Life comes at you fast.

Remember when you were 13 and you went away to camp and it was going to last 1 WHOLE WEEK? And everyday felt sooo long and years went by before you went home. And remember when Christmases and birthdays were so far apart? And high school seniors were so old? And college was just a distant blur in the future?

This coming Wednesday will mark three weeks of living in Jerusalem. Ok, so it's not been that long. But it still means that I am almost 1/3 of the way through my time here in the Holy Land. Say what?! I feel like I was just packing my bags to leave on this study abroad. I have loved every minute here, and I can't wait for all the coming excitement and adventures.

I just wish that it went by a little slower, that I could watch each Jerusalem sunset in slow-mo, rewind the spontaneous bursts of laughter, and freeze the moments when walking through the colorful market-places of the Old City.

But what minutes!  Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day.  

~Benjamin Disraeli

At the Western Wall.

Participating in the stations of the cross, 

on Friday along the Via Dolorosa.

View of Jerusalem.

The Church of the Condemnation.

The streets of Jerusalem.

Blink of an eye.

Human beings do not live forever. We live less than the time it takes to blink an eye, if we measure our lives against eternity. So it may be asked what value is there to a human life. There is so much pain the world. What does it mean to have to suffer so much if our lives are nothing more than the blink of an eye? I learned a long time ago, that a blink of an eye in itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is something. A span of life is nothing. But the man who lives that span, he is something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be insignificant. Do you understand what I am saying? A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life. It is hard work to fill one’s life with meaning. That I do not think you understand yet. A life filled with meaning is worthy of rest. I want to be worthy of rest when I am no longer here. 

From The Chosen, by Chaim Potok

I think I have been rendered unconscious.

Never take shorts for granted, people. Never. Especially if you find yourself trekking across the Judean Wilderness. In long pants.

Also, whoever invented air conditioning is a saint. And whoever decided that ice water is not necessary in Jerusalem is crazy. "Modest is hottest" takes on a whole new meaning after spending hours below sea level in Jericho.

But talk about awesome. We saw possibly the oldest tower in history at the Jericho tell, an ancient bathtub at Herod's winter palace, a monastery built straight into the Mt. of Temptation, a camel at a gas station, and a tree similar to the one that a man climbed up to listen to the Savior. So much history packed into such a small place.

Jericho, "City of Palm Trees"

The cure for a hot, sweaty day? Swimming in the Mediterranean at Tel Aviv. 

The past few days, in pictures.

Visiting Shaban's store in the Old City.

The Garden of Gethsemane.

The Pool of Bethesda.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Sunset at the Jerusalem Center.

Seek first to understand.

Today was our District Conference, so the chapel was full of members from all over Israel. It was nice to hear children throughout the meetings; it made the center feel more like home. One of our speakers said something that really stuck with me.

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood."

I feel like this can be applied to so many aspects of my life. I love the word seek in the phrase. It is a verb that implies action and actively doing something. The phrase teaches to look outside yourself and serve others. I have decided to make it my motto while here in Jerusalem.

Seek first to understand the gospel more in depth while in the Holy Land.
Seek first to understand the many cultures and religions of Israel.
Seek first to understand the students and facility at the Jerusalem Center by serving and loving them.
Seek first to understand my mission in life.

I hope that I can keep this in mind as I continue my adventures in Jerusalem.

P.S. The internet connection stinks right now, so pictures will come later!

Falafel in the Old City.

Random thoughts of the night:

Despite the 60+ pages of reading I have before class tomorrow, all I can think about is the delicious falafel I had in Jerusalem today. Take a pita and add falafel, pickles, tomatoes, fries, and mystery sauce. Sooo good. I can't wait for more. 

I love walking around the city and simply soaking in the surroundings. At a forum tonight, our speaker told us to taste, smell, touch, and see the city, down to every brick. This is one of the best ways to understand a culture and people. I have started this and can't wait to explore this Holy Land. 

In Hebrew, I learned the most common phrase that the people say to each other: "Ma Neeshma?" (basically, what's up?) You typically respond by saying, "Be'Seder," meaning everything's in order. 

Oh, and check out my view. 

Greetings from the Holy Land.

Yes, I made it to Jerusalem! I was one of the lucky ones that flew from SLC to JFK to TEL AVIV. Sure, they were long flights, the second being 11 hours, but at least I didn't get stuck in Phoenix like the 50 other students in our group. They have been arriving over the past several days, taking flights through Houston, D.C., North Carolina, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and many other cities. It is insane! Hopefully the final groups will be arriving tonight and I will be able to meet all the new students.

The Jerusalem Center is incredible. My balcony, and every other room in the building, looks out over the city. At first, the prayer calls were surprising, but now I am getting used to them and I love to listen to them. Even when they wake me up at 4:30 in the morning!

I would love to post pictures of the places I have been to so far, but I'm not quite sure what the policy is here, so I'll wait. Bummer, because I usually read blogs to look at pictures, so I assume if you're reading this (which I'm not even sure you are) you are super bored right now. Sorry!

Places I have been so far:
The Garden Tomb (right in the city, but so peaceful and beautiful)
The Garden of Gethsemane (closer to the city walls then I imagained, with trees from the time of Christ)
Pool of Bethesda (we got to walk through the ruins and go to an underground pool)
The Church of the Holy Seplechure (one of the suppossed places where Christ was judged before the crucifixtion)
Walking the streets in the Old City (love the smells of the spices, but maybe not some other smells...)

Hopefully pictures will be coming soon. Shalom!