A Day of Fathers

I couldn't let the day pass me by without giving a shout out to my wonderful father....

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Popsicle, Reedsif, Reedley, Father Dearest!!

My dad is the greatest! 

Like all of my family, I could ramble on forever...and I don't even know where to start...

Everyone loves this guy! He is so personable and he knows everyone. He acts like he doesn't like social events, but then he ends up working the room and we end up waiting for him. He is always finding connections with people, and he makes people feel so comfortable!

He is so willing to serve those around him...often without people even knowing they were served by him. He is always so willing to help all of us with what ever we need, and he always goes out of his way to serve us.

He is such a stud!! Hello! The man is in his 50's and he is constantly doing marathons and iron mans!

He loves skiing and wake boarding...and he comes all the way to Utah just to come skiing with me! He is always taking us to do fun things! He sure does spoil us!!

He laughs at my dumb sense of humor. Probably because my humor has been greatly influenced by his...so we get each other...but at least someone things I'm funny. hahaha. Plus, he is such a goober and he cracks us all up!

He is such a faithful member of the church and he is such a good example to me of a worthy priesthood holder.

My dad is just so wonderful! He is such a good example to me, and he so many qualities that I hope to one day (in the distant future) find in a husband!

I love you Dad!! So much!!

I sure do miss my dad and my family...because this post made me a little emotional. I seriously have the best family!! I love them so stinkin' much! I am SO incredibly blessed!

If you want to hear me brag about my family, go to THIS post! They are all pretty stinkin' AMAZING...and I could talk about them forever, often getting emotional in the process!

Also, can we just talk about how Kara comes home a week after I do?! Oh man! I miss that girl!

I guess it's a good thing I miss them so much...or else I would have no motivation to get on that plane in August!

Love and miss you guys!!

(Make sure dad actually looks at this!!)

A Religion Filled Day

May 28th was a day full of religions. Somehow we managed to cover all the major religions in one day...with out even meaning to! I think it was the ultimate Jerusalem experience...considering that Jerusalem is central to all of these religions.

The morning started way before we wanted it to. The rising of the sun ended the Jewish holiday of Shauvot...and we were determined to be at the Western Wall for the rising of the sun. We met at the first floor at 4:30 am...yes...4:30 am. The only thing that got me out of bed was the thought that we are only in Jerusalem once, I must take advantage of these once in a lifetime opportunities. Since it was dark and we aren't normally allowed in East Jerusalem when it's dark, we had gotten special permission for this outing that our Israel teacher had suggested going to. So...a little after 4:30...once they had finally unlocked the doors for us...78 of us headed for the Western Wall.

It's disrespectful to take pictures at these sacred Jewish holidays...so I don't have any to show...but it was packed with people!! Shauvot is a holiday where they stay up all night studying the Torah. We asked some girls and they said that generally the men are the ones that stayed up all night...but it just depended on the family. It's always pretty cool to see so many people in one place putting so much devotion into their religions.

We thought there would be a little bit more to see...like I thought when the sun came up there would be singing and dancing...or something of that nature (they dance and sing when they welcome the Sabbath). But because the Western Wall is so open and diverse...there wasn't a whole lot to see. Mostly there were just a LOT of people studying the Torah. Some people were kind of singing...but there wasn't a dramatic difference between the time that it was dark and the time that it was light. We had been expecting a little bit more, but it's ok.

Judaism...check!

We figured that since we were up and since we were by the Temple Mount, we might as well take the opportunity to go up to the Temple Mount and to the Dome of the Rock.

It was still pretty early...and the Temple Mount didn't open until 7:30...so we wandered to find somewhere to get food (the places were limited but I grabbed some bread and chocolate milk. yum!). Then we got into line and were the first ones to enter the Temple Mount!

Walking on the bridge up to the Temple Mount. 

We got up to the Temple Mount and I was seriously astounded. The Temple Mount area is incredible! We got closer to the Dome of the Rock and I was in awe! It is amazing!! I had been so excited to finally go to the Dome of the Rock...and it was well worth the excitement. So, of course...we snapped some pictures....

What is so crazy to me is how all these major religions intertwine. The Western Wall surrounds the Temple Mount...and the Western Wall is Jewish. But you enter the Temple Mount and there is the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque...which are Islamic. In Jerusalem...these religions all run together.

Islam...check!

Not only was it a Jewish holiday...but it was also a Christian holiday...the Day of Pentecost. So, we decided to go attend a Pentecostal Service. 

Basically, it was just a normal church service, but it included the special stuff for the Pentecost service. It was good and really interesting. I loved the music, if it hadn't been for the music and standing up and singing...I would have been asleep the entire thing. When the sermon was given...I was struggling. I was interested though...it is interesting to learn what other Christian beliefs are. It was slightly awkward when everyone got up to do Communion and the large group of Mormons stayed sitting. It was a cool experience to attend another religions church service. It was two hours though...and I was not expecting it to be that long...my eyelids were fighting with me.

Christianity...check!

As soon as the service was over...we were on a hunt for food!! We were so hungry! We ended up stopping at a place for Shawermas. Delicious! I couldn't resist getting a cold soda...even if it was more expensive than it was worth.

After eating...our bodies could not handle any more exploring for the day...so we headed home.

I got home and CRASHED! For way longer than I was planning...but it felt so good! 

My school work may not have gotten as much attention as it deserved that day...but it was a good day! 

I was reminded of how many good, religious people there are, that are faithfully practicing their religions. I have so much respect for people of any religion that are doing what is right and worshipping God in their own way.

I am also just so grateful for the Restoration and to have the fullness of the Gospel here on earth, and how how much happiness it brings me! I am so grateful for my testimony of this Gospel.

I have such a good, blessed life! 

Donuts, Arab night, Mary Magdalene Church, Garden of Gethsemane.

I wish I could just whip out my past two weeks on my blog real fast, but I feel the need to record the details...also, school has been crazy so my time must be dedicated else where! 

But for the sake of me recording the happenings of my time here...

You are going to get the full rundown...even though it was two weeks ago...

For the sake of not confusing myself...here is a rundown of May 22nd-May 26th.

Tuesday consisted of catching up on sleep and homework! We had a day full of classes...and we quickly came to the realization that school was going to consume more of our lives! Yay...

Coming back from Turkey...I realized how comfortable I had become with people...because my personality was coming through, probably more than people were prepared for! hahaha.

Wednesday we were determined to get back out into the city! After I had been sick before Turkey, then being in Turkey, I seriously missed being in the Old City...it had been way too long!! 

I headed out with a group and we headed to the Money Changers (Aladdin), then we stopped by Shaban's to get stuff for Arab night! In case I haven't mentioned Shaban before...he is our favorite! He loves the Mormons! He sells BYU Jerusalem shirts and sweatshirts, he sells leather scripture cases, and pretty much any of the basic Old City souvenirs. We love him because you walk in and he gives us juice (because we give him so much business, so of course he loves us), and he gives you good deals! A lot of the merchants you have to be careful that you don't get ripped off, but we don't have to worry about that with Shaban, which is nice! 

I ended up leaving Shaban's with a shirt for Arab night...I'm hoping I'll be able to pull off wearing it normally too...but we'll see how that works out.

Then, a group of us decided to head to the Jewish quarters of the Old City. I hadn't been to the Jewish quarters yet, so I was excited to see the difference. I liked it a lot! The Jewish quarters are very well kept! It is quite a big different from the Muslim Quarters. We went to a delicious bakery, and Lane and I decided to share a delicious, large, chocolate donut!  It was so worth it!  Coming back from Turkey, I was just craving some food that tasted more like home...some good comfort food.  I think that donut was a little too comfortable! :) 

That night we had our Arab night! We were all excited to dress up. I didn't exactly know how to dress like an Arab...because I was not about to spend money on the traditional Arab clothing...so we improvised. It was a fun night! 

MJ and I in our sweet new shirts from Shaban's.

The night started with us gathering in the forum and hearing from two members of the Al Aqsa Mosque.  They performed for us the Call to Prayer and we were given papers explaining what everything meant.  It definitely helped me gain a greater appreciation for the Call that we hear everyday, multiple times a day.  It's interesting because it sounds like they are singing, but they clarified that it is not singing, it is reciting.  But the men definitely have to have a good voice to do it well.  It is always interesting to learn more about the religions and cultures that we are surrounded by.

Then we were off to our lovely Oasis for our Arab dinner. It was decorated all cute and the food was delicious! I ate a nice, pink shawerma. Also, I thought I grabbed like a zucchini thing covered in humus, but I took a bite and it was a pickle. I am normally a fan of pickles, but the taste caught me so off guard...so I was not a fan. They like pickles around her! They also had a part of the Oasis set up to take pictures...it was cute! 

The night concluded with three teenagers teaching us an Arab dance. We held hands and moved our feet a lot, moving in a circular direction...which I guess is normal for traditional dances. The Arab dancing, quickly turned into us jumping around (trying to be like the teenagers), dancing to Arab music. Then, it turned into an American dance party. We love dancing around these parts!! 

Thursday, we got out of class at 11, and we remembered that the Mary Magdalene church was only opened Tuesdays and Thursday until noon.  So, we hurried over and went to the "Gold Onion" church that we had seen on the Mount of Olives.  There wasn't a whole lot that we were allowed to see, but it was pretty and something that we all had been wanting to do.

We had an Old Testament test on Friday, and the test consisted of an in-class portion and a take home portion. So, Thursday consisted of studying all day for the in-class portion...and Friday consisted of doing the take home portion, which took HOURS! We worked on it pretty consistently once class ended at 3. Thankfully we were all going through it together...even if we couldn't actually talk about it...it was nice having company! He warned us that it would be time consuming and tricky...and he held to his word. We made sure to take a break for a 7 to Eleven run, dinner, and to go to the movie night, where we watched The Incredibles. But every other free minute of the day was spent taking the test. Although it was lengthy, I feel like I learned so much from taking it. He forces you to really make the most of the sources that your scriptures have and I was flipping all through my scriptures. I came to love the Bible Dictionary!! hahaha. You would think after spending that much time, and being able to use our scriptures, that I would have gotten a 100%...but that wasn't the case. It was rough.

Saturday was the Sabbath! I love the Sabbath! No matter where I am, it is such a nice break from the hectic week and such a good time to refocus on what is most important. I also love that as we sit in Sacrament meeting, we get to sit and have this amazing view of the city. The view that I have in Sacrament meeting reminds me how spoiled I really am.

My Sabbath was also filled with Visiting Teaching and Home Teaching, because it was the last Sunday of the month.  I love that you can go anywhere in the world, and the church is the same.  I am just so grateful for the organization of the church.

After church we got a group together and headed to the Garden of Gethsemane. I was pretty excited because I hadn't yet been. Although none of the trees actually date back to that time, and we don't know if that is the exact area...that is not what is important.  I just loved going, writing in my journal, and focusing my thoughts on my Savior.  My mind kept turning to the hymn, I Stand All Amazed.  I love that hymn and I feel like it puts everything in perspective, and it really expresses my thoughts and feelings.  I really am so grateful for my Savior and the power of the Atonement.

Our group then walked into the church there, The Church of All Nations and we sang Nearer My God to Thee.  I really am having the most amazing experience here, and I am with the most amazing people.  I love that we get to go to these wonderful places together and sing hymns. Hymns really have such a powerful spirit.

Every day here is an adventure...some days the adventure of enduring class...but I love it here! The people here are my favorite! I'm so scared that the next two months are just going to slip on by! I have so much to do and so much to see...I have to seize every moment! 

And the walls came tumbling down...

It's super funny because when we came back from Turkey...it was a Sunday. So, our branch held a sacrament meeting for just those that had been gone in Turkey. I told my mom this and she said, "You guys just have church whenever you want, don't you?" hahaha. Yep. Pretty much. We had a real Christian Sabbath...then went back and caught up on sleep and recovered from being in Turkey.

That Monday we had our field trip to Jericho. Thankfully, it was just a half day field trip...because I don't think any of us could have handled much more than a half day...we were quite a bit warn out from Turkey.

Our first stop of the field trip was the Mount of Temptation. Where it is believed that Christ wandered for 40 days and 40 nights. It was just a desert and it was toasty. I could not imagine just wandering out there.

A little monastery cut into the mountain.

Um...ya. I live in Israel.

We then headed over to one of Herod's palaces. It's neat when you realize that Herod was the time of Christ. It's also neat to think of how the palace would have been back in it's glory days. Apparently there was a pool and spa and everything....so it was probably pretty amazing. We read a little about Herod in our scriptures...like in our Bible Dictionary. I love that all our sites in the Holy Land can refer us to our scriptures. It is seriously the best!

Not quite the palace it used to be.

Then...we headed to Jericho. "The Oldest City of the World." At Jericho, we of course opened our scriptures to Joshua and read about Joshua leading the children of Israel around the walls of Jericho...and the walls went tumbling down. I love how well my teachers know the gospel and what great insights they give us at each site that we go to. I gained a whole new appreciation for Rahab...and this faith she has in her Heavenly Father.

"I like that tower. That is a nice tower."

Reenacting the march around Jericho...obviously. I apparently missed the whole "don't look at the camera" memo. hahaha. 

Right next to Jericho was the Spring of Elisha...I believe. (I feel like I have to know all my facts when I post on my blog...but I'm sure I get things wrong...so forgive me).

That was the extent of our Jericho field trip. It was great, and we even made it back in time for lunch. It was a perfect post-Turkey field trip!

Finally, my last Turkey post.

Oh man! I am so behind! Ever since we got back from Turkey...my time has been consumed by school, going into the city, and socializing...which definitely take priority over blogging! Blogging is a bit of a guilty pressure...but I'm recording memories, so it is necessary.

Right? Right.

This is my last Turkey post...be excited.

Friday we packed our bags, loaded up, and off we went.

Off to Sardis. Temple of Artemis. One the Seven Churches of the Revelation, along with Ephesus and a few others. Lots of idol worshipping and false gods...it's understandable why this revelation was needed.

Asian tourists are my favorite. Them and their little umbrellas.

Analise.

Kenz and I modeling.

Then we went over to the city part of Sardis, had some buildings, a little churchy church, and a gymasium. Which then led to a few wrestling matches from the fellas. One kid in our group wrestled in high school, and the rest of the guys didn't stand a chance, but they were good sports about it.

The girls looking REAL tough.

Sometimes I ask Nathan Jellen to take a picture...and he gets a little crazy with the camera.

Poor Jon didn't stand a chance.

Then we spent a good amount of time on the bus...making our way back towards Istanbul.

In Bursa, we went to the Silk Bazaar and a few of us indulged in a Turkish scarf. It was part of the Turkey experience...buying a little silk. 

We went to another beautiful mosque. I can't remember the name of it...but it was the largest mosque in Turkey! So ya...it was big. 

After the mosque we headed to the hotel for dinner. Um...dinner at the hotel in Bursa was THE BEST! It was a buffet style...but really simple, nice, and delicious. The place was decorated very classy and the waiters walked around pooring our water. Compared to all the other places we had eaten, it was a dream. Delicious fruit...oh, the kiwi. AND the highlight of it all was the chocolate cake and chocolate eclairs. Oh. My. Gosh. It was heaven in my mouth. It might just be that it tasted like home or that most of the desserts in Turkey were disappointing...but it was delicious!

Saturday was our last day...but so eventful! 

We first drove to Nicaea...and went to the location of the 1st and 7th Nicene Councils, which was cool. The Nicene Council was such a big step in the history of Christianity. 

The "Hagia Sophia," where the 7th Nicene Council was held.

An all too frequent site on this trip.

The location of where Constantine's Palace would have been, and the location of the 1st Nicene Council. 

We once again drove our bus onto the charter and "drove" across the waters. And we were off to Istanbul...

One of the best parts of the entire Turkey trip was going to THE Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia was built by Justinian, initially as a Christian church...to be the most gorgeous Christian church. Over the years it was turned into a mosque...and nowadays it is more of a museum. It is interesting though because they have started to uncover mosaics from when it was a Christian church, so you see both aspects.

Honestly though...pictures really DO NOT do the Hagia Sophia justice...it was gorgeous! 

Then our teachers let us loose for a couple of hours and we were free to explore a little bit. We headed over to the Bazaar for a little bit...it wasn't quite as large as the Grand Bazaar, so it didn't take long to explore. I ended up getting a pillow case...which sounds super random. But it is hand stitched and super pretty. Maybe I should have gotten two, to balance a couch out...but I had a hard time getting myself to spend the money on one...two might have been pushing my limits. But I'll keep it for someday when I have a house or apartment to put it in...that tends to be my thought process for a few different things that I buy here. 

Then, we made sure to put in time for the Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque was pretty crazy too. It is a working mosque...and it is covered with gorgeous blue tiles. My pictures from here are all kind of dark...so they definitely don't do it justice.

A couple of us headed to the bathroom...and here the bathrooms generally consist of toilets and squatters. Why people would choose a squatter over a toilet is beyond me? Except one time I saw a few Muslim women come into a bathroom and specifically go towards the squatter...so maybe it is easier for Muslim women, I'm really not sure. I pretty much managed to avoid one the whole week...even when some places only had squatters, I somehow managed. But at this last stop, my friend forced me to use one as part of the Turkey experience...it wasn't not as bad as I thought it would be. Girl's Camp trained me well. (I'm not sure why I felt the need to add that to my blog...but there it is...all about the squatters.)

We met up and went to our last meal in Turkey. It ended up being a seafood meal. It was an odd meal though...because most places were pretty efficient with our large group...but this place was pretty slow. Also, you couldn't ever tell if that was the meal or if there was going to be more...it's always a guessing game. I was forced to try an anchovy covered in a green olive...um...nasty! Our meal was fish...and a lot of people didn't like it...but I actually thought it was pretty good. Also, they gave us a fruit plate...with delicious strawberries! Yum! 

After dinner...we headed to the airport...and had a red eye back to Tel Aviv. I definitely crashed the entire flight. It is known the people that sit by me on planes...that I can sleep in odd positions. I guess I have just learned to accommodate...plus, I enjoy sleeping...so I make due.

That is finally the end to my Turkey trip. Hopefully I recorded everything that I care to remember! 

It was a great trip...definitely one to remember!!