At Mary's Knee

This is St. Peter's Primacy Church. This place commemorates the calling of Peter as the chief Apostle after the Savior's resurrection. Peter is asked, "Lovest thou me?" and then told "Feed my sheep." I loved learning about Peter and how he was prepared for this responsibility. President Kimball gave a great devotional in July of 1971 called "Peter, My Brother" (http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=703). In it, he says that perhaps when Christ tells Peter that he will deny Him thrice, it is more of a command that a prophesy. Perhaps it is a test for Peter, the man who has walked on water, cut off a man's ear in defense of his Lord, and boldly testified of His divinity. Perhaps he is told to hold his peace as a test of his obedience, to prepare him to lead the Church. And that likely saved his life so he could perform his duty. What an incredible and obedient Apostle.

Just before Peter received this call, the Apostles were again fishing, likely in the same place from which they were called 3 years earlier to follow Christ. A familiar scene played out as He revealed Himself to them, and then, as they came to the shore they saw that he had prepared a meal for them. I am amazed at the depth of His love. Surely He had other things to do, but He took the time in the middle of the night to prepare a meal for His friends. Just weeks before He had performed the Atonement to secure their salvation. His redeeming mission was complete. He had proved His love. And yet, He served them in simple ways. That is just His nature. Andrew Skinner was one of our professors there, and he shared this insight about this experience-- the word 'compassion' and 'womb' come from the same root in Hebrew. The redeeming mission was the call from His Father, but perhaps this deep compassion came from His mother's teachings. I liked that idea a lot, and I like my mom a lot. So I wrote this poem for her about this story, and Brother Skinner's insight.


The Apostles caught nothing on that disappointing night,
Then came the familiar call, "Cast your nets to the right."
Then nets with fish were breaking, and hearts with joy were filled
They saw the Resurrected Lord with His mission fulfilled.
There He stood in glory upon Galilee's sands
With scars fresh in His feet, and His side and hands.
He said, "Bring of your fishes, and I will give you more."
So they came and met Him upon that sacred shore.
It was there they saw the bread, and the fish upon the coals.
He could not help but serve them, though He'd already saved their souls.
He did not shrink for Gethsemane or from Golgatha's tree
Then as a God, prepared a meal for friends and Galilee.
Where did He learn such compassion, love to transcend the tomb?
He was taught at Mary's knee. He learned from the womb.

What You Can Be

This is at Tabgah, meaning 'seven springs'. I am sitting by one of the natural springs which makes this area the best place for fishing in Galilee. The water is cool in the summer and warm in the winter, so fish congregate here. Thus it is assumed that this is where the soon-to-be Apostles were fishing when the Lord called them to leave their former lives behind and follow Him. I tried to capture that call with this poem.

To fisherman on Galilee
The Savior of mankind did speak.
He called to them “Come follow me
And see what you with me can be.
Cast your nets and boats aside
And on this path with me abide.
You much first come and learn of me
Then follow all that you have seen.
The cost is high, the journey far
To make you more than now you are.
But someday you will be complete
As you kneel worthy at my feet.”

Boats, Beattitudes, Fish and Pigs

Our first day in Galilee began with a boat ride across the sea of Galilee. I loved this! It was so cool to be on a boat in the middle of this sea. Some of my favorite stories from the New Testament happened right here. I have always loved the hymn "Be Still My Soul" and it has meant even more to me since this day. The line, "the waves and wind still know His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below" holds new meaning having seen this sea where He calmed the storm. Truly, He is the Son of God with the power of a God, to calm the elements and to calm our souls, and the love of a God to do so.
Here is part of what I wrote in my journal about this: "The peaceful calm I saw of the sea of Galilee will serve as a reminder that the winds and the waves still know His voice and when they seem to be ruling in my life, He can calm them--in His time. The Apostles asked Jesus, "Carest thou not that we perish?" He rebuked them from having little faith. I realized that they had faith in His power--that is why they woke Him to calm the storm. It was His love and concern that theyy doubted. Of course He cared if they perished. Of course He was concerned for their well-being. I am gulity of the same lapse of faith too often. I know that Heavenly Father has the power to bless me and direct my life and calm my storms, but I don't always think that He will."


This boat is at Nof Ginosaur, and that's a silly name. It is approximately 2,000 years old and is likely the type that the Apostles would have used for fishing and transportation. No wonder they were scared in the storm! There are also accounts of Jesus preaching from boats, as there are many natural ampitheaters along the shore where multitudes would gather to listen to Him.
It is interesting that in ancient Egyptian tradition the solar boat would carry the Pharaoh in the afterlife on his journey to eternal life. I'm pretty sure that idea was not widely known, but I love the image of Christ preaching from boats, showing that He is our captain on our journey to eternal life.
One more thing about the boat-- notice that the ribbing is on the outside of the planks. Perhaps that was 'the manner of men' that Nephi knew, but that would not be strong enough for an ocean voyage, so the Lord had to show him another way.

This was perhaps my favorite place of all, the Mount of Beatitudes. Some of the other students taught here, and things came together for me that I have been pondering for years. It was a very powerful experience. Here are some of the things that I learned (again from my journal). Harold B. Lee described the beatitudes as a 'bluepring for perfection' and this is a great way to view Matthew 5. The word beatitude comes from 'beatus' meaning to be blessed, fortunate, or happy. And htis is the way to be happy. I have long wondered why being poor and mourning are blessed states because neither seems Godly, but Monica's teaching was beautiful. She said that the poor realize their dependence on God and are blessed as they recognize that (see Mosiah 2-5). That recognition causes us to mourn for our sins. Our Godly sorrow leads us to progress and develop meekness-- a mastery over ourselves.
And about humility/being a light-- True humility is not denying who we are but embracing it and using our gifts to build the kingdom. "Let your light so shine" means 'let you rlight shine in such a manner'-- shine in a way that our good works are seen but it is Christ who is lifted up and God who is glorified. A city that is set on a hill should not be hid, nor should it try to be. We are meant to be that light. True humility is to be set on the hilll, to use our girfts and abilities and put ourselves out there as much as we can, yet do it in a way that we are not glorifying ourslves, but allowing God to be glorified through us. He is the light that we hold up.

No site is complete without a church! This is the one at the Mount of Beatitudes.


I just really like this picture of my roommate, Jessica. This is the Church at Tabgah that commemorates the feeding of the 5,000.

Here is the mosaic of the loaves and fishes on the floor of the Church. And a rock... I can't remember why that's important. Perhaps where the meal was prepared and blessed?

And this is Kursi. This is where the 'swine flew'. The legion of spirits were cast out of the man, into the pigs, and they jumped off a cliff right near here. That would have been quite a sight! Why didn't we take the picture with the cliff as the background? Not sure. But it's just to the left of us.


Now some random pictures from the day...
This is the view from the Mount of Beatitudes. Truly breath taking!

An old dock at Nof Ginosaur. I just loved this.

A totem pole? I have no idea why this was here.

Proof of Israli fashion sense. High socks and shorts are terribly combination, and apparently prohibited here.

Mary's Heart

I've thought a lot about Mary over the years, and especially the day we spent in Nazareth. I've wondered what kind of life she must have lived that she was the one chosen to raise the Son of God. I've wondered what she must have been thinking when Gabriel appeared to her, as she realized that even Joseph could be lost, as she gave her dreams and desires over to the Lord. That tender, innocent girl endured so much. I think of how lonely she must have been in that dirty grotto as she gave birth to her first son. I think of how her heart must have ached as she saw her son rejected by his friends. I think of her standing alone at the foot of his cross. I've tried to put those thoughts into a poem. I haven't finished it yet, but this is a start.

What was in that young girl's heart
When the angel did appear?
Where did she find such strength?
Faith to overcome her fear.
What had happened in her life
That she was prepared to say,
"Lord, behold thy handmaid,
Be it unto me this day."
So glad that she was worthy
So grateful she'd prepared.
This young virgin, fair and pure
Worthy God's own son to bear.

Nazareth

I loved Nazareth. Despite all of the vendors trying to sell us things we really didn't want, there was a special spirit to this little town. I have always loved and admired Mary and felt a special connection to her. It was a really neat experience to visit her hometown--where she grew up, where she met Joseph, where Gabriel appeared to her and where she raised her holy son.

This is the church dedicated to Mary. It is thought that her home was here, or close to here. But since the holy sites were not located until the late 3rd century by Constantine's mother Helena, it is hard to know for sure. Keep reading I'll take you inside.

I love these stained glass windows along the walls of the main area of the Church. (I'm not completely familiar with my Church-y terms.)

The Church is two stories tall. This is on the second level and has beautiful paintings on the walls, as you can see.

This is a view of the courtyard from above. The statue is Mary. There are paintings of her from around the world that are fascinating. I thought I took pictures of several of them, but I can't seem to find them. So just imagine.

I rather like this picture. This is the view just as you walk into the church. We don't really worship in the same way as other religions (with shrines and the such), but I found it interesting that our conversations would always drop to a whisper when we walked into churches. Of course it was out of respect, but it was because the place was made holy by the faithful people who worship there.

Travel Tip: Take pictures of signs so you know what the pictures are when you look at them later.

This is a Nazarene synagogue from the first century. It is likely not the one in which Christ would have worshiped, but it is in the same location as an earlier synagogue where He would have come. We know little about His childhood, but this places surely influenced his growth as He increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.

This is the first view I had of the sea of Galilee as we drove through the windy hills.

And the first sunset on the sea. This sight came to symbolize my whole experience. Elder Andersen's niece was there with me and became a really good friend of mine. She asked me to write a letter to her uncle about my experience in Jerusalem. Here is an exert of my letter that describes why I love this sight so much: "I loved watching the sun set over the sea of Galilee knowing that I was seeing the same sight that Christ saw many times throughout His life, standing on the same shores He walked where He called His Apostles to leave their boats and nets to follow Him. Watching the waves of that sea I knew that I was in a place that He loved and I came to love it too. The image of the sun setting over that sea will be forever in my mind and heart because it has come to represent what Jesus means to me—His power over winds and waves, His loving compassion and His watchful care. That connection has increased the love that I have for Him and has brought a greater sense of His empowering love for me. And that love has changed me."

Finally to Galillee!... or at least close.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the summer. This is the Mediterranean Sea from Ceasarea Maritima--our first stop on our 12 day Galilee field trip.

The 400 year old mansion in Paris was a pretty cool place to have school, but this has got to be the coolest classroom I've ever been in. We are sitting approximately where Paul testified before King Agrippa in his palace. It was incredible to be there. The spirit of testimony is powerful. It sanctifies a place. I could feel that.

Caesarea Maritima was a huge Roman city that was built up to rival Alexandria. This amphitheater is proof.

This is part of the port that was built by King Agrippa. Pretty impressive for ancient people.

More of the Roman stuff behind us. Just in case you didn't believe me, check out those Roman pillars.

Awesome crusader arch! This is also in Caesarea Maritima, built a few hundred years after the Romans. It's cool to see the mark of the different groups.

Four of us wore the same shirt on the same day and didn't even notice until we got on the bus. That's especially embarassing since Mandy and I are roommates!

This is Megiddo. The name Armegeddon comes from this place (Har Megiddo). Heather and I tried to stage an epic battle, but obviously we failed terribly.

This is part of a Roman aquaduct that was built to bring water from somewhere to somewhere else. That's the point of an aquaduct I guess. It's really long though, and that makes it impressive. Obviously I've forgotten the details, but my backbend looks great!

This is the funniest sign I've ever seen. I've never been more happy to be a loser.

Trash Day!

Jerusalem is a very very dirty city. There is trash everywhere. Especially in the open fields and parks. Since the Church owns the Orson Hyde Gardens, we had a branch service project to clean up. Obviously it needed it!

Sometimes graffiti just makes me smile!

This is where the idea of fire and brimstone comes from. There is an area in the Hinnom Valley, which runs along the East side of the Old City, where trash was thrown. There was a constant fire burning and the place was called Gehenna, or Hell. It smells so bad, I can understand why it is equated with everlasting torment.

Heather and Rachelle. Hard at work or hardly working?

After the service project we ended up at the Western Wall and the temple mount. This was probably my favorite place in Jerusalem. (I say that a lot about a lot of different places. But this was definitely one of them!)




We found the pothead in the museum in Egypt. Here's the pinhead in the Old City. A strange way to display bracelets....

This is one of my favorite things in the Old City. A lot of the girls were grossed out by it. I think it's awesome to have carcasses hanging out in the open!

This was not one of my favorite things about the Old City. These nasty cats were everywhere.

This is right by the Coptic church, which is kind of a back part of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. There is a cistern underneath it (a huge hallow area for storing water). We went down and sung hymns, Disney songs and African spirituals for almost 2 hours. It was so fun! My camera died right after this, but we met a British boy while we were down here and ended up running into him again about half an hour later. So we went to gelatto with him. He had a lot of questions about the Church and it was really hard to not be able to talk about it. We had a lovely chat with him though, and then had to sprint from BenYehuda street all the way back to the center. The walk usually took over half an hour. We made it in 17 minutes, just as the doors were closing for dinner. Amazing how motivating food can be!