Jordan

We crossed the border from Israel to Jordan at the Jordan River which is 1300ft below sea level. I don't know why, but I was expecting it to feel different to be below sea level. I was sort of wrong and sort of right. It didn't 'feel' different with pressure or anything, but the weather is warmer. It has actually been pretty chilly in Jerusalem, but near the Jordan River the weather is warm. We noticed the temperature difference again because the first place we went after crossing was Mt Nebo. The elevation of Mt. Nebo is 2680ft so in a little over a half hour we gained nearly 4000ft in elevation. The temperature on top of Mt. Nebo was chilly just like Jerusalem. We actually saw snow in Jordan that fell a few days earlier. The significance of Mt. Nebo is found in Deut. 34. This is where Moses went to see the Promised Land before he died as the Bible account tells us (or translated as we learn through modern revelation). I understand why the Lord told Moses to go to Mt. Nebo. It is quite a fantastic view of the Jordanian River valley.

Petra was the next big stop. Petra was the capitol of the Nabatean nation. Petra is best known for the carvings that they made out of the sand stone gorges and mountains. The purpose of most of the carvings was to serve as tombs (much like the Egyptians and the Pyramids). The two most impressive sites are the treasury and monastery both of which are massive and about 2500 years old. It is amazing how intricate the structures are and how well preserved they still are despite being exposed to the elements. Everybody got to see the treasury, but then because of time constraints we had to decide between seeing the monastery or the high place of sacrifice (basically an altar carved out of stone on top of a mountain). Two other students and I decided that we didn't want to miss out on either so we decided to see both sites. In order to do that Davis, Kyler, and I basically jogged up and down the mountains so we made it to both major sites in the time that were given. We figured we're probably only going to be here once in our lives so why not sweat a little and make it worthwhile. We were the only three students to see everything at Petra. I'm glad we did because it was way worth it. I also rode a camel for the first time.

We had some free time our last night in Jordan so I went out with a group of students to Al-Rainbow St. I don't know why they have a street named that, and it doesn't imply anything that you might be thinking. It was basically a tourist street with a bunch of shops. We got some ice cream and just walked around. The best part about the night was the taxi ride. After making sure they weren't going to rip us off, we had a blast on the way there and back. Our driver had a bunch of American pop songs that we listened to on the way there. On the way back we had him play an Arab song which was sweet. He opened up the sun roof and we danced and clapped our hands all the way back.

There were two rivers that we visited that have important mention in the Bible. The first was the Jabbok. This is where Jacob was when he wrestled with an angel, had his name changed to Israel, and then saw the face of God (Gen 32). After that experience, Jacob named the place Peniel which means the face of God. We spent some time on the edge of the Jabbok river to contemplate the experience that Jacob had and also to consider the opportunity that all the faithful will have to one day see the face of God as well. Our last stop in Jordan before coming back to Israel was the spot along the Jordan River which is used to commemorate the Baptism of Jesus. That was a very spiritual experience to reflect upon my own baptismal commitments while standing along the bank of the Jordan river where Christ was baptized. Those two rivers were the spiritual highlights of the trip. The exact location along those rivers is not what is important, but what happened there is.

Music is Worship

Last night we went to the Western Wall to welcome in the Sabbath with the Jews. So the Western Wall is part of the original retaining wall of the Temple Mount which was added during King Herod's temple renovations. It is a very holy place for the Jews. During the week there are people there worshiping, but on Friday there are a lot of people because the Sabbath begins Friday night at Sunday. I was pretty excited for a number of reasons. One reason being that this is the only time all semester that we are allowed to be in the Old City past dark. Another reason was I got to wear the kipa (small Jewish head covering for men) that I bought last week. The best way for me to describe what it was like is to call it a Joyful Celebration. Most of the people had prayer books and were gathered together in small groups singing their prayers in unison. There were a lot of different prayers being sung at the same time. People were even dancing. The Jews celebrate the Sabbath and are excited to welcome it in and observe it. Sometimes I feel that people mourn the Sabbath because they look at the things that they can't do. The scene at the western wall was such a contrast to that view.

I walked away from the Western Wall sort of wishing that in the LDS faith we had memorized prayers that we sung just because I felt that it seemed like such a meaningful way to worship. This morning during choir practice the simple revelation came to me that the hymns we sing can be prayers to God if we make them. Most of the time when I sing in church all that I am doing is singing - simply saying words and changing the tone of my voice. It doesn't have to be like that. The hymns can be prayers sung out loud to God. Music can be Worship. That inspiration is one of the most meaningful lessons I have learned so far this semester. I'm glad I discovered that today because I was part of a quartet that sang Redeemer of Israel for a special musical number for sacrament meeting today. The song went really well.

After church today, all the students of the center went to the Garden Tomb. That was a very special experience. I liked the explanation that the sight staff gave to us. They told that the nearby hill might be Golgotha and the tomb might be the actually tomb where Christ was buried. That is not important though. We don't worship places. We worship God. The Garden Tomb is an excellent place to ponder the death and resurrection of Christ because it is so peaceful. Most of the city is really busy and loud like most cities, but the Garden Tomb is a nice refuge from the world. After being shown around the garden, we all sat together a sang a number of hymns. That was powerful. The last song we sang was "I Believe in Christ." It was such a wonderful place to bear testimony of and worship Christ through song.

My First "Free" Day

Every single Sunday is a free day for us. That is going to take a little getting use to. It felt like Monday all day today, but it was actually Sunday. This is the one day a week when we don't have any classes, field trips, or other activities planned. That means we can either stay in the Center or go out into the city. Obviously most students spend the day in the city visiting different sites. I went with a group of students to the Israeli Museum which is across town. It was a good walk, and we got lost a few times along the way. That is a good way to learn a new place. One time when we were unsure about our location (in other words - lost), we found ourselves in front of one of the US Consulates. While the students I was with were checking the map, one of the security guards from the Consulate crossed the street and approached me. The guard asked if I had taken a picture of the Consulate and told me that I wasn’t allowed to do so. I hadn’t even thought about it, but I was just holding my camera in my hand. I told him I hadn’t, but he wanted me to show him my photos just to make sure. I did so and then he let us go. Interesting experience for sure.

Despite the delays we made it to the Israeli Museum. There are many exhibits at this museum, but the main attraction to me was the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls were an amazing discovery. Some shepherds in the 1940s just stumbled across a few scrolls in a cave that were actually in really good condition because of the containers they were in. These scrolls contained at least one version of the all the books in the Old Testament except for two. In the museum they have a few of these scrolls on display. It was amazing to be just a few inches away from something so ancient and significant.

Every Sunday night the Jerusalem sponsors an art exhibit and concert for the community. The students can only attend on a standby basis. Luckily enough I was able to get in. This concert was special because this semester marks the 25th anniversary of the Jerusalem Center. That implies as well that it is the 25 year mark for the amazing organ that is in the auditorium. To commemorate this mark, Richard Elliott came to perform an organ concert. Richard Elliott is the principal organist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was pretty amazing. A good organist can make some excellent music on a quality organ. Richard Elliott also played the organ for church yesterday. It felt like we were at General Conference.

"This is really Jerusalem"

I have known that I was coming to the Holy Land for a couple of months now, but even with knowing that it has taken me a while to actually realize that I am in Jerusalem. There were three moments within the first twenty four hours that were really cool moments of realization. The first occurred when we arrived at the Jerusalem Center. They just had us leave our bags in the lobby before heading into the auditorium. They had a couple of people speak and give introductions. The director said to us, "This is really Jerusalem. This is real thing." It sounds really simple, but it made what I was experiencing turn from a dream into reality. Soon afterwards the curtains opened to a magnificent view of the sun setting on Jerusalem. It was stunning. The Jerusalem Center is on Mt Scopus which faces the Old City, and the entire auditorium is essentially a floor to ceiling window. Those two things make for quite the view. We have sacrament meeting in this same room which makes it difficult to look at the speaker. It is just so much more interesting to just listen to the speaker and look at the entire city.

The second "aha" moment came later that day when I was moving my luggage into my room. That is when one of the Muslim prayer calls sounded. Several times a day prayer calls in Arabic are sounded from all of the mosques in Jerusalem. I really like the prayer calls actually. They sound really cool. As soon as I heard that I thought, "This is a different world. I'm definitely not in Provo." Every morning a prayer call is heard at a little before 5am. That woke me up for the first two mornings, but luckily I slept through it today.

The next morning I was reading 1 Nephi 4. Nephi tells his brothers, "Let us go up again unto Jerusalem." I thought for a second and made the simple connection that Jerusalem is no longer "over there" anymore, it is right "here."

I have had many such moments since then, but those my first three and most memorable to me.

I've only been here for a couple of days, but I have already been able to see many sites such as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Orson Hyde Memorial Park, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Garden Tomb. I haven’t spent very much time at any of them, but we will be going back as a group later so I’ll write more about those sites.

By the way, Merry Orthodox Christmas. Apparently today is the day that the orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas. Sort of interesting to know.