Israel/Jordan 2019

Going to the Holy Land has always been a desire of mine, but honestly, I never thought it would happen.  It just seemed so far and so out of reach.  Thankfully, Piper did not have the same doubts.  This was top on her bucket list, so when she started to shop around for tours, I was on board immediately.  We booked the trip 1 year prior because tours book up so quickly.  She found one who had John Bytheway as a tour guide, and because he was known for being such a funny LDS speaker for our age group when we were teenagers, we tried to get on his tour.  Unfortunately, his tour was booked, but the owner told us he had another tour guide going named Hank Smith who was also great.  We didn't know who this Hank guy was, but we weren't going to let him stop us from enjoying Israel.  Little did we know, Hank would be the best guide we could ask for.  When we would tell people who our guide was, we were informed that he was the 'John Bytheway for today's youth.'  

The trip started off with a red eye flight from Phoenix to NYC.  Piper was immediately reminded how easily and quickly I can fall asleep anywhere as she didn't sleep a wink and I was asleep before we left the tarmac.  We had a significant layover in NYC and were able to leave the airport to have breakfast with one of my good friends Aubree.  

Then it was off for our next flight to Ukraine, followed by another layover before flying to Tel Aviv.  Our total travel time was approximately 35 hours, and poor Piper didn't get any sleep.  I, on the other hand, slept the majority of every flight we were on.  

I bet you can't tell by the picture alone which one of us slept like a baby and which one didn't....

We arrived at Tel-Aviv in the early afternoon.  After taking a taxi to our hotel and getting settled, we hit the beach.  It was beautiful!  We could walk right out our hotel doors onto the sand.  Oh, and they play a game that is basically volleyball but with their feet!  My mind was blown.  I could have watched them all day!

The next morning was Day 1 of official tour business.  We did some stops around Tel-Aviv and got settled into the tour lifestyle.  We sat on the back of the tour bus, observing all those around us.  I won't go into boring details, but let's just say that it was only a matter of days before we were the front of the tour bus kinda people.  We loved Hank!  We wanted to talk to him and pick his brain any chance we could.

First stop was Joppa where Jonas was eaten by the whale and where Peter was told to take the gospel to the Gentiles.

Our guide didn't go into much details about this experience, other than to give a brief comment about how it surprises him how people try to put limits on God.  Jonah and the whale is viewed as an outlandish story, but through God, Jesus was resurrected and overcame death, so why couldn't he do any miracle he saw fit?  

This was our first resting spot to hear Hank share scriptures.  You can see the Tel-Aviv city line in the background.  Here, we read the scriptures about how Peter had a vision in Joppa that he was supposed to teach the gospel to the Samaritans and Gentiles.  Hank taught us that Jesus's first commandment he gave to the apostles was in Matthew 10 where he said not to teach the Samaritans and Gentiles but to teach the lost sheep of the House of Israel.  The vision went against what Peter thought was supposed to happen, so it had to come 3 times before he believed it.  A couple days prior, a Samaritan named Cornelius was praying, and the spirit told him to go to Peter.  When Cornelius went to Peter, the spirit told Peter that he was to teach Cornelius the gospel.  Hank didn't begin to hypothesize why the contradictory  message or why they should teach the Gentiles now when they had previous been directed not to, but he did ask us to ponder a time when the direction from the Spirit has changed.  I think this happens occasionally, and sadly, sometimes people lose their belief, but I was reminded how important it is to be flexible and trust that God knows best.  Believing in God is believing in his Timing, even if it doesn't make sense with our limited human knowledge.  Hank joked that the scriptures say, 'This is the only true and living church...' and we hold on to the 'TRUE' part, but we don't pay enough attention to the 'LIVING' part.  Living means that it evolves, grows, and changes as we are prepared and ready for it.

Next, we went to Caesarea, which is one of the civilizations that King Herod built.  Herod was a great architect as a ruler and built some of the most notable ruins you can find in Israel.  We sat in the amphitheater and learned more about the Sadducees and Pharisees.  I don't claim to remember all the details or be a New Testament expert, but I remember that he taught that when Israel was no longer in captivity prior to Jesus, the people were divided between those who wanted to continue living under Greek influence and worship multiple Gods (Sadducees) and those who wanted to go back to Judaism and worship one God (Pharisees).  As time progressed, they became more and more polarized and divided, so much so, that when Jesus came, neither group wanted him around.  Hank asked us to think about how that applies to us in our lives.  We wants all the perks of the world and also all the perks of the gospel.  We cannot serve 2 masters.

Our last stop of the day was at Mt. Carmel.  This is not a mountain like we are used to in Utah.  Mt. Carmel is only 1,300 feet above sea level. You could see the whole valley from it, though.  So many little cities and vineyards surrounded by lush, green landscape.

Mt. Carmel is where Elijah challenged the Gods of Baal.  Baal worshiped many Gods, so Elijah told them to come and have a challenge.  He said they would each build an alter to light a fire.  They call upon their Gods and nothing happened.  Elijah actually  mocked them and said, 'oh maybe he is sleeping or away..' and to basically keep trying.  When it was Elijah's turn, he had them pour buckets of water 3 times on his alter, and when he called upon God, God started a fire that consumed the alter, the rocks, the water.  The people of Israel turned their hearts to God, and the Baal gods were slain.

Mt Carmel is also where Abigail acted as an intermediary between King David and Nabal.  David sent his men to Nabal and asked for food, and Nabal refused.  David gets mad and comes to slay Nabal.  Nabal's wife Abigail found out and immediately went out to David and said it was her fault, offered food, bowed down, and asked forgiveness.  David forgave.  Hank talked about how Abigail is a type of Christ.  Christ took our sins as his own, and as such, can ask forgiveness for us and allows us to be saved, just as Abigail did for Nabal.  This story is referenced in a book called "the Peace Giver," which I read years ago and it literally changed my life and helped me let go of a lot of hurt I was holding on to.  The power of forgiveness is real, whether you are being forgiven, or allowing others to be forgiven.

The next morning (Day 2), we went to Caesarea Phillipi, which was a place King Herod built for his son Phillipi. It was so breathtakingly beautiful!  They had a picture of what it would have looked like in its prime.  Now it is ruins, but the grounds are still beautiful.  Hank shared was that people joked that it was better to be one of Herod's pigs than one of his sons.  Despite building such a beautiful place for his son, Herod actually had several of his sons killed due to fear and jealousy that they would take his throne, but because Herod practiced Judaism, he wouldn't kill pigs.

There is a river that cascades through it.

It is the largest spring that feeds into the River Jordan, and we drank from it, so basically we drank from the same water Jesus was baptized in.

Caesarea Phillipi was where Peter first testifies that Jesus is the Christ in Mathew 16.  Many at the time thought he was another prophet, so this is the first time it is known that he was the Messiah, the Son of God.  No one had told Peter yet, so it was only by the spirit testifying that he knew in that moment.  Right after is when Christ says, "upon this rock shall I build my kingdom."  There is a lot of debate on what that means.  Some believe that it literally meant that on Peter, Christ would build his kingdom.  Others believe that he meant upon "revelation," since Peter had just received revelation about Christ being the Son of God.  Others believe that he meant the priesthood, since the subsequent verse says that Peter will receive the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and what is bound on earth will be bound in Heaven.  Hank did not state his opinion on any of them, but I can see how all can be relevant and applicable.

At this spot, he also gave a brief history of the 4 gospels and the different audiences being written to. Matthew is writing to the Jews and consistently references Old Testament and Mosaic law because they would know that.  Mark is really the book of Peter and written by his scribe Mark.  Its audience is the Gentiles, which seems fitting since Peter received the revelation to take the gospel to them.  He shared that it is likely that Mark was written first because Luke and Matthew take his scriptures and copies them word for word and add on for the different audiences.  Luke never met Jesus, which i never knew.  He is likely a traveler, historian, and also a convert.  He is also writing to the Gentiles but from a converts perspective.  John writes everything else the others didn't cover.

The next stop was the place where Jesus held the Sermon on the Mount.  This was also very beautiful and overlooks the Sea of Galilee.  Here, Jesus teaches the Beatitudes.  I can't help but think that this rocked their world.  They were living Mosaic law for thousands of years, and Jesus is 'updating' it through this sermon.  

Some things Hank taught was more insight into the 'Salt of the earth' scripture.  Salt was used as currency back then.  It was a preservative for meat and very valuable.  They called it 'salt money.'  If someone dumps a bag of sand in it, it would loose its value, but it would still be used on the ground since people used the bathroom on the streets.  It could be used to absorb the fluids and make it not slippery.  This is why he says, 'it is thence forth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.'  We need to not lose our value, so Jesus can continue to utilize us for his works.

He also taught us the correct meaning of 'an eye for an eye.'  He said it's commonly misunderstood to mean revenge, but it's not a law of revenge.  It's a law of restitution.  If you hurt someone and they lose their coat, you give them yours.  You make them whole.

We also learned that when Constantine was emperor and converted to Christianity in 300 A.D. that he had his mother Helen go around to find the true locations of some of these significant events.  They then built synagogues over the top.  This is the closest we know to where things really happened.  It may have been 300 years after they happened, but people at that time didn't travel far or leave home, so it is likely that stories and traditions were passed down from generation to generation.  The locations may not be exact, but they are the best we have.

This is the synagogue that was build over the Sermon on the Mount location.

Here is the view overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

 My mom loves rose bushes, so I had to get a picture by them.  They had a beautiful garden of rose bushes.

Next stop was Capernum.  When Jesus tried to teach the gospel to his hometown of Bethlehem, they ran him out and tried to kill him.  He went to Capernaum to live with Peter, and this is where he lived out the remainder of his life.  There is a bench at the entrance that signifies the scripture in Matthew 8, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests but the son of man have no place to lay his head.'  It's a chilling statue.

This is also where Jesus instructed Peter to go out and cast his net, even though they had fished all day and hadn't caught anything.  Peter followed the instructions, cast the net, and caught so much fish it was sinking the boat.  Jesus then asks them to leave everything and come follow him.  Hank asked us to ponder why he did such a grand gesture before asking them to follow him?  My first thought is that they were being asked to leave everything behind so they really needed to know and believe him.  He said that no one really knows, but some hypothesize that he was setting their families up financially so they could go with them.  Other think he was seeing if they were willing to sacrifice and leave it all behind since that was their livelihood and currency.  Some think it is fore shadowing their futures as fishers of men and the days of the Pentacost.

Hank also shared what he believed was the real meaning of the story of Jesus casting the devils into the swine who run off the cliff.  He hypothesized that it is like being an active member of the church yet owning a strip club.  Jews under Mosaic law couldn't eat pig, but these guys owned them and profited from them.  It is like refraining from doing something ourselves but still making a profit from others doing it.

Capernaum was destroyed by an earthquake in 8th century AD, but the ruins are still there.

 This is believed to be the foundation of Peter's house.  The structure over it is the church Constantine built over it.  They have the church vaulted so it will preserve the original structure.

Since we were by the Sea of Galilee, we went to a local restaurant that fished from the sea in the morning and fed you the lunch in the afternoon.  I thought it was so funny that our reservation said 'Pilgrim Mormon.'

I had the dish labeled 'Peter's fish.'  LOL when in Rome, ya know....

Lastly, we went on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.  While on the boat we read about how Jesus walked on water.  We read about how he let Peter struggle in the sea for several hours until the 4th watch.  When Peter walks out and starts to sink due to fear, Jesus 'immediately' comes to him.  We have a 4th watch God, but we also have an 'immediately' God.  There are times we need to struggle and learn for ourselves and there are times he will rescue us immediately.

On the shore, they had a small museum where they displayed a boat that is dated back to 2,000 years ago and believed to be around during the time of Jesus. They uncovered it in the ground, and when the air touched it, it would disintegrate.  They had to go to great lengths to preserve it while they transported it to a safe place.  I don't remember all the science behind how they did it, but this is why the top of the boat is gone.

April 30 (Day 3) started at Nazareth, which has been renovated and made to look as closely as it would have in Jesus's day.  They even have actors that do different crafts to show you how they would have lived. 

One thing we learned was the olive press.  There are 3 stones of different yet increasing weights.  The lightest stone was used to press the olives first and would produce the highest quality olive oil and would be used for alms and worship.  Then the second stone was heavier and would produce the 2nd quality olive oil that would be used for cooking.  The 3rd stone was the heaviest and would get out the rest of what it could.  This oil would be used for cleaning and household items.  Sometimes the weight on the 3rd press would be so heavy that the olive would bleed, similar to the Savior bleeding from every pore in Gethsemane, which aligns with symbolism of him being surrounded by olive trees.

They had a replica of the garden tomb.

It was neat to see a more authentic view of Israel.  Hank shared the scriptures of how Jesus tried to teach the Nazarenes and was reading out of Isaiah about the Messiah and said, 'This day is the scripture fulfilled.'  The people, his hometown friends and family, became irate and tried to throw him off a cliff.  He had to flee the land and never returned.  Hank asked us to think about how hard it is for us to allow people to change or grow when we have known them our whole lives.  Jesus was an ordinary guy to them, the Son of Joseph.  They could not see beyond that.

After Nazareth, we went to the Mount of the Precipice.  It was up on this mount that is believed to be the mountain where the Nazarenes tried to push Jesus off the cliff before he fled the land.

Hank posed for a picture and humored us.  Scriptures in hand, pondering off into the distance. 

The mountain in the background is Mount Tabor.  We did not visit it directly, but we talked about it as we viewed it from a distance.  Mount Tabor is believed to be the Mount of Transfiguration.  6 days after Jesus told Peter at Caesarea Phillipi that he would be given the keys to bind in heaven what is bound on earth, Jesus took Peter, James, and John to Mount Tabor where they are transfigured and Moses and Elijah appear and transfer the keys of the priesthood to them.

Our last stop for the day was Tel Meggido, which is hypothesized to be the place of Armageddon.  Because it was a crossroads for the 3 major powerhouses, it is a common battle ground spot and has been destroyed and rebuilt 25 times.

Hank taught a different perspective on Armageddon.  No where in Revelations does it say Armageddon will have a great and last battle.  Hank taught that the book of Revelations is basically plagiarizing the Old Testament.  The great battle comes from Joel 3, which talks about the battle of Jehosaphat, but the valley of Jehosaphat was named that after the days of Joel, so it is likely he was talking about King Jehosaphat from 2 Chronicles 20 where the North is coming to kill Judah.  God said the battle was His, and the North basically killed themselves off before Jehosaphat and army arrived.  They then got all the spoils, so much so that they didn't have room for it all.  Hank taught us this so we wouldn't fear the 2nd coming.  Evil will kill themselves off, and we will get the spoils from Heaven.  Definitely a different yet hopeful perspective. 

Because it was such a common war place and it would have been difficult to get water and supplies from the outside, they had a massive underground tunnel that led to a water source.  We were able to climb down into the tunnel and walk through.

May 1 (Day 4) started out in Bet She-an, which are Roman ruins and has no specific Christian significance.  Regardless, it was fun to see and was very expansive.

The columns were exactly '1 Holly' wide.

Next, we went to Qumran, which is the location where the Dead Sea scrolls were found.  The stop was very educational for me because I always thought the scrolls contained new scriptures.  While there may be some, they were really the writing of the Qumran people:  their rituals, their culture, their thoughts on Judaism.  They were more extremists and didn't like the way Judaism was going, so they are thought to have left Judah to live independently.  The scrolls also contained books of the Old Testament plus a couple we don't have.  Back then, scrolls were their copies of scriptures.  The scrolls were particularly significant because prior to finding them, there was nothing that really proved the Old Testament was written when it was.  Some skeptics argued that it was written later and were just stories.  Finding the scrolls and seeing that they contained the same writings as the Old Testament was ground breaking and was able to prove that it truly did date back as far as it does.

Scrolls were hidden all through out the caves of Qumran.  You can see all the cavities and how many there are.

Next stop was the River Jordan where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.  The part we went to was pretty narrow and divides Israel from Jordan.  Both sides are guarded by their own military, and there's a rope down the middle that should not be crossed.  Both sides also had people come to see and visit.

You can see the Jordanian military holding a machine gun in the background.  It was impossible to get a picture without people in the background.  There were so many people there wearing white robes and baptizing themselves.  I think it's a cool sentiment, although lacking proper authority.

A white dove even flew over our heads.  I thought it was the coolest thing and kept trying to capture a picture.  It was at that time that I realized how many white doves were around.  It would have been cooler if they were rare, but it was still cool.

Our last stop was the Dead Sea.  We had been traveling farther South in Israel, which became more and more dry desert and hot, so the water was much needed.  It is true when they say it's impossible to sink in the Dead Sea.  The salt concentration is so high that it makes you buoyant.  Even trying to get my feet underneath me to stand up was difficult.  Every part of my body wanted to stay above water.  I was able to accomplish a bucket list item:  float in the Dead Sea!  I anticipated it to smell really bad.  I don't know why.  Maybe because sometimes the Great Salt Lake has a sulfurous smell, but the Dead Sea didn't smell at all.  It was actually quite refreshing.  You just have to make sure not to get any in your eyes and mouth.  Other than that, it was very pleasant.

The ground and the banks were a silt-like clay.  We covered our whole bodies with the clay and let it sit for 20 minutes.  It's supposed to be really good for your skin. 

That evening we traveled down to Jerusalem.  We arrived in time for dinner, and Hank's intern used to be a student at BYU Jerusalem, so she knew the grounds really well.  She told us that she would walk around the Old Town Jerusalem and anyone was welcome to join.  I decided to join with maybe 4 others.  Piper decided to stay in for the evening and go to the gym and rest.  Hank's intern Ali let us know that The Church of the Holy Sepulchre would likely be closed, but we can walk around the Old Town and shop and just get a feel for it.  The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the location that Constantine's mom Helen had been told was the place where Jesus was crucified and also laid in the sepulchre, so Constantine built a church on top.  The church was not an official stop on our tour because it always had such long lines to see the place of the cross and the sepulchre that it would take hours and hours for everyone to see it, and it wasn't a smart use of time.  We were told that we could go in our free time and stand in the lines if we choose.  To our surprise, it was open.  Ali told us that this was the shortest she had ever seen the lines, so we should go see what we can right now.  

I went to stand in line to see Golgotha, the place of the cross.  They have the spot covered with a glass casing so you can still see the hill, and they have a little alter-like box you can kneel in and touch the earth through a hole in the glass.  This was not policed by anyone, so people were staying in there for a significant amount of time praying and touching the earth, so the line was moving really slowly.  After waiting about 10 minutes and hardly moving, the lights started to turn off.  Ali came to me and said, "they are closing.  If you want to see the sepulchre then we should go now."  The chances of me actually getting through the line were slim to none, so I decided to go at least see and look at the sepulchre before we got kicked out.

We went down the stairs and around the corner from Golgotha to where the sepulchre is located.  I went to go stand in line with another guy from our group, and then the rabbis/priests guarded the way  to that wing of the building and no one else from our group got let past.  Because they were closing, they were rushing people in and out of the sepulchre very quickly.  As I stood in line moving along, I looked over to the rest of our group and Ali standing behind the rabbis and waving at us.  I was bummed they got blocked off and couldn't join.  

It came my turn to enter in.  I honestly didn't know what to expect.  We were being rushed so quickly, that I barely had time to take it all in and realize what was what.  You first walk into a room under an arch (pictured below) and there is a table in the center.  I thought that was the sepulchre itself but it didn't look the way I imagined it.  Then we were led to another, even smaller room that you had to duck to enter.  Because they were rushing us in and out so quickly, they were letting 3 people in the smaller room at a time.  I was the first and then the other guy from my group and then a random guy.  It was only wide enough for one person but could go 3 people deep.  There was a stone slab table to one side and then a lot of candles and ornaments on a ledge above the table.  The 3rd guy (stranger) started to pull out some sort of objects as if to pray, but the rabbi was not having it.  He was speaking to the guy in a high, annoyed tone and trying to get him to leave while using his arm motions to usher him out.  The guy was pretending to ignore him, which made the rabbi even more forceful.  The other guy from my group was pulled out pretty quickly, but I was kind of trapped behind this 3rd guy attempting to kneel down and pray.  Like I said, it was only wide enough for one person.  Honestly, I didn't really know where I was.  Nothing about the place was how I had imagined it.  I had been warned it wasn't what you would imagine, but you never know until you're there.  I could tell by the way the guy was praying and laying objects on the stone slab that something was significant, so I reached over and touched touched the slab.  Then I was being ushered out quickly so the next set of people could come in.  The total time I was in the smaller room was maybe 5 seconds.  It all went pretty fast, and with all the chaos of being rushed, the guy trapping me in and pulling out random objects, the rabbi talking loudly and motioning us out, and combined with the room not looking at all what I would imagine, it wasn't until after I was out that I realized what the stone slab was.  It was such a small room and done up so ornately that I didn't know what I was entering.  I thought the first room with the stone table in the middle was the actual place where the Savior had been laid to rest.  Don't get me wrong, the first room was super small too, but the second room was tiny.  It's possible they closed it in more for the purpose of building the church over the top, but needless to say, I didn't realize what it was in the moment.  

The next morning, Piper joined Ali and a small group of people at 5 am to try to get into the Church and sepulchre but there was some sort of ceremony and the sepulchre was closed off.  They were able to wait in line and touch Golgotha though, which I was not able to do.  After all was said and done, only 2 people from our whole tour got in to the sepulchre, and only one of us was able to touch the stone slab:  me.  Looking back, I'm very grateful I was able to, despite the rush and confusion.  It is still an experience that is rare and sacred.

The below photo was taken by members of my group who were blocked off by the rabbis.  Apparently there was a Jesus look-a-like that was standing in line behind me.  He was able to capture the photo.  We joked and said it was a 'rare photo of Jesus rising from the dead and exiting the sepulchre.'

May 2 (Day 5) started out at the Garden of Gethsemane.  This was also a place that we were warned that it may not be what we expected.  There is now a major street that runs right by it, so while we may be wanting a serene and peaceful experience, there may be cars speeding by and honking.  Despite being warned, it was actually a very peaceful place.  The trees were smaller than I thought, but some of the trunks were wide.  Maybe olive trees just don't grow very tall.  Hank shared some scriptures on the Atonement and shared a story of a friend of his who experienced a tragic loss of their toddler.  If this friend ever sees or hears that someone is going through the same tragedy, they seek out the person, even though it's a stranger, and they invite them over to dinner to provide comfort and support.  He said that when you experience something devastating, and you see someone else going through the same thing, you have a natural inclination to go to them.  He said that is what the Savior feels through the Atonement.  He experienced everything we could possibly experience in this mortal life, and his natural inclination is to come to us and succor us.  It was a very powerful example of the power of the Atonement. 

Something that he shared that I really enjoyed was a quote from Merrill J Batemen, to which I am paraphrasing based on my notes, "in some way, in the garden, in a way which we will never understand, He lived each of our lives from beginning to end.  What may have felt like 5-6 hours for Peter, James, and John must have felt like a trillion years for Him.  That is the only thing that could put fear into the God of Gods and make him tremble."

We also read Doctrine & Covenants 19:17-19, where Christ is revealing to Joseph Smith in a revelation what he experienced in Gethsemane.  We learned that the long dashes are long pauses when Joseph was translating, possibly Jesus getting emotional.  The verses read, "v17- But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I. 18-Which suffering caused myself , even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit---and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink--- 19- Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men."

After Hank's message, we were given time to wander, sit, pray, do whatever we want.  It was such a sacred and special place.

I didn't plan it this way, but my irreverent side couldn't help but realize that I was wearing a Michael Jackson shirt and thought to myself, "I am taking the King of Pop to meet the King of Kings." LOL

After Gethsemane, we went and toured Old Town Jerusalem.  We went to the Pools of Bethesda, which is one of the only locations that historians and biblical scholars are certain is the actual place referenced in the scriptures. These were essentially damns that would capture water for Jerusalem, but in John 5 we learn about a man who was inflicted for 38 years and an Angel "troubled" the waters so people would be healed by it.  Crowds of people were going into the water, but this man couldn't walk and couldn't lower himself down.  Jesus came to him and lower him down and the man was healed.  This is the only instance where Jesus seeks to heal someone rather than being sought after.  Hank paralleled that to what sources we seek healing.  Jesus is the true source of healing.

This day was Holocaust remembrance day, and the whole country was supposed to be silent for 60 seconds when the buzzer rang through out the country at noon.  It was while at the pools that the buzzer rang, and sure enough, the country went silent for 60 seconds.  I was amazed that a whole country could unite in reverent silence for a unified cause.  I'm not sure America would be able to be so united these days.  It was a humbling experience.  

Next, we went into Old Town Jerusalem and walked the Via Dolorosa, which is believed to be the path Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion.  Old Town has been recreated to show what Jerusalem would have looked like.  It is split into 4 quarters.  The Christian quarter is where The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is location.  The other 3 quarters are the Jewish quarter, the Armenian quarter, and the Muslim quarter.  

The Muslim quarter contains the Dome of the Rock, or Temple Mount, which is a very sacred site to Christians, Jews, and Muslims.  For Christians, it is the site where Abraham came to sacrifice Isaac, or Ishmael if you're Jewish.  It is where the temple in Solomon's time was built, and the 2nd temple during King Herod's time.  It's also where Muhammad was risen to talk to Allah face to face, which makes it one of the 3 most holy sites in Islam.  Today, it's a mosque with a gold dome.  The grounds only open for 1 hour each day, and if the line exceeds those who can enter within the hour, they don't allow you to go in.  Because of the short window and no guarantee to enter, the tour group doesn't usually go, but we had free time to wander the city, so Ali took those of us who wanted to go.  We were able to get in, which was awesome.  They have a very strict dress code, so you cannot show any skin.  They half enforce this.  My ankles were showing, so they made me put on one of their skirts, but they were fine with my short sleeves.

We were not able to go inside the dome.  They don't allow people in, but we were able to wander the grounds.

Being the rebel that I am, when no one was looking, I ditched the skirt. LOL

At the base of the hill where eDome of the Rock is located is the Western Wall or Wailing Wall.  This is the original wall from the 2nd temple in Herod's day.  Jews are known for going to the wall, wailing, and swaying back and forth lamented the destruction of the temples.  I also saw Muslims doing the same.  I'm sure at some point it just becomes 'what you do,' although I appreciate that we are able to worship in a less dramatic way.  I read that the wall is symbolic of Jewish resiliency despite all the opposition, since the wall has remained despite several wars that destroyed the temple itself.  People also stick notes in the cracks and crevices.  It is divided by a partition and the men and women can approach it on separate sides.  I do not fully understand the culture or history for why men and women need to be separated, but they do.

Since we had a couple hours to wander Old Town Jerusalem, Piper and I decided to do the Rampert's walk.  This is the wall that surround the city.  I was trying to be like Rapunzel and let my hair down, but you can harry see me in the picture.

There's Piper....

There was no one around to take our picture, so we attempted a selfie...not easy to do...

We also went to the alleged tomb of King David located in Old Town.

Similar to the other sites, people would stay awhile, pray, cry, sway....

After our hours of free time, we met back up with the group for our last stop of the day: Hezekiah's tunnel.  This was a tunnel that was built to supply Jerusalem with water during times of war.  It was massive.  At some points, water was up to my thighs.  It was obvious that people were shorter back then because I had to hunch through out most of the tunnel, otherwise the top of my head would scrape, which did happen a time or two.  The tunnel was 500 meters long and ended at the pools of Shiloam.

The tunnel was built before the times of King David.  The pools are referenced in John 9 where Jesus heals a blind man by spitting into dirt to make a clay and told the man to wash in the Pools of Shiloam.  This was done on the Sabbath Day, which Jesus seemed to like to do.  The Pharisees did not like that.  Hank shared how the Pharisees didn't believe the blind man and kept doubting him.  The Pharisees kept telling him that he truly wasn't blind and that he wasn't healed by Jesus.  The blind man kept saying, "all I know is that before I could not see, and now I can." Hank shared a quote that are his original words, "A person with an experience is never at the mercy of a person with an opinion."  

May 3 (Day 6), we drove to Bethlehem, which is in the southern part of Israel and was actuality controlled by Jordan at one time.  It is highly Palestinian and a lot of the writing was in Aarobic.  Prior stops in Israel were highly Islamic and signs were in Hebrew.  The feelings between the Palestinians and Jews are not the most friendly, but as Americans we were fine.  There are signs as you enter the Palestinian areas that warn against Israeli's entering the area.  I couldn't get a good picture but the signs read, "This road lead to Area 'A' under the Palestinian authority.  The entrance for Israeli citizen is forbidden, dangerous to your lives and is against Israeli law."  Our tour guide was Israeli and he didn't seem too worried.  I think the danger is there but fairly minimal.  It felt more like a hatred passed down from generation to generation, but new generations aren't buying into it.

The first stop we made was to a place called the Shepherd's field.  It is not necessarily the actual place of the shepherds, but rather a place to show how they may have lived.  One thing that stood out to me was the scriptures of the angel appearing to the shepherds in their fields and how they went 'immediately' and with 'haste' to see the baby Jesus.  It's a good question to ask ourselves: do I seek Him 'immediately' and with 'haste?'  Hank shared with us that Mary knew her scriptures well.  When Joseph had to return to his hometown Bethlehem for the passover, Mary didn't have to go with him.  Only he was required to go, but she knew the prophecies that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem, so she went with him.

Next we went to the manger that was believed to be where Jesus was born.  As with other historical sites, a church was built right on top of it.  

This church was unique compared to the others because it was split down the middle and one side owned by the Catholics and the other side owned by the Greek Orthodox.  There was literally a rope down the center, and the inside was noticeably different.  The Greek Orthodox side was very ornate and gold in color.  The Catholic side was more plain and simple.  When the Greeks conquered Israel, they destroyed the original church built by Constantine and replaced it with their own.  When the Persians conquered the Greeks, they did not destroy the church because the Eastern Wall had a mosaic of the 3 kings, which Persians believed to be their ancestors.  Now, the Catholics and Greek Orthodox split the property.  

Piper and I thought we were funny and tried to do 'no room for you at the Inn' photos.  We had a pregnant girl on the tour that we considered being in our picture, but we decided to let her be. 

Next was the Garden Tomb.  Although this location is not historically believed by most to be the place where Jesus was laid in the tomb, they have recreated it to be feel more like people envisioned it to 'feel' like.  

The picture below is a depiction of what the tomb would most likely be.  In the left room is where the body would be prepared, and in the right room against the back wall is where the body would be laid.  They believe this because of a reference somewhere, and I apologize I didn't take good notes on this aspect, but someone indicated that they glanced in and looked toward the right and was able to see the tomb was empty.  If you glance and look ahead and to the right a little, you would be able to see diagnally through the opening and see that the body was not there.

The Garden tomb was found in 1867 and was covered by a vineyard of trees.  On the other face of the hill is what looks like a skull, which they believe is Golgotha, or the place where Christ was crucified.  Joseph of Arimathea also had a vineyard, and the tomb was covered by the vineyard of trees.  They say that it was common for crucifixions to happen on a hill and people passing by could see, but when Christ's body was taken down, it wouldn't have gone far to the tomb.  This tomb fit that description.  Another item that people hold on to is when President Hinckley visited the Garden tomb back in the 80's or 90's and said, "this is the place..or somewhere nearby."  Well, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is less than 1 mile away, so it really is hard to tell.  

Regardless, the Garden Tomb guide and also Hank shared a strong message of the real meaning of the empty tomb and the Resurrection.  The physical location is less important than the fact that the tomb is empty.  Our guide reminded Piper and myself of Joel Osteen.  He was a great speaker and brought the spirit of the Resurrection but kind of had a bible thumbing presence.  It was overall a very positive experience, and he is right, what matters most is that the tomb is empty and Christ did rise from the dead and make a way for us to do the same.

The space to the left is supposed to be the place the body would have been laid.  This was taken from the predatory room.

After the Joel Osteen-like guide was done sharing his message, Hank shared a message with us also.  I absolutely loved Hank's message and how personal he made the Savior out to be. He shared the scripture where Mary is crying in front of the tomb and the Savior appears.  She is talking to him but doesn't recognize his voice.  We can assume she wasn't looking or maybe her vision was blurred from  the tears.  It wasn't until He said her name that she recognized Him.  What Hank shared was that the Greek translation says 'Miriam,' which is a nickname for Mary.  I love that He used her nickname.  I think of how personal a nickname is, and there are those who would immediately know it was me if I called them by their nickname.  Next, the Savior appeared to Peter and other apostles when they were fishing.  They also didn't recognize Him until he asked them if they were catching anything and they said, 'no.'  He told them to try again and they immediately knew who it was and ran to Him.  This was an 'inside joke' of sorts from when he previously told them to throw the nets back in to the Sea of Galilee before he invited them to follow him and be fishers of men.  I love how personable Hank made the Savior.  It helps me feel like he'd know me personally, too, and would know what to say that was personal to me and only He would know.

May 4 (Day 7) was a Saturday, which is the Sabbath in Israel.  We went to the BYU Jerusalem center to attend sacrament. It is a beautiful building on a hill with windows for walls that look directly over Old Town Jerusalem.  Sitting in sacrament meeting, you could look past the speaker through the gigantic windows and see all of Jerusalem.  It as beautiful! 

Ali taught us how we were able to get the BYU Jerusalem center.  We have had missionaries in Israel for awhile, but they would just stay in other locations.  They couldn't preach but they could be there to serve and live.  President Hinckley was determined to have a place for them to stay, and when Israel was becoming a state, they basically found a loophole that we could buy land and build if there is evidence of us prior.  We found 2 missionary graves near Joppa, and that's how we were allowed to build the BYU Jerusalem center.  We still can't preach the gospel, but our presence and the student studies that take place are a great blessing.

We got a picture with all of our tour company with Jerusalem in the background.

I'm holding the Dome of the Rock in my palm.

Piper and I got a picture with our guide Hank Smith and his wife Sarah.  We LOVED them!  Such amazing yet down to earth people.  

Although John wasn't our direct tour guide, our tours overlapped enough that we got to spend a little time with him and his wife Kim Bytheway.  They were so friendly and personable.

Ali was Hank's intern and getting her Master's in Old Testament studies.  She was very knowledgeable and knew everything there was to know about Old Town Jerusalem.

My favorite story of Ali was one Hank shared.  Israeli men are very blunt and forward, and apparently one came up to her one time and said, while making a circular motion around her face, "This....is okay," as if to indicate that he 'approved' of her face.

After church, we drove several hours to our last stop in Israel: Masada.  Masada means 'fortress' and was built by Herod as a place of protection.  When the Romans were taking over Israel in 1st century A.D., Masada was the last place to be defeated.  It was hard for the Romans because Masada is very high on top of a summit, and the only way up is a narrow, one way trail that the Masada rebels had guarded.  The Romans were finally able to defeat by building a large walkway hill up the side like a ramp, which took 9 months.  They used Jews to build the ramp, so the rebels would have to kill their own people while trying to defend.  When the Romans finished the ramp, they arrived to the top but all the rebels had killed themselves off.  Husbands killed their wive and children, and then the remaining men drew lots to see who would kill the rest of them and then fall on his own sword.  They viewed this as a sacrifice and fight for freedom.  They'd rather die than live as slaves.  There is even a Hollywood movie about the story of Masada.

It was so high up that we had to take a tram ride to the top.

You can see the Dead Sea in the background.

Here is the ramp that was built by the Romans

After Masada, we drove to the Israeli/Jordan border and said our goodbyes to our Israeli guide and Israeli bus driver.  We had to walk our luggage across the country line and go through customs.  The Jordanians are not fond of Israel, and anything Jewish is forbidden in their country.  One of our tour members had bought a little menorah as a souvenir, and the Jordanian border patrol made them walk it back over to the Israeli side and throw it in the Israeli garbage can.  I thought that was ridiculous but we didn't have much say in the matter.

The next 2 days in Jordan felt like a completely different vacation.  We had spent 7 days engulfed in scripture and history and now we had relaxation and adventure.  

Our first day in Jordan was spent at Wadi Rum.  Wadi Rum is a desert that is a common place where Hollywood films movies with desert scenes.  Some of the more notable movies were Lawrence of Arabia, and even the new Aladdin that was recently released with Will Smith.

We did some jeep tours and rode back into the desert where we would ride camels.  I was very naive to how rough of a ride it is when the camel stands up or sits down.  Their legs are so disproportionately long compared to the rest of their body, that when they stand up, you go flying forward and then backward.  The only thing I can compare it to is a mechanical bull.  

I tried to film myself while my camel stood up, but as you can see, I was in for a surprise. 

My camel was HUGE.  I don't know if pictures do it justice, but it towered over the other camels.  I could literally look down on everyone around me.

Even sitting down you can see how much bigger my camel was compared to the others.

Piper's camel was a little more average sized.

When I was still sitting on my camel waiting for one of the bedouins to get him to stand up, there was another came right by my face.  I was so scared it was going to spit on me.  It sure did show me its teeth, but thankfully, no spit.

There is a carved face of Lawrence of Arabia to pay tribute to the film which took place here.

The pictures don't do justice to the vastness of the desert sand.  You can't tell but right in front of me is a drop off.

We survived the camels and deserts and made our way back to the hotel.  This hotel was so nice.  It was a 5 star hotel, so we wanted to capture its beauty. 

We spent the rest of the evening on a boat that took us out snorkeling.  The fish this day weren't amazing, but it was still fun and refreshing to be in the ocean and on the boat. 

Our last day of the trip was spent at Petra.  If you have ever seen Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, then you have seen Petra.  Petra is amazing in and of itself, but what is even more amazing is how old and well preserved it is.  It was tucked back away in some ravines where passengers did not normally travel, so it did not get destroyed in wars like many other places.  It was a treasury, and it is literally chiseled out of the stone face of a mountain.  You can see the little foot holes on both sides of the structure that they chiseled and used as a ladder to chisel the face.  It was truly magnificent. 

Historians used to believe it dated back to 4,000 - 5,000 B.C. but when they started to excavate the ground in front of the treasury, they found another layer of building that has been covered by the elements and time.  They now think it could date back as far as 10,000 B.C., which is mind-blowing.

We had to walk close to 1 mile through winding ravines to get to it, but when we came around the last corned and the space opened up, the treasury is the first thing you see.  

WE continued to walk back to other portions of Petra.  Other structures were similarly chiseled out of stone and also preserved.  It was so hot there.  one of the bedouins talked me into buying a head scarfs to help with the heat.  It may have helped a little, but didn't completely shield me from the heat.  In all the 3 years I've known Piper, this was the first time I have ever seen her need to sit down and cool off due to heat.  Even when we hike in Arizona, she wears a jacket hoodie and needs far less water than I do.  If Piper needs a break, you know it's HOT!  We survived, and made sure to buy some ice cream as soon as we were back to the city.  Did I mention we ate SO. MUCH. ICE CREAM?!  Every stop had ice cream bars for sale, and they were just what we needed in the Israel heat.

After Petra, it was time to head to the airport.   It was May 6 and also the first day of Ramadan.  In Muslim culture, Ramadan is observed as a time of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community.  They fast from sun up until sun down.  The timing of when we were leaving to head to the airport matched perfectly with when the sun went down, which meant people could go to the markets and get food.  It was insane.  Nobody was following traffic laws, which caused major traffic jams and chaos.  This video attempts to capture the mayhem.

We arrived at the airport and our vacation was coming to an end.  We said goodbye to all of our tour mates whom we had grown to love being around.  We wanted to continue to be spiritually fed by Hank and be in all the amazing, historical places forever, but as all vactions do, it came to an end.  around 28 hours later, we were back in Phoenix to get back to normal life, but I will always remember this vacation to be one of the best.  I learned so much and felt so much love from my Heavenly Father and Jesus.  He truly did live and die for us, and it was such a blessing to be where it all happened.