Soooo Many Pictures

PICTURES. PICTURES. PICTURES.

Well, just like last week, this week rocked.

We had Israeli Night where we celebrated the Passover (a little early)

Sang songs, danced, read from the traditional books and ate all the Jewish food.

My group sang a song and led everyone in a dance.

The next day a n instructor came and taught us a few traditional Jewish dances.

The rest....Ill show you in pictures.

My Dancing Group 

Action Shot. It was way fun and easy though

#KingSteve

Falafel

What Chris would like if he was here....and ten....and Jewish.

The homies studying

What you'll find every ten steps in the Muslim Quarter 

He REALLY wanted me to buy this

Yup. A Pyramid of spices

nuff said

Answer: Yes they dye their veggies pink

With friends #nofilter

Gave blood...it hurt

Get dem dry fruits

Big B with a Big A orange

I can't wait ot be old and just play cards on boxes in the park

...and take naps

Loving their graffiti 

Encapsulates that people actually live in Jerusalem 

LOVE YOU ALL

BYU Jerusalem Week 6

Tunnels. Chickflicks. Midterms.

This week was full of school. Yea we actually do work over here and its not the easiest. It isn't too bad, but this week we did a lot of studying and testing. 

In a Glance:

• Tunnel River
• Valentines Day
• Holocaust
• Alone time
• Rain
• Jerusalem in my eyes

Tunnel River.

So we went to Hezekiah's tunnel which, to make it short, is a 300 meter long tunnel that channeled water from outside the city to inside it. Well we got to walk through it and it was so fun. The water at some points was up to mid thigh. The tunnel fluctuated its width and height often causing us to duck and squish. At one point we all turned our flashlights off and it was completely dark. Just utter darkness. The kid behind me loves to play harmonica and was playing hymns the entire time. It really set the mood. I posted a few pictures to help paint the picture. This is for sure one of the funnest things we have done yet. 

Valentines Day.

Awesome Valentines Day. We had boxes and I got a few notes from people. They were all super funny. 

After I watched a chick flick alone.

People came later, but it was way nice no lie. Mom, I think you have been my valentine the past 5 years :)

Holocaust.

So we just got back from Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust museum and memorial. To be honest I don't really want to talk about what I saw. It was horrifying. I left feeling emotionally drained thinking, "No one should ever watch this, let alone go through this." We weren't allowed to take pictures and I don't think I would have anyways. There were a few things though that kept me going and being hopeful. One was simply learning about all the heroes that helped save Jews and the things they did for them. One story hit me about this Catholic Priest who helped hide Jews for protection. At one point some German officers came and demanded he give up the Jews. He replied that he couldn't. The officer said, "Look I am Catholic as well but I have a duty." The priest then said, "Well then you know that Christ was a jew and he commanded us to help the oppressed. I have a duty as well to help these people." He ended up saving the lives of these jews and many more. It gave me hope, that in a time of such inhumane men, some would still have character, regardless of what the world was doing and the possible punishments. 

Alone Time.

We went into the city and this time, instead of being rushed and stressed. We just stopped and sat down in the sun and read books. I went to a bench by myself in the open courtyard in the Jewish Quarter. I opened the scriptures to 2 Nephi and was reading the Isaiah chapters. Never have they been so relevant or understandable. I just sat there with the sun warming my whole face and occasionally looking up at the passing pedestrian. An Ultra Orthodox man taking pictures of his little girl finding joy in everything. A man wearing a kippa in traditional Jewish dress on his mac book pro. A huge group of Israeli soldiers in tiny work out shorts surrounding some blonde students of ours. A few girls with a rope tied to a pole playing jump rope. I eventually walked over and played with them. I could not speak a word and just smiled. They just jumped and laughed when it hit them. Next to me on the bench was a pensive old woman not saying a word and just looking out in the distance. What I would do just to know what she was thinking. To my right was an old man in some retro clothes doing some weird stretches that was obviously making the woman next to him uncomfortable. My eyes found my scriptures again as I listened to Isaiah talk about the very land I was sitting in. It was my most favorite moment in the Old City yet. 

Rain.

As I write it rains. Rain reminds me of so much. Of you Mom. Of leaving for my mission. Of leaving to come home. Today I watch the people act so grateful for this nourishment of their dry, parched soil. They pray for rain all year. I love how God chose these lands to establish his people. I used to wonder why he didn't establish them in tropical, beautiful areas. Now it makes sense that he put them in desert areas SO THEY WOULD rely on him. These people often cast their voices heavenward for water. Without which they perish. God is always trying to remind us that he gives us everything. Here in Jerusalem, where rain is like gold, it is hard for them to forget him. They need him. 

My homies.

These are the chefs. They love me. They give me sweet hookups and teach me arabic. The one on the far right loves me. Today he took me in the back and let me watch the Real Madrid game for a little. I love making friends with the "little" people who we often don't notice. It reminds me of the lunch ladies in High School who loved me and who gave me free lunches literally, everyday. Life is in the little. 

Jerusalem how I see it.

Week 5 BYU Jerusalem

BYU JERUSALEM Week 5

Slings. Bells. Ninja.

It has been one heck of a week. Seen so much, too much. I feel like no matter how hard I try this blog just can't capture what it is really like here. But I'll give a shot.

So here are the highlights:

Where Samson grew up up and away

Samson.
So we got to go to the area where Samson grew up. We just sat there and listened to our teachers talk about his life. His birth, his life, the amazing things he did, his strength, his weakness and his fall. I don't get so much out of seeing things that people claim to be "the exact place" where this or that happened. Rather I get more from our trips when I just sit and ponder what happened "somewhere around here." Just thinking about his life. It is so amazing that we come to these places.

Goliath.

We also got to go to the valley where David slew Goliath. Man. David was such a boss! Let me just highlight the story real quick:

And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath...And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel"choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me..."
When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid...
And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field...

This is my favorite part; the courage of David!

Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.

I just love David and his courage. The courage he gets from his faith. It gives me courage. Courage to face the World, the future, the unknown. Sometimes I am afraid of what will come next in my life. There are so many unknowns. But I know that if I hold true to my faith, I can have courage that God will provide. That in the end, when all is said and done, it will be ok.

Bells.
So at the YMCA in Jerusalem there is a huge bell tower. Our music program has the chance once a week to go there for an hour and play the bells for the entire city. It is set up like a piano with knobs that you push down. The knobs pull a lever that hit these huge bells and echo the sound throughout the whole city. I got to play it with the help of an older woman serving here. We played, Follow the Prophet for all Jerusalem. It was cool.

Arab Night.

I'm bottom left

This was a special experience.
PART ONE:
We all dressed up in Arabic cultural clothes first off. Then went to the forum where we got to have some special guests come talk to us for our Arabic culture night. They were singers for the "call to prayer." Muslims pray five times a day and to remind them they have huge megaphones all around the city where people sing the "call to prayer" reminding them to pray at that time. They are really quiet amazing singers and it was something special. What is even crazier is the fact that it has been a family tradition for over 500 years.
500 years!
So these two guys came and sang for us and we had the translations to follow along.
It was really cool!
PART DOUS:
Then they took us into the cafeteria and fed us native arabic food!
I can't remember any names but it was sooooo good.
The picture explains it all.

PART III:
Then we went into the gym and these young girls came and taught us how to dance.
It was pretty basic stuff because there was just so many of us.
After we learned a few moves we all got in a circle and danced.
It was fun immersing ourselves in the culture of other people.

Simple.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about life.
Who I want to be,
What I want to do, etc...
We just go to all these places
and see all these old cities
and graveyards
and ruins
and what blows me away the most
is the humble fact
that everyone is dead.
It sounds silly
and I know I touched on this last time,
but it baffles me.
EVERYONE EVER IS DEAD.
Kings, Princes, priests, pharaohs, rulers, saints etc
Everyone dies.
Anyways
I have been thinking about how I want to live my life. I have decided wherever I find myself and whatever I do, I want to be simple. I want to live a simple life. Focus on the little things. Find joy in the seemingly unimportant and menial. This is something I have been pondering for a long time and it just seems right.

"Life can be wonderful and so meaningful, but we have to live it in a simple way."-David B Haight

Every Day Forever. 
Is there anything you would do every day forever?
Is there anything you could do every day forever?
I, alongside Brett, have recommitted to
read the Book of Mormon
every day forever.

 "But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree...

...And I said unto them that it was the  word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would  hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the  temptations and the fiery  darts of the  adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction."

 In My Eyes.