Egypt!!!

An unforgettable week in Egypt!!This is the most incredible mosque I’ve been too. I studied it before coming here, but it was even more elaborate and beautiful than I had expected. While inside we were able to hear our guide talk to us about the Islamic religion. His description was so inspiring. My admiration for the religion of Islam has increased a lot since I have been here. The Muslims are some of the most devoted people that I know. I'm constantly reminded of their dedication as I'm woken up by their call to prayer every morning at 4 AM (there is a mineret located about 100 feet from my bedroom window). It is a privilege to live among so many of them and constantly learn more about their beliefs and lifestyle.

We're standing over the great Nile River.
This is one of the oldest churches in Cairo. The basement of this church is where they think Joseph and Mary brought Christ as an infant to get away from the murders of Herod.
Allie and I taking the midnight train from Luxor to Cairo. It was the oldest, dirtiest and grossest train I had ever imagined. The one person who ate the food they gave us threw up the whole next day. What an experience.
Me with Jess, Mary and Elissa. These girls are a few of my best friends that I've made here. It's shocking how close you can get to a group of people in such a short amount of time. We couldn't resist these bags in the SUK (the merchant shopping streets in Egypt) because they were so cheap-- so here's us carrying all four of them on a horse drawn carriage through the streets of Egypt. We looked completely out of place and ridiculous. I can't think of many times I've laughed harder.

The Luxor temple
This mosque is built on top of the Luxor Temple. By the 8th century the Luxor temple was completely buried by dirt. Therefore, the Muslims built a mosque on top of it without even knowing. The Luxor temple has evidence of Egyptian, Christian and Islamic symbols throughout it. It's a marvelous complex!!
Us at the Karnak temple- One of the seven ancient wonders of the World!!! This is the largest temple in the world. The beginning of this temple construction dates back to the 14th century BC. Walking around it you are able to learn about several different Egyptian dynasties. It is astounding that people with so little technology were capable of creating such remarkable buildings!
Hatshepsut Temple
Step Pyramid with the LITTLEST Bedouin I've yet to see.
Pyramid and the Sphinx! The Pyramids were so much more massive than I had even conceived. A human looks like a little ant next to them. It is amazing to consider how people so long ago could create something that would stand the test of time and continue to be a wonder centuries later.

We ended our trip in Egypt by travelling to Mount Sinai, which is literally in the middle of nowhere. I’ve never had a cooler experience than riding a camel up Mount Sinai while listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and my favorite talk from Elder Holland on my IPOD. It was so peaceful and inspiring. As I rode of the mountain I couldn’t help but feel of God’s love for me. Gratitude overcame me as I considered His mercy and longsuffering. He led Moses up to this mountain to give guidance to the Israelites who constantly disobeyed and doubted him. So many times God has been willing to forgive me and lead me through my life as well. When I finally reached the top of the Mount I was amazed. It was such an unbelievable view. As we all sang hymns together I couldn’t help but be struck by the magnificence of God’s creations. It will be an experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life! (Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it on my computer yet).
As amazing as Egypt was, it felt good to get home to the center. As I sat in bed reviewing my day, I realized this was probably one of the most incredible days I'll ever have. I woke up at 2:30 AM in Africa (Egpyt), rode a camel up Mt. Sinai to watch the sunrise, Dipped my feet in the Red Sea and was now in my bed in Asia (Israel).
Sorry my posts are a little scattered- I have to do them really quick. I love you guys!

My First month in the Holy Land!

I'm finally in Jerusalem experiencing my life long dream and it's even more incredible than I imagined!!

Mt. of Temptation Monastery
Jess and I by the rock they supposedly think Christ was tempted by.
This little 92 year old man, Elias Feinzilberg, is a Holocaust survivor who came to speak to us at the center. Right when I saw him I immediately just loved him. His story was of course heart breaking. When he was 16 he saw his whole family get shot to death. It broke my heart to see a picture of his family taken just a year before everything broke out. What was so impressive to me was his attitude toward the Nazi’s. There was no anger in his voice as he spoke. When someone inquired how he got through it he replied that each day he thought, "God will help us and save us today.. That night he’d think maybe tomorrow, maybe tomorrow." His faith is what helped him to keep pushing on. We asked him for advice and he told us to be happy and love God. He loved talking to us because it wasn’t until just recently that he began telling his story and he was so lonely for so many years. He will forever be one of my heroes.

This is a view of Western Jerusalem. Western Jerusalem is a Jewish part of town. It is actually very modernized. You can see the huge mall behind us which is full of designer clothes from America. In this part of town it feels more like you’re in the states than anywhere else.

The Garden Tomb was one of the most spiritual places I have been in Jerusalem. As soon as I stepped on the grounds there was a feeling of peace that overcame me. While there I was able to sit by the tomb and read the Living Christ. I have always been so moved by the Living Christ but this time the words were more powerful than they ever had been before. I’m so grateful my my knowledge and testimony that Christ lives and is so involved in our lives. The spirit here in Jerusalem testifies to that truth!
While we were at the Western Wall during the day time, we saw a small crowd gathered around someone walking towards the wall. As the crowd moved towards us John McCain became apparant in our view. This picture shows him waving towards us, probably six feet away. It was such a funny experience. We would never see him this close in America, but here in Jerusalem it happens. Senator Lieberman was accompanying him as well.

The dome of the rock is even more amazing in real life than in pictures. Unfortunately only Muslims are allowed inside so we didn’t see the inside, but the outside was so incredible I didn’t mind.
We were able to go the Western Wall the first week we got here, to celebrate with the Jews in ushering in their Sabbath. The Western Wall faces the Temple mount where Solomon’s temple and the second temple were built and destroyed. Now the Dome of the Rock exists on the mount under the Muslims control. Since the Jews can’t go onto the temple mount they worship at this wall that faces it. What an inspiring experience to be able to see their attitude in welcoming in their Sabbath. They were so energized and excited for their Sabbath to come. They did dances, sang songs, and read scripture as the sun went down. It was such a spiritual experience for me to be there and made me want to have that same devotion and excitement for our Sabbath.

I feel so blessed to be able to call the Jerusalem Center my home for the next few months! This is the view from my balcony! I study out here every morning. It’s the coolest experience to be studying scriptures and look down to see Gethsemane, the old city, dome of the rock, church of holy sepulcher, etc. There is nothing like Sabbath scripture study out there. The pictures below show the porch I study on and the view I look at. Last Sabbath (which is Saturday here), while studying out here I thought to myself, “I would be completely satisfied with my life if I could spend every Sabbath out here doing this.” It’s incredible!

Those are just a few of the several pictures I have here. I wish they could fully capture the amazing experience I'm having. One of the elements of this program that I love is the fact that I'm experiencing what I'm learning on a daily basis. Every day through classes, interacting with the people, reading, and viewing the scenes around me, my knowledge increases in countless ways and it makes me want to continue studying. As much as I miss all of you individually I'm not missing home too much. The time is flying by and I'm trying not to let any of it go to waste. I love you all and will try to be better about keeping you updated!