Week 2: Making Friends

This week has indeed been exciting! There were a lot of amazing experiences as well as a great deal of personal and spiritual growth.  We started the week off with a trip around the Old City of Jerusalem (saw the old city of David, overlooked Bethlehem, went to the place where they believe Abraham stopped to rest right before he sacrificed Issac, etc.) I have major strugs for my directions, especially in Utah so part of me was thinking I couldn’t figure it out, but I’m actually way better at my North’s-South’s- East’s- and West’s here in Jerusalem! Haha. You’d be impressed mom!

 My free day was spent with Grandpa Vern!! I had a whole day to do whatever I wanted with a tour guide that knows the ins-and-outs of Jerusalem. I could have gone to a cathedral or synagogue but all I wanted to do was meet people! Grandpa is a famous face here in Jerusalem, in fact we were walking around in the city and I was just a few feet in front of him and a shopkeeper was beckoning me into his shop when the shopkeeper across from him said, “No no! She’s with the local (points to grandpa), he’s a local). Haha. His good friend Joseph was my favorite to meet, we spend a great deal of time with him and before we left he gave me a widows mite. I was so grateful and I LOVE my necklace! Here are some other adventures from that day: We ate at the nicest hotel in Jerusalem (King David’s Hotel), we climbed to the top of the YMCA where I got to play the carillon and we got to look out over all of Jerusalem, we found a cave that grandpa has never seen before (score!), and we enjoyed the city.

Goat cheese totrellini

It is not uncommon to see some Jews playing music on the streets! 

Wednesday a group of us went to Zedekiah’s caves (underneath Jerusalem where they got the rock to build the temple mount), and then the temple institute. The temple institute is a Jewish museum where they have prepared many of the supplies for their temple which they believe will be placed right where the dome of the rock is right now. They believe that  God will one day cause the temple mount to be opened to them. It was very interesting

Thursday and Friday were classes after classes. It was awesome because the professors are the bomb! But we didn’t get to go out much.

Friday we were cleaning up the grounds and some of us ran into some cute Muslim girls who just adored us. Nadine, Taline, and Airine. They were adorable. I let them take my phone for a while and I found some gems! J

Even 9 year olds in Israel like to take selfies! 

They are adorable! 

I am also making better friends with the other students here by sharing spiritual experiences with them. I am having such a great time with them. Today we got to spend time at the Garden Tomb and taking pictures after church! 

Last of all i got to see my Friends from home :) It's so much fun to spend time with them as well!!

Hope you have a great week!!