Monday December 3, 2007

Whitney George

December 3, 2007

Today we left our beloved En Gev in the Galilee. This week has been so awesome. It has been a wonderful opportunity to learn about the Savior, His life, and His teachings in the actual places where these things happen. It has been a tremendous learning opportunity and I will forever be grateful for this week. So, we left our week of relaxing in the swinging chairs on the beach, really good breakfasts, and TV to head back to Jerusalem. As this was our last big trip, it was a sobering thought that we would be going home soon.

Of course we never waste any time this semester, so we made the most out of our drive home today. We started out early and got to go to a site that hasn't been in the itinerary for a very long time. This site was Beth Shear'im. It is a place where they buried many rabbis in rock-cut tombs. It was a wet day so we walked in the mud around the site and saw how the Jewish took traditions of other peoples and applied them to their customs. The large cave underground was really cool as there were many ancient tombs cut from rock.

Our second place was the Bahai Gardens in Haifa. Driving through Haifa was really fun, as it is a busy city where many people come to work. It is not as divided by religion as Jerusalem is, and has a different feel to it. So, we stopped at the Bahai Gardens. Most of us didn't know much about the Bahai faith, so it was interesting to learn more about these people. It started in the 1800s and now has about 6 million members worldwide. They are proponents of peace regardless of race and are looking forward to a day when one government will rule the whole world. This garden holds the Shrine of the Bab, the first 'prophet' of the Bahai faith. We started at the top of the gardens and walked down nine stories to the shrine. As we walked, we admired the meticulous precision of the gardeners on this property, for everything was perfectly symmetrical and cut to exact measurements. As we were leaving, we saw a group of men cutting the trees. They had a sort of mold for the trees to make sure that each one was perfect in its measurements. Because of this symmetry and perfection, the gardens are stunning. So much attention to detail!

After this stop, we went to the Haifa Templar Cemetery which is where a couple of Mormon missionaries as well as a few members of the church are buried. These graves are important to the existence of the Church in this land because they prove that we were here before the creation of the State of Israel. It's amazing to think about the early Saints and the sacrifices that they made to spread the Gospel. One of the missionaries had a wife and children, came here to preach, and died from disease. I admire their devotion.

We then headed home and arrived to the Jerusalem Center. It's always fun to come 'home'. After a busy week in Galilee, we're now looking forward to our last couple of weeks here in Jerusalem. We still have a lot to look forward to, a lot of school work and lots of fun activities! Galilee was so awesome and I think we all had great times learning, relaxing, traveling, and growing. Because of that trip, my testimony of the Savior is much stronger, as I hope everyone's is!

Studying the New Testament has been so much fun here! It's so wonderful to get a new perspective on the stories, and be able to put them in geographical context! One of my favorite New Testament scriptures is Mark 5:36, when Jesus is at the house of Jairus and everyone thinks that his daughter is dead. Christ says, "Be not afraid, only believe." I love the power in simplicity of these words, and I think that we can all apply these words to our lived more fully. We must trust in our Father and Savior and their power. They will take care of everything if we put our trust in Them. They are asking for our faith, and if we submit it, miracles will happen. I know that if we do trust in them, our lives will be richer and that we will be able to see the power in our lives.