It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Our dear leaders, Brother and Sister Woods

Sister Woods made all 52 of us girls headbands for Christmas! She has taught me so much about love and service.

Group hug!

We commemorated the Last Supper and read from the scriptures about this event. One of my favorite scriptures from the Last Supper comes from John 14:18, "I will not leave thee comfortless; I will come to you." I testify that this is God's truth! Christ has descended below all things and thus knows how to succor us in our lowest of lows (D&C 88:6; Alma 7:11-13). 

Look at all the Snow!

This is our friend Rita, one of the shopkeepers.

My first shawarma in the Old City! It was so yummy!

Our home sweet home

Sister Clayton and I at our Christmas concert. The Clayton's are the music service couple.

We met Orit (on my right hand side) at the Garden Tomb three weeks ago while we were singing. We invited her to sing Silent Night with us there and also invited her to come to our Christmas concert. She traveled all the way from Galilee, which is three hours away, even with the weather, to come to our concert! And she brought her friends, Ernest (on the left) and Alex (on the right).

Our Winter Wonderland!

It has been so exciting to experience the heaviest snowfall in December that Israel has ever experienced! The snow just hasn't stopped!

Our back porch is flooding!

Look at this poor tree outside our room! This is our outside hallway that we walk through to get to our rooms- it is very slippery and wet! 

My beautiful snow covered home!

Look at the beautiful city!

Birthday in Jerusalem!

I woke up to a Christmas and birthday miracle: SNOW IN JERUSALEM!!! 

We started on our trek to the Old City in the snow/slush, then all of a sudden we were being bombarded with snowballs! I guess our neighborhood friends got a little excited about the record amount of snow, and couldn't help but throw it :)

Damascus Gate

Here we are in the Old City!

All I wanted for my birthday was a hot chocolate cake from the Jewish bakery! My wish came true! We also ate hot, fresh pita's from the Christian quarter of the Old City.

Then we went to Shaban's store (one of the store owners who has great connections with the students from "Mormon University"). He gave us mint herbal tea and gave me a free pair of earrings and a ring for my birthday.

We danced to the Taylor Swift "22" song in his shop. Then my friend Zak, another store owner gave me a Reeses and oreo's, two of my very favorite treats!

This umbrella definitely helped keep us dry ;)

On our way out of the Old City, we ran into people roasting chestnuts on an open fire! I just stopped to take a picture, but they wanted me to have one. Then they cooked chestnuts for all of us! All these gifts I've been given are a demonstration of how generous these people are.

Our delicious chestnuts!

Here is the Dome of the Rock and Western Wall covered with snow!

My bed/ room was covered with balloons and cards and a candy poster! So much love!

Thank you so much for all the love and support coming from home! I miss you guys, but am grateful for this once in a lifetime chance to spend my 22nd birthday in Jerusalem! It was a perfect day!

This Week's Fieldtrip

Qumran: where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

Masada

Israeli flag at Masada

Masada- the Dead Sea is behind us

Herod's Northern Palace at Masada

We went on a beautiful hike to the springs of En Gedi

En Gedi

Our little friends from En Gedi

The Dead Sea (those mountain ranges in the distance are in Jordan)

The salt crystals in the Dead Sea

Floating in the Dead Sea

Just reading the newspaper as I float in the Dead Sea

We covered ourselves in the Dead Sea mud. It made our skin so soft! 

Saturday and Sunday

I have loved working in Primary this semester! These are the sweet kids I was blessed to work with and learn so much from.

After church we went to a WWI British Military Cemetery. It was so inspiring to read the tombstones. One of my favorites was, "Rest in peace; He waits for the last roll call."

On Sunday, we woke up early to go the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to see mass. I admire the devotion and worship of others. It is so inspiring.

Later in the day we to the YMCA bell towers to play the bells for all of Jerusalem! It was so much fun!

Lessons from the Sea of Galilee

Galilee was my favorite place I have been this entire semester. My favorite part of the trip was having time to sit by the Sea of Galilee and ponder. Christ performed so many miracles here, but the greatest miracle of all is that He changed me. I wish words could express how I felt sitting by the sea. I could feel Him as if He was standing right in front of me. I bear my testimony that He lived 2,000 years ago and ministered to the people of Galilee. More importantly, He lives today! I wasn't just feeling the spirit of Christ that walked on that sea two milenia ago, I was feeling the risen, living Christ that invites each of us to walk with Him.

On several occasions, I woke up to wind storms. When night falls in Galilee, the temperature drops, which causes the air pressure to drop and the winds to pick up. Naturally when the wind picks up, so do the waves. Witnessing this put into context the experiences Christ's disciples had on the water.

 

Matthew describes the effects that one of these wind storms has on ships in the sea (Matthew 8: 23-27). As I looked out at the boisterous sea, I could imagine Christ calming the sea and how miraculous that must have been for His disciples. I was reminded of something I learned in my New Testament class 2 years ago. Something just as miraculous as Christ calming the sea. Sometimes the Lord calms the storms, but more often than not, He calms the sailor. I testify this principle is true! I have felt it and experienced it time and time again. 

 

I think each of us has experienced a time where we have prayed for the Lord to take away a trial, or in other words for the Lord to calm the seas of our lives. I have found in my life that when I pray for increased capacity to bear the trial, that the Lord calms me, the sailor, and enables me to learn and grow from this experience.

 

I testify with all my heart that the miracles of God are just as prevalent today as they were 2,000 years ago when He dwelt on the earth. I encourage you to look for the daily miracles He performs in your life. One of my favorite verses from the Sermon on the Mount is verse 8, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). I believe that this scripture doesn't just apply to seeing God at the end of our lives, but it applies to seeing God and His hand every day of our lives. I rejoice in His involvement in the details of my life and testify He is involved in yours.