Neot Kedumim

I'm a little bit less than a month behind on this blog, but around these parts, new and exciting things are happening everyday! And I want to remember it all! So, prepare for a long overdue blog overload.

On June 11th (ya, I'm that behind), our field trip was to Neot Kedumim.  It was a reserve that the Jews have made to help people better understand Israel in the bible.  It was fun because it was a more interactive field trip. 

A cute little Jewish girl was our tour guide for the day. She took us around and explained to us the plants and animals in the bible. She also explained to us different aspects of the land that helped us better understand the bible.

We then headed over to the animals and we learned about shepherds and the significance of sheep and shepherds in the bible.

We then went out and we were challenged to get the sheep from one point to another, with one person being the shepherd. We had to nudge some of them along, but once one of them went, they all followed. It was so entertaining and fun. 

One of the things that I love is that sheep know their shepherd and they follow him. Seeing the interaction that they have with each other and with their shepherd allowed me to connect even more with Christ being my Shepherd.

Next we got more of a rundown on the plants on the land. We got to ground up Hyssop, which is the low bush that Moses instructed Israelites to dip in blood, and use for the passover. It was interesting to learn about the plant and realize that there really in symbolism in the plant that they used.

I'm not a huge fan of the taste, but some people love it on pitas or bread.

One of my favorite parts of the field trip was when we got to make Pitas! Homemade pitas...hello! Delicious! It kind of felt like we were at girls camp or something, because we made the dough and then went and put our pita over the fire. Our guide had some delicious date honey that we put on our pitas. It was wonderful! 

There was also lentil soup made...but sadly I went to the bathroom and I came back to an empty pot. I'm sure it was delicious though. It was fun to just hang out and have a little biblical meal! 

I love these people!

Best part of this picture = Natalie creeping in the background. Win!

We then walked around more as she showed us the different plants and fruits that define the land. I can't remember them all...but they consist of grapes, fig, wheat, pomegranate, and olive. I believe that is all...I guess you won't know any different...so yep. That's it.

I picked a fig. It was kind of bland.

We learned about threshing floors, and of course we saw another olive press, and a well that had nice cold water.

We ended the day with a cute little ropes course thing. The best part was probably when we timed Bro. Ludlow going around it. I love our teachers! They are the best! We have such a different relationship with them than we have with teachers in Provo.

The last stop of the field trip was a little presentation by a Torah scribe. I felt bad because we were all exhausted...so my eyes could not stop open...the heat had wiped us out. But it was super interesting.

Herding sheep and making pita...that is bound to be a good day!

That night we had gotten special permission to see the lights in the Old City. You see...we aren't normally allowed in East Jerusalem after dark. But I think because we went in a large group and because there were a lot of people and lights...they made a special exception.

It was way fun! It was fun to be out and about on a summer night. It felt like a real summer night. Plus, the lights were colorful and fun!

Colorful benches that make us all look like creepers. Jon (far left) definitely wins the creeper award.

This looks like a creepy family portrait. I'm really good at being creepy...it's whatever.

Polygamist engagement picture? Sure.

All through the Old City, there were lights...it felt like a mixture of Christmas and maybe Halloween...and sometimes Disneyland. All the areas along the path had different light themes.

We had fun taking pictures, being "rebellious" and being out at night, and then dancing a light under that colorful dome. So much fun!

It was definitely one of those days, that I would just stop and look around and smile. It's moments like these that I just wish I could have captured. Because life is so good!