Jericho, Mount of Temptation, Herod's Winter Palace.

Field trip update time! The date was September 12, 2011 [I'm a little late in the game in posting]. First stop: Tel Jericho, tel referring to an archaeological mound. An ancient tower, considered to be the oldest man-made structure in the world, makes Jericho a symbol of the Neolithic [New Stone Age] period. Jericho is also the site of Joshua’s first conquest after crossing the River Jordan. The word Jericho means scented place. This name was given because of the perfumes and scented resins that were sold there. Upon Tel Jericho, we read several chapters of Joshua talking of Jericho. Do you remember Joshua 2 when the harlot Rahab conceals the spies that Joshua sends to Jericho? This chapter spoke to me. It reminded me of the concept that our Father in Heaven is no respecter of persons. The covenant isn’t solely for those who happen upon it by way of bloodline. It is for people like Rahab, men and women who love their God. In Joshua 3 it gives the account of how the Israelites crossed the Jordan River on dry ground near Jericho, by the hand of the Lord. Joshua 6 talks of the destruction of Jericho, including the walls falling down. Only Rahab and her household are saved. And just one more Jericho specific scriptural reference! 2 Kings 2: 19-22, Elisha heals the waters of Jericho. Ok I’m done. In my defense, I’d like to mention that it is simply a beautiful thing to stand on Biblical ground and read from scripture specific to that location. It’s an experience that sucks me into the Bible, like a gravitational force. A strong one. Let me make it simple for you: if I put myself in Harry Potter’s shoes, my experience can be likened to Harry’s entrapment in Tom Riddle’s diary. Just a little less sinister. But just as, if not more, magical. Bible > Tom Riddle’s diary.

Now for the second installment of the conquest field trip. The Greek Orthodox Quruntul Monastery on the cliff-side of the traditional Mount of Temptation site. Here, the Adversary tempted Christ following His 40 day fast. During the Byzantine period, monasteries were built in this area to commemorate this event, as well as other scriptural events. Quruntul is the Hebrew word for temptation. The temptation of Christ can be read about in Matthew 4: 1-11, as well as Luke 4: 1-13. This is also the traditional site of where Elijah is fed by ravens, as seen in 1 Kings 17: 1-7.

Drumroll for the last installment...Herod’s Winter Palace in Jericho. Let us begin by a brief history of the people that have inhabited fertile Jericho. Following Alexander the Great’s conquest in 332 BC, Jericho became his personal estate. After conquering Judea from the Seleucids in 140 BC, the Hasmonean rulers built a royal winter palace south of ancient Jericho at the mouth of Wadi Qilt. The Hasmonean complex came into the hands of Mark Antony, who gave it to Cleopatra, until her and Mark Antony’s death, at which time Roman Emperor Augustus gifted Jericho to Herod. Herod is recognized for his colossal building projects, including the Second Temple and palaces. The most splendid pleasure palace of Herod’s was his Winter Palace at Jericho. The Winter Palace included spacious reception halls and courtyards, a hippodrome, gardens, two swimming pools, and a spa. Herod adored swimming pools. So much so that he ordered his brother in law [a high priest] downed in one at the Winter Palace. Because Herod was especially sensitive about his lack of political legitimacy [he was a convert to Judaism], he became ruthless toward all those whom he perceived as being a threat to his power. As long as we’re talking about death, I’ll mention that he ordered his wife, 2 sons, his wife’s grandmother, and 2 rabbis killed. There are others, but he was talking more quickly than I could write in a bumpy bus. But you get the picture, he was a terrible person. A paranoid madman. Ironically enough, Herod also died in his Winter Palace, nearly 70 years old, in 4 BC. But not before ordering the most prominent men of the area arrested and trapped in the hippodrome. You see, Herod recognized that his death would be welcomed with Jewish rapture and wasn’t content with this sending off. He arranged for the execution of these learned men at the time of his own death. This ensured that mourning would occur. Mourning for the other men, but seeming mourning for his own death.

Now for my own brief insight. This site evoked a distinct impression of Herod the Great, and therefore the political environment at the time of Christ’s birth. It was a toxic environment. The surrounding area, as well as the world, was in dire need of a Christ, but whether they were ready to receive Him is not quite as definite. Now let me tell you of the heat of Jericho. It’ll give you some understanding if I make the point that 6 million tons of water evaporate from the Dead Sea every day. Humidity central. All 80+ of us were balls of sweat. Although the weather was unpleasant, it somewhat enhanced the experience for me. Let me explain. It served to humanize Christ for me. When I read the New Testament, I don’t think of the weather. I don’t think of a less pleasurable physical situation being the setting for the grand events of the New Testament. I don’t think of Christ as subject to simple, yet uncomfortable situations. Such as blistering heat. I don’t want to sound irreverent in any way, but He most likely sweated. Probably got sunburned on the back of His neck, like I did. Maybe some mosquitos were involved. The heat made Him thirsty, and He probably asked a friend for a drink. My word, He was subject to the same physical world as I am. At this moment. The miracle of it is that He transcended it. He did what He did in spite of the fact that He lived on this world. He loved fiercely, he healed, he redeemed. Isn’t it wonderful? How blessed I am, little Samy, able to glory in this. And to be here, where He lived out his 33 year ministry with perfection.

God bless you.

Neolithic Tower in Jericho has been dated to about 8,000 BC and is considered to be the oldest known man-made structure in the world.

“Jericho, the city of palm trees...” Deuteronomy 34:3

Herod’s Winter Palace. “I’d rather be one of Herod’s pigs than one of his sons.” Caesar Augustus. Yes, actual quote.

Bathing area at Harod's Winter Palace. His constructions were known for the diamond shaped brick work seen at the back wall of this room.

“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” Matthew 4:1. The traditional site of the Mount of Temptation. If you look closely, you can see the Monastery carved into the Mount [look for the light blue roof tops in the center of the picture].

Oh, hello camel in an Israeli gas station parking lot. He bit Taylor's shirt shortly after this picture was taken.

Shabbat Shalom.

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles: I slept through the call to prayer this morning! For the first time. Did I mention that I live in the Muslim quarter and that there is call to prayer every morning at 4:30 am? Because there is. I enjoy it at any other time of day, but not that early. The first night sleeping here was a halting experience. I wasn’t warned in advance, first off, and it sounded like there was a man standing in my room, praying in Arabic. That is how loud it is. My professor, in an attempt to comfort us, likened it to living next to train tracks. We’ll get used to it. But I lived next to train tracks, and this isn’t quite the same.

Last night I was blessed to share in welcoming in Shabbat, or the Sabbath, with the Jews of Jerusalem. And at the Western Wall at that. Just a little history before we begin...the stones are over 2,000 years old, from the time of Christ. Christ, in fact, passed by this wall, which is a portion of the retaining wall of the temple, built by Herod the Great. The stones of the wall are 16 feet thick. This site is considered to be one of the holiest, if not the holiest, site to many Jews. That is because this is the closest  many Jews can come to the original temple ground. Because of this, the Western Wall is also referred to as the Wailing Wall. By law, Orthodox Jews are forbidden to cross the wall. If you wish to get close to the wall, there is a separation of men from women. Men must have their heads covered to enter into the open air synagogue. There, prayers are said and celebration is had. The religiosity there ranges from Orthodox Jew [in their traditional garb] to cultural [but not religious] Jews to students from our program wearing the disposable Kippahs that they provide. Women can not enter the central area of the Wall, but can also pray, as well as sing and dance. I did all these things with Jewish women about my age and it was wonderful! I waited in front of the wall until I was able to step in and place my hands on the wall and say a prayer. I want to go back later and add a written prayer of mine to the hundreds that are stuffed into the cracks of the wall. I  was then pulled into a circle of dance and Hebrew song. You know, the kind that you see in the Fiddler on the Roof marriage scene. It was so fun. Them Jews know how to have a good time. And there was an incredible sense of community there, pardoning the difference of beliefs. The night was a beautiful blend of both prayer and celebration to welcome in the Sabbath. A lovely blend of the peace that comes with worship and the joy that we find in the Spirit. SHABBAT SHALOM!

I've arrived!

I’m here [finally]! The directors of our program were able to secure seats for each person in our group in over 10 different flight plans. I flew with three other girls from Phoenix to Houston to Frankfurt to Tel Aviv. We left Friday morning, the 2nd, and didn’t arrive here until Saturday, late afternoon. One effect of flying for over a day: cankles. Holy cankles. And my ankles remained swollen for several days afterward. But they’ve returned to their normal circumference, thank goodness. Another effect: my bag being left behind in Frankfurt for 3 days. And yet another effect: airplane conversations with incredibly interesting people. From Phoenix to Houston it was a nameless man with a rather large beard that, without prodding, told me of his heroine, meth, and cocaine addictive past. And then we talked of God for the remainder of the flight. It was wonderful. He lives on Castro street in San Francisco. And then there was Peter on the flight from Frankfurt to Tel Aviv. He studies spiders, detests Harry Potter, knows The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to be his favorite American movie, and teased me about my American accent. Peter has actually discovered a spider, which he chose to name after David Bowie. He also believes there should be a system of population control in which people are allowed to produce [he was rather fond of the ‘F-Word’ in place of the word produce] for 1 year and that further production should be prohibited for 10 years. And then 1 year of producing again and so forth. His parting words to me were to remember what he said about having children when it comes time for me to marry. But Peter and I were either in saturated philosophical conversation or giggling [in an airplane appropriate manner] for the entire three and a half hour flight. It was wonderful. Needless to say, I hardly slept the entire period of time that I was flying. This, in turn, has made for a sleepy Sam when 8 pm or so rolls around.

But now onto my stay here in the BYU Jerusalem Center! The locals quite fondly refer to it as the ‘Mormon University’. I am blessed to be a part of a program that has an already established respect from the people of Jerusalem. A money changer recently said, “To be Mormon, you must be beloved by God.” It was great. There is even a shop owner in the Old City named Shabon who caters to the LDS students that come here by selling leather scripture cases for quads, as well as BYU Jerusalem shirts. He made a ring for me the other day and gave it to me for free. He is sweet.

What do you say I tell you about my week? Our Sabbath here is actually held on Saturdays instead of Sundays, so all Sabbath observance is moved onto Saturdays. Church is held here in the Center in a room overlooking the city. And then Sundays are free days. On Sunday Brother Ludlow led our small group of new arrivals around both East and West Jerusalem so that we could get a feel of our new home. East Jerusalem, including the Old City, is the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem. The West is the Jewish quarter and much more metropolitan than the East. And because of this, we are not to be in the Old City [the East] after dark. Monday was our first field trip, in which we visited several overlooks. The first was the Augusta Victoria Tower. [After climbing a gazillion stairs] it is a 360-degree vista of Jerusalem and Judea. It sits on the highest point of the Mount of Olives and from it can be seen: the Judean Wilderness [the area of Christ’s 40 day fast], the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea [the lowest spot on earth], the Jordanian Plateau, the Russian orthodox Church of the Ascension, the towns of Bethphage, Ephraim, and Bethany, Herodian [Herod’s volcano shaped fortress], the hills of Bethlehem, the Kidron Valley, and Heram al-Sharif with the Dome of the Rock. And I could go on. From the Seven Arches overlook: Mt. Moriah [the site of Solomon’s, Zerubbabel’s, and Herod’s Temple], and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. From Haas Promenade overlook: The Garden of Gethsemane [marked by the Roman Catholic Church of All Nations and the Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene], the City of David, the Dormition Abbey [near the probably site of the Last Supper], and a portion of the aqueduct that ran anciently from Hebron to Solomon’s Pools. Elias Monastery: overlooking the valley separating Jerusalem from Bethlehem, the cone of Herodion [a fortress built in the Judean Wilderness by Herod the Great], and Rachel’s tomb. The views were mediocre. Kidding. IT WAS PHENOMENAL. It is a beautiful concept that so much history, and sacred history at that, can be contained in such a small circumference.

Aside from the field trip, the remainder of the week has been filled with both classes and trips to the Old City. The classes that I’m taking are Modern Near East: Palestine, Modern Near East: Judaism, Old Testament, New Testament, Ancient Near East, and Arabic. Each class is both spiritually and mentally enlightening, a tad dense at times, but interesting nonetheless. The workload is far more intensive, reading wise, than I expected. I mean, who can be expected to read over a hundred pages a night when one lives in the heart of Eastern Jerusalem? No one, that’s who.

I have made a conscious effort to leave the Center and walk to the city whenever possible. The only draw back of this is the terrain. Holy hills. It’s uphill then a little downhill, and then a lot uphill. But the richness of the city makes for a distraction. I don’t think I will ever tire of the smells, the beauty of the people, the playfulness of the children, the cat calls of the Israeli and Arab men, and even the shouts of “50 shekels!” as a shop owner watches me turn my back on a purchase. The sites that I’ve most enjoyed within the Old City have been the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Pools of Bethesda. The Church contains the supposed slab where Christ was lain, the garden tomb, the site of the cross, and stone of Golgotha. The Pools of Bethesda, Bethesda meaning house of mercy or house of grace, is the location of Christ’s healing of a man who had been invalid for 38 years [“Jesus said unto him, Rise, take up they bed, and walk.” John 5:8]. In the church on site, St. Anne’s Basilica, my friends and I sang hymns to our God. I brought with me a miniature hymn book and have been writing the location and date at the bottom of the page whenever I sing a hymn out in the city. I was moved by those gathered around us, people of different language, of various Christian sects, but all sharing in the same love of our Lord and Savior. People who had traveled long distances to walk where Jesus Christ has walked and to share in the wonderful ministry we call His life. People who have made Jesus Christ their life. People celebrating His healing through worship. And we used our voices. It was an experience that I hold close to my heart.

The city is beautiful. The kind of beautiful that makes my eyes well with tears. The view from my room looks onto The Dome of the Rock for crying out loud. The supposed location of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac, the temple mound from the Biblical era, the Jewish site of the Holy of Holies. How could this city not capture a person?

Sarah, me, Cortney, and Katie in Phoenix. Look at the cactus.

The probable road that Christ walked with His cross.

Maybe I'm obsessed with the doors in the Old City, maybe I'm not.

A woman at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. 

You see that building to the upper left with all the arches? That's where I live now.

The gold is the Dome of the Rock. Not a bad view, eh?

The church to the left is built on the site where Peter denied the Christ. That is seen quite a bit here in Israel, structures that are built on top of other structures, especially with sacred sites. The people didn't want to remove a sacred building, so they build another on top of the existing building. In order to see a structure from the time of Christ, you must go beneath ground level. Then you will be at what was once the ground level of Christ.

 

 

 

Self explanatory.

Brielle and I across from St. Anne's Basilica.

The Pools of Bethesda.

Ain't it perdy? The view from the Jerusalem Center at sunset.

Phoenix: the predominating word of the trip thus far. Oh, and waiting. Spending twice the number of hours that I had slept the night before in the Phoenix airport is solely enough to exhaust me of this city.

This is how it went. [Third person point of view switch now in effect]. Cousin Amber drops Sam off at the airport at 7:00 am on a Tuesday morning. Sam on edge because Cousin Amber’s nanny told her the night before that she should wear compression stockings on flight because Sam is at risk for blood clots. But who has compression stockings just lying around? Really. Sam waits an hour and twenty minutes for the assigned check in time because Cousin Amber had work. Sam waits in line to check previously weighed, precisely 50.0 pound suitcase. Agent tells Sam that the suitcase weighs 55 pounds and she proceeds to attach a ‘HEAVY’ tag to it. After Sam gives her a questioning stare, agent moves the suitcase to the scale alongside it for a second witness. Suitcase weighs in at 51 pounds. Sam removes 2 shirts and a brush and the agent proclaims the suitcase fit for travel. Sam proceeds to the gate and waits the allotted 2 hours before her flight from Salt Lake to Phoenix boards. Sam spends the time socializing and talking on the phone, but mostly talking on the phone because social situations tend to make her uncomfortable. You see, Sam often times has an odd sense of humor and strangers tend to find her, well, strange. She also figured that she’d be living with the 50+ college students in her surroundings for 4 months, and she came to the conclusion that she had a valid excuse to take a back seat with respects to the social pressure. Sam boards the flight. Overhead compartments run out of room and Sam has to check her carry on. Sam sits next to Sarah and Cameron on the flight. Poor Sarah has faulty ears and the cabin pressure is painful. Sarah blows out her ears throughout the flight to relieve said pressure. Man who hands me my Ginger Ale looks like Mitchell from Modern Family, but with a far more entertaining laugh. More like a giggle. A man giggle. Sam de-boards the plane. Sam makes her way to the gate in order to board the plane from Phoenix to Philadelphia. Plane delayed an hour. Than an hour and a half. Then indefinitely. Flight cancelled. All passengers [BYU students excused] in an uproar. Wait in Phoenix airport for 8 hours. Sam actually interacted with people this time. She even arranged to split her meal voucher with Sarah so that they could get both CPK and ice cream. On a slightly less hygienic note, she also arranged to use Sarah’s underwear and toothbrush if her carry on bag had continued on to Tel Aviv. Kidding.

Final verdict: each person in Sam’s group would have a secured seat on a plane to Philadelphia a week from Tuesday. However, the BYU program directors were scrambling to book any availability before then. A week of waiting [in over 100 degree weather, might I add]. And so it begins. First night in Phoenix: group meeting. Invitation to Circle K by Matthew. Slurpee and [hypoglycemic] snacks bought. Moonwalk learned by Izak. Night [somewhat] salvaged. Sam shares a bed with Cortney, a red-head who likes to talk about poop almost as much as she does.