The Holy City

I have been in Jerusalem for 3 complete days now! It took all of that time to get over my jetlag, but I am feeling ready to go now! 

So far, I have only gotten a brief overview of the city; we had a walking tour (4 hours long!) with our Ancient Near Eastern Studies professor, Professor Stratford, which opened my eyes to the beauty of the culture here. Its incredible to walk through the old city and see the sights there.

The people in the old city are all packed into such a small space. It is evident that the people who once lived in the city a long time ago were much smaller people; I had to duck to get through the doorways in some of the monasteries that were centuries old (and I'm only 5'6"!). The streets are crowded with tourists, merchants, worshipers, and pilgrims. What and incredible experience to see all of these cultures combining in one place!

Jerusalem is a holy city to Muslims, Christians, and Jews, and it has already proven to be a holy city for me personally! Our Sabbath day meetings take place on the top floor of the Jerusalem Center. In sacrament meeting, a wall of windows provides the most incredible view of the Holy City. I read the story of the atonement while in that room and gazed into the city where Christ lived and healed. The Mount of Olives is within walking distance from the Center. I feel so lucky to be able to live in a place where I will be able to see the place where many of the events found in the Bible occurred.