Return from Turkey

We had a very full week in Turkey. We arrived back at the center this morning at 2 am. Turkey is such an absolutely wonderful trip. The country is gorgeous! I love the Pauline and Johannine sites and I love visiting the gorgeous mosques. It was particularly sad to leave because I was saying goodbye to our two guides, Necip and Jasemine.

Necip is leaving to be with his family in Scandanavia, so he won’t be our guide any more. Jasemine is getting married next month, but she’ll continue working with our students. So to mourn Necip’s departure and to celebrate Jasmine's wedding we all gathered together at the remain’s of Constantine’s palace in Nicea to give them both a gift. It was a really nice moment on the trip.

So, what was different on this trip compared to the other two trips? The “old girls” decided to dress up at Troy and have our photo taken!

 The photographer got a little upset that our friends were taking photos of us, even though we were all committed to buy a photo from her. One of the students took this photo. We were staged sitting on a throne and standing in a chariot with swords and bows and arrows, but the lighting wasn't very good for most of those. The one we bought has the Trojan horse in the background. It’s not often that I play dress up!!!!!

Also, at Ephesus I went to see the residential houses. There’s an extra fee for this and I had not done it before. We didn't have much time, but I raced over there and I didn't have time to fully take everything in, but it was MAGNIFICENT!

This is just one example of the tiled floors and fresco-ed walls. There were the terrace house of ancient Ephesus’s wealthy. Although I doubt that Paul lived in any of these during his 3 year stay, it is clear in Acts that he had friends among the well-to-do there, so he may have gone over there for Sunday dinner some time! I really enjoyed that. Maybe one day I’ll be able to go back and have more time to really enjoy it.

Today is the celebration of Shavuot or Pentecost. It is one of the three biblically-mandated pilgrim festivals where Israelites were directed to go to the temple. It is celebrated 50 days after Passover. It is an early harvest celebration (the time of the wheat harvest). Rabbis say that it celebrates the time when Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai. It is an important festival for Christians, particularly in Acts 2 where the Holy Ghost is poured out upon the people. Today Jews celebrate it by reading from the Torah and the book of Ruth (which is a harvest-gathering story); celebrating nature in the National Parks, and it is a day for eating dairy products, especially cheese cake. So Ron and I went out and bought little bite-size cheese cakes to share with the students tonight! Half are flavored with passion fruit!!! (I love passion fruit)

and the other half with blueberries. Sabina is enjoying a passion fruit one in this picture. So it was a fun day.

Tomorrow we’re off to Jericho for our field trip. The temperature is supposed to hit 100 degrees!

Back to Istanbul for the last time

Well, I’m back in Istanbul! It’s kind of strange to think that this is my last time! Everything from now on is a “last time”! Sorry that I didn’t write last week. I just ran out of time. I’m not going to send too many photos this week because the wifi in the hotel isn’t very good. I’m trying to write this email now because the students are out on the the town, so it might work a little better :o)

I think that the highlight of teaching for last week was discussing the Tabernacle and its function, especially in relation to the concept of holiness. We had completed out field trip to Arad and seen the temple there, so it was a good visual as we discussed the architecture of the Tabernacle with the distinction between the profane space of the world and the demarcation as one left behind the world to enter into increasing levels of sacred space. We had discussed Exodus 3 where Moses entered into God’s presence on Mount Sinai when he saw the burning bush. There Moses is told to take off his shoes because it was “holy ground.” The Hebrew word for holy here is qodesh = ground that is not inherently holy, but it has been declared holy by god. The we looked at Exodus 19 where Moses is again at Mount Sinai. This time he has left the children of Israel camped at the  base and again climbed the holy mountain. Again God appears to him and declares his hope for the children of Israel: “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” This time the word “holy” is slightly different; it is qadosh, rather than qodesh. Qadosh is that word that is ALWAYS used to describe God. God is qadosh because he makes others holy. It is a dynamic quality. So in Exodus 19, God’s hope is that Israel will become qadosh, like he is qadosh. It’s not enough that we are declared holy (qodesh); we must use that holiness to help others become holy. So we discussed what it means for us to become qadosh, what that would look like in our personal transformations, and how temple experiences can promote that type of transformation. Understanding this process changes the way that I understand my temple experience. Anyway, this was a great discussion with the students.

On our faculty development trip this week we went to Gibeah and the Israel Museum. Gibeah was the ancient capital for Saul. We don’t take the students there. Instead we go to Nabi Samwell and look at Gibeah on the horizon. So it was fun to actually go. The site today has the remains of King Hussein’s (of Jordan) palace that he began before the 1967 Six Day War. All that was done was to lay the cement foundation of the two story building. With the war, it was never finished. 

                            Me standing among the wild flowers with the remains of the palace in the background.

Me standing on the remains of a wall that was built on the top of the wall that dates back to the time of Saul and may have been the wall of his palace! Before King Hussain started the work on his palace he had the place excavated and they found these walls. Then the filled everything back in and this stone is one of the ones that still remains above ground!

We also went to the Israel Museum. I hadn’t been there on this trip, although I’ve wanted to go ever since I arrived. We spent a wonderful couple of hours seeing original artifacts of things that I talk about all of the time in class.

This is the heel bone (calcaneum) of the only crucified person that we have archaeological remains. You can see that the nail of crucifixion is still in the calcaneum! On the left is the head of the nail. On the right you can see that the point of the nail is bent. We think that it hit a knot of wood and bent and so it couldn’t be removed when they took down the crucified individual! This is an AMAZING archaeological find. 

This week my boss and friend Camille Olsen came to Jerusalem leading a tour. Part of her touring group were the parents of one of our students from last semester, so it was great to meet them. It was also wonderful to see Camille again. This is a picture of  me, Camille, and Tina.

New students this week

Well, the new students are here and I’m in the awkward, “I don’t really know you guys yet” stage. We’ve had one class where we talked about Abraham and Sarah. We talked about a lot of things: 

1. God saying,  "For I know him [i.,e, Abraham], that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD” (Genesis 18:19). How does Abraham get to the point where God can say that about him? I would hope that God will one day be able to say that about me! In Hebrew the word for “know” is yada, which has a covenantal aspect, so at least in part God comes to “know” us as we make and keep the covenants with him.
2. We talked about what it must have been like for Abraham and Sarah to be told that they would have a child in their old age. Abraham laughs, Sarah laughs (same Heb word in both cases) and they call their son Isaac = “he laughs”! What is it like to have promises from God that seem to be sooooo impossible. My patriarchal blessing says that the time will surely come when a righteous priesthood holder will desire to take me to the temple. When I was 17 and received my blessing, I took that promise for granted. At 52, I can understand a little Abraham and Sarah’s feelings. There are times in my life where I have struggled with that promise. But I had to come to a place where, like Abraham and Sarah, I have to put my faith in God and know that his promises are sure.
3. We talked about what it must have felt like for Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac to obediently respond to the command to sacrifice Isaac. The commandments of God, like his promises, don’t always make sense. The issue is: do I know that God lives and that he loves him? Do I have confidence that he ALWAYS has my best interest at the very center of his being. I don’t always know the “whys” but more and more my confidence in him is ever deepening. 

 Kylie, Haylie, Holly and David and I at the excavations of the Pool of Bethesda. This is where, John 5, Jesus heals the lame man. 

My last class photo with my New Testament class. We are on the roof of the “Upper Room”. In the background is the Dormition Abbey. A wonderful church where one tradition says that Mary was laid to rest.

My Yoyo. He’s getting old. He’s on his way to his new home with my friend Sandy Beales. She is a WONDERFUL friend!

The students leave and Sandy Autry arrives

It’s Sunday night. The students are gone. My friends are gone. And the center is boringly quiet!!!! 

It’s been a tough week. I’m not very good at good-byes. Nothing will be the same again. I won’t be the same again, and yet I’m glad, so glad, for the experience. It was so very hard to say good bye, especially to Lana. It’s been wonderful to have her here and share some of these wonderful experiences with her. 

The one bright part of this week has been having Sandy Autry and her sister and friends here. We spent time seeing some of the sites in the Old City. On Thursday we drove down to Qumran and Masada and then on Friday we drove up to the Galilee and spent two days there. I drove and we didn’t even get horribly lost. So I’m feeling much more comfortable with my driving—well at least on the direct, uncomplicated driving routes. The Galilee was, as usual, divine. The air was really clear so that we could see Mount Hermon clearly and for the first time, we were able to stand on the balcony of the Tiberias chapel and have a clear view of the sea and the Golan Heights! It hasn’t been that clear the other three times that I have been there

                                                                         Sandy and me on the balcony

                                  All the girls, including Sis Rasband on the right, outside of the Al-Aksa mosque

                                                                    My latest trip through Hezekiah’s tunnel. 

This time with Katrina, Sandy Autry, her sister Lori, and Tracy. I love going through this tunnel. I love even more our discussions at the Pool of Siloam at the end of the pool when we talk about Jesus’ miracle of the man born blind (John 9). That story never ceases to inspire me.

                            Phil, Andrew, Ben, Will, Mike, Joshua and me taken at the Garden of Gethsemane.

                           Saying goodbye to the students is always so difficult, but I have wonderful memories.

                                                          Coulette, Becca, Zee, Danielle, Kristen and Alyson.

I had taken Sandy and Lori there and the students had made an appointment to spend some quiet, reflective time in the Olive garden across the street. We met up and took some pictures.

After church on Saturday we went to Magdala. This is a gorgeous place, with a spectacular church. I love to use this spot to talk about the women in Jesus ministry. We particularly look at Luke 8:1–3 which begins Luke’s travel narrative with the Twelve and the women accompanying Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem. Although they don’t get a lot of airtime in the gospel accounts, it is clear that the women played a significant part in the Savior’s ministry. They were among his earliest disciples (Mary and Elizabeth) and they remained with him throughout his ministry, even to the very end. This picture represents some modern women, who like their ancient counterparts, are committed to be disciples of Jesus Christ!

This picture is with Thomas McCarlie. It is representative of our evening of goodbyes before the students got on the bus to leave. There are lots of last minute photos to help us to remember, and lots of tears—well at least on my part. When you spend three and a half months in very closed quarters with people you learn to love them dearly and it is hard for me to let go, but they have lives to get back to. Hopefully they will take the wonderful experiences that they have had here and go back to their lives equipped to help build up the kingdom. The privilege of coming to the Holy Land as part of this program is only available to a small minority of the people who would love to come. That means that the privilege of coming here come with a great responsibility. We must go home changed!

The experience of a lifetime happened this week!

This has been a pretty interesting week. We finished classes for the semester. We just have 2 days of field trip going to the places of Jesus’ last week. They are tomorrow and Tuesday.

Sandy Autry and her sister Lori arrived on Thursday night. We got to go to the Western Wall to welcome in the Sabbath with the students. They had a wonderful time and they definitely have “shiny eyes” that make them stand out in a crowd.

On the weekend we had District Conference. Elder Rasband (Senior President of Seventy) and Elder Price (Area Authority) came. We had a new District Presidency called. It’s David Whitchurch, who is the Academic Associate Director here at the center. His life was already busy. I guess it just got more so!

Our field trip last week took us down to the Dead Sea: Qumran, Masada, En Gedi, and swimming in the Dead Sea—not that I went swimming. We had the clearest conditions—the best I had ever experienced.

This Picture shows the Dead Sea out of the bus. You can see all of the way to Jordan! It was gorgeous! The Dead Sea at 1300 feet below sea level is usually hot, so it was nice for the girls to cool their feet in a pool at En Gedi. This was the place where David was hiding from Saul and had the opportunity to kill him, but refused because Saul was the “Lord’s anointed.”

The Falls here are beautiful. We didn’t go all of the way up because we were too exhausted!

But the most exciting this week was that a group of us were guests of the WAQF (which controls the haram es-Shariff where the Dome of the Rock is) and were taken on a tour of the al-Aksa mosque and the Dome of the Rock!!!!!!! We got to go inside both of them. I didn’t think that would be possible because non-Muslims are rarely allowed in there any more!

                                                                                   Me in the Mosque.

These pictures are in the Dome of the Rock. Both buildings are going through renovations at the moment, but they are still gorgeous buildings!

Continuation of the Easter Celebration

We're off on our Dead Sea field trip in a couple of hours. I only have 9 more days with Lana. I'm not ready for the students to leave! Final exams are this week.

This week continued the Easter celebrations. On Saturday there was the Holy Fire celebration at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. I didn't go because of church and Lana was teaching Relief Society. But some of our students were able to get into the church. Reports were that there were 10,000 people in the church, which is insane to think about. They have a fire in the tombs (which we experienced earlier on our field trip this week). People take candles to light from the fire and then pass on the fire. Some of it is put in containers and rushed to the airport where it is flown all over the world! Picture #1 shows our students in the midst of all of the celebrations!

Picture #2 is Rayna, Sarah, Lauren and I at the Good Friday Via Dolorosa parade. We're just about to enter the church of the Holy Sepulcher courtyard. On our field trip to the Christian churches this week we were able to see parts of a Coptic Washing of the Feet ceremony. That was a fun experience. Especially as we were studying John 13 at the time. I taught part of our lesson at the Wohl Museum in front of a foot washing basin from the first century!

On our field trip to the Jewish Quarter we went to the excavations of the Burnt House. It was destroyed when the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Picture #3 are pictures of a spear and a child's arm that were found in the excavation: a very sad reminder of the human tragedy of that time. 

Returned from Galilee just in time for Good Friday

Sorry that I haven’t written for a couple of weeks. We were up in the Galilee for 11 days and we’re constantly on the go up there. It’s all that I can do to keep up every thing. It’s a wonderful trip. Just exhausting! We went to all of the same sites as last semester, but we didn’t have the rainy weather when we were on field trips, which was nice. It was good to have Lana up there, but I hardly saw her. The two classes are going in different directions except for the last three days, which are long field trip days. 

This picture is sunset on the Galilee from my bungalow! Did you see the Church’s latest Easter video clip, “He lives”? The last scene is of Mount Arbel and it looks like it is taken from En Gev, where we stay. The students had fun sitting on the beach watching it, and seeing the live picture and comparing it with the video. We actually had remarkably clear visibility this trip, which was lovely. I felt a little more at ease with the field trips this time. On the last day I even flew solo, because Jeff Chadwick had sprained his ankle so he drove straight back to Jerusalem. I did ok though, so I was happy with that. 

Again, I loved the visit to the Mormon pioneers in the local cemetery. I was especially touched when one of the students, Mary, began pulling the weeds on Georg Grau’s grave as I was speaking. I think that she wanted to honor this man who sacrificed so much for the Church in Haifa.

We got back late on Thursday night. Friday was Good Friday, so we had class and then headed down to the Old City to participate in the Via Dolorosa parade from the Antonia Fortress to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The parade winds its way through the old city past each of the stations of the cross. It was a wonderful atmosphere. It was all in Arabic, but I loved being in the middle of the devotion of all of the people who were participating.

This morning, (resurrection Sunday) we all got up early and went to a dawn service at the Garden Tomb. It was a wonderful service: a great sermon by a Pastor from Oxford and great music. I loved being there.

I have really enjoyed celebrating Easter here in Jerusalem. I am so grateful for blessings of the atonement in Gethsemane and on the cross and for the Savior’s resurrection, which makes possible everything that I hold dear in my life.

I can’t believe that this group of students will be leaving in just two weeks. Where has the time gone? I have loved getting to know them and working together. I have felt the Spirit so strongly as we have studied the Old and New Testaments and my love for the gospel has tangibly deepened, in ways that I have never experienced before.