May 1--New students arrive and the new choir begins!

The new student arrival was really fun--all the teachers, spouses and service couples stood at the entrance when the bleary eyed students came in.  They went immediately into the auditorium for a meeting and were kept up until 11 PM when tours, meeting professors, etc.  One of the new students is Barb Cahoon's niece, Maddy Collier, and she came up to me and said, "I'm Molly Cahoon's cousin and she says "Hello".  It made my day!

 On Sabbath, May 4, Lee had 45 students for choir practice--he was in his element and it's going to be a great choir!

April 28-29 German surprise and a day at Ikea (Tel Aviv and Jaffa

April 28th the biggest surprise happened at a Sunday Concert when this German tour group came.  Lee mentioned that we had served in Leipzig, and the woman next to me said she was Sis. Tilgner's sister and lived in Dresden.  Sis. Tilgner was a good friend and she had us over for Christmas Eve in 2014, so it was so wonderful to meet her sister.  And then the woman next to her (husbands behind them) was in Pres. Kosak's ward.  It was really amazing and I began to feel tears of joy streaming down my face!

The next day we took a trip to Tel Aviv and Jaffa.  We wanted to buy a mattress pad at Ikea and then see some places in Jaffa.

 We made our way to Jaffa with it's beautiful beaches--we could see Tel Aviv from the beach.  Jaffa is where Jonah left for Ninevah and got caught in a whale.  It is also where Peter visited Simon and had a vision of the clean and unclean beasts, telling him to take the gospel to the Gentiles.

Goodbye to Winter Semester Students, April 24, 2019

The final day for the students arrived on April 24, 2019.  They had to put all their bed linens in piles and clean their rooms of all garbage and set their packed suitcases up on the 8th floor.  I helped with room checkout, which was actually fun because I could compliment the students and say goodbye.  I was surprised at the mounds of linens, the difficulty packing (most students put it off until the last minute) and the fondness with which students said goodbye to me.  The students are the best part of being here in Jerusalem! 

Surprise Visit from Mitt Romney! April 23, 2019

The students had dinner and a memories night on April 23rd.  While eating dinner, an incredible BBQ of kabobs, we were told that Senator Mitt Romney and his wife were coming in for a visit.  The staff quickly set up a microphone, very close to where Lee and I were eating, and Mitt and his wife spoke to the students. Their message was that what the students would remember were the friendships they had developed and the testimony of the Savior they had gained.  Sis. Romney talked about the importance of the family and how her husband always told her she was doing the most important work of all.

Pater Noster and Dominus Flevit, April 22, 2019

On this same trip we went to Pater Noster, which has a cave where it is believed that Jesus used as a place to teach because it was private and cool.  A modern church is built there now, but the cave can be walked through.  It is believed that part of the teachings were the Lord's prayer, and on the grounds there are plaques of the Lord's Prayer in many languages.

Finally, we went to Dominus Flevit, that has a beautiful view of the Old City.  It is believed that this is where Christ (Matthew 23:37) said that he would have gathered the people as a hen gathers her chicks.  We were told that in Greek that phrase reads "but you did not desire it" instead of "you would not".  It was total rejection of Christ.  The alter at the modern church has a painting of a hen.  We took some pictures of the Old City from the church.  One thing that the the church builders did, was put a cross in the window so that when you look straight ahead the cross is superimposed on the Dome of the Rock!

Many Jewish graves--ancient and modern are placed

Church of Bethphage, April 22, 2019

After going to Lazarus's Tomb, we got back on the bus and drove 30 minutes back to Bethphage, to see the Church of Bethphage, that celebrates the place where Jesus began His triumphal entry.  We look at 1st Century tombs, that were places where someone had dug holes in rocks to place the body. One of the tombs had a stone that could be rolled over the opening.

The church has medieval frescoes.  The drawings depict the meeting between Jesus and Martha; two disciples bringing Jesus an ass and a colt, Lazarus rising from the dead, and on the side facing the altar, a drawing of a crowd of people holding palms.

Lazarus's Tomb, Bethany April April 22, 2019

We joined the students on a bus ride into Bethany, where Jesus stayed with Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  This area is about 1.2 miles from Jerusalem, but it is now in the Palestinian area and can only be accessed by a 30 minute drive, due to the walls that have been put up.  This is one place that historian's are 99% certain is the real tomb.  It is now part of a Franciscan church, but is accessed by climbing down a steep rock-hewn staircase and finally getting into an area that one has stoop to down to enter.  Bro. Barron spoke to the students before going into the tomb (only 4 people could go in at a time due to the small space).  He mentioned that Jesus came on the 4th day of Lazarus's death.  Jewish tradition was that within 3 days, the person's spirit hovered in the tomb, but by the 4th day, all was gone and the person was dead in every sense.  Jesus raised Lazarus on the 4th day after his death to show that He had power over death.  The Pharisees sought to kill Lazarus also, because so many people accepted Christ because of Lazarus. 

The drive into Bethay

Standing in Lazarus's Tomb

 Climbing down the stairs to get to the tomb

 The Byzantine church that still exists but has been replaced by the Franciscan church for actual services.When we went into the Franciscan church we sang "He Is Risen" just before the Mass began--this was by invitation of the Friar.