Easter Sunday

We woke up at the crack of dawn (4:45 am) to head down to the garden tomb for a sunrise service. We sat right in front on the steps and had a great view of the tomb. There were thousands of people from all six continents (nobody really lives on Antarctica...) all celebrating the resurrection of Christ. There was a worship band complete with electric guitars, drum sets, and back up singers. Though very different from our own church services, the Spirit was very strong. It was such a neat morning!

The rest of the day was just like another free day (we celebrated Easter more on the sabbath the day before). We wandered over to West J and played the carillon bells at the YMCA tower, did some shopping, and ate the best hummas EVER!! Then I had to head home and finish my homework. It was interrupted by hula lessons from Malia who goes to BYU-Hawaii (so much fun!!).

Though not a traditional Easter, definitely one to remember!

Zoo!

In Jerusalem, they don't have just any zoo, they have a biblical garden zoo. When I heard there was a zoo, I wasn't sold on going. Then for one reason or another, we didn't have anything else to do and it fell into place! The weekend before, Erika Larsen had fractured her ankle and at the last minute we got permission for her to take the wheelchair out of the center and come with us! I was so glad she could come! It was the perfect zoo day- not too hot, not too cold- sunny with a soft breeze. After running runninh running for a while, it was nice to slow down, relax, and enjoy Ourselves. There's something about zoos that beings out our inner child in everyone and brings back happy memories. We saw some beautiful animals in a gorgeous setting with a giant arc, rainbow flowers, and over priced but delicious magnum bars as well. Fun place, awesome animals, perfect weather, great friends: incredible day!

Palm Sunday

A week before Easter, we went up to A church on the outskirts of Jerusalem with thousands of other Christians to re-enact Christ's triumphal entry at the beginning of his last week. We walked down the mount of olives to the city gates with giant palm fronds. It was so neat to see so many people from all over the world singing Hosanna and praises to Christ. We were exhausted by the end if the day, but it was so neat!

Churches churches!

After Church one Saturday, we went to the mount of olives and saw some churches. We went to the Pater Noster, which means The Lord's Prayer in Latin and they had it written in so many different languages. It was really neat! We also walked over to Dominus Flevit which is supposedly where Christ overlooked Jerusalem and cried. The church built commemorating that site had a beautiful view of the old city. It was a little bit windy, but we had a wonderful day!

Tower of David Museum

One of our first weeks here in Jerusalem, our teachers gave us tickets to go to the Tower of David museum and Jen, Taylor, and I didn't make it till today. I typically enjoy museums, but I especially loved this one! For anyone planning a trip to Jerusalem, this is a must see and does a good job explaining the history of the city. Maybe I really liked it because the weather was perfect, or maybe it was te great company I was with... But whatever the cause, today was a great day topped off with a scoop of ice cream :)

Snorkeling in the Red Sea

This was a trip we had all been looking forward to for weeks now, and after waking up at the crack of dawn, driving on a bus for four hours, we made it to Eilat, the southern tip of Israel. From where we were, we were only a few miles away from Egypt, Jordan, and a country that begins with an S. We had fun snorkeling around and felt very accomplished when I finally got the hang of things and didn't panic underwater. We saw some beautiful fish very similar to those on finding nemo and other fish books, though not quite as colorful but still fun! We all enjoyed our time in the sun!

Getting to Galilee

This morning we left the Jerusalem center bright and early to head to the Galilee. This is the second morning in a row that I've been up by 4:45 and I'm so tired! However, I am so excited to be here :) Partnf the reason I woke up so early was to talk to my dear roommate Rachel who is leaving for the MTC in a few short days. While everyone else was half dead at breakfast I had a huge smile on my face because I got to talk to one of my best friends!

We went to some beautiful churches today, two of them built in the last hundred years (super modern as far as churches go). We also went to the spot where the Jordan river begins and leaves the Sea of Galilee. It was so beautiful there and actually looked like water! We had a lot of time to just sit and ponder and talk to our friends. With my new roommates in Galilee, we sat and did our scripture reading together. As we were reading about Christ walking on the Sea of Galilee, we looked out out window and saw it right there! It was so neat! I feel a different spirit on this trip and I'm excited to see what comes!

Just a disclaimer about photos: my cmera is not working, so I haven't been taking photos. Thankfully I have friends who will take pictures of me at these cool places, but I don't have access to them for a little while, so sorry for the lack of pictures!