USA, USA, USA!

We may be spending our summer in Israel (on lockdown due to the recent unrest) but we still love America! and therefore the 4th of July still deserved a party. Our chefs sure delivered an amazing BBQ feast. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, fries, watermelon, endless ice cream and a GIANT American flag cake! The funniest moment is when the chefs brought out the flag cake we sang the Star-Spangled Banner to it. haha! 

I'm pretty sure that of the 4th of Julys that I can remember, more were spent outside of the country than inside of America. But I still love to celebrate our great country :)



We also got to celebrate my amazing roommates birthday!!! J-Hart is just the greatest! I love being her roommate and she inspires me every single day.

Jordan Trip- Final Day

 July 3rd

We began our day with a pleasant and unexpected surprise visit to the new church building in Amman. There were several branch members and the service missionaries there to meet us and give us a tour. It was so fascinating to hear about the progress of the church in Jordan.

We were so matchy-matchy. 

Tree of Life depiction

Hymn book in Arabic

We also got to tour the King Abdullah I Mosque. It was about a thousand degrees then they asked us to put on these modesty dresses. I thought I was going to pass out from the heat but I survived and it was a very culturally enriching experience.

"I'm so fancy... you already know."

Our last stop in Jordan before heading back into Israel was the baptismal site of Jesus Christ on the Jordan River. 

Being able to stop at the Baptismal site of Christ was an amazing way to end our trip to Jordan. Christ was baptized even though He was perfect and that shows us the great need that we have to be baptized. I love what President Uchtdorf has to say about baptism. "We see baptism as the starting point in our journey of discipleship. Our daily walk with Jesus Christ leads to peace and purpose in this life and profound joy and eternal salvation in the world to come."

I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized and for the chance I have to renew those baptismal covenants every week in Sacrament meeting.

Jordan Trip- Day 3

Day three in Jordan began at the Jabbak River. This is where Jacob wrestled with an angel. Our professor gave a great devotional about wrestling. He talked about how worship is work. Worship is exhausting, it's like wrestling. Jesus Christ wrestled mightily so that He might overcome the sins of the world. So me must wrestle to overcome the natural man tendencies. 

Our next stop of the day was Jerash, a Roman city in the middle of the modern city of Amman.

Then the Royal Car Museum.

And the Amman Citadel.

At night we went to a yummy fruit salad place and strolled along Rainbow Avenue. This is the "cool" place to hang out at night. The local artists like to come here and perform. Some of the students brought guitars and did some performing of their own! It was a fun night.

Fruit salad, yummy yummy. 

One of the Seven Wonders of the World

On our second day in Jordan we explored Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world. And a wonder it was! There was a breathtaking view around every corner and it was a magical but exhausting day. We started the morning with our class and our Jordanian tour guide as we walked the mile or so through the siq. The Siq is the narrow gullies that leads to the treasury! 

In front of the treasury is where I rode my first camel! It was freaky but so fun and definitely a new adventure.

Then I hiked up to the high place. Oh man oh man. The hike wasn't super long but it was straight up. The heat also got to me. My headaches affect me more than I like to admit most days and I probably shouldn't have attempted to head up to the high place but I did and I made it...barely. 

The rest of the day was spent exploring the many sights of Petra and another camel ride. I guess you could say a picture is worth a thousand words so I'll just let the pictures do the talking :) 

Jordan Trip- Day 1

From June 30-July 3 we were in Jordan! It was a fun trip but it was hot, hot, hot, hot, hot.
Did I mention it was hot? :)

We left Jerusalem early in the morning on Monday in order to get to the border crossing when it opened. It can sometimes be tricky but we made it across with no issues. We loaded unto our new buses with our Jordanian guide and headed to Mount Nebo. From Mount Nebo is where Moses saw the Promised Land and tradition says that he was buried there but through modern revelation we know that Moses was translated.

The Brazen serpent

um... this is definitely in the women's bathroom. 

The next stop of the day was the St. George Church at Madaba. This church is unique because the floor mosaic has a map of the Holy Land. 

Funny story about this church- so usually when we go to sights we aren't there for very long but for some reason we were here for awhile. I'm not sure how long because I looked around at everything then sat on a bench a fell asleep. I am my father's daughter. 

alright.. someone explain the creepy blue hand.... 

After an unusually lunch where the power went out and it didn't even phase anyone... we continued on to Machaerus. This is one of Herod the Great's fortresses but only ruins remain, just like most sights that we go to. It was at this sight that John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded. 

Lets see you hike to the top of a mountain in the Jordanian desert in the middle of summer in the heat of the day. 

To finish off the day we headed to Petra by night! It was magical. It was our first experience with Petra. The hike into Petra is about a mile long and it was lined with lanterns to light the way. Then you come out of the canyon to see the treasury and the view is breathtakingly beautiful! In the words of Dr. Seely, "it's one of the most romantic things you'll ever do...alone." True statement.