Richard Parker in Galilee

Monday, November 25

We woke up super early to drive to Galilee today! On our way there we went to Bet Shean in the Jordan River Valley. We had fun there. Our friend Sean kept welcoming us to his house and he was pretty funny about it.

A lot of us went and saw Catching Fire last night so it’s at the front of our minds which was made evident when my religion class walked in to the amphitheater there and saw the other religion class down on the stage. Alex from my class kissed his three middle fingers on his left hand then held them up and a bunch of others joined in and then the majority of the other class returned the sign. It was an awesome moment. We feel like some top secret rebellion combination. It’s hilarious. We do the mockingjay call and hand sign all the time. At this site we had a lot of free time to just wander which was amazing. I went with Kirk, Nichel and Alex to find the ruins of the public toilets. That’s all I really wanted to see there. It was fun. We sat down on them and I wondered how many other naked butts had sat there too. Gross. But it was my favorite part.

CJ, Nichel, Kirk, me and Karren

Everything else was your typical ruin site: columns knocked over, rocks in a pile, partly ruined mosaics, more rocks in a pile, a few rocks that aren’t in a pile but once were, a amphitheater and more rocks. But really, I do enjoy these sites. We walked all around in a big group and then AJ and Alex and I ran to the top of the tel (manmade mountain of dirt) and stood by the random burnt tree on the edge that reminded us of the lightning tree in Catching Fire. Of course we did our Hunger Games routine and then sprinted back down the hill. We even followed this older lady around that reminded us of Mags. Such a fun time! Then we got on this mini train thing that was exactly like a ride at Disneyland that takes you to the other side of the park.

AJ, Jamie, Jordan and Alex

I could not believe how much fun we had on that dinky train. We were like little kids and giggling all over the place at how much fun we were having. It was the Jerusalem Disneyland ride and we loved every second of it! There was a massive McDonald’s nearby that looked so good. I think it’s all kosher here too which is a great time.

Then we drove on the bus over to Nazareth. We saw a few synagogues and churches here. We saw the church that worships the immaculate conception of Mary and the annunciation. There are murals of it from tons of different countries and it was fun to see all the different styles. It was a gorgeous Latin looking church.

We had an amazing lesson there about Mary. Mary is incredible. Before I came out here I was told in a blessing to study the life of Mary. I have learned so much about her and I think we all need to consider not only the incredible things that Christ did and that miracle, but also remember Mary and think about what she has done. Think about how she must have felt. She knew exactly what the repercussions would be and the way she would be treated, yet she CHOSE to do it when she said in Luke 1, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord.” She had so much trust in God. It’s incredible! Her experience is something that no other human being has ever gone or ever will go through. It’s incredible that her son Christ went through something that no other person has ever gone or ever will go through. Christ has his free agency as well to perform the atonement. He had the incredible example of his mother to help him. Mary is an amazing woman of God that I think needs a little more attention than we give her.

We also visited a synagogue here that claims to be where Christ stood up and testified that he was the Son of God and the people rejected him. Then we went back to the church about Mary and a bunch of us girls found a nice, shady spot and took a nap. It was so relaxing and needed. We got some ice cream on our way back, which I successfully smeared all over my sunglasses. Of course.

Then we drove to Mt. Arbel which is the beginning of the Rift Valley and looks out over Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee. It was an amazing and breathtaking site. The cliffs were huge and I dangled my feet off the edge as I looked at everything. We had another great lesson there and lots of time to sit and ponder. I need to do more of that. It was a beautiful mountain and the Sea of Galilee is gorgeous!

After that we drove to our little holiday resort kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee and ate dinner. After dinner there was a football game on that we watched and I hadn’t realized how much I missed football and fall. It was so nice and made me miss home, fall, tailgating, leaves and football. I guess I’ll come back and it’ll be winter…weird. It’s so hot here still. We skipped rocks on the beach after that and had a good time talking together.

Tuesday, November 26

We woke up and had such a good breakfast. The food here is incredible. It’s a nice break from the Oasis, although we get fed like kings and queens there. My favorite was this chocolate cake. It was so sugary and rich and I ate my entire body weight of that cake. Best part of waking up! Then my religion class went on a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee while the other class did classes at the kibbutz today. We’ll switch off tomorrow and they’ll do the field trip we did while we do classes. The Sea of Galilee was so calm and peaceful this morning so it was hard to imagine a raging tempest as we talked about Peter walking on the water and Christ calming the Sea. It was a great lesson and I have a lot of respect for Peter.

James and I

As we got to the other side of the sea, we pulled up next to these boats full of African pilgrims that were dancing and singing and having a fun time. I danced down the dock as we walked past and a few of the people danced with me. They were so funny! We went to a museum right there and saw an ancient boat that they dated back 2000 years ago to the time of Christ. It was a pretty cool boat.

 Then we went to the Mount of Beatitudes. It was soooo hot and I was dying of heat. The church was gorgeous and there were tons of flowers and palm trees around so it looked like Hawaii. It was beautiful.

We sat down in the shade and Brother Belnap was teaching us some good stuff but I couldn’t tell you anything about it because one of the Nigerian groups that was right next to us started screaming and dancing. We watched them for a little bit and learned that they were performing exorcisms. I’m not gunna lie, it was terrifying. The screams and everything was scary, but how often do you see that?! Then we went to Peter’s Primacy where Christ fed the multitude. There was a pretty beach there and then we went to Capernaum.

This boat made me want to go wakeboarding SO BAD!!!

I was having a hard time paying attention by this point because it was so hot. We went inside the church to see the ancient floors and there was a fan there that rotated so I just stood in front of it and rotated too. I thought I was brilliant til Jamison came up and pulled the knob thing so it stopped rotating and I could just stand still. Good thinking.

Capernum

We finally made it back to the Kibbutz just in enough time to throw on our swimsuits and go swim in the Sea of Galilee. It was pretty nice water and the sunset was gorgeous. I got thrown in by Sean and Nate. Then I played paddle ball with Brooke for a while before I came back and showered before dinner. After dinner everyone had class and I went to nursing class. It was a long night and when we got out I found some friends and we tried to sneak up on people and scare them. After that we just laid in the hammocks and talked until we went to bed.

Wednesday, November 27

Breakfast was a bummer, not gunna lie. Although they had the delicious granola, there was no chocolate cake. I didn’t know what to do. We had class after breakfast for two and a half hours and then I worked out with Nichel and sat by the beach to read until we had class right before lunch. It’s so nice to just sit by the Sea of Galilee and read scriptures or take a nap. I love it here! I am so blessed. We had class and lunch and then I went straight out to the beach again. I was skipping rocks with AJ and Alex and as I was walking along the shore I almost stepped on a huge crab! AJ picked him up and we put him in a hole on the sand. We ended up naming him Richard Parker and built him his own tidal pool. He’s the cutest little thing. Richard Parker is so full of life and scared me a lot when he’d get too close to the edge of his hole. We finished the little pool for him and put him in there and he was beyond happy! He ran all over the place and never tried to leave. We spent two hours making this home for him and then we stayed out for another two hours to watch him play in his new house. Everyone started coming down to the beach and they all wanted to meet Richard Parker. Well he had had a stressful afternoon and was exhausted and dropped multiple times so Alex and I started becoming the overly protective parents and asking people to give him his space. AJ was the absent father that moved to Mexico and only visited when we told him that Richard Parker wasn’t doing too well…he got dropped on a rock. But he bounced back and we saw him later that night after the sun went down running along the beach. We love him. Me, AJ and Alex are his parents and we all felt so much love for that little guy.

Sea of Galilee

As I was watching Richard Parker swim around, a horrific battle broke out. All the guys that were swimming were grabbing every girl and throwing them in the water no matter what. Girls went in the sea in skirts, sweatshirts, jeans, etc. It was a dog eat dog world and I was trying to sneak out when Nick found me. I had my swimsuit on because I’m always prepared. I even wore it to class so I could immediately sprint down to the beach. But I had a skirt and shirt on over my swim suit and honestly had no desire to get in. So I sprinted as fast as I could from Nick but he and AJ cornered me. AJ tackled me and then Ryan came and helped carry me to the sea where they dunked me, skirt and all. I wouldn’t go down alone so I dragged AJ in too. It was a hilarious time!!

I hurried and showered then went to the bar at our kibbutz to watch them light the Hanukah candles. Then they gave us doughnuts that were incredibly delicious. Then half of us went to a restaurant that serve fish from the Sea of Galilee that they call St. Peter’s fish. I was literally handed a plate with a whole fish on it and had to work my way through everything to get it out. But it was pretty good.

I split it and a pizza with Makena so that evened out all the fish taste. Alex and I pretended we were the royalty at this castle and had a fun time there. Then we drove over to Tiberius, across the Sea. We got ice cream and I had to ask some guy that spoke Hebrew to translate the ice cream wrappers so I knew what I was getting. We had some free time to wander around the city but I got distracted writing a pooem that I then read for everyone on the bus ride back. After that, Alex and AJ and I ate some ice cream while we watched X Men and then went to bed.

Thursday, November 28

Happy Real Thanksgiving!! I am grateful for the chocolate cake they had this morning. I missed it so much yesterday. We went on a field trip to Gamla and Beitsaida. Gamla was a forever long and humid hike up and down mountains and across a road (which I still don’t understand why we didn’t drive to that point and then start hiking instead of hiking and finding a road and hiking past it…oh well). This place had some catapults and the oldest synagogue ruins. It’s a city of about 9000 that lived on this massive hill and they were defeated and some fell off the side of the cliffs to their death. It had breathtaking views and was gorgeous despite the heat. On the way down the hill I started collecting skipping rocks and ended up taking the wrong trail because I was distracted and so far behind Michael and Nichel so I went down a random path and hiked so much further than I wanted to. But I did find good skipping rocks! This place reminded me so much of Lord of the Rings. All I could do while I hiked was sing the theme song and look for Orks. After the hike a bunch of us sat around and talked about the food we missed from America. I’ve got quite the list of food that I’m dying to eat when I get back!!

Then we went to Beitsaida which had a pretty cool gate. It looked like a pile of rocks to me, but Brother Belnap was fascinated by this gate so I just acted like I was too. He did give a good lesson about gates representing the process of bringing someone from stranger on the outside to now a friend and family member. We talked about hospitality an d how Christ is the keeper of the gate. It was a good lesson. I found a bunch of little leaves that looked like mini Hershey’s kisses. They were yellow so I convinced a few people to eat them by telling them they were mini lemon Hershey’s kisses. Whoops. We also found a small turtle at this spot and AJ and I named him Richard Parker 2 (Squirt for short). We put him in a water bottle and he is now in Karren’s sink with a bunch of water and leaves and some salad I stole from the restaurant. I think he’s happy. I’m not too sure what turtles eat…

When we came back we went to lunch and then decided to celebrate Thanksgiving in Galilee by CANOEING THE JORDAN RIVER!!! It was such a great time!!! I was in the canoe with Karren and we had massive splashing battles with Alex and Sean and had to help Emily and Ross when they flipped out of their canoes. We had so much fun! The river water itself was pretty gross and I hated thinking about what nasty stuff was being flicked on me and that I was sitting in, but the area around the river was gorgeous. It was straight out of a movie it was so pretty!! We did find another crab by the base of a tree we accidentally ran into. He was pretty big and white. I got him onto my oar after a lot of work, but then realized I didn't think that plan through all the way because canoeing with a crab in the boat didn't seem like a good idea but as I contemplated what to do with him he jumped off the oar to commit suicide and I never saw him again. But those few seconds together were enough for me to name him, and you'll never believe what I named him. Richard Parker 3. What a crab.
On our way back we snuck up on Nate and Ryan to try to splash them. Note to self: never do this again. They caught on really fast and Nate picked me up out of my canoe (against the rules) and put me in his and Ryan’s canoe!!! Karren just paddled around for a little by herself while I fought with all I was worth to tip their canoe (against the rules). It wasn’t working and I was losing stamina so when Beck y and Alyssa pulled up next to us in their canoe I immediately bailed ship and joined their canoe (against the rules). I then convinced them to help me tip the guys over (against the rules), seeing as they had kidnapped me from my original canoe and in the process of trying to flip them over…we flipped ourselves (against the rules). So now we had three girls swimming around this nasty water with a sinking canoe, two guys proudly paddling around in their perfectly floating canoe, one girl paddling in circles all by herself, and a partridge in a pear tree. It was impossible to get the boat on shore by ourselves and we couldn’t drain the water or do anything so the guys came and helped us and then we all got back in our original canoes after being water logged and made it to the end in safety. So much fun! I was already wet so I swam across the river to the rope swing and went off the highest spot and got so much water in my head I got a headache. But I did it so it was worth it! Then I was trying to help Ryan on to shore but I stepped on a branch that broke and ended up dropping him back into the water which was rather unfortunate because the shore line was covered in branches that jutted out so he got a nice stick slap across the back. I felt bad, but was it revenge for the kidnapping…the world may never know. They gave us some delicious tea after we got back and then we came back home to the kibbutz for dinner and to light another Hanukkah candle and doughnut. It was such a great day!!!

Turkey Day

Sunday, November 17

Today at clinical I was in the NICU at Makassed. I worked with an amazing nurse that taught me a lot and was so nice to me. She is so sweet! I loved talking to her. I was able to see a lot of how politics affects the families here. My nurse was such a sweetheart and gave me a ring because she said she has no guys in her life and isn’t married and asked if I was married and I told her no, so she gave me a ring and told me it was for our friendship and since we didn’t have any guys. After clinical I ran up to the Peds floor to see three of my favorite nurses from when we were at that hospital back in September. It was the best time ever!! They recognized me and jumped off the couch and gave me so many hugs and kisses. They kept telling me how much they had missed me and loved me. The housekeeper woman that I call my Palestinian grandma was so sweet. She speaks no English but she kept hugging and kissing me and telling me how much she loved me. It was fun to see them all again.

Then we got to go tour a Jewish hospital which was shockingly different than the Palestinian hospitals we’ve been doing clinical in. This hospital was so nice and huge! It was nicer than a lot of the hospitals I’ve seen in the USA. It was incredible but sad to see how different they were. We didn’t get back from clinical until 4 which was really a bummer because the sun sets at 4:30 ish and we have to be home at sunset. So I just stayed here in the Center and I ran into the Belnap children playing in the gym and since they were the only other people here besides all the nurses that I had spent all day with, I played with them. We played line tag and other various great games like that and only a few tears and fights broke out. But it was overall a great time. That night I read Catching Fire to prep for the movie and we watched a movie all together. I went to a concert here in the center and they let the audience choose which songs they played and it was a fun time.

Monday, November 18

Instead of an all-day field trip like we usually do on Mondays, we had classes today and then a blood drive. Once again…I’m too small to donate blood. I even ate a big lunch and tried weighing myself multiple times and it still didn’t work. It was the worst. So I played nurse and held peoples’ hands and talked to them while they got their blood drawn. I had a few almost pass out so I laid them down on the floor with their feet up. It was a great time. I loved it! Then I had competency for nursing which was quite the adventure. We had to use materials we have never seen before and had the Bachelor’s students act as our patients. It was really funny and there were a lot of curve balls since we were pretending for a lot of it and using supplies we had never seen before. It’s fun to see how creative you can get when you don’t have the normal equipment. It was honestly incredible! That afternoon I read some more and played games with people. That night we went to the Kotel Tunnel field trip. Problem was that I had spent the last week thinking we were going to the Hotel Tunnel field trip. For some reason, I had heard the pronunciation wrong and then I imagined us going to the rooftop of a hotel. As we waited in line to go down into the tunnel I asked everyone where the hotel was we were climbing to the top of. Boy was I wrong…The tunnel was actually all along the base of the Western Wall. We got to see some awesome sites and I loved it!

Karren and I at the Western Wall after the Hotel Kotel

Tuesday, November 19

We had a field trip this morning to the Jewish quarter. We walked around the Archaeological Park near the Western Wall. It was cool to see how huge the wall was, especially seeing the base of it under the ground last night and to think of Christ on the edge and being tempted to jump off.

We saw the gate and stood on some stones that were there when Christ was here. Neil Armstrong stood there and said he'd rather stand there than on the moon. It was a cool place.

We went to a few ruin sites around the Jewish quarter that were burned and destroyed in the second temple destruction. Then we had the rest of the day off which was HEAVEN!!! We walked all the way to the other side of Jerusalem, outside the Old City, to the German Colony.

We walked by Schindler’s grave and walked for MILES to the Waffle Factory. It was sooo delicious! I had an Oreo waffle and it was so delicious. I will never regret that! Then Jenny, Julie, Kristin, Caralee, James and I walked around the German Colony and eventually walked the forever long miles back to the Old City where we found the room where they think the Last Supper might have happened and the Dormition Abbey where Mary is buried. It was a gorgeous church.

Possible place of the Last Supper

Dormition Abbey

This place had a good view of the Wall

We walked so far though. My legs were burning. We came back through the Old City and talked with Shaban and a few others on our way home. We definitely got a cab on the way back from the Old City because we had just walked halfway across the country. We came home and I just did homework and read Catching Fire and had YW. For Young Women’s we had some of the other nursing students come in and teach CPR. It was so fun and everyone loved it. It was combined with the young men too. They all had a great time.

Wednesday, November 20

Wednesday morning we had another field trip but this time to the Christian quarter. We saw a tour of a convent here and the first Christian church in Jerusalem. The convent guy only spoke Spanish so it was fun to practice.We went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher after that and saw the center of the Earth.

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Navel of the Earth

We didn’t walk very far but they told us so much information that I was exhausted. After the field trip we could either go back in the vans or stay out in the city. I was with Jenny and Julie and we decided to go back, but we were waiting for the van forever so we decided to sprint to the Jewish Bakery and hopefully make it back in time to catch a ride with the vans. We made it to the Bakery and successfully got the delicious chocolate cookies and then sprinted back, but we missed the van. It was so sad! We had to walk back and we ended up having a fun time walking back because we ran into Raghad and got a sucker. When we got home I worked on a bunch of homework. After dinner we had a Forum by a big important security guy here in Israel but I couldn’t focus. I’m not sure what he said at all and I knew I was getting nothing out of it so I decided to write a thank you note for each person. It was really fun to reflect on what I’d learned from everyone. Then I grabbed my Holiday Buddy Nichel and we made little notes for everyone. We are celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday because we’ll be gone next Thursday when it’s really Thanksgiving. So we spent all night making those notes and then went to bed.

Thursday, November 21

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I woke up early to play the role of Thanksgiving fairy and taped the notes to everyone’s doors. It was the time of my life. One of my most favorite things. It was fun to hear everyone try and figure out who did it. Some gave me away really fast, but others had no idea. It was a great Thanksgiving! We had classes and I took a nursing test that covers everything I’ve ever learned in nursing. I didn't do very well on it at all and I was devastated!!! It was really a heart breaker and I had a rough time, but I ran into Nichel and Makena in the hallway and they brought me in to the kitchen to help them and the cooks get the food ready for Thanksgiving. We helped them chop a bunch of veggies and taught them to make cranberry sauce, which was really blueberry since that’s all we had, and we did pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. That was a HUGE delicacy and sooooo delicious! Definitely everyone’s favorite! They tasted like home and fall which couldn’t have been any better. It was very therapeutic and made me feel so much better after bombing that test. I was grateful for it and for the cooks for letting us come help. Alena and I had to warm up the butter and we figured putting it under our armpits and running around the kitchen was the best choice. It definitely was quite effective.  We had such a good time! Then to make my day even better, we did our own version of Jerusalem Turkey Bowl and we went to the really nice turf fields by the center and helped coach soccer to a ton of kids. It was the time of my life!!!! They were so excited to see us and loved playing with us. I was with Alex and we were helping coach the older team . It was only guys out there playing and they all flirted with me like crazy. The photographer made me stand there and take pictures with every single player, there were like 35 or so, and they wouldn’t leave me alone. We had fun playing with them and I even got a little kiss on the cheek! We had such a blast! We finished the practice with a scrimmage and they were all shocked I wanted to play with the guys. I can handle it! It was so fun! I loved it. Then we came back and got all dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner. The food was divine and I ate over my weight in those pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that I had missed so much and reminded me of home. President Tad R. Callister of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife came and sat by my table for dinner. Jamie and Jordan and a few others made a bunch of decorations so the place looked awesome. It was fun to sit with the Callister’s and talk with them. I ate Thanksgiving with President Callister. No big deal, just a daily occurrence here in Jerusalem! They are incredible people. Then they did a little devotional for us and it was wonderful. As soon as it finished I went out with a big group to the Old City for a few hours for the Renaissance festival they do. We saw some people sword fighting, guys on stilts, dancing and music. It was a blast and really fun to be out and see that. We just ran all over and saw as much as we could.

 We came back and I went to bed. Although that test was not the best thing ever, the rest of today was THE BEST DAY EVER!!! IT WAS SO FUN! I loved it!!!!

Friday, Sabbath and Sunday

We had class again this morning and then we had a service project. We made more of the humanitarian kits and I was folding/rolling towels again. It’s probably our fourth or so time doing this so we have it down to a science. We were going so fast! After that I did homework and read Hunger Games and watched Lord of the Rings, extended edition number one and two. That was really relaxing and I played some games or would go do something else every now and then just to get up and move. But it was really fun to not do much.

Sabbath was a rough day where I woke up in a ton of pain and didn’t leave my bed for most of the day. My roommate Heidi took good car eof me and smuggled me out some food and we had breakfast in bed since I didn’t feel good enough to go up. I laid in bed until I had to go up for a devotional President Callister was putting on for the youth. It was an awesome meeting and fun to see our 8 YM and YW there together with a handful of youth from surrounding areas. Then we had District Conference which was amazing, but I probably didn’t have the best experience I could have. I spent the first half trying to help a member next to me that spoke Arabic and little English to work her translator. She couldn’t hear the translator and after trying to solve this problem for several minutes I realized we didn’t have a translator helping. So I ran all over til we got the issue fixed. The second half of the conference I was in a lot of pain and not feeling well so I had a hard time focusing. But I know it was an incredible meeting. The Young Women’s President, Sister Baltz had made me pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for helping with YW and those things are a bit of heaven and home. I love them! She and her girls are so sweet. Her girls waved me down and gave me hugs and life savers. They are so precious and adorable. After church I laid in bed for another four or so hours til dinner and finished Catching Fire and some other reading. After dinner we had a Q&A with President Callister that was incredible. It was wonderful to learn from him. I played games and watched part of Star Trek after that.

Sunday I had my final day of clinical which consisted of me standing by the nurses station and the nurses joking about me and trying to marry me off to the one single male nurse there so that I could stay in Jerusalem . Guess I’m not coming back, sorry parents…Then we took Thank You notes around to the different hospitals we had been to and it was a good time to say goodbye to Azizah, Ateyat and my Palestinian Grandma. I will miss those women and will keep in touch on Facebook and some I won’t see til the next life, but they have touched my heart and changed me and I will love them forever. After clinical I walked to West Jerusalem with Ryan, Nick, Jordan, Kristin and Rachel. We ate lunch on Benyahana street. Jordan and I had hotdogs that tasted like America and had spicy mustard on top that sealed the deal. Then we went to the Jewish Bakery and I am proud to admit that I actually cried over how delicious my molten chocolate cake was. We went because Nick said it was worth it to see how happy the chocolate cookies made me. Upon arriving, I learned they didn’t have those cookies and was extremely disappointed. Then I decided to splurge and buy the cake. When they gave it to me all warm I shook with excitement and let out a few squeals. Then I dug my spoon in and before it got to my mouth I had tears, not just welled up in my eyes, but streaming down my cheeks from joy. I couldn’t keep my happiness in me. It was too much! I loved that cake. I cried so much. What a moment! Then we took a taxi to the opposite side of West Jerusalem and saw Catching Fire. Mind Blown. That movie is INCREDIBLE! It was so good. I just finished the book which was perfect timing. I hate reading too far ahead of the movie because then I get anxious and impatient. It was such a good movie! I wanted to go back and see it again once it ended. We ate some dinner out in the city and then came back to the Center where I played ping pong and did laundry to get ready for our ten day trip to Galilee tomorrow!

I love this place that I call home

Gratitude Trees and Snowflakes

Friday, November 8

We had New Testament class this morning and then I had to take a bunch of nursing prep tests for a big one we have coming up. After that we had another Humanitarian project. We made a toiletries package again and Nichel and I were the towel rollers, our favorite job! We have completely perfected the art and I’m contemplating quitting my nursing career (especially after how bad those tests went…) and I might go fold towels somewhere. I’m sure they are in high demand. It was a fun project. They do them in the garage and we turn on the music and it’s fun to dance and work all together. After that I hung around the center for a little bit just doing random stuff because I thought we were going to synagogue that night. Ends up, we didn’t go so I was a little upset because I hadn’t done anything all afternoon so I went out with Sean, Kristen and Jonathan. We didn’t have much time before sunset when we had to be back so we walked over to Princess Basma Hospital so I could show them the murals BYU Jerusalem Center students had painted. It was closed since all the patient’s go home on the weekend, but the security guard saw us and we talked to him a little and he let us in. It was fun to be back there and everyone loved the gorgeous murals. We stopped by a fruit stand and a flower shop on our way back which was quite enjoyable. I love flowers. They’re so pretty and smell wonderful. That night we played soccer and watched some movies in the Center. It was a great day!

Sabbath, November 9

I got to teach young women today and we talked about the value of work. These girls are incredible. It’s fun to watch them and how they interact. When I first got put in I wondered how they’d get along and now they are best friends. They are such beautiful and wonderful women! I love them! Church was fun; I love having families in the ward because it makes me feel more at home. After church everyone went out but Nichel, Makena and I decided to stay in and we sat outside on the lawn and painted. We made a Gratitude Tree to hang up at the Center. We cut out branches and leaves and everything is all hand painted. I don’t want to brag….but it looks incredible! We hung it up but had to move it down to a bulletin board because of the potential for sticky residue on the walls. Makes sense. Everyone loved the tree and we even wrote a little poem to go with it so people know to write what they’re grateful for on a leaf and hang it up. I love that tree! It is probably my second favorite thing about the Center right now. (I’ll tell you about the first in a minute!) After dinner we watched Christmas with the Kranks and Nichel and I did a snowflake cutting out class, since we both are skilled in the elf arts, and with our little group we made a TON of snowflakes. They are so beautiful. I honestly can’t think of anything more beautiful. It was soooo much fun! Those snowflakes are home. I love them. We watched the CES devotional and it was very good. I learned a lot and knitted the entire time. They call me grandma, for good reason I guess. I had a very crafty/grandma-y type of day: knitting, painting, snowflake making. One of those days I guess! I love every second of it though!

Sunday, November 10

We went to clinical at Red Crescent again today and I was back on Labor and Delivery. I wish I had a cool story. We had zero patients all morning and an hour or two before we left we got three. We got to prepare some meds and put on a FHR monitor, but that was about it. Right before we left a pediatrician had us come to the nursery to watch how he assesses babies. None of our patients were dilated past a 3 and 6 so we decided to go. He ended up talking a lot longer than expected and when we came back, two of our patients had delivered. I was a little mad, not gunna lie. But we watched one mother hold her baby for the first time and it was a tender experience as we had heard her crying during the labor process to now be crying tears of joy. It was a neat thing to see, even though I was quite bitter.

After clinical I went out with Lauren and Reagan. We walked to the Jewish bakery and got some of those heavenly cookies. All of the nurses then met at Jimmy’s Olive Wood shop. He loves the nursing students and took us all out to dinner! It was the best. We ate at a Philadelphia restaurant which is apparently one of the best in Jerusalem and had pictures of Jimmy Carter and the Clinton’s eating there too. Jimmy was such a sweetheart to us and dinner was incredible. When we got back we watched The Grinch and then Nichel and I hung snowflakes up all around the Center. This is my FAVORITE thing about the Center right now. We had so many to hang up and we were going to do it on every floor but we went a little crazy and only decorated the main floor (6^th). We put them everywhere and it’s fun because the walls are white so unless you’re looking you don’t usually see them. I love spreading Christmas cheer. We got some in both the women and men’s bathrooms. Don’t ask us how… And we put some on the podium in the forum. We’re a little worried about what will happen, especially because of the whole sticky residue incident, but whatever happens, happens because this is completely worth it! They are so beautiful!

Monday, November 11

Happy Veteran’s Day! We went to Bethlehem today! It was one of my favorite field trips. We started out at Herod’s Palace which was high on a hill and we talked about Herod and I led my own tour guide of how this was the Easter Bunny’s palace and the Peeps were the servants. We walked through some crazy tunnels and it had a gorgeous view up there. He had a massive swimming pool which I ran around the ruins in with Tabby, Belnap’s three year old daughter. She and I found rocks and had a fun time.

The Swimming Pool

Then we came down the hills to Bethlehem. It was neat to contemplate the high “worldly” things we had just seen with Herod and then descend below down to Bethlehem where Christ was born. That stood out to me: how quietly as a lamb Christ entered this world. “No ear may hear his coming…”

In Bethelehem we went to the Church of the Nativity. This place was jam packed and so crowded. I honestly didn’t appreciate this place very much. We were in line for about an hour and a half and we had to go under the church to see where the “manger and birthplace of Christ” was. We waited forever and had to fight our way down in there and as soon as I got there they were starting a service so we had to sprint through so I didn’t even really see those places. But it’s not the place so much as what happened that mattered.

We ate lunch in this Shepherd’s Field Restaurant that was one giant tent. It was so delicious! The waiter gave us free Diet Coke’s which truly made my day. The food was good and we had fun sitting under our tent.

Then we went to a shepherd’s field and had some free time. The shepherd’s fields are rolling hills with rocks and weeds everywhere. There were random little rock caves and thorns all over the ground. I sat on a rock and looked out over the valley in front of me. There was a sheep herder down there leading his sheep through the hills. It was a neat experience. I watched the sunset and it was a beautiful moment full of peace. I felt the Spirit testify to me of the Savior’s birth. It’s amazing to be doing this at the same time as my labor and delivery clinical. I’ve seen mothers in tears from the pain and suffering, with their hands and every muscle of their body clenched tight, that then turn to tears of pure joy and happiness as they hold their precious baby in their arms. Mary was in a field similar to this one I was sitting in, with rocks, dirt, thorns and hills all around. I felt the Spirit very strongly as I contemplated Mary and all she had done. The Lord’s handmaiden. I pray to be like her. As the sun set, there was one bright star over the fields. All things testify of Christ. I rejoice in his birth and humble beginning to come here and save me.

As we sat by ourselves and thought about these things, some people threw firework flaming bomb things over to the Israeli side of the state. We were across the valley from this happening, but we watched part of the hill burn down and then the border control people come. It was honestly very distracting, but an interesting thing to see.

After the sunset, we all got back together and sang Christmas carols til we were too cold to sing anymore. The Spirit was so strong and Tabby came and sat by me while we sang. I learned so much while I was here and the main thing was how important my family is. I love them so much and I do miss them, although I wouldn’t be anywhere but here right now. I can’t wait to see them at Christmas. Nothing is more important in this life than family. I never want to take them for granted and I hope we all recognize how important our family is to us.

We came back and had FHE which was fun. We picked out a picture and then had to tell the story behind it. I love all these people here. We always have so much fun. Then I played some soccer and did homework and watched Home Alone and went to bed.

Tuesday-Friday

Happy Birthday to my wonderful momma! We had class this morning and then I spent the afternoon doing homework and playing soccer. We got to go to a school today to help teach English. It was one of my favorite things we have done here! I went with a small group and we played games with the kids for awhile. Those kids are OUT OF CONTROL. The boys were constantly moving and jumping on each other and fighting each other. The girls were pretty timid and scared of us while the boys just tried to beat up everyone. They know a little bit of English so we played Duck, Duck, Goose and Do as I'm Doing. We did Head Shoulders Knees and Toes too. It was super fun!Then we decided to do Red Light, Green Light and I was the person yelling red light and green light. This game was an utter fail. I stood across the field from the group and then yelled green light and immediately yelled red light but NO ONE STOPPED! They all just sprinted at me full blast and tackled me! Literally jumped on me and tackled me. Those kids were out of control! It was a fun game but I got dominated. I don't think they got the point. Needless to say, it was terrifying. But the kids were a blast. Then we went to classrooms and tried to teach English without a lesson plan or any idea of what they've been learning. I hope we taught them something...

This little guy was my favorite!

Sheri and I trying to teach...

Our Class

Wednesday we had New Testament and then we did practice nursing in our Nursing class. It’ was fun because we had to pretend almost everything as we assessed our “pregnant” patient (it was one of us with a pillow under our shirts…) After lunch and a few rounds of foosball with Nick, we went on a field trip to the Separation Wall between Israel and the occupied territories. It was an interesting experience. We were led by an Israeli guide and it was heart wrenching to think of the families separated by the wall.

 I came back and got some homework done then went to dinner and a forum address by a Palestinian important figure. It was a cool contrast throughout the day. I learned a lot and it was interesting to get both perspectives.

Thursday I had class then we went to clinical. I was in a really bad mood that day and didn’t want to be there because e of all the other things I needed to get done. Thankfully, the Lord took over and changed my heart. I got to watch a c-section, which I was undeserving of at the beginning of the day, but as I was there I had a change of heart as I talked with Angela. We talked about this precious little boy we watched be born. It was a beautiful time and I am so grateful for it. As I came out of the surgery, I got pulled in by a nurse to watch a circumcision. That was another awesome experience. I held the poor baby’s hand as it happened and tried to comfort him. After it was over I held him and he was definitely hungry so the nurse got me a bottle and I fed him and rocked him to sleep. It was one of my most favorite days at clinical and I felt so much love for these children of God. It was a wonderful day that I didn’t feel I deserved. We got done right before lunch ended and today was pizza day so I sprinted all the way up the hill and up eight flights of stairs and got to the Oasis as they closed the doors. Luckily, the Nickel’s let me in and I ate so much delicious pizza. It was a great time! Then my day got even better because I went and did the Rampart’s Walk where you walk on top of the wall around the Old City. I went with Alex, Jordan and Kolby. It was so fun!! Those guys are a blast and we had a really fun time. We sprinted and climbed all over and saw some gorgeous sites. I love those guys, they’re so great!

Jordan, Alex and Kolby

This is my home

Temple Mount

 We got back and I did some homework before dinner. Right after dinner was the Informal Talent Show. This was one of my most favorite days in Jerusalem. Everyone at the Center is so fun and talented. It was a blast to see everyone’s personalities shine through and we are all so comfortable with each other now and best friends so it was even greater. We had everything! Some people from the ward came too. I dressed up as a sexy hipster librarian and read some pooetry I had written about Jerusalem. It was a hit! Jack Belnap did Lord of the Rings in 90 seconds, we had groups singing and dancing, others playing the piano and other instruments. It was such a fun time! I love everyone here at the Center! They’ve all become my best friends and I look up to them so much.

Friday we had class and I took a forever long and hard nursing test. Then we had another service activity and the cooks brought up snacks which was so sweet of them. Then I went to synagogue which was an interesting experience. There was lots of swaying and rocking and they sang the whole time. Everyone was very nice and I liked it, although I think I’ll stick to my church. After dinner I finished my paper and then we did Israeli dancing. The first half was fun and we danced in a big circle. I was next to the instructor’s son and the instructor came up to me and asked me to watch over his son. We danced and had a great time. His son was about 10 and so cute! Then we did a couples dance and I was with Ryan and it was the most fun I’ve ever had dancing! It consisted of us jumping up and down and running through lines of people. I was so exhausted by the time the song was over. We went all out. He even hit me in the head by accident! It was so fun! I loved it so much. After dancing we watched Christmas Vacation then listened to Christmas music. I’m so ready for Christmas. I can't wait to be home for Christmas and watch every Christmas movie cuddled up with the pets and my parents by the fireplace with Pepsi and popcorn and hot chocolate and wassail with snow falling outside through the windows and a Christmas puzzle out. I love our Christmas traditions!

Sabbath, November 16

I didn't sleep much because I finally got to Facetime Tiff and her kids. But I woke up and went to choir. Today was the primary program. I have never had a better Sunday. The primary kids here are so sweet. Tabby kept fighting for the microphone with Hayden at the end. The sunbeams sang Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam and they were adorable! It was such a sweet time! After church I took a nap outside and read. Then we went to Raghad’s house. She’s a young woman that lives across the street. She’s not LDS, but she always has the students from the Center over. A lot of her family came over and they were all very nice to us. They gave us cake and cookies and juice. I am still so impressed by how hospitable everyone is. They’re so nice to us! Then it was dinner and we had ice cream and no bake cookies for dessert. Well, “no bake cookies” Jerusalem style. They were delicious though! Then I played guitar with Nick and AJ, went to choir practice, played some games, ate some pita, and watched Christmas shoes.