When we got back from Egypt, I suffered from a slight panic attack realizing what was ahead:
4 midterms
A paper
An all-day field trip
Planning our Tel Aviv trip
Old Testament assignments
A visit from 2 general authorities
Sleep deprivation
And trying not to die.
But here I am, on the other side. MADE IT. I'd like to thank my study group, the snack shack for the late-night Diet Coke's & our Judaism professor for getting pneumonia and cancelling class.
So as you can imagine, when I Face-timed my family tonight there wasn't much to say... pretty sure I said "yeah this week was a doozy. The only time I left the Center was today after church."
But then I realized that was a lie... we did some RAD things this week:
- we got to be shepherds for a day in the Neot Kedumim area
- learned how to make pita and lentil soup in the forest
- dressed up for Arab night; ate some delicious food and learned to folk dance
- killed our exams (after the biggest cram sessions you've ever seen. We had a test literally every day)
- organized our Tel Aviv trip which is tomorrow -- pray for good weather.
- and had a lovely Sabbath participating in a festival at one of the holiest churches in Christendom.
Our guide, Sarah who was the absolute cutest! I've never seen anyone more excited about showing us biblical plants and cisterns.
We went old school and learned how to make pita, lentil soup, and "popcorn" aka wheat cooked with oil and salt -- I volunteered for that job bc POPCORN! It was actually way good.
The chefs spent HOURS getting this spread ready. They are amazing!
On next season's The Bachelor...
Porter Kincheloe, everyone.
Clearly super thrilled about it.
*a more accurate depiction of the week*
THIS MOMENT. I woke up to face-time Rach, Anna, and Steph and not 30 seconds into it Kenzi and Alex walk in the room and everyone starts screaming and tackling her.
They had just gotten engaged!! Such a happy moment.
And to think this all came about after a night in October when we developed "Operation Boyfriends by Christmas" and set goals for the week. Kenzi's goal was to invite Alex to our milk and cookies party and you all know the rest of the story..
A beautiful Sabbath at Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
It was so special to participate in the procession and listen to the sound of Latin hymns sung by the priests echo throughout the church.
Oh my goodness, Eliazer! He is a 100-year old Jewish Holocaust survivor who came to speak to us earlier this week. It was incredible to hear his story (in Spanish!! He lived in Guatemala for a good part of his life after the Holocuast). He went through 9 concentration camps and was the only surviving member of his family.
During the Q&A afterwards I asked "What advice would you give to young people like us?"
And he said: "study". haha definitely the right time for that advice.
But then he also said something so touching.
"'I love people. All people. It doesn't matter their race, their nationality, their personality. I love people."
This is coming from a man who was abused, persecuted, rejected, and nearly killed; who had absolutely everything taken from him including his family and years of his youth that he will never get back; and yet, he forgave those who did it.
He loves people.
I thought about his story and I thought about the unconditional love that God has for us.
A phrase that I have noticed in my study of the Book of Mormon recently is "that same God".
In Alma chapter 29, Alma talks about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who delivered the people from bondage in Egypt (which obviously has special meaning now that we've been there) and he testifies that that same God is real today.
If he can save Eliazer from concentration camps and the children of Israel from slavery, he can save me from my own mistakes and follies.
He can forgive, he can strengthen, and he can comfort.
I know that God lives and I know that He loves his children.
And that's the conclusion of your average week in Jerusalem; herding sheep, taking exams, and experiencing moments that I never want to end.
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