Words Cannot Express

I went to the Garden of Gethsemane today. It was an experience that filled my heart.

 It is a pretty small little garden protected by a fence. On one side is a church and the other sides are bordered by roads with honking cars and traffic. It isn't exactly what you would imagine such a sacred ground to be surrounded by. The trees, on the other hand, were just like I imagined they would be- broad, short, knobby things with twisted branches and flat leafy tops. The weather was beautiful; the sun illuminated the whole garden. A group of us were there and we decided to sing hymns. "Nearer My God to Thee" will forever have a different meaning. There I was, sitting in the light, and I thought about to the darkest hour the garden has ever seen- the night that Christ suffered for all of us. The contrast hit me like a rock. He overcame the darkness so that I can have the chance to live in eternal light. The Atonement is a powerful thing. It truly is the greatest act of love- personal love for each and every one of us- not just any love, the love of a God. If that doesn't make you feel special, then I don't know what possibly could.

My roomate Chaille and our friend Lizzy and I were talking, and Lizzy shared some scriptures with us from Mormon ch 9. It isn't a typical chapter you would think to read while standing in Gethsemane, but when you get a moment, read it, and imagine you are standing there. It might mean something a little different than it did before. Chaille told us that sitting there, looking at the garden, and imagining Christ suffering made her want to commit to something. I really liked that. Christ committed His life to us. He is my rock and salvation. So, I made a commitment, and I invite you to do the same thing. The Lord loves me, and he loves you. Show Him you love Him.

On a different note...

Arab Culture Night!

This was a fun one. Everyone got dressed up in their most authentic looks and the chefs prepared a gourmet Arab feast! Sooo much food! And it was all delicious. Interestingly enough, they are really big on stuffed things, so there were stuffed carrots, squash, chicken, you name it. I also tried lamb for the first time. Pretty tasty. Before dinner, there was a presentation on the Call to Prayer given by two of the men that do it at the Al-aqsa masque- the third holiest site to the Islamic people. Apparently they come from families who have been doing it for 500 years or so. Later, they had some kids from one of the local schools come and teach us some Arab dances. Of course, it just turned into a big interpretive dance party. What a night!

This is the entrance of a sweet civilization in underground caves (Mareshah)- no Bible significance really, they were just super cool!

There is no time like winter in Israel! Any other time of year, the land is just brown dirt, rocks, and dust (according to my professors). The flowers were so bright and cheerful that some of the girls picked them, and it wasn't until after they did that we found out is is illegal to pick flowers in Israel. That's right...illegal! Crazy, huh? So half of the girls have already committed a crime here in the Holy Land, haha.

Turns out those flowers are the Lilies of Jerusalem. They are the ones Jesus referred to when he said, "consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not neither do they spin." (D&C 82:82) May we be like the lilies of the field, growing upward towards the heavens.

Any guesses as to what this is? This is overlooking the valley of Elah where David fought Goliath. Preston, Dustin and I were just practicing our sling shot skills. I must say, it is not as easy as it might seem!