Last Day in Jerusalem

Well, the time has finally come. In a few hours, I will be leaving the center, leaving Jerusalem. It is hard to believe. (Right - under the school after writing my name). This morning, I went on a tour of underneath the center. It was really interesting and I wrote my name on the wall. That is a tradition for students to do. Then after lunch (there were only four of us at lunch today) I went to Biblical Lands Museum. That was really interesting and a lot bigger than I was expecting. From there I went to the Israel Museum because James wanted to get some more pictures of the model city they have there.
(Left - the model city. Here you can see the temple mount with the temple peeking around the edge. This might help to get a feel for the size of the temple mount since it is a scale model). Next we went to the Old City and walked through one last time before hurrying back to the center. There is so much to get done and in the middle of it all, we keep having things to go to. After dinner, our dvd was shown. (Right - our last devotional, me and Aimee on the grass. Aimee was nice enough to let me share her pillow with her). That was really cool, but it also took time. Then we just had our last devotional. It was really good, but it took time. Plus, I still need to get pictures from people and finish packing. It is quite frustrating because I feel like I have no time. But in reality, I still have several hours.
Anyway, I don't want to bore you with those things. I am just sad that this last day is coming to a close and soon I will be on my way back to the US.
I will have to add pictures later, after I get back.

Last night of Jesus' mortal life

Today was a long and very tiring day. We began by walking to the Garden of Gethsemane. We were going to walk the last night of the Savior's mortal life. (Right - some people hurrying to the Western Wall while a police officer on the right looks on). In the Garden, we sang hymns, read scriptures and talked about the Atonement. Then we had a little time to privately meditate. It was very nice.
From the Garden, we had a long walk down the Mount of Olives, through the Kidron Valley, and up the Ophel Ridge to Mount Zion. There we first went to St. Peter in Gallicantu. That church first commemorated the place where Peter went and wept after denying the Savior three times. (Left - police blockade near the old city of Jerusalem). Now it commemorates the place where the denial happened. It was an interesting church. Under the church are caves where flogging actually took place. Archaeologists say that they really are from the first century. It was interesting, though many people had a hard time with that place.
Near the church is an ancient (first century) road that was the main road going to Caiaphas' palace from the Ophel Ridge. (Right - St. Peter in Gallicantu). That is most likely the road that Jesus would have been brought after being arrested.
We then walked to Cenacles, the place where the traditional Upper Room is located. That was really cool. The current room is from the Crusader period. It was turned into a mosque when the Muslims came in, but is not a mosque right now. We sang in there and read more scriptures before going to our next stop. We went to St. Anne's Cathedral. That church is traditional the location where Mary's parents lived. They obviously got it wrong (they lived in Nazareth) but the church is still there. (Left - the road near St. Peter in Gallicantu that Jesus was most likely taken along on the night that he was arrested). It is near the Pool of Bethesda where the Savior healed a man who had been there for 38 years, unable to get into the water. We sang in the chapel and the priest there told us he really enjoyed hearing us sing. He asked if we were professionals.
Our next stop was the Church of the Flagellation. That church commemorates the place where the Savior was scourged after his trial at the Antonia Fortress by Pilate. It is likely that it took place there, or nearby. We sang inside that church as well.
We had a break for lunch. I went with a group through the Old City. (Right - Pool of Bethesda). It is really interesting to be in Jerusalem right now because it is Passover and the Eastern Orthodox Holy Week. There are lots of pilgrims from all over. We saw some entertainment that is going on for Passover, and then we went and walked on the roof of some buildings in the Armenian Quarter. As we were leaving the Old City, we got stuck in a people traffic jam. Luckily, my experience in Russian buses, as well as Jade's, came in handy. We had everyone grab hold and we pushed our way through the crowd. (Left - Church of the Flagellation). Eventually the people behind us started pushing us. They were pushing so hard that some people coming the other direction got mad and started yelling at us in Italian. It was actually amusing because we couldn't do anything about it.
We ended our field trip by going to the Garden Tomb. It was nice because the place was empty. We had a tour and then a lesson by Brother Draper. We also sang. Today has been a great experience. I walked where Jesus would have walked. It was long and tiring, but I didn't walk it after suffering agony in Gethsemane. I didn't walk it after being beaten and humiliated. I didn't walk it after being scourged and mocked and beaten again. I also didn't walk nearly as far as the Savior, who made a return trip back to be seen by Herod before being sent back to Pilate. (Right - the Garden Tomb). I can only imagine what that night and morning was like for the Savior, but I think I can better imagine it after today.
Tomorrow is my last day in Jerusalem. I'm not sure what I am going to do. I can't believe that my time in the Holy Land is coming to a close! I have learned so much, experienced so much. I am sad to leave, but I am also very grateful that I had the opportunity to come here. I hope I can come back again someday.
(P.S. I will try to add pictures tomorrow because it isn't working right now for some reason).

From Bethany to the Upper Room

What a long day. It is weird to be on the first of my last days in Jerusalem. As I am entering my last days, we are following the last days of the Savior's mortal life. (Right - Standing outside the entrance to Lazarus' tomb. Above it is a mosque, to the north is a church. This entrance was carved so that people could get to the tomb without going through the mosque). We began our field trip today by driving to Bethany. To get to Bethany, we had to go through the partition wall. It used to take two minutes to get there. Now it takes about 20 because we have to go out of our way to get there.
In Bethany, we went to Lazarus' tomb. We stopped at the church there and read the scriptures, then sang some hymns. There was a man who videotaped our singing. It was quite amusing. We stood in line to go inside the tomb. (Left - coming out of Lazarus' tomb). We were right behind a group of Serbians. When they spoke, there were moments when I understand and I could swear they were speaking Russian. But most of the time, I couldn't understand. I couldn't even pick things out. Finally I asked a guy where they were from. He spoke Russian, so that was cool.
Lazarus' traditional tomb is rather small. A lot of what is there was built up because an earthquake caused the roof to cave in. (Right - me, Megan, James, and Christ outside the church at Bethphage). Still, it was very interesting to go in. Many people light candles and take then into the tomb. After that, we went into a Palestinian woman's home for a short visit. Then we continued on and drove to Bethphage. We went to the same place where we went on Palm Sunday. It was weird to see the place with it completely empty. We read scriptures and sang again. It sounded so nice. That church, if you remember, has a stone that the Savior traditionally used to mount his donkey. However, it is too high. (Left - Dominus Flavit, a church commemorating the Savior's weeping for Jerusalem). That is because in the Byzantine era, most people did not read the scriptures, so they didn't know they details. They knew that Christ has made a triumphal entry, but they assumed that he made it on a war horse, needing a large stone.
We next went to Pater Noster. That church commemorates the Lord's prayer. Inside the Lord's prayer is written in 68 different languages. I found Swahili, Old Church Slavonic, Russian (called Moscovite), Maori, Cherokee, Esperanto, Sanskrit, etc. I enjoyed it a lot. (Right - Me with Brother and Sister Draper, overlooking the Old City).
We walked from there to Dominus Flavit. There a church commemorates the moment when the Savior looked out at Jerusalem and wept for what was going to happen. That was a beautiful place.
After that we had lunch in the Orson Hyde Garden before getting on the bus. (Left - me and the Seely family: Beno, Sister Seely, me, Brother Seely, and Katy). We were going to drive to the Upper Room, but Israeli road blocks have severely inhibited our ability to get around in buses. So, we had to come back to the center. When we drove back to the center, a road block was even blocking our street. Luckily, they let us past. Hopefully we will get to go to the Upper Room tomorrow. If not, I know what I am doing on Wednesday.
Later, I went to a Palestinian family's house for dinner. It was really good. The only bad thing is that we ended up being late because the person who set the dinner up wasn't back from shopping in time. So, we had to find someone else to go. Then that person showed up an hour and a half late. It was really frustrating, and very disrespectful to the family. I honestly hope that it didn't cloud their opinion of Americans, and students from the JC.
After dinner, we came back and got ready for our special Upper Room Experience. That was really cool. We had a very spiritual and very insightful program. They set up a triclinium (see above - from left to right would have been John, the Savior, and one of the next three would most likely have been Judas. Then on the far end was seated Peter) which is most likely the setting that was used for the Last Supper. It was a set up where the participants lay reclining on a couch (we didn't have couches so they reclined on the floor). The honored guest would have been positioned in the center of three seats facing the kitchen. Then in this case, John would have been sitting in one of the seats next to the Savior. Judas would have also been nearby. We saw the washing and anointing of the feet by the woman, and the Savior's washing of his disciples feet. It was very interesting.

Alternative Archaeology

WARNING: This posting discusses the Arab-Israeli conflict. If you have a strong (or biased) opinion on this issue, you may not want to read ahead. Continue at your own risk. (Right - Here is the area where we met with the Palestinians to hear about their village, Silwan, and what it is like for them with the archeology going on right in the middle of it. This sign mentions the digging that is going on under the village, damaging homes and streets).
Today as an interesting day. I studied a little this morning since our last final is coming up. Then this afternoon I went with a group going on a tour called Alternative Archeology. We went to the City of David (where we'd already been) but got a different perspective on things. The point of this group is to keep archeology neutral, rather than have it be used only to benefit a certain group of people. For example, the work being done at the City of David is all Israeli-oriented, forgetting about the numerous other cultures who have resided there. The history of that area, as far as we know, begins about 2000 BC. (Left - the damaged street after being fixed. Even after fixing it, the street is still sunken in).The Israelites did not live there until David's time, about 1000 BC. That is a thousand years of history that is ignored! After that, the Israelites lived there (as Jews) until 70 AD when Jews were no longer allowed in the city. The dominant culture was Greco-Roman until 638 years when the dominant culture became the Arab Muslims which became Crusader for a few in 1099. All of that is ignored in the search for Israeli artifacts. Honestly, that doesn't bug me as much as the fact that their archeology is done with no concern for the residents. Homes are taken without compensation, people are not allowed to build on land they own, and sometimes that land is taken for public use, such as parking lots. The other major problem is that archaeologists are digging under the surround area, destabilizing the homes and streets. Here is an interesting, but true story. The street was damaged, it sunk in in parts. The Palestinian residents called to get it fixed. They were told that they would have to wait and call back later. One of the Palestinians had an Israeli friend call and say she was a settler in that area. With a half an hour, the government sent people to fix the street.
Here is another interesting, but true story. I've talked about settlers before. Settlers would not be a problem if their intentions were different. Now, I'm usually very careful about ascribing intentions to other people because we can't really know their motives. However, in this case, it seems obvious. The settlers specifically move into Palestinian areas in attempt to take over those areas for Israelis. I say this because if they wanted to live peaceful in those areas, they would not come in with the level of security that they do (tons of expensive cameras, arms, security guards, fences, etc). (Right - here you can see three security cameras in a tiny area. The Palestinians say that they feel watched. Can you blame them?) Now, you might say, but they feel unsafe! Then ask yourselves, why would you DELIBERATELY move into a place where you feel unsafe? One of the Palestinians with whom we talked told us about his grandmother. When she died, the settlers stole her thumb print and forged papers saying that she had sold them her house before she died. They moved in. The family of the deceased went to court and the court ruled in their favor, having discovered the forgery. So, do you think those settlers moved out? No, they are still there. They appeal and re-appeal, knowing that the Palestinians do not have the money to continue to battle in court. Once settlers move in, they never move out. Many of the houses they acquire, they acquire illegally. Others, they acquire legally, though maybe not fairly.
Anyway, it was interesting to see a different side to archeology. The City of David used to be called something else, but the Israelis changed the name and the names of streets to, as they say it, Judaize the area.

To Hell and Back in time for Passover

So, did the title of this entry catch your eye? I went to Hell today. It was very interesting, but I'll get to that later. (Left - The Russian Church of Mary Magdalene). This morning I had my ancient near eastern studies final. I stayed up most of the night studying with Megan. We camped in a side room of the computer lab on bean bags. We studied, slept, studied some more, slept some more, and so on. I was surprisingly awake all day for having only gotten the equivalent of 3 hours or so of sleep. Honestly, it would have been a lot easier to study by myself, and a lot quicker, but at the same time, it was a lot of fun and I kind of liked sleeping upstairs.
So, I felt really prepared for the final this morning. After the final, I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I had talked with a couple of other girls about going to Hell, but sometimes these girls aren't very reliable. (Right - on the old steps where Jesus walked. I don't know how much of that is tradition and how much is truth, but it was cool to see). I learned that they were going with a group headed to the Russian church of Mary Magdalene. I hadn't been there yet and today was my last opportunity to go, so I joined. It turned out to be really lucky that I did. There is an old stone stairway that was used by the Savior on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Twice my Russian came in handy (they don't speak English there). First, I asked where we could find that place. Second, when we were walking to that place, a woman tried to stop up but when I explained what we were looking for, she let us pass. (Left - in Hell). It felt good to be able to use my Russian for good.
From there, we decided to do some exploring. We headed down the Kidron Valley toward Hell. Now before you think that I am swearing, I will explain what Hell is. Have you ever wondered where the name for the spiritual term came from? Well, it is a real place. In Greek it is called Gehenna. Hell is the place where, in ancient times, Israel sacrificed children to the god of Molech by passing them through the fires of Molech. It was also a place where they burned their trash. Thus the name of that location came to mean fiery torment. (Right - Schindler's grave). Hell is the lowest point of the area, where the Hinnom and the Kidron Valley met south of the City of David.
As we walked along the Kidron Valley, we stopped to see some tombs that traditionally belong to Absalom, son of King David, and Zechariah. Then we continued on. It is too bad that there is no sign pointing to Hell, but we did arrive. We then headed up to a Greek Monastery dedicated to this crazy Egyptian hermit who lived in the caves south of the City of David. There he wore no clothing, but because of an extremely long beard, he was slightly covered. It was closed, so we couldn't go in.
We continued on our journey and passed an active archaeological dig. We took pictures until one of the workers beckoned us over. We went over, not sure what to expect. A different worker came and explained what they had found and what they were doing. They found some original walls from the first century AD, Jesus' time! They also found older rock quarries and a defensive tower. (Left - me, Christ, Catherine, and Matt at the Seder meal). It was really interesting.
Next we were walking and saw a sign that said, "to Schindler's grave." We figured that we might as well check it out. We went up to the gate only to see that a man was closing it. We were too late! But no, Mindy asked if it would be alright if we went to the grave. He let us in. We got really lucky. It was cool.
Next we went into the Old City. There Mindy and Shealee went into the Armenian Museum while Rich, Christine, and I waited outside (we'd already seen the Museum). After they finished, we went over to the Dormition Abbey. That was really cool. Next we went to the Armenian Church in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City. I'd already been there, but I didn't mind going again. Finally we walked through the city and back to the center, just in time to get ready for dinner. (Right - the place setting at the Seder feast).
Dinner tonight was our Seder feast, in celebration of the Passover. Passover starts this coming Saturday and it would have been cool to have our feast at the same time, but then our Jewish professor would not have been able to come and explain everything to us. It was really cool. Everyone participated in one way or another, whether by serving/clearing dishes, reading narrations, or singing songs. It was really cool and a lot of fun. Now I've celebrated both Ramadan AND Passover!