EASTER WEEK!

Ill just highlight some fun things I was able to do this week.

Palm Sunday was very interesting. Me and some girls headed into the old city we first stopped at the Church of the Redeemer. They were holding a service so we sat and listened for a little. This church is beautiful! It was the first time I was able to enter, and it had high high celings and the whole church was made of beautiful white stone. Then we headed over to the Church of the Holy Seplecher. It was crazy and some fights broke out in the line to enter Christ’s “burial”.  We were able to go upstairs and listen to some monks in training sing. Later that day we joined a HUGE mob of people on the Mount of Olives in the walk of Palm Sunday. It was very exciting and full of energy. I felt like I was in a parade. The old ladies did this crazy warrior call that was hilarious. There were so many people dancing and we threw in a few of our hymns.

We went to the Separation Wall today. It is very sad and causes a lot of heartache and trouble for these people. Followed by a hilarious talent show.

Shepherds field! We went to a beautiful field overlooking Bethlehem and celebrated Christmas! It was so much fun, we put on a Nativity and I was a little lamb.

Walking the Via Dolorosa on Good Friday. This was truly insane! We all started at station 1. There were people dressed as roman guards and a man as Jesus covered in red paint. I didn’t like that part at all. I was in a little courtyard and was trying to get out. The monks were arriving so the Israeli soldiers shoved us all out of the way and pushed us up against the wall. We were sooo squished but with the help of my man friends they protected us and got us out safe. We waddled our way through all of the stops with thousands of people from all over the world.

Later that night we welcomed in the Sabbath at the Western Wall. This time being there, was much more somber and quiet, we hardly danced. (we are not allowed to take pictures on the Sabbath, because you cant push buttons, so I don’t have any pictures…sorry)

Sabbath was amazing here at the Jerusalem center. Some girl friends and I went to Orson Hyde Gardens. It was so beautiful just overlooking Jerusalem on a beautiful, clear, warm day.

Wasn’t conference just wonderful.! I only have seen the first session so far.

Easter Sunday! I went to a service at the Garden Tomb. They played Christian rock and praised the Lord every other second. I loved it so much! There were people from every continent there!

I then literally walked EVERYWHERE! In west Jerusalem my friends and I took off our shoes to enter the Ethiopian church, there we sat for about an hour, all alone on the colorful rugs and sang Easter hymns. It was so beautiful. 

CHILE- FOR EMILY!