November 2, 2007

Allie Braby
2 November 2007
Friday, November 2, 2007
Today was one of our few completely free days. Breakfast wasn’t even served until 8 am, so it was a glorious morning sleeping in, especially after returning from Jordan. Most people stayed in Jerusalem, going to synagogues or to the zoo. However, I was in the group that went to Tel Aviv for the day. Although the JC group kind of split up and went at different times, it seems that we all had basically the same type of visit. The first few hours were spent on the beach. We incorporated our knowledge of Egyptian coffins when burying Caleb in the sand and there were also opportunities for my roommate and me to bond. The Mediterranean Sea was quite a bit saltier than I expected, but I was so excited that I could float. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around Tel Aviv, forgetting that everything closed early for Shabbat. It is weird to think that I got a sun-burn in November, and that although it is still so warm here, the sun is setting as it would in November back home. The best part of the trip was eating gelatos and watching the sun set into the Sea before catching our ride home.
We arrived home just in time to attend the Shalom Shack Spookfest 2007. Although the world had already celebrated Halloween, the JC always sets its own timetable and it seems like the world revolves around us. Or, at least, it should. There were a lot of fun and creative costumes. Karey pulled off a pretty stunning rendition of Brother Ludlow, complete with fanny pack and water bottle holder. James and Ryan dressed like each other, straightening and curling hair where needed. It was fun to see that Ryan showed up in khakis and a button up shirt whereas James came in flaming pajama pants and socks. A lot of other people dressed up as each other, but we had a couple of medical personnel, an Ophir look-a-like, and Greek men. Katie and I went as whos from Whoville. Meg was pregnant with the world’s largest set up babies and there were a couple of mermaids as well. I was amazed to see how creative our group was with such limited supplies. The Spookfest was a good way to end the night and the week. After an exciting field trip, we were all able to relax and have fun, though the party did come to a halt at almost exactly 11 pm.
This semester, while studying the Old Testament and living in the Holy Land, I think the more valuable things I learned were not facts about the scriptures. I think that living here and studying the words of God have helped me to learn how to love other people. Many people think that Christ is a loving God in the New Testament, but an angry God of the Old Testament. However, being around his people in this land, especially the tribe of Judah, has helped me to feel how much Heavenly Father really loves his people. In class, we learned that there are three stages to gathering the Jews in the last days: change of attitude, change of knowledge, and change of belief. Being in this land, I think I can see more of how the literal gathering of Israel is happening and I also have an increased desire to participate in the gathering of Israel. My love for this people has grown and I really want them to be able to feel the joy that the gospel brings and do what I can to help prepare this people for the day when the gospel will be taught to them. The biggest thing that I learned this semester was love for God’s children.