Gethsemane

I've been slacking (see.. still trying to get used to this whole blogging thing) .....

So we recognize our "Sabbath" here on Saturdays instead of Sundays to really absorb the culture here. It gets me a bit confused with which day of the week it is, but it is a very cool experience! So once a month in my religion we usually will have a "fast sunday" where we fast for at least 2 meals and give that money that we would have spent on food to the church. So this past Saturday was "Fast Sabbath"...as well as our first sabbath here in Jerusalem.

The Chapel, where our main church service is held each sabbath is located on the 8th floor of the Jerusalem Center and the entire front wall is made of glass windows, overlooking the entire city. It is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! So when it came time to take the sacrament (the bread and water, renewing the covenants that we made when we were baptized, symbolizing the blood and body of Jesus Christ), we usually think about Christ. Well imagine thinking about the life of Jesus Christ as you are staring out in front of you, where he walked, ministered, preached, and died. It was honestly, incredible. It really gave me a whole new perspective on the sacrament and saying it was a powerful experience would be an understatement!! The rest of the church meetings were also incredible and really had a great spirit about them. Everyone shared great thoughts and I am just in awe to be surrounded by such inspiring people!! I am truly blessed!

After church we decided to head down to Gethsemane! (yeah, how many times can you finish church and talk to friends about what you want to do, and decide to take a nice little stroll to the place where Jesus Christ suffered for our sins, that we might be forgiven and return to live with Him again). So a small group of us headed through Orson Hyde memorial, a garden/pathway that was dedicated and given to Israel back in the 1800's I believe. This path took us down to the pace of Gethsemane. It was a lot different than I had imagined, but it was still a neat experience. There was a patch of Olive Tree's fenced in (maybe a square...30 yards x 30 yards? I'm bad at estimating). It was kept up beautifully. Next to this garden was a cathedral that was also really cool. At the front of this cathedral a person could go to the front and worship a stone that tradition says is where Jesus Christ actually suffered on. We then headed across to the Grotto and looked around there at some more places of worship.

Across the street from the main part of Gethsemane is a little larger, quieter piece of Gethsemane, surrounded by cement walls with a gate saying "private". We had heard that other students in past semester could go in there and read, so we were determined to do so. Mason found a guy that worked there and explained we were from the "mormon university" as we are known, and they let us right in. So we had this whole area to ourselves, and this was not surrounded by tourists and loud noises. We all separated and did as we pleased. I read the account of Christ and the apostles in Gethsemane and every few verses would look around me, still amazed that it all took place near, if not at that very place. This also gave me a whole new perspective!! It was unreal to just sit there by myself and read my scriptures for a while in Gethsemane. SUCH a great way to spend the sabbath (...or any day for that matter!!)