I'll begin with where I left off last week, after the trip to Jordan. Friday the 5th
and Saturday were spent recuperating after the Jordan trip. On Sunday, a group
of us went to the Knesset, which is the name of Israel’s Legislature. They are
like our Senate and President in one body, or like England’s Parliament. We got
a tour of the building and then hung out in the nearby Wohl Rose Garden. Later
that night, after dinner, I went out to West Jerusalem for Kaitlyn’s birthday.
We ate ice cream and listened to Evangelical Asians sing hallelujah before
going back to the JC.
On Monday we
went to Bethlehem! We saw the Church of the Nativity, St Jerome’s grotto, and
several Shepherd’s Field sites. Under the Church of the Nativity is the cave
where Christ was born. Next door (literally) was the Church of St Katherine,
under which is found the grotto of St Jerome, where Jerome wrote the Latin
Vulgate. We spent some time looking around the shops in Manger Square. We all
bought Bethlehem baby blankets from one of the LDS members who lives in
Bethlehem. We ate lunch in a tent. We went to the field where the shepherds
heard the angels announce Christ’s birth. And then another field. And another.
My favorite part of all these “fields” is that it’s so typical of the Middle
East: if you like it, put a church on it. We ended the day at the “Mormon”
field, which is a big open area just outside Bethlehem. We sang a few songs,
shared testimonies, and had personal time.
On Tuesday, we
had classes and that afternoon took a field trip to see the Separation Wall.
Danny Sederman, an Israeli land attorney who deals with a lot of Palestinian
land issues, talked to us about the plight of the Palestinians who are
constantly losing land to the Israeli government. We also went to a section of
the Separation Wall built a few years back to separate the West Bank from
Israel. He was a well-spoken and well-informed man. I really appreciated what
he had to say. He talked a lot about the main issues I’ve always had with the
Israeli government, which is that they keep breaking their agreements and
building in the West Bank, making a lot of people really angry.
After class on
Wednesday, I went out to see some of the churches in Jerusalem I hadn’t been
to. We went to the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer first. They are right next
to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher because there’s no way any of the churches
there would let the heretical Protestants have an inch of the Holy Sepulcher.
But their church was really nice. We climbed the tower and got a really cool of
Jerusalem. Then we went down to the basement, where the Lutherans did some
extensive excavations. They found the Herodian city wall, which proves that the
traditional spot for the sepulcher was just outside the city wall. Then we went
to the Church of St James, but we weren’t allowed inside the church so we
walked around the courtyard for a few minutes. We then went to the Church of St
Mark, where Mark’s mother lived and the Last Supper was held. We ended with the
Holy Sepulcher, because some of our group hadn’t gone inside the Sepulcher yet
(there’s always a huge line to get in). I finally got pictures! My camera dies
every time I’ve gone to the Sepulcher and I’ve had to rely on others for
pictures. The best part is, it died when I went this time, too. But I was
prepared with extra batteries, so it didn’t defeat me!
Thursday was
spent going to class, donating blood, napping and doing homework. Friday,
Marissa, Kaitlyn and I joined some Franciscan monks as they followed Christ’s
journey as he carried the cross from Pilate to Golgotha, now from the Church of
Flagellation to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. They call it the Via Delarosa
Walk. The monks stopped at 14 different stations and read the scriptures that
described what happened at each spot. They spoke in Italian, English, and
Spanish into a microphone, so that everyone could have a chance to hear and
understand.
Saturday and Sunday
were Galilee prep days. Saturday, we had church as usual. On Sunday, I woke
early to Skype Matt, did laundry, procrastinated and then wrote two papers due
that night. It was a little hectic around the JC as the due date approached and
everyone seemed congregated in the library around midnight. But we all finished
in time.
Today we go to
Galilee! We’re spending 11 days up there, just seeing sights and hanging out on the
beach. Don’t be too jealous!
Love, Kelby
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