musical number performed by two Hebrew University guys. It was really beautiful, but the most intriguing part was their hymn selection: Adam-ondi-Ahman. As they were singing I thought of the States and how much I miss it. I missed the fall colors, the first snowfall, stars, BYU football games, Skittles, friends' stories, and family members' hugs. There's so much in the country of Adam-ondi-Ahman that I miss. But then I realized, there would be so much that I would miss if I was back in the States: call to prayer 5 times a day, Jerusalem's beauty, pita corner in the Oasis, buildings 3 times older than my home country, Kathryn's laugh (you just got to be here to know), going to class with the same people and all being in the same inside joke, bartering for clothes and souveniors, the local children's smiles, the smells of the market, and seeing and feeling what my Savior saw. Yes, it was a different world at the time, but I have traveled in the Judean Wilderness. I have walked by synagogues where Christ may have taught. I have felt His love for me in the Garden of Gethsemane. I may miss many things at home right now, but there is nothing I would trade right now to be home and miss this experience. I read a speech from Elder Holland, "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence." He talked about the time when Oliver Cowdery lost confidence in his revelation to read the plates. "[He] missed the opportunity of a lifetime because he didn't seize it in the lifetime of the opportunity." So if you were wishing you could be in my shoes and experience Jerusalem, don't sit watching opportunities for the lifetime of that opportunity may end soon. I'm so grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost, so I may be prompted for when those opportunities do come I may be able to follow those promptings and fulfill the most of my lifetime with opportunities not missed. Please don't sit wishing for your Adam-ondi-Ahman but find where you're needed right now.
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