Today was another glorious day in the Holy Land. It was surreal though, because it doesn’t feel like I’m getting on the bus to go to the airport tomorrow night. It doesn’t feel like I’m all done with field trips. It’s very surreal.
Today we began the day with walking to the Garden of Gethsemane for one last time. We walked in silence, and they passed out pieces of paper with short, one-liner teachings of Christ on them. So we walked and just thought about the Savior. When we got to the garden, we went to the private side, and split into classes and talked about the Atonement. We talked about how Christ not only suffered our anguish and our pain and sorrow, for sins, injuries, and everything else, but how he also suffered “the wrath of the almighty God.” He did that for us. He received the punishment that we would have for our sins, on our behalf, so someday, if we accept His infinite Atonement, He will stand at the judgment and will give us mercy, because He already paid for the Justice we would have faced. Just think of it that way. Usually we think of Christ being able to succor us because He experienced everything that we have and will experience. And that’s true, there’s nothing wrong with that. It is also important, however, to think of Christ paying the price for our sins. He suffered our punishments. And He experienced immeasurable pain on our behalf. His thoughts were turned to us as He was arrested, tried, beaten, spit on, scourged, and humiliated in the streets. He allowed Himself to be nailed to the cross for us. He loves us. He wants us to accept that infinite and most sacred gift. He can only offer us mercy, if we accept Him as our Savior.
This is the Garden, on the private side. Look how much younger the trees are compared to in the other side...
Oh, me in the private side. Okay, now look how much older the trees are in the next one...
This is me in the Public side. Look how huge the tree trunks are! It's so crazy. They are at least a thousand years old. Some people think they are two-thousand years old. They are at least grafts from trees that are that old, so there you go. Trees from Christ's time!
This is the stone that the church is built around, where they think Christ suffered the Atonement. I didn't know if I should smile...so I'm sorry if that is offensive to anyone.
After the Garden of Gethsemane, we took vans to St. Peter in Gallicantu. “Gallicantu” means rooster, or rooster crowing or something. It is a church that commemorates Peter denying Christ three times, and is on Mt Zion, where Caiaphas’ house was, and where Christ was taken after being arrested. It’s interesting to think why Catholics would want to commemorate Peter denying Christ. But the church focuses on what Peter learned from that, and what happened afterward. It commemorates him as he went out and “wept bitterly” and then later when Christ places Peter at the head of the Church when He comes to him as a resurrected being in Galilee. It is a beautiful church. There is also a dungeon pit, where prisoners would have been lowered in through a hole to be kept. There are no scriptural references to Christ being held, but there may have been times when He was placed in holding between times when He was tried. Just an interesting thought.
Kathryn and I, with the background being North towards the Old City, and my head is blocking the center, on the Mount of Olives, I believe.
This is St. Peter in Gallicantu Church. It's kind of cool, and sticks out a little bit from the hill, because of the dome.
This is a mosaic that shows Christ being spit at and mocked, in Caiaphas' house.
This is the pit dungeon where prisoners would have been held. They think that Christ was here, because there are Byzantine crosses carved into the stone, and tradition wasn't as long ago for them as it is now for us :).
This Church also had Roman-era steps, which Brother Emmett said would have been steps that Christ walked on while he was being led to Caiaphas’ house. So we got some pictures there. Crazy, to wrap your head around standing where Christ possibly stood, Himself.
Me on the Roman Steps, where Christ probably walked!
After that we walked through the Old City to St. Anne’s Church. It commemorated the birthplace of Mary, as well as is the place where the Pools of Bethesda are. I am so happy that I got to go to the pools of Bethesda! You have to pay to get in, and most people had gone, so I didn’t know if I would be able to find anyone to go with. But we got to go! First of all, St. Anne’s Church has some of the most beautiful acoustics ever. We sang in there for almost an hour. There were special musical numbers, too. We have some incredibly talented people. I kind of want to take voice lessons when I get home, just to develop my talents more. I love singing, and I have been so privileged to hear so many amazing musical numbers from the incredible singers here. There was one that the guy’s quintet did. They have done a bunch of songs together. Awesome sidenote: they didn’t know each other before they came, they just all got together and worked hard and learned parts to songs. It is so cool. They do such an amazing job. I got a video of theirs and some other people’s songs, too. I can’t wait to show you some of it!
St. Anne's Church.
It's Catholic, yet relatively unadorned. I really liked it.
This is the Father of the Church, who has a great view of mormons and was cracking jokes while he was telling us a story about a pastor who wanted to sing in the church, but some members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, who was in town that week for something, were coming to sing, so he told them that, and the pastor got really upset and said that we, as Mormons, aren't saved, and we shouldn't be in the church...and the Pastor looked at him and said, well according to you, Catholics aren't saved either, so me and the Mormons have that in common. Or something to that effect.
The girls in the Church... it's too late right now to list all their names.
After that we walked out and had a little lesson in the Pools of Bethesda, about the man who had been lame for 38 years, and was waiting by a pool that was a “healing pool.” They believed that an angel would come stir the waters, and the first person to get into the water would be healed. The man had been sitting there for 38 years, and could never be the first one to get into the water because he was lame. When Christ came, and asked him about his injury, he thought that He was merely going to lift him into the water. Instead, Christ healed him. The man didn’t even know who Christ was, until later when they met again, and Christ told him to go his way and sin no more. Amazing.
After that we headed to the Chapel of the Flagellation. Brother Hamblin talked about scourging with us, and how we picture it as a little whipping, but it was literally life-threatening. If you got too many lashes, then it could literally kill you. It is also the Church of the Condemnation, so this is where Pilate condemned Christ, and then he was scourged. I’ve been there before and didn’t take any new pictures, but it really hit home to talk about all the pain that Christ went through. It was painful just to sit and listen to Brother Hamblin talk about it.
After that we walked through the Old City and out of Damascus Gate, and to the Garden Tomb. We talked there for a while about the crucifixion, and read three of the four accounts of it. Then we sang hymns, and Brother Emmett left it open to us to bear our testimonies about Christ. I just sat and listened, but there are so many amazing people in my group. I know that places don’t make testimonies, but the people here have taught me so much through their testimonies. I want to let go of myself and really give myself over to the Lord. I know that if I can give up my life, I will find it.
Garden Tomb!
The Garden Tomb without any people....which is a rarity.
Tonight was another amazing night, too. After dinner we had a End of Program…Program. Some people were asked to speak for a couple minutes on what they learned this semester, and then some people sang. There were even more musical talents shown, and so many spiritual insights.
Oh and before dinner, I took a video tour of the center so I can show you guys all around it!
I can’t believe my time here is coming to a close. I’m going to miss this place, the center, and most of all, the people that I have met and come to love so much while being here.
Last Day Tomorrow. Better make the Most of it! Weird.
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