Friday November 30, 2007

Brittany Hofman

Fri. November 30 – Journal

Friday, November 30, we had a great field trip in the Galilee and visited a number of places including Mt. Tabor, the village of Nain, Beth Shean, the Bet Alpha synagogue, and the Gan Hashelosha swimming hole.

We took taxis up to the top of Mt. Tabor and had a nice little meeting with Brother Ludlow regarding the significance of the mountain and the event of the Transfiguration that most likely took place there. As Brother Ludlow talked to us, I was particularly struck with the importance of the Transfiguration, as well as the perceptive nature of Peter when he said to Jesus on the mountain, "it is good for us to be here" (Luke 9:33). I really appreciated Peter's sensitivity to the event and to the Lord at that particular time.

The village of Nain was probably one of the highlights of the fieldtrip for me. We spent only a brief moment there, but the time we did spend was in a quaint little church that is taken care of by the local Palestinian Christians. I think that it was a favorite part of the day because of the simplicity and quiet nature of the church. As we talked about Christ raising to life the deceased son of a widow, I could feel a distinct spirit that testified to me of the divinity of Jesus Christ and His holy ministry. I have enjoyed visiting particular sites where Christ healed and cared for people as it has helped me better internalize the importance of the man we call "Savior."

The Gan Hashelosha swimming hole was just fun! The day was a little cloudy, but the water was warmer than the air outside and the whole experience was just relaxing. The best part for me was seeing Brother Ludlow, who was so excited about the swimming hole in the first place, participate and make a beautiful swan dive into the water!

As we've studied the New Testament these past couple of weeks, the account in John 9 of Christ healing the man born blind has come to mean more to me. I appreciated the lesson I learned in verses 2 and 3. The disciples ask Christ who sinned and Christ tells them that nobody sinned, but rather he was born blind so "that the works of God should be made manifest in him." Then Christ goes on to say "I must work the works of him that sent me." I guess that I was struck with the phrase "works of God" as the answer to the disciples' question. The man didn't do anything to bring the blindness upon him, nor did his parents, but rather he was born blind so that the opportunity would be given to the Lord to heal this man – either to help the man see and understand the love of the Savior, or help other witnesses of the miracle better understand this love and healing power. As I thought about this, I felt I was able to better relate it to why we are each given individual trials. I know that sometimes it is so that we can have the opportunity to exhibit enough faith for the Savior to heal us, helping us better understand His love, and also to help others around us gain stronger testimonies of the healing power of the Savior.