- The Pools of Bethesda and Church of Saint Anne- Sundays are our free days, so last sunday (May 1st-Happy Birthday Ty!) we were all really excited and so everyone went and visited a bunch of sites in the Old City. One of the coolest things my group did was visit the Pool of Bethesda. This is the same Pool of Bethesda of New Testament fame, just with less water. You have to walk behind the Catholic church that is built on the site and there's a Byzantine wall with arches and then there are some stairs you can walk down to see the now underground pool. You have to pay to get in, but we had heard that if you told the ticket guys you wanted to sing in the church they would just let you in for free. There were a few people already in the church praying and we walked in and the "Father" came up to us and told us that God was waiting for us to start. So we went up to the front and pulled out our iphones and started singing the Hymns that sounded the least Restoration-y to us. Honestly, it felt sort of silly at first because there were only like five of us and we are all American Mormon 20-something year olds singing in this ancient church full of very devout Catholics and other pilgrims. We sang two or three songs (we didn't know how to stop) and then we sang "Lead Kindly Light" and the priest came over and started singing with us. After the song was over he asked us if we knew who the song was by (we didn't, but it was at the bottom of the page in the hymnal) and then he gave us a short history lesson on John Henry Newman and how important he was. The ability we have as LDS students here to unite with all the different religions in Jerusalem is amazing. My heart has been opened in these last two weeks to the important religious figures and views of other Faiths. Devout worship of God is beautiful in Judaism, Islam, and the different sects of Christianity. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have and the restored gospel, but I have also gained a very sincere gratitude for the beliefs that are held sacred to all faiths here in the Holy Land.
- Merchants and shopkeepers: Just plain old talking to people is so much fun. Let me just say, the LDS Church has a definite presence in the Holy Land. Oh we never speak of our beliefs, we never invite anybody to go to church or hand out copies of the Book of Mormon, but all of the locals know exactly who we are. This is incredible to me. A couple days ago I went with two other students to the Armenian quarter of the city and we found this tiny hidden pottery shop and as soon as we entered the shopkeeper welcomed us and asked how our first couple of weeks had been. In an antique store a few days earlier a man told us about how Elder Holland had bought a painting from him once. I bought a pair of earrings for seven shekels from a palestinian street merchant who told me about how Mormons are friends. I realize that a lot of this is just marketing, I am sure we probably boost the tourist industry quite a bit. But I have to say, I think less people were able to identify me as a Mormon during the year and a half I wore a nametag. People here know who "the Mormons" are from a mile away.
- Western Wall: Wow. Friday night, the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, we visited the ancient retaining temple wall of King Herod's time. Jews from all over the world come here to be as close to the sacred temple grounds as possible and pray to God. It is split into two sides, for women and men. Close to the wall the atmosphere was very reverent. I stood next to women young and old crying and praising God. Farther back however it was like a festival. Mostly young women, dancing and singing in a circle. We stood back watching and some teenagers pulled us in, grabbed our hands and started swinging us around to the music. We had no idea what they were saying, but it was fun to rejoice with them.
- Sacrament meeting: Saturday is Sabbath. The first Saturday I was too tired and jetlagged to really grasp what was happening, but I hope I never forget what I learned this past Saturday. It was fast Sabbath and one of the other students got up and expressed what I couldn't quite figure out by myself. He was helping to pass the sacrament and he paused to look out at the city and expected to feel or see something incredible but nothing happened. And then he realized that the most sacred thing was happening right in that room. In the whole city of Jerusalem on that Sabbath morning I was one of a very few able to renew the covenants I had made with Heavenly Father. Sitting right on the Mount of Olives, in eyesight of where Jesus Christ first instituted the Sacrament. However being there made me realize how unimportant location is in comparison to the actual ordinance of the Sacrament. Such a sacred opportunity we all have all over the world every single week. How often do we appreciate this?
Well, a lot more has happened and I just don't have the time to talk about everything. I will try to write more often now and post more pictures. I love you all!
Hannah
(I stole this picture from the internet)
