Last Week of Christ's Life, Day 2

Words cannot describe my love for this place and the feelings I had going through Christ's last week with all my Jerusalem classmates.

Orson Hyde Garden

First thing in the morning we walked through Orson Hyde Gardens, here is my bud Lisa Judd. She is one of the smartest little girl I've ever met!

I think it's pretty neat Orson Hyde has a garden dedicated to him. The true church still has its' remains here in the Holy Land!

The garden is beautiful. 

I can only imagine how gorgeous it would be if the Church could still take care of it.

 Garden of Gethsemane

Today, we spent a good amount of time in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The Church of All Nations (which commemorates Christ's Atonement) is to the left of the picture. We went to a quieter area, away from tourists where we could sit and reflect and listen to the Spirit. 

These trees are all Olive Trees. 

We began by hearing a few testimonies and thoughts, which always strengthens me. Then we had time on our own to ponder and pray and reflect on Christ.

 

Forget me not :) 

I didn't even realize how special it was to see that one other forget-me-not flower in Galilee... that flower reminded us all of President Uchtdorf's touching lesson involving this flower. Little did we know that the very next week he would be staying with us students at the BYU Jerusalem Center. Now I found this little precious flower once again, after I hugged sweet President Uchtdorf! 

What a tender mercy of the Lord to show me this small flower. It is so tiny, but emanates such beauty and wonder. I especially like the irony in this picture: a forget-me-not flower with an Olive tree behind it. May we never forget what Jesus suffered for us in this Garden of Gethsemane, and His miraculous atonement for the sins of us all. 

The name Gethsemane means "oil press" or "olive press" in Hebrew.

Trunks of the Olive Tree grow around the middle base, so the middle can die and become hollow, while the outside is young and living. These trees are older than the average eye would assume. Interesting too... the trunks look sad almost. There may just be more symbolism within the Olive tree and Garden of Gethsemane than we even know.

Spending quiet time here on my own was a peaceful way to think of the Atonement.

Time to reflect and write my thoughts is so valuable and much needed to nourish the spirit within us. I love this place, and I'm extremely grateful for the time I've spent here.

Church of St. Anne/Pool of Bethesda

My lil' bud and I again. 

I've made it a short tradition to light a candle in every church possible. I appreciate the gesture to show respect and think this is a beautiful way to do so. I also had fun doing it; this act made me feel special.

The acoustics in this building were the most incredible I've ever heard. 

Either that, or this experience singing here was unforgettable because I felt the spirit stronger than ever as we sang songs special to our heart as a Jerusalem family. 

We don't want to leave this place or each other!

Ruins of Bethesda

From my first outing in the city, to one of my last. I've come full circle and it just seems fitting. 

Funny how things work out like that... Tender mercy of the Lord.

 The Garden Tomb

And finally, my favorite place in the entire country. 

What a perfect place to end here.

How special to have this sacred spot to ourselves.

I will never forget my experiences here in the Holy Land. 

Jesus Christ lives and loves you today! 

I'd be lost without my Savior but I am so grateful I don't have to be! It is amazing to me, it really is.  I am forever indebted to Him and hope to just live my life in a way that can be worthy of His perfect and unwavering love.

"Last Week of Christ's Life" Field Trip Day 1

I had THE BEST time I've ever had here in Jerusalem this week,  I didn't want it to end! What a bitter-sweet week knowing we had to leave soon... but it was so special visiting the sacred sites that made such an impression for our life today.
For our last field trip we went through the sites Christ did during His last week in Jerusalem before He was crucified.

BETHANY

Where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead

I am standing at the entrance, sorry I guess I'm blocking it from view too! 

BETHPHAGE

 Bethphage (Hebrew meaning "house of unripe figs") is a small village on the Mount of Olives and close to Bethany, where we traditionally believe Jesus began his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. 

This picture is inside the Catholic chapel at Bethpage.

After Jesus walked from Bethany to Jerusalem, he told his disciples to loose the donkey tied at a nearby village and bring it to him (Matthew 21:1-2).

The entrance to the Bethphage church.

 Pater Noster Church

(back angle)

Located at the top of the Mt. of Olives, along the ancient footpath and modern road from Bethphage to Gethsemane. 

This church is associated with Jesus teaching His Apostles during His last week, and with His Ascension into heaven (declared by Constantine's mother, Helena). 

Later it became associated with the giving of the Lord's Prayer (by local tradition after the Crusaders replaced it in the 12th century), because Latin, Greek, and Hebrew inscriptions of it were found in the ruins of the 4th century church.

Today it's the 19th century complex continuing the "Pater Noster" tradition.

Pater Noster is Latin for "Our Father," the first phrase of the Lord's Prayer. 

All over this church is versions of the Lord's Prayer in over 60 languages! It was special to see the excitement of all the students who have mission calls find the language they will be teaching in; faces lit up with wonder as they tried to pronounce this foreign scripture, but knowing it all meant the same thing. I felt a connection to Spanish because of my grandparents, I still want to learn how to speak it!

How neat is it that the Gospel is the same regardless of where we are? It might sound different, but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (1 Nephi 10:18-19; 2 Nephi 29:9).

Walking away from the Pater Noster.

View of the Old City and grave sites along our walk Jesus would have gone down during his Triumphal Entry.

 Dominus Flevit Church

Latin for "the Lord wept," 

commemorating when the Lord wept over Jerusalem in Luke 19:41

This church was built in 1955 and is shaped like a teardrop to remember the tears of the Savior.

Dome of the Rock and the Old City taken from the overlook of Dominus Flevit Church

Being here where Christ wept over Jerusalem made me never want Christ to weep over me.

Loved ones in a Sacred place

When Christ pondered and wept over Jerusaelm, I imagine the image looked something like this. 

Matthew 23:37  

"O Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophet, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how oft would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" 

The walk to each place is enchanting.  

The Upper Room

 Dormition Abbey

 

Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu

Commemorating both the trial of Jesus by the High Priest Caiaphas (Matthew 26) and Peter's denial of the Savior three times.

Gallicantu comes from the Latin words gallus, meaning "rooster" and cantu, from the verb "to crow."

Gallicantu means the "rooster's crow," (Matthew 26:74).

Where the Savior walked.

These stairs date to the Herodian Period. 

If this is the correct site of Caiaphas' palace, then Jesus may have walked on these very steps on his way to the Sandhedrin trail.

Matthew 26:75

"And Peter remembered the word of Jesus... Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly."

This is a picture of the real archaeological remains of cellars below where the church was built. Jesus would have been held in an underground dungeon like this very one.

Matthew 26:57-58

This beautiful Catholic Church was built around 1930. 

The Byzantine church built on this site was built in the 5th century AD

The Dead Sea

Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found! 

Located below the cliffs of the Judean wilderness near the Dead Sea.

The Essenes were a faction of Judaism who practiced monasticism here, and produced the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Dead Sea Scrolls were later discovered in 1947 by Bedouins. They are extremely significant  because these scrolls provided Old Testament manuscripts more than 1,000 years older than any previous copies, and information about the practices and beliefs of other Jews who were contemporary with John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. 

 

Some of my favorites :)

Who knew a desert could be so beautiful?  

Seeing the vast amazing desert made me realize that beauty really does come in all sorts of packages.

Now... the Dead Sea!!!

The salinity of the Dead Sea is 33%. 

Our oceans are only about 3.5%

The Dead Sea has provided mineral sources and has defined ancient and modern borders.

Sadly, the Dead Sea is shrinking about 3 feet per year because most of the water out of the Jordan River is being used for agriculture and drinking water, and the 6 million tons of water from the Dead Sea evaporates daily!

Luckily, we got to enjoy the Dead Sea while there still water left. We even found the special Dead Sea mud that left our skin feeling as soft as a newborn baby. 

(Random, but too good) 

The Dead Sea contains no life; it's dead. 

Even though the water looks gorgeous and clear, it felt so strange and slimy. 

The Dead Sea is 1400 feet below sea level, the lowest spot on earth. It also separates two geological plates--Israel on the African plate moving south, and Jordan on the Asian plate moving north. 

Floating in the Dead Sea was one of THE COOLEST things I've ever done!!!

What an amazing feeling! The high salt concentration makes our bodies super buoyant. I was almost flying I couldn't get over the feeling! 

Today was too much fun just playing around, laughing, just having a grand ol' time. 

Masada

A freestanding mesa where the Judean wilderness meets the Dead Sea in the Rift Valley, Masada was Herod the Great's ideal fortress to protect his kingdom.

Herod enlarged it in 35 BC. It was seized in the First Jewish Revolt by Jewish assassins called Sicarii.  The Romans later attacked from a siege ramp but  found the Jews already dead.

Masada is one of the most visited tourist sites in Israel, and for good reason.

This place was so much fun to explore.

Tay Tay! My adventure buddy since day 1.

So happy I met this girl; what would I do without her.

Here is me playing Vanna White for the model of Herod's ancient city.

All over Masada there were incredible ruins, leading me to more amazing views and hideouts. 

Herod rebuilt Masada to include northern and western palaces, Roman bath, swimming pool, storage buildings, and a casemate with living quarters for soldiers. Aqueducts and cisterns supplied Masada with water.

Echo!!!

Here we yelled to hear the most amazing echo I've ever heard. 

I yelled and heard, not just an echo sound, but literally my own voice bounce back against the desert mountains about three seconds later. I was talking to myself! Quoting Grinch was my favorite, and I felt like a giddy little girl I was having so much fun. Taylor was getting into it too if you can't tell haha.

It was an extremely hot day

An ancient underwater cistern was a nice break from the heat. I always had fun singing in these open rooms; great acoustics!

Just walkin around Masada. Nbd.  

(Notice the Dead Sea off in the distance)

En Gedi

Located close to the Dead Sea and end of Judean Desert, where two wadis deliver spring water. Here is where David hid from King Saul and when encountered, David cut off a corner of King Saul's robe to show his good intention instead of killing him. 

Archaeologists found synagogues from the Roman and Byzantine eras, the earliest dating back to 600 AD.

To finish off our best day we all jumped in under this beautiful waterfall!

I would have never guessed there could be so much greenery and moisture in such a dead desert. All I know is that I sure was happy to see it.

We had to hike up to this point, and I was barefoot, but my goodness it was worth it.

Water pictures courtesy of Taylor's GoPro :)