Lessons

So here I am, sitting on the 6th floor of this beautiful building I call home in the East City of Jerusalem, and I'm beginning to reminisce a little on the last 3 months. I still have three weeks left here, but it's never too soon to think back on even recent memories and appreciate what I have, right?

I've been thinking a little about what I've learned here. I've learned more deeply that there is opposition in all things. There is so much hate in this world. I have seen that first hand, and been ushered out of the Old City of Jerusalem by phone calls from our security because of it. I have seen it on the internet news updates as I sit about a mile from the heart and most central location of this hate- the Temple Mount. But because there is so much hate, there is that much, if not more love in this city, this country. I see it in the eyes and actions of each student here as we make friends on the streets with shopkeepers or arab children. I see it in the words of our teachers and church leaders here as they urge us to be educated so that we may be unbiased to the situation. I also see it in people like Daniel Seidamann, our guest teacher today, a Jew, (albeit an American one) who spends his entire life in effort of helping to bring about peace in Jerusalem, including giving Palestinians, the enemies to Jews, back some of their land. The Lord is our light, there is in His sight no darkness at all. I've learned that there is no such thing as "hopeless" in this world.

I have also learned better what it means to be a disciple of Christ, and I'm trying every day to become one. It's following Jesus no matter what you want, it's loving the people around you no matter how they feel about you, it's quickly forgiving someone who made you care and then made you cry by showing they don't care nearly as much as you thought. These are things I hope I can continue to implement in my life even when I am away from this place.

I guess most of all though that I've learned for myself, so strongly that I could never begin to deny it, that Jesus Christ is real. I haven't learned that from visiting a place like the Garden Tomb, I've learned it from prayer, proper scripture study, reading my patriarchal blessing, singing hymns, all in places like the Garden Tomb. Because I have shown I want to know, the spirit has given me such sweet witnesses of what I already believe to be true, but can now feel like a fire within me.

Being in the Holy Land, literally walking in some places He did, spending personal time by the shores of Galilee, the place He loved so much, I have had the opportunity to focus my entire life these last months on my relationship with my Savior, and that is why I know He lives. He loves me and knows me personally. I had an experience at Galilee where I went to pray at night aloud by the shore, tears streaming down my face, and the part of my prayer that I was hoping and needing to be answered most at the time was answered, literally minutes later. It wasn't a coincidence, or that someone happened to be in a happier mood, my Heavenly Father just decided to give me a small, tender mercy- I like to think as a blessing for knowing so strongly that He hears and answers prayers.

Friends! I've learned to love this gospel, my Savior, and my Heavenly Father more than I thought was possible these last three months. I guess that's really all I wanted to share. My friend asked me at our Thanksgiving dinner what I was thankful for this year, and what came to mind most clearly was my testimony. I'm so thankful for my testimony, and may I always have the chance to share it, even without words as we've had to learn to do here.

This is my new favorite hymn. It came to mind every time I walked to the shore of Galilee and looked at its waters and thought of the literally countless miracles Christ performed there. Hymn #86. I encourage you to open up your hymnbook and study the words, don't just read them.

Fishers of Men

To preface: This post is really long, and I apologize. I hope you know I wouldn't write something so long if it didn't mean a great deal to me. And I think you will enjoy reading it, so give it a chance :).

I'm currently reading a series entitled, The Kingdom and the Crown (why can't you underline in blogs?). The first book is Fishers of Men. It is very good so far. I just finished reading a wonderful part- a main character in the novel, David ben Joseph, just told his son his personal account of a night 30 years before of Christ's birth. It got me thinking about a lot of things. It's 2:30 am, but my mind is working too much to sleep, so I wanted to write this now rather than in the morning.

Of least importance, I was thinking about this: we all know that Christ wasn't born in December. He was born during the time of Passover, which is in the spring. To my knowledge Passover has always been in the month of April, although the dates change from year to year depending on the Jewish calendar. This made me imagine what Christmas would be like if it was in April, actually during the time of Christ's birth, which is what we celebrate. We would still have candy canes, honoring and symbolizing the shepherds who saw the star, heard the angel, and sought the baby Jesus. We would still have evergreens as the base for which we hang often meaningful ornaments. But there would be no songs about a "White Christmas". No chill in the air. No images of snow covered cottages with smoke coming out of its chimney. No sleigh bell rides or people hurrying home through the cold night air wrapped in coats and gloves and scarves, carrying precious packages. No snow illuminating the landscape and being a beloved symbol of the Season... the Season of Christmas. How sad this image of Christmas looks in my mind. Because of all these things and for what it symbolizes, Christmas truly is "the most wonderful time of the year." How beautiful its image is to us in the dead of winter. Of course, if this holiday had always been in April we never would have known any better or missed a thing.

Then I started to think about the account that David was giving to his son in this novel. He had seen a man and a woman on a donkey at the door of an inn, inquiring about a place to stay the night, but after passing them thought no more about it. It being Passover season, the Holy City of Jerusalem was crawling with people from all over the country to celebrate. It's no surprise there was no room at the inn. But what if there was still a room? Perhaps the Innkeeper, rather than not caring as I think we often imagine, actually took pity on the poor, sick looking woman. Perhaps he knew, possibly influenced by the spirit as I hope I would have been in the presence of the mother of the son of God, that she needed somewhere private, away from the tumult and chaos, to spend the night and possibly give birth. What if he owned the stable, or sent them there out of the kindness of his heart? I hope I get to ask him one day.

David tells his son, Simeon, that he was in a shepherd's field that historical night at the beginning of Passover. He was awoken at around the second watch (in April that was probably at 10 pm or so). To use his words, "a brilliant light was illuminating the whole landscape around us. It was as thought it were midday." Out of this light an angel appeared, announcing glad tidings of great joy- that the Savior of the world was born that night in the city of David- a mere 6 miles south of where I will be living in the fall. David went and saw that baby, as the angel had said, lying in a lowly manger.

As I read this passage, I could strongly feel the testimony the author and previous General Authority, Gerald Lund, has about the story of the birth of Christ. I just briefly want to add my testimony to his. This is not just a story that we read about and passingly know and believe is true. It happened. Take a few minutes to really think about it and play out the situation in your mind. Our Savior and elder brother was born in Bethlehem, and an angel and a heavenly host announced his birth to the countryside that night. He lived and loved and taught. I know this with all of my heart. I hope you can understand the pull that Israel has on me and why I am excited beyond words. I will be living where these things happened. It is awesome and mindblowing beyond anything I can explain through speech. I cannot wait!

Within only the first 100 pages of this book I learned an incredible amount about Israel at the time of Christ. I've learned about the Romans and their influence on the entire area, the Zealots, the Jews, the Pharisees and the Saducees, the Gentiles and the Samaritans, and how they all relate to and feel about one another. I've remembered and newly learned more details and general geography of the Holy Land. I haven't learned so much so quickly from a novel in a long time. And did I mention it's really, really good? I highly recommend it to you my friends, many of which are avid readers. You will appreciate the story, the characters, and its message a great deal.

I originally wanted a beautiful picture of the BYU Jerusalem Center here, but could not get the picture to show up in this location. I'm sure there's a way. It just wouldn't do it for me. So you'll have to imagine it. And please forgive spelling or gramatical errors. It's now 3:30 in the morning... goodnight!