October 3, 2007

Brittany Hofman
October 3 – Journal
Wednesday, October 3rd, was a short field trip day spent in our "mobile classroom," visiting two particularly important sites -- Jericho, which was particularly important during the Israelite conquest of Canaan, and the Quruntul Monastery located on the traditional site of the Mount of Temptation.
I think the only thing that I knew about Jericho before the field trip was that it was the site of Joshua's first conquest after crossing the River Jordan. Some new things that I learned and that really impressed me while at Jericho included the fact that at one point, I was standing above an ancient tower in the tel considered by some to be the oldest man-made structure in the entire world! I also learned that Jericho is the oldest "continually inhabited city" in the world, with over 5000 years of habitation. I was floored with that bit of knowledge!! It never ceases to amaze me how young the United States nation compared to other places of civilization.
After visiting Jericho, we visited the Quruntul Monastery. According to tradition, it was on this mountain where the Devil tempted Jesus following the Savior's forty-day fast. A monastery was built in this area to commemorate this event as well as other scriptural events. The word "Quruntul" is the Arabic word for "temptation." The visit to the monastery included a steep hike up some switchbacks on the side of the mountain. While trekking up to the top, I overheard someone ask "why in the world would someone build a monastery in such an awkward location?" I admit that I had the same thought running through my head as I huffed and puffed up that steep terrain. However, as I began to internalize the question, I couldn't help but think of the somewhat "sacred" nature of this and other building locations that I've been fortunate enough to visit these last few weeks in Israel. I have found myself thinking many times on the adoration and respect that other people hold for different places -- places that I may not think too much of, or that I may not feel are actually the traditional sites of different biblical events. However, I have observed many touching moments involving people of other faiths and the places they deem sacred (whether or not the site is REALLY the actual place). I recognize the fact that there are so many people in the world with some parts of the Gospel in their lives, but obviously not all of it. But, because they have the light of Christ in addition to some parts of the truth, they are doing everything in their power to worship God in the only way that they know how. And because of that, I find it particularly impressive and sacred to witness such humble and dedicated individuals show such love and respect for our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. It has at least given me an example to think about and try to emulate in my own worship of my Heavenly Father