Week 8: If I were a Jew...

1. On Friday, I was able to attend a Reformist Jewish synagogue. It was soo much fun! Pretty much the entire time I thought of our sacrament meeting. I especially loved the family in front of me. There was this girl who held the book "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and asked her dad if she could read it. His blunt no and her plea to read it reminded me of when I wanted to read during sacrament meeting. I also loved how this same dad was talking to another dad during one of the songs (we sang for about 45 minutes straight) about some sort of game that recently happened. There were also the singers who...well...let's just say everyone knows who's singing. The elderly people who glare at the youngins who don't behave. It just amazed me how similiar people are around the world and even in churches. Another tidbit about Jewish people is that the typical observant Jew doesn't turn on electricity or ride in a motor vehicle once Shabbot begins (Friday at sundown) until an hour after sundown on Saturday. It may sound weird or difficult, but it's actually really nice. All day they cannot work...on anything. The focus is God and their family. I love it because that's how the Sabbath should be. Sometimes we get caught up in church and the activities but miss out on why we have the Sabbath. The Jews have their priorities straight when it comes to God and families in my opinion.

2. October 16-22

SUNDAY: Eilat!!! Snorkeled in the Red Sea. LOVED IT!!!!!!

MONDAY: Field Trip to City of David (overlook and a movie showing Jerusalem's transitions), Hezekiah's tunnel (if you want to see me, you most likely will see a video of me on my professor's blog huntsmansintheholyland.blogspot.com), and olive pressing

TUESDAY: Classes

WEDNESDAY: Went to the Separation Wall and had Danny Seideman explain to us the conflict here more in depth along with THE visuals

THURSDAY: Studied for my last mid term (Ancient Near East) for 10 hours straight with only 1/2 hour dinner break and hour forum break!!! It was a very long day...

FRIDAY: ANE mid term and visited the Reformist synagogue

SATURDAY: Garden of Gethsemane (I LOVE it that I can keep coming back to the place where I opened up my mission call. That place will always have a special meaning in my heart now)

3. I love having our professors living in the same building as us. They are able to close up see how...well...stressed we are. For instance, Brother Huntsman noticed how we were all stressing for our midterm exam on Friday and he had scheduled for a quiz (which takes about as much time to study for as an exam) on the same day. He could sense our stress and said that the quiz was due on Friday, but he won't be in his office until Sunday (aka if we turned our quiz in tonight, we would still get full points). Love you Poppa Huntsman!!!

4. I am a very clumsy person. Anyone can testify to that and prove it by the look of my kneecaps (or review the very beginning of this blog). Well I was walking down the steps in the forum, and I don't know what happened. I just completely biffed it. I looked like I was trying to slide face first into the steps. The best part about it was I fell right in front of my professors, their wives, and the doctor. At least if I got hurt, I would have been treated right there and then. :)

5. Since we are on a time difference and busy schedule, last night we finally finished conference and not picking favorites or anything, but I LOVED Elder Yamashita's talk "Missionaries are a Treasure of the Church". This talk just got me even more stoked to go on a mission. AHHH!!!! It's still hard to imagine that in a year from now, I will be speaking and even thinking in a different language. I will be over half way finished. My life will be changed forever, and I don't even know how it will!!! BAH!! I'm just so blessed to be serving for my Lord. Love you all!!! (Oh and btw, my mission's name has changed not the boundaries just the name. I will be serving in the Adriatic Mission. Woot!)

Week 6: What does Jerusalem look like from the top of trees?

1. I've been a little slow with updating the blog but well here it is. Last week, a group of my friends and I helped our Judaism teacher build a sukka. A sukka is a structure which Jews build before week of Sukkot (Feast of the Tabernacles). They eat every meal during this week under the sukka. Now you may wonder why this has to do with looking at Jerusalem from the top of a tree. Well there can't be anything over the table they eat in the sukka, and there was a nice branch hovering over the sukka. I felt adventurous and decided to remember the good old days of climbing a tree and headed up. Mom, I'm still writing so I made it back down, but I did get a nice view of my teacher's house and the street. Two days later, we were olive picking to make olive oil, and I guess I didn't fill my need to climb trees. I found a lovely tree which had many branches to climb up. That was the tree where I had a great view of Jerusalem. This place is so beautiful. I wish my pictures did it justice.

2. October 9-15

SUNDAY: Field Trip to Shephelah which included Gath, Beth Shemesh, Azekah, Valley of Elah (where David beat Goliath), Bet Guvrin, and Lachish

MONDAY: Went out to the city then headed our way to build the sukka; even though it's not April we had a Passover meal that night which is called the Sedar meal

TUESDAY: Classes and donated blood (hardest time I've ever had to give blood, all the forms were in Hebrew and the needle was quite bigger than in the States...)

WEDNESDAY: (Sukkot Eve) Classes and olive picking

THURSDAY: (Start of Sukkot) Church of Saint Mary Magdalene (Russian Orthodox Church), Jewish cemetary (largest in the world), and a sketchy Tomb of the Prophets (supposedly Haggai and Zechariah were buried there)

FRIDAY: Humanitarian activity and an Informal talent show!!!

SATURDAY: Garden Tomb and church

3. On Wednesday night/Thursday morning, I bought a calling card and talked to my parents and some of my best friends. It was such a tender mercy for me! I've been missing home a bit...ok a alot...and one of the first things my parents mentioned was that the phone wasn't fuzzy at all. It sounded the same as if I was calling from Provo. It's amazing how technology has improved even in the past few years.

4. On Friday, we had the informal talent show which was sooo much fun!! This reminded me of the variety shows at EFY because ANYTHING could happen during this time. Any talent whatsoever could be shown. I participated in an improv game and two of my roommates and I lip synced to "Send Me to Glory in a Glad Bag" but as Chinheads. I'm sure you could You Tube it and guess how I looked. It's sooo funny!!!

5. During this week, I had the opportunity to pick olives and climb trees, but it's not just the experience of picking the trees that changed me, it was the pondering afterwards that changed me. Before we started picking the olives, our academic director gave us a forum on the symbolism of olives. Olives taste sooo bitter (don't ask me how I know), but after they get pressed, the sediment goes to the bottom, and the pure oil comes to the top, the taste is sweet. Watching the olives get crushed, pressed, then tasting the end reminded me of how my life could be. Life stinks sometimes and tastes so bitter, but after the difficult times, life is so sweet. I could write down and reflect on those times for you, but only I would be grateful and feel my Heavenly Father's love for me. Remember those times so you can share this blessing with me for Heavenly Father does love you. He will always be there and see you through. Believe. Hope. Endure.

Week 6: Was the crossing at the Red Sea?

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.

Week 5: Happy Rosh Hashanah Everyone!!!

1. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish holiday of the New Year. They celebrated the eve on Wednesday and Thursday was the new year. It was cool to walk around in the Jewish quarter of the Old City and see everyone happy and buying food for the party that night!!! It reminded me of Christmas Eve and how everyone is buying last minute presents. Holidays are just so much fun!!!

2. SUNDAY: Got over our Turkey 'hangover'. Almost everyone was sick and were either sleeping or studying for classes we didn't study for the previous week.

MONDAY: Field trip to Neot Kedumim (Bible nature walk; reminded me of camping in the mountains, seriously we started a fire and made our own lunch in the woods)

TUESDAY: Classes

WEDNESDAY: (Rosh Hashanah Eve) visited Dome of the Rock and the Jewish quarter, and had a Arab Culture Evening and Palestinian Folk Dancing (soooo much fun!!! We dressed up and had a great time!)

THURSDAY: (Rosh Hashanah) Classes

FRIDAY: Classes and Humanitarian Activity (we made over 2,500 hygiene kits)

SATURDAY: Church, Garden of Gethsemane, and General Conference (because of the time difference, we're watching General Conference over the next 3 Sundays. Crazy)

3. This upcoming week is mid-terms and, so last week I've been stressing a bit on mid-terms and some other things. On Thursday, one of my friends e-mailed me, and he mentioned about having more faith. I was struck by that and searched more into it. I found this talk by Elder Gene R. Cook titled "Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ". While reading this talk, it just continually lifted me out of my 'depths of despair'. There were 6 points he talked about: be believing, commit yourself, do your part, pray, expect trials of your faith, and expect the Lord to act. "Life is all upstream--all uphill." I need to do my part and have faith that the Lord will help me through all my stresses right now. Everything will turn out great in the end.

4. When I visited the Jewish quarter this week with my friends Eliza, Shalyn, Tiffany, and Charlotte (aka Lottie), we just wandered around and enjoyed the festivities. We were walking around this building which had an empty corridor and tunnel which was weird because there was people everywhere getting stoked for their New Year's party. We were walking down the corridor and Lottie walked towards the tunnel. I all of a sudden heard this BOOM!!! My first thoughts were, "Lottie stepped on a mine. We're going to die!", and I gasped and started to breathe faster. I looked freaked out to everyone else, and Lottie started laughing her head off. She had stepped on a balloon. Since the balloon was in the tunnel, the noise made an even louder sound which scared me out of my wits! I shouldn't have been scared because Jerusalem is pretty low on danger despite what everyone says (most of the craziness happens at night and on the West bank which is plenty of miles away). Now looking back, my reaction was dramatic and funny, but at the time my heart took a while to calm down.

5. General Conference was actually wonderful tonight (or Saturday morning for pretty much all of you). One of my favorite parts was when we sang, "Redeemer of Israel" for I'm in Israel. It's crazy how understanding the geography and the people makes me realize more about scriptures and songs. For instance, the words "Israel will shortly be free" means so much to me now that I'm over here. I didn't think about the war that is happening over here, but the lack of proselyting. We, as members, are not allowed to preach the gospel. We can't free those who don't have the whole truth. There are many good people out there who understand good parts of how to live their lives righteously, but I want to show them so much more. Another part was "For why in the valley of death should they weep or in the lone wilderness rove?" There are so many valleys over here it's quite ridiculous. I thought I knew valleys since I've only lived in valleys, but these valleys are seriously V shaped. For instance the Kidron valley right between Mount Scopus and the Mount of Olives is just a road maybe plus some wiggle room for houses. It's interesting though with the Kidron valley because that is where Christ walked to the Garden of Gethsemane and he would have past by this Jewish cemetary which is still there today. Hence he walked in the valley of death to suffer for us. Also the wilderness is seriously on the other side of Mount Scopus. We are on the side which faces Jerusalem and the other side (which is a walking distance) views the Judean wilderness and when I say wilderness I mean desert. There's nothing out there. I can't even imagine someone walking through a valley of death to suffer or walking in the Judean wilderness for forty days fasting. Yet Christ did. He did those things for us so we may be saved. He is our Redeemer of Israel.

Living the Turkey Life: Old and New

Since Turkey was so amazing, I decided to Turkey its own blog post :)

SUNDAY: I woke up and realized the BYU vs. Utah game was going on in the forum area. Went and watched about 10 minutes after half time then was grateful I had to leave to get ready for Turkey. 'Nuff said. On a better note, the flight went great, and we landed in Istanbul!!! One of the best realizations I had in Istanbul was that it was the nearest I'll be to Croatia until I get there! AHH!!! I can't wait! But Istanbul is sooo beautiful! We came to our hotel and it was called "Cartoon Hotel"! The theme was cartoons, and there was Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Snow White, and all sorts of characters! It was so much fun. Also the elevator was tiny and get this...there was no door to the box part. The door closed to the floor and then we watched the door go down and the wall move. After looking at the beautiful view, we walked through downtown Istanbul to get to our dinner, and it was sooo good!!! Family, you would be proud of me, I tried everything! And I found new favorite foods that I wouldn't have had by just the looks of it.

MONDAY: Our first stop was the Blue Mosque which is right by Hagia Sophia (the oldest church still standing; about 1000 years old). In the Blue Mosque we had to take off our shoes like in any holy place. They didn't require us to wear head scarves, but I think it's because it's more like a museum now. We then went to the Topkapi Palace which is where sultans used to live and about 4,000 wives, concubines, family, servants, and workers. It's like it's own little village. There was so many beautiful carvings, gardens, paintings, and other artifacts. The tile work was especially amazing. I don't even know how many tiles there were, but just imagine a little village covering their walls not in wallpaper but in tiles. Bam. Crazy, huh? We went down to a cistern ( an underground dam underneath the city) which was about the size of at least 3 Vernal temples, maybe 4. We then went to the Grand Baazar. Bizare! I still am marveling at how big that place was. We got lost so many times. It's a miracle my group made it back on the bus. After our long day we went on a boat ride to get to the Asian side of Istanbul (they call one side of the sea Europe and the other side Asia). It was great to feel the sea air and see Istanbul from a different perspective. When we landed, we ate dinner by the water side and I had a sardine whole! I know you're not beliveing me, so I took a pic of it and my reaction afterwards. Let's just say I wasn't smiling... I also had clam for the first time! It was stinkin good!!! Since I was on such an adventurous high, they served us an entire fish without the guts, but I then tried the eye. Definitely not trying that again. After getting back to our cartoon hotel, we hit up on the town by metro and tasted some of the best baklava ever! It was a successful night to an AMAZING, long successful day.

TUESDAY: Troy was our next stop, so we got on the bus and headed on our way. Now I can say I've been on a Trojan horse and got attacked by a frog where Hector was killed by Achilles (supposedly). Don't worry the frog will not mess with people again ;) That day we couldn't fit a lot with riding on the bus and not many sites around Troy so we went to our hotel which was right by the beach. So we went to the pool, had a bonfire and dance party on the beach! It was crazy fun! I LOVED IT!!!

WEDNESDAY: We started the day in beautiful Assos where Paul taught. It has a temple of Athena which overlooks a gorgeous view of the sea. I definitely could get used to the sea. I miss my mountains, but oceans and seas I could definitely look at for quite some time. In the little village, there were some turkeys. Yes, turkeys in Turkey! haha We then went to Pergumum (mentioned in Revelation) which has a Roman Temple, and it poured!!! Zeus was not happy with us being there or something. Everyone was soaked to the bone, but it was a lot of fun :)

THURSDAY: We headed our way to Ephesus which is an ancient city bigger than 2 BYU campus and only maybe 10% has been excavated. In the hills all around there is most likely 90% of the city underground. Wow. Ephesus was a hopping place. It's so much fun going to these ancient ruins and pretending to be like how it would have been in those days. My friend, Cali, and I walked down the lane acting like we were going to the Turkish baths and head to the theatre after some shopping. It was great. The theatre by the way made me all giddy! The acoustics were great and there were actual stones excavated for this site. It felt so good to be on a stage again! Another stage that was fun to see after Ephesus was the one in Miletus, another ancient city, but this one is where Paul said good-bye to the Turkish people. It made me really think about saying good-bye, but I'll talk about that in the overview blog. Before Miletus, we visited the Artemis temple which is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. This temple had 127 columns about 60 feet high. Currently, there's only one column about 50 feet high. They're not exactly sure what happened, but it could be from a lot of different things (enemies, earthquakes, angry birds; last theory don't take seriously). But it was crazy seeing a field where one of the great wonders of the world should be. After this exciting ancient day, we went to a modern hotel which had hot springs! The water felt sooo good!!! A great way to relax after many hours sitting on a bus for sure.

FRIDAY: We started the day heading down a waterfallish of hot springs. If you want to see pictures of what I mean, type in Google "Pamukkale" and press on Images. Again, it was soo much fun! This day was mostly spent on the bus (about 7 hours) which is why this part is so short.

SATURDAY: Spent some of the day in Bursa, first off in the Grand Mosque, and Bursa is the end of the Silk Road, so we went to a silk market and visited some silk shops. I've decided I love silk and can never go back to cotton. It felt way too good. We then went to Nicea where Constantine held his winter palace and First and Seventh Ecumenical Councils (don't worry about the details, I'm just trying to remember for my test). We stopped by a small Hagia Sophia then made our way to the famous Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Crazy big. This church was originally Christian then the Turks took over and changed it to a mosque and covered all the Christian symbols. Now it's a museum and undeclared of religion so both religions can be seen inside this beautiful, huge building. We then had our final dinner in Turkey went to the airport. There were no troubles in my opinion throughout the airport experience. The only problem was that we arrived home 4:30 am in the morning. We were a bit tired the next day, but all is well.

Week 4: Foreign CatchPhrase Anyone?

If you want to view my travels with pictures, my professor has a blog and since he's a professor he has special rights to posting pictures and videos. I'm not in like any of the pictures, but you can still check it out :) http://huntsmansintheholyland.blogspot.com/

1. I've learned in Turkey that the top 5 words/phrases to learn are: Thank You (Sahol in Turkish; used this phrase probably every hour at least); Hello (Maharbra or something like that); Sorry (already forgotten how to say it and the next 2 words); Please; and No (to combine with Sahol to say to the vendors "No thank you" whenever they push something at your face). I'm really considering to remember this on my next adventures to foreign lands, so I can get smiles where ever I go because I try to say a word in their language and I pronounce it completely wrong :)

2. Turkey (look at previous blog)

3. As we spent our last hour in Turkey before heading to dinner, we stopped by a smaller bazaar and did some last minute shopping. As we headed back, I saw one of the saddest things I've seen in my life: two sick little girls wrapped in blankets with the lonliest eyes I've ever seen on a person's face. These girls were homeless and were asking for money. I know that their 'guardian' might have put them up to it and staged them in the streets, but I couldn't help it but give the little bit of Turkish money I had. If you don't know me, I am an Elementary Education major and kids are my weakness. When I saw these girls, my heart just tore a part for them. How would it be like to live on the streets? Not knowing if you would eat the next day or when you would sleep under a roof again? Especially as a kid. I can't even imagine my happy childhood living in the streets looking up at strangers begging for money. That's not the education I want for these girls, but all I can do is count my many blessings and keep working hard so my kids don't have to experience hunger. I will never see the look in those girls' eyes in my little girl's eyes. I'm so blessed.

4. So there were a few sick kids on the bus at the end of the trip, and guess what happened the day when we get home? About half of the students in the center got sick. It was pretty ridiculous seeing everyone the next day either coughing or have tissue in their hand. You may not think this is funny, but I thought it was hilarious. Yes, I was one of those sick kids hence why I didn't write on Sunday or Monday because I was either doing homework or sleeping, but it was pretty funny realizing we had our first epidemic at BYU JC (Jerusalem Center).

5. Miletus really hit me. Not because of the beauty or any significant ancient building, but a touching event. This is where Paul said good-bye to the people he had been serving for 3 years. We had a devotional here with my professor giving his thoughts and he talked about leaving people. He mentioned how we all had left people behind to go to Jerusalem or a mission, but he had a different experience of leaving people. His dad passed a way a few months ago, and he shared with us his thoughts on how his dad must have felt passing away leaving everyone behind on Earth. While he was sharing his story, I thought about all of you and how it would feel leaving you all behind in this life. I thought leaving to Jerusalem for 3 months was a hard good-bye and how leaving to Croatia for 18 months will be hard...I have no idea. I then thought of all those close to me who have passed on. I'm blessed to not have too many of these experiences, but enough to feel the pain of the memories. Enough to remind me not to leave a moment for granted and to keep words unsaid. I know Heavenly Father has a purpose and plan for each of us. We have been given gifts, talents, and abilities to fulfill this purpose. He won't leave us to fail. He'll be there every step of the way to encourage, help, and walk us the rest of the way. I love you. Don't forget it. At the end of the devotional, we sang "God Be with You 'Til We Meet Again". The words completely changed for me keeping this perspective in mind, so my friends, family, and people who I don't even know that are reading this, I love you. God be with you until we meet again.

Week 3: Shalom!

1. Shalom means ‘peace’ in Hebrew and is given as a greeting and a good-bye. Jerusalem used to be called Yerushalom which means “city of peace”. Even though this city is known for not being peaceful, there are many examples for it being peaceful. Yes, there are many religions, and those religions are trying to claim certain holy places; many of those people from the different religions respect each other’s agency to choose and worship that religion. I’ve had many experiences already of people from Muslim to Jewish, Orthodox or not, who have expressed that as long as someone is living a good life, God will be the one who will judge—not us. Sometimes we go through life judging someone based on their religion, and we don’t look at the fruits of the person himself or herself. These people are living in their own peace with each other. Some people choose not to live in this peace and accept other’s rights to agency. Because of this I’m not living in the city of peace right now, but I’m looking forward for the day when everyone will be living in shalom.

2. SUNDAY: Tel Aviv and swimming in the Mediterranean!!!

MONDAY: Judean Wilderness, Jericho, Herod’s Winter Palace, Qilt Wadi, and St. George Monastary

TUESDAY: Classes

WEDNESDAY: Classes and walked around East Jerusalem

THURSDAY: Garden Tomb and Classes

FRIDAY: Classes and looked at different Olive wood shops

SATURDAY: Preparing to leave for Turkey on Sunday!

3. I’m not sure if one would dub this as a tender mercy, but I am sure thankful for it. This week for the first time, I went with a bunch of girls out in the city. Usually it’s a bunch of girls and at least one guy, but this time I’ve traveled the city with only girls a few times. There is a big difference. I’m soo grateful men are here at the Center. When it’s been a group of just girls, we get more male attention from locals and vendors. Now Mom, don’t get scared. It’s more like catcalls, and men coming up and telling us they love us and want to marry us. We haven’t had anything big happen thank goodness, but I just feel safer with a guy around. Even one guy with a group of three girls gets less attention than a group of ten girls. We talked about this a little bit in Relief Society today, and it’s just because we obviously don’t look like locals and we dress a bit differently, so they think our standards are different. This is why modesty is so strict over here. It’s interesting to think that I was viewed as a super modest person back at home, and here, I’m on the borderline of modest (and to some religions I’m immodest). It’s so important to know the culture of where you’re going and understand the ‘rules’. I’m glad to have these fabulous guys here at the Center to protect us.

4. My roommate, Suzy, and I have been trying to figure out how we know each other. She looked so familiar to me ever since I first saw her at Orientation, and it was bugging me soo bad!!! We then figured it out. In Provo, I went to the devotionals every Tuesday at the Marriott Center. I went through portal J pretty much every time. I like to smile and say ‘hi’ to the ushers because I know through past experience, it’s more fun when people talk to you even if it’s just a ‘hi’. Well, Suzy was the usher my freshman year for Portal J. I was so stoked to finally figure out this connection. When I told her that was me who said ‘hi’ every week, she just gave me a silenced look. (If you know Suzy, she’s not one to just be silent especially during a time of rejoicing.) I asked what’s wrong, and she told me that she thought I was her mom’s best friend’s daughter the entire year. Suzy had felt guilty every time I said ‘hi’ because she couldn’t remember my name and felt embarrassed to ask since we were supposed to know each other from our moms being best friends and all, so she always just played along and said ‘hi’ back. Well at least she doesn’t have to feel guilty any more. This may not be funny to you, but it’s HILARIOUS to me! Now I understand why she looked at me kind of funny every time during freshman year.

5. This week a group of us went to Omar’s who is an Olive wood carver. He is known around the Church because of his BEAUTIFUL carvings. They are so detailed, and he gives each of his characters expressions. Omar is also a great man. He is one of the people who has influenced me this week about judging others. He has such a great perspective of life and other people that I can’t help but loving this man. His insights were just very profound. I’ve been thinking a lot about generalizations since coming to Jerusalem especially this week since 9/11 was on Sunday. I remember when 9/11 happened and all these people being so angry towards Arabs because of what a few people did. Just because someone looks a certain way or believes in something different doesn’t mean they’re bad or strange. Yes, don’t be dumb and righteous judgment is needed for everyday common sense, but our job is not to give final judgment. That is someone else’s duty who knows their heart and knows why they did the things they did. I’m probably over killing this topic, but it’s what’s been coming up for me over and over again. Well, tomorrow I’ll be in Turkey! I’ll give you the update of how the Turkish Delight tastes like in a week!!!