November 1, 2007

Natasha Antoniak
Brother Ludlow
November 1st, 2007
We woke up early in the morning, anxious for breakfast, and excited for our half day of final outings within our field trip of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. We got on the bus and headed to the Jordan River to take a short tour of where they believe John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ.
It was a really hot day and all of us were so tired from traveling and having to get up so early. However, we had all become so eager to go to this site since the start of the field trip. We walked through a peaceful trail that opened up to a pavilion where we then sang the primary song “Baptism” near the water below. It was somber and reflective. We then walked farther into the trees and came to a church where we sat in the shade and took turns taking pictures of the “River Jordan” sign that led us to an opening right on the water.
The rest of the time in Jordan that afternoon was spent on the bus in an effort to get to the border crossing. While waiting, we ate snacks, sang hymns, listened to Archie’s vocal rendition of “All I Ask of You” (Phantom of the Opera) and sporadically succumbed to the temptation of powernaps equaling about 10 minutes in length. Once we got to customs, we all grabbed our luggage, had our passports in hand, and waited in one long line to each Border-Crossing-Teller. Everything went smoothly and made it to our bus, on the other side, in no time.
We watched the beginning of “Ratatouille” on the way home and arrived at the Jerusalem Center early in the evening. We all rushed to our room to unpack, do laundry, eat dinner, catch up on sleep, homework, emails, and take time to reflect about our trip to Jordan.
My Old Testament Highlight is taken from my journal on September 7, 2007:
“Tonight was incredible. We went to the Western Wall. I was overwhelmed with the love that Heavenly Father has for His children ground and watched in awe of the traditions and dedication of these people. I witnessed generations of tradition, culture, language, and rich spiritual conviction. I was touched and curious…
Afterwards, we walked around Kidron valley and through the City of David and saw some of the 2000+ year old stones left from the temple of David/Solomon. Our teacher (Brother Ludlow) pointed out the tomb where the son of David was buried and showed us where the Mt. of Olives was.
We also walked through the Muslim part of the Old city where Mary Magdalene was apparently buried... It is such a surreal experience to be just miles if not FEET away from these places that I have read about my whole life. I purposely didn't bring my camera because I just wanted to remember the feeling (not the picture)...
You would have loved tonight--walking through the dark, warm streets of Jerusalem, seeing the dark night sky and listening to the history of what we were walking by every 2 feet. It would have strengthened even further your testimony of covenants and the promises of the Lord.”