Tuesday December 18, 2007

Whitney George
December 18, 2007
Today was our last structured day of our BYU Jerusalem Study Abroad for Fall 2007. It was a day full of emotion for sure! We started off the day by doing the second half of our “Last Week of Christ’s Life” Field Trip. Our first stop was the Garden of Gethsemane. The morning was crisp and cool and our class sat in the corner of the garden seeking any inch of sunlight as we sat there for probably the last time in a long time, or ever. Brother Ludlow began to talk about the Atonement and the power that it has in our lives. What an amazing opportunity this semester has been as we have been able to study Christ’s life and grow closer to Him by going to the places where His life happened. The Garden of Gethsemane has been a special place for all of us, and it was a sacred morning to sit there and ponder of the suffering that our Savior endured while He was there. How humbling it is that we can repent and return to Him and be washed of our sins through His blood. We had time to sit and ponder alone the events that happened here.
Our second stop was St. Peter’s Gallicantu, which is the site commemorating Peter’s denial of Christ 3 times before the cock crew. Here we talked of the difference between humility and embarrassment. What Peter must have been going through and the pain he must have felt once he realized the sin that he had just committed of denying his relationship with the Savior. We walked down to the old stone prisons over which the church is built. Here Brother Ludlow gave us a description of the Jewish type of flaggelation. Ryan Taylor was our model, and though it was funny at first, it became a powerful teaching tool to see one of our friends in the stance that Christ would have been in when He was whipped before being crucified. What a horrifying experience. On the outside of the church are second-temple period stones which have been uncovered and left as they were found.
Thinking we’d save time, we took the bus to the next stop, the Church of St. Anne, which houses the ruins of the Pools of Bethesda. We barely made it to the church in time because East Jerusalem is extremely crowded as tomorrow marks the beginning of a huge holiday, Eid-al Adha. Thankfully we got to go into the church and sing many songs, including “Love At Home”, to remember Sister Ludlow. Then we walked around the ruins and were reminded of the story as well as the beautiful painting by Carl Bloch of Christ telling the lame man to “Arise and walk”. We left this church and went to the church of the Flagellation. I didn’t like the art in these churches, as there were graphic statues of our Savior going through much pain. After that, we went to the Sisters in Zion convent, which is on the site of the old Antonia Fortress. In this area, we talked about the suffering that Christ went through and crucifixion during these times. Once again it was great to ponder on the life of our Savior and the atonement that He made for us. His power and glory are truly great. Our last stop was the Garden Tomb. We’ve been here many times this semester, and once again it was great to have our last time here together as a group and thinking about our Savior’s miracles after studying Him this semester. The resurrection truly is the ‘good news’ that the Gospel brings. How wonderful it is to know that our Savior lives and loves us. His life did not end here on this earth, but instead He had the power to overcome death and because of that, all of us can rise and live again. I liked this tour, because the tourguide focused on how it doesn’t matter where these events occurred, but it is the event that matters, and the fact that no matter where the tomb of Jesus is, it is empty. I know that He lives and loves us individually, especially because He knows us so well after feeling all of our pains, joys, afflictions, and sufferings. He did this for us.
Tonight after our field trip we had dinner, then our “pre-departure meeting”, which was filled with mixed emotions from the group. It’s been an amazing semester and we’ve all grown and learned together. Now that it’s time to go home, some of us are looking forward to it, while others are not ready to leave. The airport is not going to be a pretty scene. After the meeting we had our class programs. It was a perfect way to end the semester together. I was strengthened in my love and bond with our class, as I’ve grown to love everyone so much. The musical numbers and testimonies brought the Spirit, and then the slideshow for Brother Ludlow reminded us how much we owe to him. His example, teaching, love, and hard work have made all the difference this semester, and we owe him so much. Our futures have all been changed because of our four months here. We are all better people now, more devoted to the Gospel and our Savior Jesus Christ. As I watched the slideshow, I was brough back to all that we’ve been through together—back to the airplane flight here, Egypt, Jordan, fun times in the center, other activities, and the spirit that has been with us all semester. We have been so blessed to have Brother Ludlow as our teacher this semester. He will forever be in our hearts as we now go forward and take what we’ve learned here. Our class had a final bonding activity this night, and I was crying through it all. I didn’t think it would be hard to say goodbye to everyone, but after realizing just how much we’ve been through and just how much we’ve grown and learned and bonded, I know that I’ll have this experience forever, and that it will always hold a tender place in my heart. I’m so grateful for this experience. I’m sad that it’s coming to an end, but now we get to go home and take what we’ve learned with us. It has been a priceless semester, for which we are all grateful.