How did I deserve this?

So last night I FINALLY made it to Jerusalem. Words truly cannot explain the love I have for this city and not only what I feel when I look at it, but everything that comes to mind when I do. I love its diversity. It obviously causes conflicts, but it's just so dang cool to walk down the street and see Orthodox this and that, including people like monks, and start to understand things about them and their religion that is completely the center of their lives. No wonder they live in Jerusalem.

Our dorms all have balconies that overlook the city. As do all the other floors and rooms on that side of the building. Last night when we got to the Center we had dinner and then a lot of us went out onto a big balcony outside our cafeteria, stood in a line so that we each had a great view, and reverently looked in awe at the city as the sun set behind it. Right as the sun went down the call to prayer for that time of day started. One of the loudspeakers that someone does it through is just a short walk away from us to the south. It's the most incredible thing to listen to a male voice chanting the call to prayer over a loudspeaker for the whole city to hear. It lasts a good long while, so we continued to watch the city grow dark as we as all had that incredible experience. I wish you were here to at least see that. It made 27 hours of traveling worth it in an instant. I'm sure every single one of us had goosebumps at some point that night (if not the whole night), as we looked at Jerusalem and walked through our completely gorgeous, incredible new home.

I just finished doing a little studying for Old Testament, and now I'm going to go out on my own personal balcony and write a little more in my journal as I look over arguably the most incredible city ever built.

I love it. I love it, I love it, I love it. There are no words.
I am truly blessed.