Garden Tomb and Garden of Gethsemane. All in one day. When I thought I had nothing planned for the afternoon.

I can hardly believe how fast everything moves here. I've only been here 50 hours and I've accomplished more than I ever thought I would in the first day and a half. I just wanted to do a quick update.

This afternoon, I found out some kids were going to the Garden Tomb. I wasn't going to go because we're going to the Garden Tomb next week, and I wanted time to spiritually prepare. But my talk was on following the spirit, and the spirit was reminding me of a promise I made to someone before I came that I would never say no to an opportunity. So I accepted.

It was so good to get back in the city, and we're even starting to find out way around. We got straight to the Garden Tomb without any trouble. This is where we, as Mormons, generally believe Christ was resurrected. On our way there, a bunch of the people in the streets knew we were Mormons. Haha! It was awesome. I'm smiling just thinking about it. They will say things like, "MORMONS! JOSEPH SMITH!" hahahaha! Or, "MORMONS! We have olive wood. Come find." Or, my personal favorite of the day was as we were walking into the Garden Tomb, a man there said, "Hi Mormon. Bye Mormon." HAHA! I love it!

So we got to the Garden Tomb, and it is one of the most beautiful places I have seen in Jerusalem so far. So gorgeous. Everything is so well preserved, there are birds singing, and it is such a peaceful place. You can definitely feel the spirit there. Another one of my favorite things about the Garden Tomb is all of the different Christians that congregate there. There were so many Christian groups singing hymns in so many languages (I think I recognized Russian, but I'm not sure). It was beautiful. I sat there with my friends, and we just pondered. Some of them went into the tomb, but I had no desire to wait in the line, so I went and looked at Golgotha instead. The entire place was really a spiritual experience. It was so beautiful there. We were only there for about 40 minutes because we had to go back for dinner, but I will go again next week. It's only about a 25-minute walk away. I might even go before next week. We, as Mormons, aren't allowed to read the Book of Mormon there, or even bring a Quadruple combination, but  it is a great place to sit and ponder.

After we got back, and after we had dinner, a group of us was going to go to the Orson Hyde Gardens. Unfortunately, it is a dangerous place to go on the weekends, so we went to the Garden of Gethsemane instead. It was really beautiful there. It's about a 20 minute walk away, and it's a lot different than I expected. It's about the size of my old apartment (really small), and just a small, fenced-off garden just on the outskirts of the city. I believe some of the trees date back to the time of Christ, so that's cool. But the olive trees are beautiful, and, like the Garden Tomb, it was one of the places in the City where I have really felt the spirit. It's just so peaceful and beautiful there. I got a lot of pictures, of both the Garden, and of people there. It was so beautiful.

I can't believe that in just one day I saw the Garden Tomb and the Garden of Gethsemane, and when I woke up this morning I wasn't even planning on it. Heck, when I woke up this morning, the biggest thing on my mind was speaking in Church. So crazy.

Tonight, they had a talent show (of sorts). It was essentially just a way for President Ohman to find out who could sing, play the piano, play the organ, etc. There are some unbelievably talented people here with me. One of my favorites was a girl who played the organ. It was amazing.

I wanted to show that I could play the piano, so I had a piece of music that was an accompaniment for a singer. I knew Michelle could sing and wanted to show that she could sing, so I actually showed it to her, said, "Can you sing this?" and two minutes later we were on the stage. Haha. She actually did amazingly. And it's a beautiful piece to begin with.

But, I feel like I'm really growing here. And, I've only been here for 50 1/2 hours. :) That's less than twice as long as I was flying. Haha. I hope that sentence made said. I'm really tired. I haven't slept since 6:00 this morning, when I woke up to finish my talk, so I'm going to bed now. You guys would be proud that I kept myself from napping so that I could sleep better at night. :) I feel like I'm getting on a good schedule. I start classes tomorrow and have to finish my reading in the morning. Wish me luck!

I Finally Have a Moment to Breathe.

Thank goodness for the Sabbath.

So much has been happening in the past couple of days, it's crazy. I don't even know where to begin.

Yesterday, we had our walk around Jerusalem. I LOVE THE CITY SO MUCH. I'M IN LOVE WITH THE CITY. I SERIOUSLY CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT. I want to be there all of the time. Well, not all of the time. But a lot. Israel is a phenomenal country because not only is it in the Middle East, but it's a first-world country, so you get all of the joys of the Middle East in a well-developed country, yet it's culturally and historically rich. The different cultures and smells in the city are phenomenal. The Old City doesn't feel like just one city - it really is essentially four. There's the Muslim Quarter of the City, the Jewish Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter, which is essentially Christian as well. It's jam packed full of people doing their various business deals, carrying things around, trying to transport things from one place to another, or, in one example, I saw a Jewish boy carrying a plate of bread bigger than he was on his head. People are speaking in various languages, engaging in business deals, and there are even some that don't speak English. When I tried to buy Falafel, for instance, the gentlemen who sold it to me spoke no English and I spoke no Hebrew. HA! It was a good moment. He just put in it what he thought I'd like. And, believe it or not, it was so tasty. I could eat it all summer long (and I believe I will!).

We saw so many sites yesterday, and I couldn't believe we were seeing them so soon. I felt like I hadn't had time to spiritually prepare! We saw The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is, according to the Catholic Church, where Christ was crucified, anointed, and resurrected. (of course, it is on a hill, but they built a church where they believe it happened). There was a place at the top of the church where you can reach through and touch the hill, so you can touch the hill where Christ was apparently crucified. We didn't have time to do that, though, so I plan on going back again when I feel spiritually prepared.

However, there are three(?) different churches, that try to lay claim to the land, and they all fight about who cleans what part of the church, who controls what part of the church, etc. When we walked outside the church, there was a ladder up on a ledge, leading up to the window sill. Apparently the ladder had been there 150 years because everyone claimed that it was not their responsibility to clean it up. So now one ever did! Haha. I thought Roger would get a kick out of that. Ha.

We saw so many sights, and I had a pen and paper but I can't find my notebook right now. I'll find it later. I wish I had been allowed to take my camera, though. They told us no cameras, because it would slow us down.

Brother Judd was my tour guide around the city (there was a group of six of us), and it was phenomenal! He is so brilliant and knows everything about everything. I love him. And it was so kind of him to answer all of my questions. Haha. I had a ton of them. I just want to learn everything.

Last night, we had more orientations, and played a get to know you activity. Finally, the group of 16 from New York flew in! When they arrived we all greeted them at the gate and cheered and clapped and everything. It was nice to have all of the members of our Jerusalem Family finally here. I love them all. I know the names of the 65 who have been here a few days, but I'm still getting to know the New York people. I'm here with such a phenomenal group of people.

Today, Saturday, was the Sabbath. It's kind of weird to get used to having church on Saturday, but with time, it'll be normal. I was actually asked to give a talk in Church today. It was so stressful. I was only asked about a day and a half ago, and it was on "Following the Spirit." I spent any free time I've had over the past preparing for it. Giving it in Church was so intimidating. All of the members of the Branch are so intelligent and have awesome positions in the church and amazing careers, whether it's teaching at the Hebrew University or working for the United Nations. The Relief Society President is actually a Palestinian woman who was converted in the United States, she now lives in Bethlehem, and works for the United Nations, I believe. It's just unbelievable what a bright ward we have, so it was very intimidating. Daniel Rona, someone who is essentially a famous LDS Tour Guide in the Holy Land, was there as well (my roommate was excited about that, and he even made some amazing comments in my roommate's Elder's Quorum class). Even Professor Kearl, my Economics Teacher from last semester, was in the audience. So everyone in the audience was extremely bright and brilliant.

But I feel like my talk went fairly well. Since my talk was "Following the Spirit," I tried to follow the influence of the Spirit in giving it. I had so many scribbles and notes all over my pages, trying to decide what I was going to say. But I feel like it went well. I felt the Spirit influence me to switch things around in my talk, and add some things, and cut some things out, and I felt like it was better than I had even prepared it. Someone told me I presented my talk very well. I felt good anytime I'd say something and see a bunch of people in the audience take their notebooks out to write something down. It was very encouraging. And afterwards, I got a lot of really good comments about it. I feel like I really was inspired in my writing of it, so I feel grateful that the Lord was with me in the delivery of it. I feel like it was a really good way to throw me into relying on the Lord while I'm here in Jerusalem. The topic was something I needed to learn about, and overall I am grateful for the experience.

The rest of church was good. There were some really amazing comments in Sabbath School. Everybody here is so intelligent, I can hardly believe it. I feel unworthy. But I am grateful to be among such intelligent people.

Today, some students were going to go to the Garden Tomb or the Orson Hyde Gardens, but we're going to the Garden Tomb next week, which I am grateful for because I want time to spiritually prepare for it. Also, the women in the group all have Relief Society things in the afternoon, so we're going to the Orson Hyde Gardens after dinner. Which means, for the first time, I was left with nothing to do this afternoon. Thank goodness.

When I finish this, I'll probably write a bit in my journal, read my scriptures, get ahead in my reading for my Old Testament class, and do some other things I need to do. But for now, it's nice to just have a moment to just breathe.

Even though I really would prefer to be out in the City. Maybe I'll see if I can go get some people to come with me.

I miss you all! I love you all. I hope you're having as amazing of a summer as I am. I hope people's finals are going well, I hope people are excited for their summer. I start classes this week, which I am really excited about. Wish me luck!

If Home Is Where My Heart Is, Then My Home Is Jerusalem

Hey, everybody. :) I just wanted to let you all know that after twenty-seven hours of flying, I made it here alive! Alhamdulillah! (I haven't figured out how to type in Arabic on these keyboards yet, and I'm too afraid to plug my computer into anything to use my own computer).

The flights went well! For me, anyways. My little group of ten ran into troubles in Virginia with a delayed flight by two hours, cutting our two-hour layover in Vienna short, but our gates were right next to each other, so everything (for the most part) went smoothly. In Virginia, they made us check out carry-on bags, so one girl accidentally checked her passport, creating problems in Austria. In Virginia we also had a huge delay to our flight, making us think it was cancelled. The group that is in New York is actually currently still in New York - their flight was actually cancelled. Sixteen of them are there. Ten have flight reservations for today, but six are flying standby. Keep all of them in your prayers.

But, as for me and my group (we will serve the Lord! - haha, scripture joke), we made it here safely, altogether, and with all of our baggage. (Another group had all of their checked baggage lost.) So, overall, I feel completely blessed about how smoothly my flights went. They really did go well, and I am very grateful.

I have been thrown full force into things here at the Jerusalem Center. I can't make this a super long e-mail because I have so much to do. When we finally got here, we were bussed through the hills of Judea (NOT PLAINS. JUDEA HAS NO PLAINS. THE SONG LIES.), to the Old City of Jerusalem. We sang "Israel, Israel God Is Calling" on the bus, and enjoyed every minute of the ride. It is absolutely gorgeous here. Never have I felt so at home away from home. I feel like I could live here forever.

When we got here, they had a full itinerary for us. We ate dinner (outside, with a view of the Dome of the Rock and the rest of the Old City), and then we had full orientations. We were given a tour of the Center, found out who our religion teachers are (mine is Brother Judd), met in the Chapel, and did tons of other stuff. I actually think we might have had our first classes tonight. Our teachers went over the syllabii, anyways. So I think that constitutes a class. I can't believe how fast things are moving.

I absolutely love my teachers. My Old Testament and New Testament teacher has his Ph.D. in Biblical Studies with a focus on the New Testament, and my Modern Near Eastern Studies teacher has his Ph.D. in archaeology, specifically in the Holy Land. I haven't met the others yet, but I am excited for my Modern Near Eastern Studies classes, one of which is taught from a Muslim perspective (by a Palestinian) and one of which is taught from a Jewish perspective (by an Israeli). I'm excited to learn Hebrew and learn how to sound out the letters. I am excited for everything.

However, my Old Testament class is flying at the speed of light. We have 27 chapters of reading to do for class. Essentially, the class is two semesters worth of Old Testament crammed into a term. It's going to be killer. But I know I'm going to love it.

The Center itself is gorgeous. I'll write more about it when I've gotten to know it better. I can hardly believe that it was built just to accomodate students. It is one of the most gorgeous buildings I have ever seen in my life, not to mention the fact that my room overlooks the Old City of Jerusalem. Have I mentioned that? From my room, I can see the city where Christ Himself once walked. I am so unbelievably blessed.

I have so much do, I can hardly believe it. Beyond my reading for my Old Testament class, I have readings for my other classes, and need to work in time to see the City. Beyond that (and my Mom will get a kick out of this), I have been asked to speak in church on Saturday (we have church on Saturday, the Sabbath, here). I have been asked to prepare a 10-15 minute talk on the importance of following the guidance of the spirit. My mom will find it funny because just last week in Church I was telling her that I haven't been asked to give a talk since I've been in college. HA! Never say that. You will, without fail, be asked to give one within the next week. And I just happened to be asked while I am in my jet-lagged, weary, busy state. I have one day to prepare it, and I don't want to disappoint anyone on their first Sabbath here, so keep me in your prayers, everyone. :)

Well, I'd better head out. My life is amazing. I can't believe how blessed I am. I might go roam the Center for a few minutes before I go to bed. I FORGOT TO MENTION. On my first night here, we are having a huge thunderstorm. I got a picture of lightning over the Dome of the Rock (thanks to my awesome camera!). I love thunderstorms. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful it is.

I love it here. I love it. Love it. I want to live here forever. And I love the people that I'm with. Already, when I see people that were on my flight or were traveling with me, I feel love towards them, and I hardly know them. I can't wait until I can feel that way about everybody here. This is such an amazing experience.

To keep this note from getting too verbose (too late!), I'm going to leave now. FAREWELL, EVERYBODY!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
-Mark Twain

I Was Going to Egypt but Now I'm Not

Well, my friends, it's time for a game of Good News, Bad News. We'll start out with the bad news, because I like it better that way.


Bad News: Word came via e-mail today that the Spring/Summer BYU Jerusalem students will NOT be traveling to Egypt this summer. Here's how the e-mail put it: "Because of recent events in the country, we will not be taking students to Egypt during the 2011 Spring/Summer Program.  Instead, we have plans for a full academic and field-trip experience in Turkey.  Details about this trip will be provided at the Final Orientation Meeting."


That brings me to the Good News: I get to go to Turkey! Turkey is on the list of top-five countries I want to visit.  Unfortunately, Egypt was another one of those countries (the others being Israel, Russia, and India). But it's Turkey! I don't even know if I get to go to Istanbul but I would love to see Istanbul. I've heard it's absolutely gorgeous. So that would be good news.


Bad News: I've been really looking forward to using my Arabic in Egypt. I've been studying the Egyptian dialect of Arabic, and even though I'll get to use it in Jerusalem, Jordan, and maybe even bits and pieces in Turkey, it is not the same dialect that I have been learning, so I will have a harder time communicating. The main language in Turkey is Turkish, but I might be able to find some Arabic speakers.


Good News: There have been rumors that during our time spent in Turkey, we will get to learn more about the mission of Paul. That would be really cool.


Bad News: I no longer get to see the pyramids. That is really sad. Or tombs, or the sphinx, or any of the other things. I don't get to watch the sunrise from Mount Sinai, either. That is one of the things I was most excited for. I love sunrises. I love mountains. I am actually really sad about that.


Good News: Turkey is a LOT cleaner than Egypt. Istanbul is supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Cairo is way over-polluted.


Bad News: This is the first time the Jerusalem Center has taken a group of students to Turkey, meaning we will be their guinea pigs and they will still be learning what to teach us, where to take us, and what to do. We might end up with a lot of free time on our hands, instead of constantly be touring places, and I'm not entirely sure that that is a good thing.


Good News: Because I am an Arabic minor, I might be able to do a Language Study Abroad in the Middle East in a few years. Usually this Language Study Abroad group takes students to Egypt, although this year they had to change their plans as well and they are now taking students to Jordan. However, in a few years, when I might go on this Study Abroad, things might have calmed down in Egypt and I might be able to go. So I might still make it to Egypt sometime in the future. In fact, I'm sure I will. Whether it is as a student or whether it is when I become an adult, Egypt will be number one on my list of places I want to see before I die. I will make sure I get there one day. :)


More Good News: I would like to end with more good news than bad news, so I'm doing another good news post. :) When all is said and done, I'm glad I still get to go to Jerusalem. I mean, they could have closed down the Center entirely. (It was closed from 2000-2006, and there are rumors that they might do it again). It is better to just not be able to go to Egypt and be able to go to Turkey than to not be able to go to Israel, Egypt, Jordan, OR Turkey. I'm just grateful I still get to spend time in the Middle East, and I know the experience will be amazing no matter where I am. :) 

Accolades to the Winner!

Tonight I held a competition amongst my friends. I texted 10 of them and told them to come up with a good title for this blog, and the winner would receive accolades to be texted to everyone else who had received the text. The following were some of the responses I received, from those who responded:

• "There and Back Again," by Emily Rose Mensing.
• "White Boy in the Middle East," by Emily Rose Mensing.
• "Jeffer's Jerusalem," by Kayleedel.
• "Pearls of My Life; No Looking, Swine!" by Melissa Brown.
• "I'm Doing Fun Stuff and Stuff Like That," by Melissa Brown.
• "Jefferpoints for Jefferfollowers," by Melissa Brown.
• Chris Lee refused to participate because of my recent dislike of a Lady Gaga music video.
• "I Was Going to Egypt but Now I'm Not," by RachelBrown. (even though I might be.)
• "Open Mind in a Closed World," by Emily Rose Mensing.
• "I Get to Go Cool Places This Summer and You Don't, Sucka," by Emily Rose Mensing.
• "It's Not Hogwarts, But It's Still Good," by Emily Rose Mensing.
• "Accio Jerusalem!" by Emily Rose Mensing.
• "I Don't Know the Hebrew Word for Blog," by RachelBrown.
• "Mr. Jefferson Goes to Jerusalem," by Rachel Adams.
• "Life Pulls in All Directions," by Lindsey Goodwin.
• "Free Libya!" by Josh Crookston.

Some of my own ideas had been:

• "Me, I'm Gonna Live Forever."
• "Take My Time Coming Home."

 My own ideas had been horribly inferior to those I texted. Good thing I texted them.

Post Script. Italicized suggestions were my favorites. I originally chose "I Don't Know the Hebrew Word for Blog" but didn't like the way the apostrophe looked with the font choice. Also I liked the use of the semicolon in the "Pearls Before Swine" option, so I changed my mind to that one. But good job to all those who participated!

What I Am Most Excited for in the Holy Land:

• Seeing the Garden Tomb (May 7th)
• Seeing the Garden of Gethsemane.
• Going to Egypt (May 15th) and seeing the pyramids (May 17th)
• A chance to use the Arabic I have been studying
• Sound and Light Show in Giza?! Neat. (May 16th)
• Seeing Tut’s Tomb (May 18th)
• Watching the sun rise on Mount Sinai (May 22nd)
• Church in the Jerusalem Center (apparently the chapel itself has glass windows on three sides which let me see the entire Old City of Jerusalem)
• The fact that the dorm rooms have balconies overlooking the Old City. I actually plan on spending a lot of time on those balconies.
• Forum Addresses from distinguished guests
• Learning basic Hebrew
• Snorkeling at Eilat (June 12th)
• Hezekiah’s Tunnel (June 13th)
• Jordan! (June 20th)
• PETRA (June 21st)
• Bethlehem (July 4th)
• GALILEE! (July 11th). I am most excited for Galilee, for whatever reason.
• Bonfire at the Sea of Galilee (July 12th)
• Swimming in the Dead Sea (July 31st)
• “Last Week of Jesus’s Life Field Trip” (August 9th)
• Studying Old Testament and New Testament in its setting.

What I am not excited for:

• Coming home.

An Introduction

I guess I should introduce myself. :)

A little bit of background: My name is Jefferson. This Summer I get the UNBELIEVABLE exerpeience of traveling through the Middle East, to Israel, Palestine, Egypt, and Jordan. It still feels too good to be true. I'm 20 years old from Bountiful, Utah and have had a pretty amazing life so far. It just keeps continuing to get better.

Background Academically: In school, I am majoring in International Relations, with a minor in Arabic. I absolutely love the Middle East. It fascinates me. I am excited (and a little nervous) to have a chance to use the Arabic that I have been learning. It will be such a humbling experience, but it will be invaluable.

Why I started this blog: I want to keep a sort of record of my travels while I am in the Middle East. It's going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Additionally, I want my friends, family, and anyone else who is interested in my life to be able to keep up on my adventures. Since I don't plan on getting on facebook or my tumblr blog, this will be the most efficient way to keep people updated while I am gone. I depart on April 26th, so check back often to see how things are going!

!السلام عليكم

A Collection of Pictures From My Sister's Blog

The entry inside the Jerusalem Center:

The back lawn:

View from the back lawn:

View from Chelsey's balcony:

The Sea of Galilee:

I'm most excited for Galilee. Don't ask me why.

Chelsey's Adventures in the Middle East

Tonight I had dinner with my sister, Chelsey. A few years ago, she got to go on the same Study Abroad to the Middle East that I am lucky enough to go on this summer. At dinner tonight, she helped me to understand what I need to know, what I shouldn't worry about, and what I should pay attention to when I go there. I am so excited. :) Here is a picture from her own blog.

Chelsey loved the Sea of Galilee.