Orson Hyde Park

Me and Liz

The Consecrating Oil Club: Me, Kaleb, Amy, Michael-Sean, April, Cally, and Liz

Holding our oil--You can sort of see Jerusalem in the background

To me, one of the most sacred places in all of Jerusalem sits right on the Mount of Olives in the Orson Hyde Park  It's a beautiful park with a rock path that zig zags all the way down to the Garden of Gethsemane. At the top, there is a wonderful view of the city, Jerusalem. It reminds me of that painting by Greg Olson of Christ sitting on the hillside, overlooking this great city. Brother Skinner (our director) shared with us some other interesting facts about that particular spot on the Mount of Olives. Eliza R. Snow, and other leaders of the church at that time went there in their temple clothes and had a prayer circle, like they would in the temple, right on that very spot where we were standing. See! It truly is a sacred place...almost like a temple. Earlier this semester, we harvested all the olives, mostly from trees on the Mount of Olives and pressed them into olive oil. Well, we each got a little bottle of the oil that was made and we all gathered in the Orson Hyde Park. We split up into groups, having at least two young men in every group to consecrate the oil individually for every person in the group-- on the Mount of Olives! It was such a sweet experience, having real olive oil made from the olive trees on the Mount of Olives, and then consecrated there too! I'm beginning to just really like olives as of late. :) The little group that I was in stayed for a long time. We stood there on the hill with our arms all around each other in a circle. (because it was pretty chilly)  We reminisced about our incredible experiences in Jerusalem, things we have learned and want to remember...that kind of stuff. I could remember little things that my dad had taught me and shared with me during family scripture study or just in conversation growing up that I have thought about here on many different occasions, mostly from what we study in my New and Old Testament classes. I realized that when my dad was here in 1976, he probably learned similar things that he kept with him, applied to his own life, and then taught to me, as well as my whole family. I hope and pray that I will be able to remember the things I have learned and studied while being here so that I can apply it to my life and eventually pass it on to my future family. I am just so grateful for such wonderful parents who made it possible for me to be here! I have seriously been blessed IMMENSELY with amazing parents. Anyway, we had somebody read Orson Hyde's dedicatory prayer while we were there, and I thought it was so interesting. In fact, I liked it so much, that I decided to post it on my blog! (Including the letter that he wrote to Parley P. Pratt):

ALEXANDRIA, Nov. 22, 1841 DEAR BROTHER PRATT: --- A few minutes now offer for me to write, and I improve them in writing to you. I have only time to say that I have seen Jerusalem precisely according to the vision which I had. I saw no one with me in the vision; and although Elder Page was appointed to accompany me there, yet I found myself there alone. The Lord knows that I have had a hard time, and suffered much, but I have great reason to thank Him that I enjoy good health at present, and have a prospect before me of soon going to a civilized country, where I shall see no more turbans or camels. The heat is most oppressive, and has been all through Syria. I have not time to tell you how many days I have been at sea, without food, or how many snails I have eaten; but if I had had plenty of them, I should have done very well. All this is contained in a former letter to you written from Jaffa. I have been at Cairo, on the Nile, because I could not get a passage direct. Syria is in a dreadful state -- a war of extermination is going on between the Druses and Catholics. At the time I was at Beyroot, a battle was fought in the mountains of Lebanon, near that place, and about 800 killed. Robberies, thefts and murders are daily being committed. It is no uncommon thing to find persons in the streets without heads. An English officer, in going from St. Jean D'Acre to Beyroot, found ten persons murdered in the street, and was himself taken prisoner, but was rescued by the timely interference of the pasha. The particulars of all these things are contained in a former letter. An American traveler, by the name of Gager, who was a licensed minister of the Congregational or Presbyterian church, left Jerusalem in company with me. He was very unwell with the jaundice when we left, and at Damietta, we had to perform six days quarantine before we ascended the Nile. On our passage up, he was taken very ill with a fever, and became helpless. I waited and tended upon him as well as our circumstances would allow; and when we landed at Bulack, I got four men to take him to the American consuls at Cairo, on a litter; I also took all his baggage there, and assisted in putting him upon a good bed -- employed a good faithful Arabian nurse, and the English doctor. After the physician had examined him, he told me that he was very low with a typhus fever, and that it would be doubtful whether he recovered. Under these circumstances I left him to obtain a passage to this place. After I had gone on board a boat, and was just about pushing off, a letter came from the doctor, stating that poor Mr. Gager died in about two hours after I left him. He told me before we arrived at Cairo that he was twenty-seven years of age, and his friends lived in Norwich, Connecticut, near New London, I think. There are many particulars concerning his death, which would be interesting to his friends, but I have no time to write them now. On Sunday morning, October 24, a good while before day, I arose from sleep, and went out of the city as soon as the gates were opened, crossed the brook Kedron, and went upon the Mount of Olives, and there, in solemn silence, with pen, ink, and paper, just as I saw in the vision, offered up the following prayer to Him who lives forever and ever --

Prayer of Orson Hyde on the Mount of Olives "O Thou! who art from everlasting to everlasting, eternally and unchangeably the same, even the God who rules in the heavens above, and controls the destinies of men on the earth, wilt Thou not condescend, through thine infinite goodness and royal favor, to listen to the prayer of Thy servant which he this day offers up unto Thee in the name of Thy holy child Jesus, upon this land, where the Son of Righteousness set in blood, and thine Anointed One expired. "Be pleased, O Lord, to forgive all the follies, weaknesses, vanities, and sins of Thy servant, and strengthen him to resist all future temptations. Give him prudence and discernment that he may avoid the evil, and a heart to choose the good; give him fortitude to bear up under trying and adverse circumstances, and grace to endure all things for Thy name's sake, until the end shall come, when all the Saints shall rest in peace. "Now, O Lord! Thy servant has been obedient to the heavenly vision which Thou gavest him in his native land; and under the shadow of Thine outstretched arm, he has safely arrived in this place to dedicate and consecrate this land unto Thee, for the gathering together of Judah's scattered remnants, according to the predictions of the holy Prophets -- for the building up of Jerusalem again after it has been trodden down by the Gentiles so long, and for rearing a Temple in honor of Thy name. Everlasting thanks be ascribed unto Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast preserved Thy servant from the dangers of the seas, and from the plague and pestilence which have caused the land to mourn. The violence of man has also been restrained, and Thy providential care by night and by day has been exercised over Thine unworthy servant. Accept, therefore, O Lord, the tribute of a grateful heart for all past favors, and be pleased to continue Thy kindness and mercy towards a needy worm of the dust. "O Thou, Who didst covenant with Abraham, Thy friend, and who didst renew that covenant with Isaac, and confirm the same with Jacob with an oath, that Thou wouldst not only give them this land for an everlasting inheritance, but that Thou wouldst also remember their seed forever. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have long since closed their eyes in death, and made the grave their mansion. Their children are scattered and dispersed abroad among the nations of the Gentiles like sheep that have no shepherd, and are still looking forward for the fulfillment of those promises which Thou didst make concerning them; and even this land, which once poured forth nature's richest bounty, and flowed, as it were, with milk and honey, has, to a certain extent, been smitten with barrenness and sterility since it drank from murderous hands the blood of Him who never sinned. "Grant, therefore, O Lord, in the name of Thy well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to remove the barrenness and sterility of this land, and let springs of living water break forth to water its thirsty soil. Let the vine and olive produce in their strength, and the fig-tree bloom and flourish. Let the land become abundantly fruitful when possessed by its rightful heirs; let it again flow with plenty to feed the returning prodigals who come home with a spirit of grace and supplication; upon it let the clouds distil virtue and richness, and let the fields smile with plenty. Let the flocks and the herds greatly increase and multiply upon the mountains and the hills; and let Thy great kindness conquer and subdue the unbelief of Thy people. Do Thou take from them their stony heart, and give them a heart of flesh; and may the Sun of Thy favor dispel the cold mists of darkness which have beclouded their atmosphere. Incline them to gather in upon this land according to Thy word. Let them come like clouds and like doves to their windows. Let the large ships of the nations bring them from the distant isles; and let kings become their nursing fathers, and queens with motherly fondness wipe the tear of sorrow from their eye. "Thou, O Lord, did once move upon the heart of Cyrus to show favor unto Jerusalem and her children. Do Thou now also be pleased to inspire the hearts of kings and the powers of the earth to look with a friendly eye towards this place, and with a desire to see Thy righteous purposes executed in relation thereto. Let them know that it is Thy good pleasure to restore the kingdom unto Israel -- raise up Jerusalem as its capital, and constitute her people a distinct nation and government, with David Thy servant, even a descendant from the loins of ancient David to be their king. "Let that nation or that people who shall take an active part in behalf of Abraham's children, and in the raising up of Jerusalem, find favor in Thy sight. Let not their enemies prevail against them, neither let pestilence or famine overcome them, but let the glory of Israel overshadow them, and the power of the Highest protect them; while that nation or kingdom that will not serve Thee in this glorious work must perish, according to Thy word --- Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. "Though Thy servant is now far from his home, and from the land bedewed with his earliest tear, yet he remembers, O Lord, his friend: who are there, and family, whom for Thy sake he has left. Though poverty and privation be our earthly lot, yet ah! do Thou richly endow us with an inheritance where moth and rust do not corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal. "The hands that have fed, clothed, or shown favor unto the family of Thy servant in his absence, or that shall hereafter do so, let them not lose their reward, but let a special blessing rest upon them, and in Thy kingdom let them have an inheritance when Thou shalt come to be glorified in this society. "Do Thou also look with favor upon all those through whose liberality I have been enabled to come to this land; and in the day when Thou shalt reward all people according to their works, let these also not be passed by or forgotten, but in time let them be in readiness to enjoy the glory of those mansions which Jesus has gone to prepare. Particularly do Thou bless the stranger in Philadelphia, whom I never saw, but who sent me gold, with a request that I should pray for him in Jerusalem. Now, O Lord, let blessings come upon him from an unexpected quarter, and let his basket be filled, and his storehouse abound with plenty, and let not the good things of the earth be his only portion, but let him be found among those to whom it shall be said, `Thou hast been faithful over a few things, and I will make thee ruler over many.' "O my Father in heaven! I now ask Thee in the name of Jesus to remember Zion, with all her Stakes, and with all her assemblies. She has been grievously afflicted and smitten; she has mourned; she has wept; her enemies have triumphed, and have said, `Ah, where is thy God?' Her Priests and Prophets have groaned in chains and fetters within the gloomy walls of prisons, while many were slain, and now sleep in the arms of death. How long, O Lord, shall iniquity triumph, and sin go unpunished? "Do Thou arise in the majesty of Thy strength, and make bare Thine arm in behalf of Thy people. Redress their wrongs, and turn their sorrow into joy. Pour the spirit of light and knowledge, grace and wisdom, into the hearts of her Prophets, and clothe her Priests with salvation. Let light and knowledge march forth through the empire of darkness, and may the honest in heart flow to their standard, and join in the march to go forth to meet the Bridegroom. "Let a peculiar blessing rest upon the Presidency of Thy Church, for at them are the arrows of the enemy directed. Be Thou to them a sun and a shield, their strong tower and hiding place; and in the time of distress or danger be Thou near to deliver. Also the quorum of the Twelve, do Thou be pleased to stand by them for Thou knowest the obstacles which they have to encounter, the temptations to which they are exposed, and the privations which they must suffer. Give us, [the Twelve] therefore, strength according to our day, and help us to bear a faithful testimony of Jesus and His Gospel, to finish with fidelity and honor the work which Thou hast given us to do, and then give us a place in Thy glorious kingdom. And let this blessing rest upon every faithful officer and member in Thy Church. And all the glory and honor will we ascribe unto God and the Lamb forever and ever. Amen."

On the top of Mount Olives I erected a pile of stones as a witness according to ancient custom. On what was anciently called Mount Zion, [Moriah?] where the Temple stood, I erected another, and used the rod according to the prediction upon my head. I have found many Jews who listened with intense interest. The idea of the Jews being restored to Palestine is gaining ground in Europe almost every day. Jerusalem is strongly fortified with many cannon upon its walls. The wall is ten feet thick on the sides that would be most exposed, and four or five feet where the descent from the wall is almost perpendicular. The number of inhabitants within the walls is about twenty thousand. About seven thousand of this number are Jews, the balance being mostly Turks and Armenians. Many of the Jews who are old go to this place to die, and many are coming from Europe into this eastern world. The great wheel is unquestionably in motion, and the word of the Almighty has declared that it shall roll. I have not time to write particulars now, but suffice it to say that my mission has been quite as prosperous as I could expect. I am now about to go on board a fine ship for Trieste, and from thence I intend to proceed to Regensburg and there publish our faith in the German language. There are those who are ready and willing to assist me. I send you this letter by Captain Withers, an English gentleman, who goes direct to England, on board the Oriental steamer. He has come with me from Jerusalem. If I had money sufficient I should be almost tempted to take passage on board of her to England, but this I cannot do. On receipt of this, I wish you to write to me immediately, and direct to Regensburg, on the Danube, Bayern, or Bavaria. If you know anything of my family tell me. My best respects to yourself and your family, to Brothers Adams and Snow, and to all the Saints in England. May grace, mercy and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, rest upon you all from this time, henceforth and for ever. Amen. Your brother in Christ, ORSON HYDE

Master the Tempest is Raging

The Galilean Sea!!

Sitting on the Cliff overlooking Galilee

Every single day I have spent here in Jerusalem has been such an amazing adventure....but being in Galilee has added a HUGE cherry on top. A big chunk of Christ's ministry took place in Galilee, so it was great to really dig into the New Testament while we were there. The field trips were all so interesting. I loved going to all the surrounding towns where Jesus went and healed the sick, the blind, and performed miracles. When we first got to Galilee, we hiked up a cliff that overlooked the sea and a few little towns. It was such an amazing view. The Sea of Galilee is absolutely beautiful. It looks like glass...and it's always so peaceful looking. Actually, everything about Galilee is peaceful. I think the sun shines brighter and bigger in Galilee. When we were up on the cliffs, I remember looking around and seeing little tiny lilies growing around the fields, and then seeing the birds in the sky--- sound familiar? It made me think about that analogy Christ made in His Sermon on the Mount: "Consider the lilies of the field how they grow neither do they spin..."....how I was standing in the place that the analogy came from.

We stayed in a Kibbutz in Ein Gev. It was right on the Sea of Galilee. Our backyard was the beach! We had a lot of fun time out there on the beach....the late night bonfires and singing around the fire....it was wonderful! We got to go on a a hike guided by a guy named Eric, who lives on a kibbutz there in Galilee. We hiked almost all the way up to Syria! We went swimming under a little waterfall. It was freezing cold!! The weather was pretty chilly, so I was pretty cold before I even got in the water. I probably wouldn't have gotten in if my friend Tyler wouldn't have made a bet that I wouldn't get in the water before we started the hike.....I had to prove him wrong though, right? So I did! I got right in! Well, to be more precise, I slipped in. The rocks were really, really slippery, so I took two steps in the water and just slid right in. My body felt like it was burning because it was so cold. About half of everyone that went on the hike got in the water. It felt really good though once I got used to it, or maybe that was just my body being completely numb....yeah, that's probably what happened. 

Me, Eliza, and Liz exploring Gamla

Tyler pointing to my injured shin

The Gamla Hiking Through Mud Crew....sporting the 90's....You know.
Lizzy, Jeff, Shalyn, me, Liz, Cassie, Rebecca, Courtney

Gamla was a fun place to explore as well. It was an ancient city, the last place that the Jews tried to defend from the Romans. It sits on a big mountain/hill that looks like a camel's hump. The big cliff there is where about 5,000 Jews jumped to their death before the Romans got to them. It was super muddy, and I was slipping all over the place on the way down. I was proud to make it all the way down and then all the way up the "camel's hump" without falling. Then as I was just walking around, I made a silly little trip and biff. My leg got all cut up and got mud all over one side of my body. Whenever someone saw me they always said, "Ew what happened to your leg?" I guess that means it looked kinda gross. It still does actually. Doctor Chapman fixed me up though with some special ointment and giant band-aids. I don't know if I have every mentioned Doctor Chapman. He and his wife are missionaries here and they take good care of us. I just love them.

Rockin out to some gospel music with little Thomas Harper right there on the left

Cruising the Galilee with Whitney, Liz, Melissa, me...and then
a creeper. 

It's like glass!

Harper group!

I loved the boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. It had been raining and kind of dark the whole day but as we were boarding the little boat the sun came out and it was perfect out there on the water. The boat played some great gospel songs like "Our God is an Awesome God". Ha. That song was stuck in my head forever! The water was so clear. You could just imagine Jesus walking on the water. THAT water. It was a sweet experience.

Caeserea was an exciting place to visit too. It was actually the last place we visited before we headed home. It's right on the Mediterranean Sea. We came across an arena, an ancient one of course some people came up with the idea of having a little piggy back ride race. Tyler asked me if I wanted to be his jockey, so I jumped on and off we went! We were doing pretty well, and in second place coming around the bend, and we were building up speed....but then...well, I don't really know what happened to be honest. It all happened so fast. Pretty much, Tyler tripped and I went flying, then skidding on the mud. I was all scratched up and had mud all over me. We had a good laugh, and we lost the race. Ha. It was good times.         

View from the Chapel

Koryl and me....and red lipstick! woo hoo!

love that water

Whitney, me, Liz, and Melissa

For church we met in a little place right on the Galilee with big windows looking over the sea. I went and sat down, and listened to the prelude music, and was surprised to hear a song called "Come Home" by Michael Mooney. That's a song that Lauren Brower and I found randomly in our house in Nauvoo. We didn't know where it came from. We sang through it and ended up loving it. We sang it all the time in Nauvoo. It was a really special song to us, and I had never heard it before that. I was so happy to hear it played there in Galilee. I went up to the lady who played the song and asked her about it and I guess the man who wrote it, Michael Mooney, sent it to her during a difficult time in her life. Turns out it's a pretty meaningful song to her as well. Michael Mooney actually came to that little chapel when it was dedicated, which is a funny coincidence. Anyway, sacrament meeting was just wonderful. It was such a good meeting. It had been such a sunny and bright day throughout the whole meeting, but then right as the last hymn was announced, I glanced outside the big windows and saw what was once a clear blue sky, a dark and raging storm, just like that!! We're talking major Nimbostratus action...it was crazy! Then to sing "Master the Tempest is Raging" for the closing hymn...it just seemed so fitting! The tempest WAS raging. I loved it. It just poured and poured. That hymn has become a very favorite of mine after being in Galilee. I love storms anyway, but when it's a storm on the Galilee....it's just the coolest. 

Sunsets are great huh?

It actually rained quite a bit while we were in Galilee...for a whole week. I didn't mind it at all though. I loved the rain and cooler weather. It made things a little different and a little more exciting. I love being cold and then sitting around a warm fire on the beach. Our bonfires were epic. We sang lots of songs and told crazy stories. The last night we were there, we had a little devotional with our professor, Brother Harper. He is an incredible teacher, and I have learned so much from him. His insight is so amazing. When he talked about Jesus walking on the water and pointing to the water behind him saying, "Jesus walked on THIS water..." Wow. I still can't even believe that we were even there. What an amazing place. I got to sing a song, "His Hands" at the end. I never realized how that song talks all about Galilee....everything that Christ did in Galilee. It was easy to see why he loved it there so much and why he spent so much time there. It's SO BEAUTIFUL. I wonder if when He created the Earth that he made Galilee extra beautiful because He knew that would be where he would spend most of His life.... Ah now I'm thinking about it and I want to go back for a little bit longer. Ten days went by just way too fast.

Galilee....What a place to visit and to learn about the Savior. I love reading about the miracles He performed and then thinking about the many miracles that happen in my own life everyday. Life is wonderful, ya know? Im sooo grateful :)

Our hike with Eric! Hurrah for Israel!

Maybe you can't tell, but that water was FAREEEEZING

me, Liz, Jaclyn, and Allyson....Bathsheba Girls...for reasons I cannot say

Happy Thanksgiving from the Mediterranean 

Jaclyn, Jeff, Liz, and me waiting for Thanksgiving Dinnerrrr!

Amy, me, and Liz. Getting home to the JC and seeing all the Christmas
decorations up was very exciting!

We love our Tyler, yesss we do. They call us Tizkah

Well, we survived the cold water! 

This is the little chameleon (yes, a real chameleon) that I found. So cute huh!

me, Tyler, Liz, and Jeff just hiking in Israel

       

   

O Little Town of.....

me, Tyler, Liz....this is where Jesus was born I guess

BETHLEHEM!

I have been on many field trips since being here in Jerusalem and all of them have had great significance to what we were learning here in our classes. But there is a certain story that is most special to me -- the nativity story. I LOVE Christmas SO much because I love the story of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem, the shepherds, the manger, and baby Jesus! This is a story that I have grown up with and loved since I was very little. I remember admiring my mother's nativity set made out of olive wood that she got from Bethlehem when she studied here in Jerusalem. It's a simple set...just Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. I have yet to come across one that is as beautiful.

We saw a few different sites in Bethlehem including the church that is built over the birth place of Jesus. After that we were given a little time to shop around and look at the things they sell there. I planned on finding the nativity set that I have been searching for since day 1. Well, it turned out that we were only given about 15 minutes to shop, so I decided that I needed to look around quick if I wanted to find the one I wanted. I tried, but I just couldn't buy any of them. I was a little disappointed as we left....and kind of felt silly. Why am I so picky about nativity sets? Why do I care so much?

Shepherds field....overlooking Bethlehem

The last place we visited was a shepherds field right outside Bethlehem. The sun was just beginning to set and it was amazing! The sky was perfect. We all gathered around and sat down while Brother Harper and Huntsman spoke to us. While Brother Huntsman was talking to us, a herd of sheep and an actual shepherd walked by. Can you imagine?? And lets not forget about the bright star that was shining. It was like everything was coming to life -- like we were in the story just sitting in the background. I just wanted to capture everything in that moment and remember it forever. I mean...there was Bethlehem, right before my own little eyes. It's like the song "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plain" except...it wasn't so far away. It was such a special experience to think about that amazing event that happened 2,000 years ago. It was then that I realized why I have not been able to find the perfect nativity set -- the story of the nativity is so beautiful and dear to me....that I haven't been able to find a set that represents the story quite good enough, and I don't know that I even will, but I'm still searching, so we'll see! I love Christmas and Bethlehem...and I'm stoked about studying the New Testament. (We just ended Old Testament and started the New Testament yesterday) It is such a blessing to have this opportunity to study here... I love it so so much!

BOO!

About to go into Hezekiah's tunnel!

On HALLOWEEN!

Liz, me... Muses!

Liz, Tyler, me

This is when Tyler said, "BHE!"

Liz's hair! 

A little group of us

Jeff Perry a nerd??

We love Halloween

craziness

Amy! Hot mama!

A little camel!

Halloween in Jerusalem is nonexistent. Many holidays are celebrated here in Jerusalem, but halloween is not one of them. There are no decorations, no halloween candies to buy, not a single trace of halloween. That meant you had to get creative and make your own halloween from scratch! We began the day with our last day of class with Bashir Bashir (Islam) and then a big group of us planned on going to Hezekiah's Tunnel. We were all supposed to meet up at a certain time....but then only me, Tyler, and Liz showed up. haha. We were really excited...I mean...most people go through corn mazes or artificially made haunted houses, but we were going through an ancient dark tunnel underneath the old city of Jerusalem. We decided to go as far as we could WITHOUT lights. It was the darkest of dark inside...you could put your hand right up to your face, but you couldn't see it at all. I just held on close to Liz's bag, while she held on to Tyler, who was leading the way. I kept begging Tyler to just shine the light behind me for just a second....I wanted to make sure that no one was following us. I could have sworn that there were footsteps behind me. (I hate being the tail end!) But Tyler kept saying that his flashlight wouldn't turn on --(lies!) So I  decided to just be brave. Then, I couldn't take it anymore....I had to have someone shine the light behind us. I had to see who was following us! Finally, Tyler shown the light....and then... sure enough there he was! King Hezekiah creeping up behind us! Naturally, we screamed and started to trudge as fast as we could through the almost knee deep water. We didn't get that far before we realized that the water was rising. This is something that we joked about...worst case scenario: What do you do if when you get to the middle of the tunnel and the water rapidly begins rising.... I don't even know. I just held on to Liz's bag and before I knew it...we were out. Alive. It wasn't even that bad! Good thing that some of that didn't really even happen....probably.

Well, anyway.... that was fun. It was a pretty epic Halloween experience. Later that night, everyone was getting ready and dressing up for the halloween dinner and dance. Brother Ohmen was going to play the organ along with the Phantom of the Opera, silent film. I didn't have a costume and had no idea what I could possibly even do, especially with very limited resources. Liz didn't know what to do either. We walked into my room and she said, "Hey, we could use our sheets and tie them around us like togas?" GENIUS! That's exactly what we did! We were going to be the muses from Hercules! Tyler apparently has dressed up a lot, as a child of course...and knew how to tie them all fancy for us. I don't know. He surprises me. Anyway, we had a great time with our hair and makeup...we were going all out! Amy was dressing up like an 80's workout chick and we ratted her hair really big. She has some amazing hair! We got Liz's hair pretty big too. It's all about the ratting of the hair on halloween!

We were very happy with our halloween costume turn out, and it ended up being what we called BHE...that stands for Best Halloween Ever. Ha. It's clever, I know. I was so impressed with everyone's creative costumes. We had a King David and Bathsheba...Goliath, a camel... it was so fun! Course everything here at the JC is always magnified as far as fun and excitement goes, or anything really.

JORD!

Liz, me, Koryl. Just sitting on a lonely bench
in Petra

me and Lizzy -- you can see the famous treasury
from Indian Jones through the way!

Sometimes you experience so many amazing things in life that you know it couldn't get any better....but then it does! Traveling around Jordan last week was phenomenal. The places we visited and learned about exceeded my expectations once again -- one of my favorites was Petra.

Petra is a city made out of the rock in the mountains...the sand stone. If you have ever seen Indiana Jones, then you have a basic idea of what it's like. I thought that the only thing in Petra was the treasury that you see in Indiana Jones. We all started running in full excitement when it barely came into view through the small passage. We took a lot of pictures and even paid 5 dinar to get our picture taken on a camel. After that a small group of us with my professor, Brother Huntsman (by the way, he has a pretty charismatic blog that he apparently updates quite frequently if you ever want to take a look-see. It's huntsmansintheholyland.blogspot.com) explored everything that we possibly could in the small amount of time that we had to be there. We hiked up to the High Place and met a little Bedouin lady who sacrificed us all. And by all I mean Tyler, Liz and me. She showed us her little baby, Muhammad. She then wanted us to climb on top of a big rock that was used for ancient sacrificing so she could pretend to sacrifice us while we took a picture. I didn't know what she was trying to do at first...so I might have been a little nervous climbing up that rock with the Bedouin lady...knife in hand and all, but we survived.

We looked through many various tombs of sorts...We just explored every NOOK and CRANNY that time allowed. After our lunch break, we began our trek up the steep, rocky mountain to the monastery. Most people took a donkey up the mountain, but we weren't allowed to do that for safety reasons. I wouldn't have done that anyway...I barely trusted my own two feet, let alone a donkey being led by little boys. At the top, we sat and looked at what I called a Spectacular View! I wish everyone could have seen how beautiful it was to look over the mountain-like wall that secured the city of Petra in ancient times.

I do love a good camel ride...even it if it IS in Petra :)

I don't think I meant to smile for this one

On the way out we had to really speed walk because we were running really late.... and it was a long way to the buses. We got to ride horses about a quarter of mile at the end, which was WAY fun. I almost forgot how much I love riding horses. It was a great way to end a very fulfilling, adventurous day in Petra.

Another favorite place we visited was Jerash. It was pretty comparable to Ephesus minus the hundreds of tourists. You'd think that someone would get really tired of ruins and then traveling to see more ruins...and that might be true, even for me...but the ruins in Jerash were remarkable! It felt more real to me, in that I could actually imagine people living there. I guess you can do that anywhere, but Jerash came to life for me. Maybe it was the intense gladiator show we watched prier to seeing the ruins. Yep. A live gladiator show. It was really funny and I laughed out loud practically the entire show. At first I didn't understand the humor and just thought they were being serious. I felt bad for them when everyone was laughing at them....but I eventually caught on and realized that it was SUPPOSED to be funny.

Lacey, me, Michael-Sean, Kaleb standing next to the river, Jordan.

I think one of the major highlights was the last place we visited. The Jordan River! We had a special devotional by the river where Christ was baptized. It was a particularly good experience. I sat there by the river and tried to imagine what it was like when that special event had taken place. I thought about what happened afterwards...how that was the beginning of Christ's ministry and how the people followed him. As I left the riverside....I guess you could say that I had a renewed desire to follow Him too.

The gospel is amazing. Learning is wonderful. Experiences are good too....put those all together and you     are mightily blessed. That's how I feel right about now!

Aubrey, Tyler, Shannon, me, Lacey, Liz, and Adam

the High Place

me, Tyler, Liz

The Adventures Crew: me, Allyson, Justin, Papa Hunts, Jeff, Liz, and Tyler

me, Tyler, Liz....just a little excitement!

a view of the city

Kaitlyn, gladiator, and me. This guy was the funniest. 

Eliza, Lizzy, me, Justin, and Liz at the start of Jerash

me and Liz in Jerash

my Jordan roomie -- Whitney!

me and Lizzy on top of Mt. Nebo. It was so bright that it
got whited out.

Liz, me, and Allyson..Mt. Nebo

Thomas and me! This is where John the Baptist was beheaded

the great monastery!