I just got accepted into Jerusalem for a study abroad! I am stoked. I am leaving on January 6! I cannot wait to study Near Eastern Studies from actual residents of the Holy Land. I look forward to spending time there and understanding the different mindsets and perspectives as I interact with the people. The opportunity to actually live and receive an education in the Jerusalem Center will be an extraordinary cultural experience. Being there will allow me to take rough knowledge of the Middle Eastern world and apply real life experience to understand both the ancient and modern importance of the Holy Land.
When I think of going there, I remember one of my favorite scriptures in Doctrine and Covenants 76:22-24. Here, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon are bearing powerful testimony of the divinity of the Savior and his role as the creator of the world. He declares that “by Him and through Him and of Him, worlds are and were created.” But what I love most about these verses is the declaration that “He Lives!”
I cannot wait to go to Jerusalem and be where Christ performed miracles and spent His ministry. This opportunity will bring me closer to the Savior, help me understand the reality of His Atonement, and bring His ministry to life. I cannot imagine a greater honor and spiritual experience than to live where Christ lived, to walk where He walked, to see the empty tomb and to kneel in Gethsemane.
1 comment:
Congratulations on being chosen to go to Jerusalem, I just got back from Jerusalem and I can testify that it's a great place. Getting to know the people was one of my favorite things--I learned so much compassion for people who have different ways of life than mine. I sympathize much more with Muslims than I used to, after seeing that they're people, not extremists.
You will also see some beautiful things--you can visit the Garden of Gethsemane on the Sabbath, dance with the Jews at the wailing wall, and maybe touch the Dome of the Rock. Happy travels.
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