Bedouins!

Alrighty family. This blog thing is kinda hard! It is time consuming. Yuck. But I'm doing this for you Mom!
So it's been a week- and I feel like I have so so much to report on.
Ok- Thurs. was pretty uneventful. Just classes. Really- that's it.
Friday- Classes in the morning, then we were able to make school kits for kids in need over here. It was really a fun activity! We actually ended up breaking the record- 2100 kits in two hours!! We were cookin. Good stuff though.
Then after an early dinner- we headed down to the Old City to witness the Jews ushering their Shabbot at the western wall. Really cool! It actually ended up being pretty docile compared to what I had in mind, but Bro. Judd said that it's kinda just hit and miss depending on the week. So i'm hoping that the next time we go at the end of the program is just awesome! It was still neat to see all the guys just break into dancing and singing spontaneously. They are celebrating their chance to worship on the sabbath. Hence- the dancing and singing. I was curious why they could dance on the sabbath but not walk so many steps and apparently it doesn't count if it is worship... But still, it was interesting. I wish I could've taken some pictures and videos of it to show ya- but they don't allow camera's on Friday night. It is very very touchy sometimes, so we just don't even push it.  Then we came back and watched Indiana Jones, which was fun! But of course I fell asleep.
Saturday (Shabbot) was actually district conference. (Same as stake conference) So the Bethlehem branch, Galilee branch, and i'm probably forgetting another came to the center for our meeting. I actually ended up accompanying a musical number the student choir sang, so that was scary. But it went well I think! They invited me to bring my violin to the Garden Tomb which we went to after our meetings- so I guess they liked it. But more about our meeting; For relief society we had a couple of the leaders speak, which ended up being awesome! The stake relief society President was this amazing lady from Bethlehem (in the West Bank) with a crazy story. She told us she was born in Palestine (she is Arab) and came to BYU and was converted. When she came back after graduation, she had to find a way to get to Israel to go to church on Saturdays. So she would essentially run over mountains and avoid guards and check points to get to church. It was about a 3 hour trip one way if all went well. She said sometimes she ended up hiding from guards so she would miss church. She was actually shot at trying to get to church. She did this for 10 years. The dedication of the members over here is just amazing. I can't imagine going through that kind of thing. Her testimony must be incredible. I want to get to know her better, but since she lives in the West Bank she can't travel into Jerusalem very often due to check points. It is nuts, I can't even explain it. But so much faith in the people in the Holy Land.
Then we ended the day with a quick trip to the Garden Tomb, which is one of the places predicted that Christ was crucified and laid in the tomb. It is a really incredible place, weather or not it is the actual location of the crucifixion. It is this pretty garden area with the tomb. It's just a solace from the crazy city. But there are little congregational areas where we all sat down and wanted to sing. Of course there's bunches of other Christian groups there and some are singing these gospel hymns and "Oh Lord!!" and all. Kinda distracting. But it was the most incredible thing. Most of the time the groups are just kind of worshiping on their own and doin their own thing, but we as a group of these young college students sit down and start singing and it was just silence. I was accompanying on the violin while we sang hymns for a good twenty min. or so and it was a wonderful experience. I had my back to every other group cause I was standing in front of our group to play and I look up to the faces of our group and there are tears in the eyes of some girls and others were waving and blowing kisses. I turn around to see all of these other groups just silently watching and listening to us sing. Then I noticed on the side people were bringing chairs to sit and listen to us, and it just hit me. The amazing spirit that music brings is undeniable. So Mom and Dad- thanks for all of those painful years of violin. They really are worth the wonderful feeling you feel when you are a part of something like that. But unfortunately I didn't take pictures there either cause we were pretty pressed for time and I just wanted to sit back and enjoy it. But it was a pretty sweet experience. I will be visiting there often on the sabbath for sure.
Sunday was our free day which was so much fun! We ended up going to Tel Aviv to play at the beach, which was a very welcomed break from hectic. It was so stinkin fun playing in the waves and sand! Just to get out and play. ah it's so great! But we did get back in time to study... a bit... Ya i'm still working on that whole studying thing.
Monday was our field trip to the Negev which is just the southern area of Israel. There is a bunch of ties to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and the 12 tribes of Israel to down there. Abraham is known to have lived in Beersheva which is about a mile from the site we visited as well as his decedents. Our first stop though was at this Bedouin weaving tent which is a non-profit organization to help bedouin women get an education. It was really neat. They ushered us all in to this tent which was made of long woven strips of camel hair, goat hair (because apparently it's really greasy and ends up being water proof) , and I think sheep hair? But it was cool. Then they served us some yummy tea (even though it was boiling hot... course) and gave us a demonstration of how they make the rugs. It was a floor loom thing that just laid on the ground and they strung the yarn with a wooden stick and tightened it with a goats horn. Looked like hard work that's all I know! I am just glad to be well educated and an American, that is for SURE! But then we went to the shop and looked around and that was about it. I wish we could've gone to dinner with them Mom and Dad. That would've been way cool! But it was still way interesting to see!
After the Bedouins, we went to a couple Tells (essentially it's ruins built on top of each other. A couple layers deep shows different eras. Really cool. But the first one was near Beersheva, which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived. The other Tell we went to was Tell Arad, which I can't remember tons from I gotta be honest. It was neat though. There was ruins of a temple with the holy of holy's area and the entrance and everything excavated.
On our way home we drove down past the dead sea. Yes- BELOW sea level. so crazy. But I was asleep most of the ride. Oops.
Tuesday was classes and we went out and explored the Old City some more.
Wednesday we went to classes and then studied I think? I'm not quite sure. I have to be honest- I am struggling with this blogging thing. It is time consuming!
But Yesterday, I went to classes, then went exploring in the Old City again. It was pretty incredible! We went to this huge tower next to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and it was an incredible view! we went to a museum that had a bunch of replicas from the Temple of Solomon- it was really cool! So a few years ago they re-created a menorah that would've been the same dimensions as one of the 11 in the temple and it is made of pure gold! It is displayed right across from the Western Wall actually. It was a big moment for the Jews cause apparently they believe it is one of the first steps in rebuilding the temple. But we also went to Caiaphas's palace where Christ was held overnight before they crucified him and is also a place where is believed to be where Peter denied Him three times. There's a monument with a crow on the top signifying the cocks crow. There are also stairs by it that are dated back to the time of Christ where it is pretty much known to have been one of the places Christ walked. A crazy thought that's for sure.
That brings us to today! So we had three double classes and got out at three to an announcement that we couldn't go to the city. It's the muslim day of prayer and due to the recent unrest, there was a bit of tussel and stuff, so they just told us no Eastern Jerusalem and no Old City. It's all good though. Nothing major! Don't worry. We're headed to Turkey on Sunday anyways, so it will only be 2 days that we can't go out. So I just played and played in the gym! My hip is hurting Dad. :( But whatever. I'm in Jerusalem!!
So.. here are some pictures for ya! So much fun!

Kenz and I at the Beach at Tel Aviv

Typical- ninja!

Bedouin women weaving her rug

On the roof of the Upper Room- the place believed to be where Christ first instituted the Sacrament.

GUMMIES!!! YAMM.

Well, that's it for me! I will post again in Turkey. But Love ya family! We're fine- don't listen to the news. And we're headed to Turkey on Sunday anyways! It'll be a gobblin good time! Bahahaha. Love ya!