River Jordan

November 7th, 2013
The River Jordan was nothing like I had expected. I figured we would stop at a spot of the River where no one really was and have a quiet moment to our class but instead there was a site designated for the baptism of Christ. There were people actually being baptized  It was crazy to see them want to follow in the literal footsteps of Christ, if they only knew the real way toward salvation. The thing that struck me the most was reading and studying the Baptismal story. (John chapter 1) I have never realized how significant and down played John the Baptist role was in the life of the Savior. He was the forerunner of Christ, setting the path for the gospel to be established through Christ. I loved how he chose to be righteous and was selected to baptize the Savior, how special is that! I just think of all the examples we have in the scriptures that we tend to overlook. 

This shirt was quite fitting for a day full of inspiration!

 I loved how this captured some faiths praying on the Israel side of the Jordan River, others being baptized in the Jordan river from the Jordan side, and then BYU Jerusalem Students cluttering the path. We also had the chance to sing some songs about baptism which was cool because by the end we had people recording us or just being quiet and respectful. No matter what religion, language, or place-songs can always add to the site!

November 5th, 2013: Petra, Jordan

Today we went to Petra and it was breath taking! I have to admit it was hard to wake up at 5:30 AM to leave the hotel by 6:30 on foot to Petra. Luckily the site was right around the corner, who would have known. By the way I accidentally dipped my toothbrush in the hotel water, so I may just get travelers’ diarrhea....Wish me well! The Al Khzneh Treasury site of Petra didn't only include the Treasury used in the Indiana Jones movie but tons of other neat things! At first we walked in and there were huge red colorful mountains of sand with the path cut out to walk in-between. It looked similar to Lake Powell, but better because we are in Jordan and they are huge! There was also many Bedouin shacks set up along the sides to sell jewelry, trinkets, and bottles of sand. At one alcove we stopped and our tour guide sang a song in Arabic which sounded really cool! I couldn't understand anything and it seems like they are just making sounds instead of singing, but it still sounded really good! We then sang "How Firm a Foundation" and can I just say again for the millionth time that I love singing; it just welcomes such a sweet spirit to any activity (with the appropriate music of course!).   Finally we made it to the Treasury and I don't know what I was expecting, but this building cut out of the front of a red sand stone was AMAZING!!! It really did take my breath away, with that and the camels I didn't hear anything the tour guide was saying. We also got to ride a camel around in a circle which was fun! It kinda surprised me to have the camels get up and down while I was on, but I’m glad I didn't have to climb up when they were standing-They are so tall! I was lucky and got the one with all the colorful blankets, and Lauren took pictures of my adventure!

Here is the Treasury!

Ross and I riding camels in front of the Treasury!!! 

                After that our guide let our class have free time from like 7 AM to 2:30 PM to wander around and explore this amazing place! Hopefully my map of Petra is still around because that explains why we needed so long to visit all 34 sites, I just wish it included how many steps! I went with a group to the High Place of Sacrifice which was the highest rock and had a beautiful view. I swear there were probably 1,000 steps and I felt like giving up so many times. The sun was beating down on us already, there was very little shade, and lots of uneven steps. Also I have been having difficulty walking lately; I've tripped a few times so I was also afraid of falling and rolling down the hillside! I felt so accomplished to finally reach the top red faced and all! It was so fun to look how far we had made it and also just to see all the carvings in the red stone surrounding us. We ran into Brother and Sister Seely on the top, who have visited quite a few times so they said they would lead us to the Ad-Deir Monastery. We wanted to get the most experiences out of our trek so we went back an alternative way. It was such a cool path with so many cool tombs and carvings, but really long thank goodness it was downhill! It was also cool to see all the different colors in the stones. It was explained to us that they were dyed by the minerals in the ocean water years ago. The blue was from cobalt, red from iron, yellow from calcium, black from magnesium, and white from phosphorus. I was just fascinated that the ocean provided the colors, the wind and flash floods provided the shape of the stones and then the people were able to get so high and detailed with their carvings.

 Luckily I found a slow buddy who would rather take it slow and not die and still get good pictures, it was Sheridan. I just love Sheri, she is such a sweet redhead who has spunk and energy most the time when we aren't dying from the walk. We also ended up with Sister Seely who was fun and made us feel a little better with our speed. I was kinda holding a grudge to the center who wouldn't allow us to take the donkeys which they were offering for $5 up to the monastery, because honestly that looked so fun and a lot less work. Once we got to a certain point all the shops were saying "You're half way" which obviously wasn't the truth when you hear it for the next 4 corners. Finally after putting on some motivational music and leaving Sister Seely with Brother Seely getting a drink, we made it up to the top! The Monastery was amazing! The Treasury was still probably my favorite but this building was worth the hike! 

The Monastery

On our way to the bus I met the cutest Beduoin girl ever! The children here are required by law to go to school up to 15 years old or something, yet the parents keep them home in hopes they will sell more at their shops. There was this one girl walking around barefoot who was probably 10 years old. She was selling postcards for 1 dinar ($1.50= 1 dinar) She was so cute I just wanted to buy one, even though we were told not to support the parents in their decision. We ended up taking the cutest pictures together tho and I love it! I've realized once I go home I'm not going to have very many pictures of the people here. I love seeing the sights but the times I cherish the most have to do with hospital patients where we can't take pictures. This little Beduoin looked like my first cancer patient tho so I was really happy!

She was so excited to take a picture with someone, even if I didn't have change to buy some post cards. After our funny picture she wanted to take some of the hills around us, if I hadn't kept a hold of the safety loop I would have lost my camera. Oh how I miss little kids!

The Miracle of Life-Real Live Version

 

October 27^th, 2013

Today I was dreading clinicals at Red Crescent so bad because of the crazy finals week ahead. I just don’t see the point of going most days because we honestly can’t do anything. I love the people and getting a sense of the family significance and the way healthcare is carried out threw a culture, but the language barrier is rough. We honestly don’t do any hands on nursing care and we can’t communicate, so the only thing that is left…..Is to watch! Also last time we went there was another group who watched a C-section and so I was kinda bummed. We were however going for 7 hours so I was somewhat hopeful of seeing a delivery and even more hopeful of forgetting finals were in the air.

 

I was placed on the post neonatal unit by myself with only one nurse on this unit. This unit was comprised of 5 bed which were reserved for mothers and newborns (vaginal delivery) who were healthy a couple hours after birth. They would stay here for at least 6 hours for closer observation before going to a more independent unit in the neighboring building. There wasn’t much hope for a delivery on this floor but I was excited to handle newborns! If you haven’t figured this out yet, I want to go into Labor and Delivery or Pediatric Nursing, so this semester is right up my alley! My nurse was so sweet and willing to answer any questions I could think of! She also was super helpful even with the language barrier at times. For example if we didn’t use the same medication and I couldn’t find it in my medication book she would go get me the wrapper to one so I could keep it and research the American comparison. I was so impressed with her kindness and generosity. She told me that when she was a student she hated not getting an answer for her questions and being left in the dark, so she wanted to make this the most beneficial experiences as possible for me which I was very grateful for.

 

Toward 9 am Sister Garbett came up to say there was a C-Section on the surgical floor and that I could go watch. OH MY LANTA, I am so excited!!! I have to admit I did get a little queasy with the smells and cutting during my OR clincials so I was a little nervous, but my excitement outweighed everything. I could have done without the cutting into the stomach, which by the way it was her 3rd C-section and she had so much fat and scar tissue it was disgusting! Anyways, I was so glad they started to see the baby when they did or I could have passed out it was making my stomach so queasy. Anyways, the baby was pulled out and the cord was wrapped around its neck, the baby was so blue and lifeless it was scary. We had just had a practice simulation the previous week about neonate resuscitation if they don't start crying/breathing so I was prepared for the worst. Once they took the cord off from around the neck they literally swung the baby by its feet to the weighing table and it started to cry and the color slowly started to come back. It was such a neat experience to see life pop back into this baby. OMG I almost started crying it was just so cool to see and experience. The baby was adorable! Babies are the most amazing creation of God and I am so glad God allowed me to witness this miracle and for mothers to be co-creators of His children. It really made me value life. This is a real life we are talking about, a child who deserves every right to a family and all the privileges of the covenant right from birth. They shouldn't have to wait to be sealed for the blessings of the covenant, but unfortunately in this country they may not have the chance. Anyways I was just overwhelmed with the spirit and grateful that I could see a baby even amidst such a stressful week.

Real Babies or Real Wine....I'll take BOTH!

October 24th, 2013

We also had our first day at Red Crescent, the Labor and Delivery facilities right on the side of Mount Scopus. This is the smallest, cramped hospital I have ever been in. It is so different to have the hospitals be build upwards rather than horizontally like in the states. I was placed on the Labor and Delivery unit with Lindsey Hawkins, which I was stoked about. There weren’t any women in labor though and we were only going to be there for 3 hours. We did however get to visit with a new mother of her second child, who thankfully spoke really good English. Her little boy was born at around 4:30 am today and was currently sleeping. She was having a really hard time getting him to wake up and wanting to eat.  She asked us for advice but we didn't really have any tips to helping her rather simple little things to wake the baby up. She ended up instead just talking to us about her father who owned a Souvenir shop inside Jaffa Gate. She was such a sweet lady and loved to ask questions and be really open with us.

Once lunch came we gave her some space to rest and eat with her new baby boy. The rest of the day was so slow, nobody else was ready to have a baby. There was two individuals in for observation, one for decreased fetal movement (how scary!) and the other for induction because she was over 41 weeks (poor lady!). Lindsey and I ended up having a heart to heart. It was fun just to talk and share different experiences since we haven't been as close. It's sad because with nursing we nursing students spend so much time together in classes and clinicals that we don't want to spend any additional time and it has really strained some friendships. I like to catch up with friends, especially hearing some of her amazing experiences. She really as a good example for me! I've noticed everyone can teach you or inspire you in some way if you'll only listen and give them time.

To finish the night we had our fake Passover dinner! How fun to participate in a mock Jewish tradition with our Jewish teacher, Ophir Yarden. We had name cards, participating parts such as songs and narratives for the program, and we dressed up. I happened to be a narrator of a huge passage; it still makes me nervous to read in public even if it is in English. I just loved the setting and this cool experience. We read out of the Haggaddah of the Jewish traditions and took part in the Passover dinner traditions. Just as we poured our first glass of "wine" (fake grape juice) and was starting to drink the glass we realized it was REAL wine with alcohol! How funny, a ton of BYU students getting drunk on Passover, that would have made the church news! Luckily they caught the mistake and corrected it quickly with fake juice that was disgusting, I hated the taste! But overall it was such a fun night full of good experiences!

Passover center piece with different foods for each section we read. Yes that's the real wine in the back....don't worry they wouldn't even let us keep the bottles...

Lindsey Hawkins and I at the special narrator table!

To Stand as a Witness

Wednesday October 23rd, 2013: Elias Feinzilberg (96 yr old Holocaust survivor), and ICC

 

Today I had some really neat experiences! First of all we had our ICC for Nursing which included Trachea care/suctioning, neonate resuscitation, and neonate respiratory distress scenario. To be honest I was dreading this day.  Sister Garbett is such a nice lady but honestly she takes way to long to spit things out and seems to waste a lot of time. Time is of the essence here, it can't be wasted! So I kind of went into ICC with a bad attitude. The trachea care started off rough. Sister Garbett didn't bring any materials really, which I don't blame her without 50 lbs limit, but it made things a little hard. We had a shoe box for a baby, a premature resuscitation bag for the trachea, a shoe lace for the straps, and luckily a suction kit to suction with. Overall it ended up being pretty amusing to watch but surprisingly we didn't all get to go through the steps because we ran out of time. Then Sister Whitchurch came to help with the neonate resuscitation part. This previous month there was a team from Primary Children's Hospital that came to neighboring hospitals to teach a seminar about resuscitation and stayed in the Jerusalem Center. Sister Whitchurch and Sister Garbett were fortunate enough to go with them on one or two of their expeditions to teach. She brought her kit to help teach us and help us to be comfortable with the basic skill of resuscitation. She said it was so surprising to see the midwifes and hospitals not realize they can save a baby. She told of one lady who said she had never lost a baby but then after the seminar came up to explain that she thought if a baby wasn't breathing when born it was dead. She then would just bury the child without any further intervention. She was so grateful for this new knowledge. It was so fun to learn on a warm water filled baby. I was just so impressed with this group traveling across the world to increase the knowledge and materials of other hospitals. I really hope that one day I have the chance to do something like this! It was also nice to see how you can save a life in just under a minute with this new skill!

Another experience I had today was the Forum. Usually I dread forums also because they seem to be a waste of time and lose my interest quickly. I was however excited for todays! Today we were fortunate to have a Holocaust survivor come to tell his story and insights. He was the cutest old man who was accompanied by a Pilipino caregiver. He told basic statistics such as 6 million Jews were killed with 1 1/2 million being children. He told of time frames and countries/people involved. Then he began his story. The first thing that happened were posters being put up that said 400 men were needed for work. They would need to be strong and healthy, checked out by their doctor, and report to a certain place. Elias was able to pass and was then hired and taken for work. Part of the deal was that the family would also be paid. Throughout his story he tells of being in 9 concentration camps, of volunteering for work any chance he can get. Of getting sick and being sent home only to find his house abandoned his 7 brothers and sisters gone and his parents nowhere to be found. His neighbor then prepared him for the news that his dad died of hunger and his mom and siblings had been burned to death. Still he persevered, he continued to press forward not knowing how long he would last. I was amazed at the little details he remembered as a 22 year old man and the emotion his story was filled with. He told of the blunt violence and hatred that the German soldiers and SS had and the beatings he endured, and the little food he received. He then told of the liberation and of going to work in a kitchen where he would then meet his wife. This couple fled to Guatemala where his Uncle lived and there established a family. The part that struck me the most out of this experience was his last comments. He said he is part of a "club” of survivors, yet he is the only one to talk. He believes that God saved him to be a witness, to tell others what has happened so they can learn and prevent this in the future. I also adored the true love he had for his wife and how you could see in his presence that he cherished life in every form but that he truly missed her presence. I sure hope that I can cherish the life I have been given and share my testimony as a witness of Christ and all he has done for me.

Day Talate (3 in arabic) of Turkey!

Turkey Day 3: 10/9/13

Today was the longest bus riding day yet, and it killed. We had roughly 6 hours on the bus and I knew I'd get sick if I didn't sleep so I pretty much slept the day away. Thank goodness I had a late night girl talk with Lauren Law and Kinsey Ferrell, we are such good friends! We first drove to Assos (watch how you pronounce that one!) which is on the coast of the Aegean Sea on the Asia side of Turkey. Here is where we saw our first white huge pillar temple, this one being temple of Athena.  (and by pillars I mean, using technical "Brother Whitchurch" terms: Doric Columns. This temple dates back to the 5th century B.C. The temple was built on the crest of the hill overlooking the Aegean Sea and you can see the Island of Lesbos, part of Greece. That would be so cool to go to Greece! That is one of the places on my bucket list for sure! (if I ever get out of the country again...) Here we talked about the Apostle Paul and his missionary work. We were very close to Troas in which Paul gave a sermon before making his walk from Troas to Assos. We also talked about how he sent his disciples by boat but he walked alone, signaling a time of personal preparation with the Lord.



We also went to the Pergamum Acropolis, one of my absolute favorites! (at least this far) Its located on a steep hill so we road a tram, thank goodness. Earliest remains date to the 8th century B.C. God refers to Pergamum (Bergama) in Revelations 2:13 as "where Satan dwelleth." WE also introduced Pauls 7 letters to the Church's of Asia Minor. Each letter starts off by saying what the people were doing right, recognizing their need to repent, and then a promise of eternal life with imagery of the temple if they obey God's council. All the letters are located in Revelations chapters 2-3. Pergamum is one of the 7 cities Paul writes to. We sang "High on a Mountain Top" in the theatre, very fitting I thought as we looked out over the land. It was cool to see where Paul went and where his letters were written to.

Olive Oil and the Red Sea, oh what a week!

The Red Sea: 10/20/13

Sunday we went to the Red Sea to snorkle and it was alot of fun! The coral reaf wasn't as colorful as I had imagined (I must have a wild imagination) and we weren't allowed to go very far but still worth it.  When I first got in the water I felt like such a pansy! I honestly had a panick attach. I hate those masks since they make us breathe through our mouths and trust that little pipe to keep me breathing fresh air. Every one wasn't wearing a life jacket since we are young and invensible so I didn't want to wear one and I know how to swim anyways. This may sound stupid but it is so hard to focus on swimming and breathing at the same time, especially when don't know what is swimming around you....Finally I decided to be brave and go get my life jacket, which really made all the difference! I still had to train myself to breath out of my mouth but it worked out great! I wish I would have had a waterproof camera to take pictures! After laying out on the beach we went to an aquarium which was cool! Kinda like Sea World but Israeli style ;)

Olive Oil Making at the Jerusalem Center: 10/21/13

Today we made Olive Oil with the Olive presses! We picked some of the olives from the trees around the Jerusalem Center and bought the rest of them. Then we all took turns crushing them and then placing the bags on the squisher machine thingy. Wow this is hard to explain! Hopefully I'll upload pictures soon and then you can have a little better understanding! We also talked alot about the symbolism of the atonement with the making of olive oil. As I watched the weight of the rocks crushing the bags of mushed olives in order to squeeze out the juice it made me think of Christ bleeding through every pour because of the weight of the worlds sins. Its crazy how real and intense the Spirit can be when you visualize the atonement.

Short and Sweet but at least it's complete!

Day 4 of Turkey: 10/10/13



Today we are going to another letter city, I'm so excited to be traveling through the missionary journey! We started off at St. Johns Basilica (Church) where we were able to lookout over the Temple of Artemis. WE then headed to Ephesus, modern Selcuk. This is also another city of Paul's letters. I loved the fact a whole city outline was left in the remains. There was a gym, library (Huge), temple of Domitian, and many many shops. We even saw ancient toilets, still slightly better than squatters (which I'm ashamed to say I had to try.....) We also took a picture to match the pictures in the back of the scriptures. I am so excited to make my own picture album of all the places in the scriptures we have been.



We then went to Miletus. Once again we read the more of Paul's missionary stories, although this city wasn't one of the 7 cities waiting for a letter from the apostle.



On our bus ride to the hotel and dinner, it was a 3 hour one; we played a fun singing game which was Niceps idea. The volunteer went to the front of the bus, where I was sitting, put in both headphones and then sang with the bus microphone a song of their choosing. It was hilarious to hear how people sound when they can't hear how off tune they really are! Nicept also told us how he met his wife. At the end of the story he stressed that the "free party life" is nothing compared to a family! It is interesting to see the world figure out priorities when the church tells us from day one: family, family, family. I am so glad that I had the direction and examples of my parents to teach me the gospel and give me the resources I need to be successful and to stay on the path.



Day 5 of Turkey: 10/11/13



Today we are planing to finish seeing 2 (kind of 3) of the church cities in Paul's letters. I say kind of three because we only drove through Smyrna and read the story on the bus. The first place we actually stopped was Sardis. Here we found some remains of another temple of Artemis and a huge gymnasium of the 2nd century A.D. You can find the letter of Sardis in Revelations 3:1-6 :)

The 5th city was Thyatira. This one was located in the middle of the city of Akhisar. Because of the setting it was a very different place! Some pedestrian stopped to ask why we would possibly stop a tour bus in a ****hole place like this. (Excuse my ****s) It's crazy to see people not realize or be interested in such cool biblical history or just plain history that are literally in their backyards!



To finish off the day we went to the beautiful Grand Mosque of Bursa. This is an active Mosque so our trip was fast to allow for their daily service, especially since Friday is a huge thing! This Mosque has 20 domes and 6 pillars. The pillars were a huge controversy because the Mosque in Mecca which is the BIG deal also had 6 pillars, so another pillar was added to Mecca to keep its status quo. Finally the Bursa silk bazaar where I bought a few scarfs and skirts. Not enough time, I just love to shop!



Day 6: Last day of Turkey 10/12/13



Our last day in Turkey, so bitter sweet! I just love this beautiful place! Our last stop was in Nicea, the modern Iznik. The council of Nicea formulated the Nicean Creed here in 325 A.D. This document by Constantine, a new Christian convert, would establish that the Nature of God and Man were different. The Joseph Smith History 1:5-17 disputes the Nicean Creed and states our potential to one day become like God. Such a powerful message!


Before we left we squeezed in 1 more ferry ride to the European side of Istanbul back toward the airport. Because of scheduling miscommunication we were in a huge rush and missed shopping. Dang it, I really wanted a cool glass lamp. We did have dinner at the airport and ate McDonalds, which I hate doing in a foreign country but food is food. We also had to say goodbye to Nicep, I really which he could come back and be our guide-he was great! Oh I almost forgot to tell you! I got some amazing apple tea from the airport, Herbal tea that we as Latter-Day Saints can have (don't worry our teachers gave it to us first!) I never like any other kind of Herbal tea but this stuff is heavenly. I can't wait to have some at home when it’s snowing outside!



Back to Jerusalem on Pegasus Airlines! I can't explain the cool experience it is to be considering Jerusalem as your home after a trip in Turkey, it’s an unreal experience! Oh how I love the life of a traveler!

Istanbul to Troy-Battle Day

10/9/13

Today was going to be a long day since we only had 2 sites to visit and a fair amount of time on the bus. We woke up and packed our bags to move to our next hotel in Troy (I could get use to this traveling to new places every few day, I think!) Our first trek was to the Gallipoli Penninsula to visit the Battlefield Memorial. THis place was part of the French and Brittish attack of the Dardanelles trying to capture Istanbul during World War I. There was a cemetery for those in the military who lost their lives here, an ANZAC sign to commemorate the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and also a memorial to the families of the lost soldiers. It was humbling to see headstones for young soldiers my age, young, or even older with families left behind. The youngest stones I saw was of a 17 year old man, which baffled me. The song that came to mind was "Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need?" Just thinking that these men fought for others at the sake of their own lives is inspiring no matter the country, side, or reason--their bravery and selflessness is commendable. I also loved walking around reading the quotes on the stones. It made me think of what I would want on mine. How would I want to be remembered? Many of them showed faith in God, love for their families, and/or loyalty for thier country. Off to the side of the cemmetery there was a memorial plaque for the families of the soldier who had passed away. The message talked about the life of a sole and how this memorial didn't favor a certain peope, country, or army but instead focused on honoring the individuals. It also addressed the mother's sadness and stated it would care for the sons they no longer could. I just felt so humbled and grateful for the brave men who serve for my freedom and all I take for granted. Its sad that we don't realize the worth of ALL souls but instead fight until its too late.

We then took a ferry ride across the Dardanelles to the Asian side of Turkey. I have never been on a bus as it loads on the ferry. Let me repeat our bus rode on a boat across the Strait, and not only just our boat but tons of cars and buses. (okay I might be from a small town and this might be common, but still so fascinating!0 This ride wasn't as great or as long as the Bosphorus ride but it was still fun! 

Guess what was on the Asian side?!? I'll give you a clue, it has a huge wooden horse and ends with roy :) Yup Troy!!! I was so excited for Troy! Don't worry I did see the wooden horse and yes I documented this experience with pictures (that will hopefully be posted soon!) As we walked around Troy it was crazy to see and be able to differentiate some of the 9 different settlement levels they have discovered. Also it was cool knowing that this was the place in which Homer's legendary story the Iliad and the Odyssey take place, although I need to read it again! The Trojan War dates back to about the 13th to 12th century B.C. which was archeological levels 6 & 7 of Troy. (which seems crazy that there were 2 more levels that dated to previous times!) This stuff is old and the walls and auditorium were surprisingly in good shape! Just to explain the wooden horse on a very basic level as it relates to the Trojan War. After the 10 year war, the united Greek army withdrew and left a massive wooden horse at the gate of Troy. Naturally the people of Troy brought it into the city to celebrate victory, which led to Greek soldiers emerging from inside the horse to defeat the people of Troy and take Helen back to Sparta. It's crazy to think how many soldiers could fit and keep quiet in a wooden horse.

Tonight we stayed at a fancy hotel called Hotel Ida Kale in Canakkale. I have never stayed in a hotel on the beach, and I loved it! As if the beach wasn't enough the hotel also had an outside pool, which was freezing! I loved walking out on the dock and in the sand along the water under the moon and stars. Just icing on the cake to an exceptional day!

The Istanbul Dream!

October 7th, 2013: Day 2 of Turkey!

An early  morning lead to a jam packed day! I am so excited and grateful I get to wake up in Turkey this morning! Our first stop this morning was the famous Topkapi Palace. This place was huge with many different buildings and areas for the gardens, relics, and treasures. Unfortunately photography wasn't always allowed so I'm sorry for the lack of pictures (even though it is nearly impossible to post them here at the Center anyways). Some of the relics we saw included the "Possible real" staff of Moses, the hand of John the Baptist (don't worry it was all wrapped up, couldn't really see anything), keys from the Kaaba in Mecca and hair from the beard of Muhammad. It was neat to have the musical sounding recitation of the Koran filling the building as we walked through. Once we could see the exit we noticed an old Muslim sitting in the corner with a microphone and the Koran, it was a live reading! In the room with all the jewelry and treasures we saw the biggest diamond--80 something odd carats! Can you imagine that on a wedding ring, it'd weigh down your whole hand! Crazy!!!

Close by we went to the Hippodrome of Constantinople, the "horse track." This was a large open-air venue for public events like chariot races, horse races, and civic celebrations located right in front of the Blue Mosque (which will be discussed later!) Some estimate that at one time the Hippodrome could hold up to 100,000 spectators cheering on the events. There wasn't a lot to see here unfortunately but I can only imagine the grand events and fun entertainment that took place here!

Finally we arrived at the Sultanahmet Mosque (referred to by tourists as the Blue Mosque because of its beautiful Iznik tile used in the inside) which was one of my favorites thus far. I honestly felt like I was walking into a castle, even more so than the Disneyland representation ;) Since it is still an active mosque we women had the privilege of wearing a headscarf, which only some can pull off fashionably, and everyone had to take off their shoes. Built in the early 17th century , the mosque complex includes a large courtyard, Ahmet's tomb, and originally contained a madrasa (school) and a hospice. This building is huge! Although the normal minaret number for this king of mosque is four (like the Hagia Sophia), the Blue Mosque contains six. This caused a great controversy since the Grand Mosque in Mecca also had six minarets, which meant they had to add another one to the Grand Mosque. The lower level is decorated with over 20,000 beautifully decorated blue ceramic tiles. The large tablets on the walls are inscribed with the names of the caliphs and verses form the Koran. There was a reverent spirit here that added to the beautiful interior. I also enjoyed being passed by the Muslims going to the closed off section to prepare for noon prayer. Which just for your information, visitors aren't allowed inside during prayer times. Although it isn't a sacred place necessarily for the LDS religion, it is a portal to God for others and we need to respect that. There is more in common with Muslims than one would first notice.


After a super fancy, 5 plate lunch (salad, soup & bread, appetizer, main dish, and dessert) we headed to the Basilica Cistern. Can I just tell you I love cisterns and the Spirit it brings when we sing hymns which ring off the walls and bear witness of their truth! Plus seeing the pictures online of this Cistern I was super excited (just google search, my pictures once uploaded won't do it justice!). This was like no other cistern I have ever been too, it literally looked like an underground palace. This Cistern was build by Justinian in the 6th Century A.D. and have 336 thick columns made of marble and granite for support. Some of the column bases are stones reused form earlier structures, two of which have huge Medusa heads on the bottom since they were originally too short. According to Greek mythology, anyone who looked Medusa in the eyes would turn into stone! They were often used in Roman structures as a sign of protection. Don't worry I didn't make eye contact, that's why I'm still here! I loved the lighting of the cistern. They had built a wooden path to walk on so water could still be there and added little lights at the bottom of the columns giving the place some "mood" lighting. I wished so bad that we could have sung but unfortunately this was a very busy tourist attraction so instead we just enjoyed the view!

Next stop was shopping at the Grand Bazaar!!! This Bazaar had over 4,000 shops, a girls biggest dream (besides a trip to Jerusalem and Turkey of course!) By the way 2 Turkish Lyra was equivalent to 1 U.S dollar. I really wish we would have had more time to explore and shop, we only had 45 minutes with our busy schedule which meant only a few shops. I did however find a charm for my journey necklace. It is in the shape of an eye and has a verse from the Koran concerning Allah written in Arabic.

Our last activity of the night, yes the day just kept going and going with excitement, was a private boat ride on the Bosphorus Strait. I hope this doesn't sound stupid but this was one of my favorite parts of the day! It felt so nice to sit back and relax as Turkey unfolded in front of you! It was a cool fall night with a slight breeze, I felt like I was free, no worries in the world just tossing back and forth with the waves. It was also really neat to see the differences in the Asia and Europe sides of Turkey. I loved seeing all the mosques, resorts, schools, palaces, and other buildings that lined the shore. It was so beautiful I just sat in awe, pinching myself to wake up from the dream! Next thing I know we have 4 dolphins swimming alongside the boat, just like you see in the movies! It was the perfect night for a boat ride under the moonlight sky! There was a crescent moon and one star out, just like the Turkey flag! The Bosphorus bridge was also lit with lights that changed colors and was so perfect!

I had such a blast enjoying the scenes and hanging out with the friends that I've made. There are two girls that I've become almost inseparable with, Lauren Law (soon to be Korth) and Kinsey Ferrell. We finished off the night making funny face photos while we waited for the boat to be secured to unload. I can definitely see best friends for life out of them we laughed so hard! Perfect way to end the night in Turkey if you ask me!

It's all about Turkey, and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet!

October 6th, 2013

     Finally we are off for an amazing, once in a lifetime vacation in Turkey, a whole week I can't imagine! I thought this day would never come, but breakfast at 3:30 a.m. has a way of shocking me into reality! I have to admit needing at least 3 hours to make it through security at the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv made me nervous. Not that I have anything to hide but I'm sure if they ask me too many questions they will just want to keep me all to themselves ;) Don't worry it wasn't too extensive. I didn't get padded down, no one-on-one interviews where I needed to sing "God Bless America" to prove I'm a young stupid American who just loves chick flicks (for all you who haven't seen The Proposal, look it up!) and no one stealing my bag because they could still reach it underneath the bathroom stall door. Let me tell you though, the airport is one busy place even early in the morning, granted adding 80 students to the mix doesn't help at all. Anyways, guess how I flew to Turkey?!? PEGASUS!!! Can you believe it? Okay not a great play on words but it was fun to fly with Pegasus airlines. Even though it was a 2 hour flight they still managed to squeeze in a barely edible breakfast of egg surprise and a 5 year old biscuit, not my favorite but it will do.
     After arriving at Istanbul we met our tour guide named Nicep (sounded like Egypt with an N, Negypt) who was hilarious! I knew right off the bat I would love our guide! He kinda reminded me of a friend from high school, Francisco (for those of you who might know). He was somewhat shorter, with a birthmark on his neck that would go super red when he was embarrassed or nervous. He had a thick accent which really added to his message and jokes. For example he was telling us that many elderly couples after retirement buy homes in this certain area, instead of saying retirement he said something like "retardment age" which made everyone laugh!
    Our first stop was at the Hagia Sophia Mosque! This mosque was absolutely stunning, seriously felt like I was in a land of Castles with all the huge mosques littering the land. It was a huge open Mosque and since it isn't an active mosque anymore it was a very busy tourist attraction. Notice the Calligraphy on the walls of the building in Arabic, they really added to the building. In most Muslim mosques today calligraphy is used as decoration instead of pictures or mosaics. After its construction in the mid 6th century A.D. the Hagia Sophia was the largest church in the world for nearly a thousand years. When the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453 they converted the Hagia Sophia church into a mosque, adding four minarets to the exterior. At this conversion time they covered the Christian art with plaster which ironically preserved the mosaics rather than destroying it, trying not to expose human images (common in Muslim religious buildings). They also told a story of one of the mosaics and how the visitors of the mosque were taking bits and pieces of the mosaic as keepsakes. This was super sad to see the effects of such selfish acts, even though we all wanted to take pottery shards and had to have a huge lecture-Now I understand why.

(insert Hagia Sophia Mosque here) I don't have the internet capacity to do so now, but I will update as soon as I can!

We also went to the Archeological Museum. I have to be honest and say that Museums aren't my favorite because many times I can't touch or even take pictures, but it still was really neat. This museum had the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great among many others, even from Egypt! There was also the oldest peace treaty found from Mesopotamia. As you can imagine there were mounds of pottery, jewelry, and other random findings from Troy and the Harbor.

Can I just say I love the atmosphere of Turkey! Just driving to and from the hotel caught my eye, which is saying something since I'd been up since the weeee hours of the morning! I love the feeling of adventure you have traveling to countries all across the world. I'm still in awe that I made it away for this long and so far away! I absolutely love all the beautiful mosques that litter the land. It really made me think of what will last from our age. What buildings will the future use to learn and honor the 21st century? Then the thought came to me....TEMPLES!!!! Mosques are holy places of worship and prayer for the Muslims but temples and church houses are our holy places where we connect and talk with our Father in Heaven. I love seeing the dome tops of the mosques everywhere I look! Oh how I wish the temples will become as populated as mosques, and not just in Utah!

Who's on the Lord's side who?

Shephelah Field Trip (9/30/13)

 

On September 30^th we had a full day field trip with a ton of different sites in the scriptures! We started at Lachish, which was the Shephelah's largest city in the Old Testament times. The scriptures that outline some events here are Joshua 10:3-11, 31-32, 2 Kinds 18:13-16, 2 Chronochles 32:9, Isaiah 9, Jeremiah 34:7, and Nehemiah 11:30. It was cool to see the siege ramp built by the Assyrian king Sennacherib! The main theme we discussed this field trip was the power of divinely-led warfare. If God is on your side, you will not fail!

Next we went to Mareshah and Beth Guvrin. My favorite parts of these sites were the huge olive press, dovecotes, and Bell's Caves. It was neat to see the equipment and process of pressing olives. I also never realized this processed happens underground in order to obtain "pure virgin" olive oil. It made me even more excited for when we get to make our own olive oil when the olives are ripe.

 



 Above is part of the olive press

 

 Don't Megan Bassett and I look great workin this olive press?!

 

The Bell's Cave was also amazing! It is nothing like what we call caves back in Idaho! The one cave had 4 different "rooms" and was as big as my house I bet! The sound was also incredible. We were able to sing a few songs but my absolute favorite was when we sang The Spirit of God (one of my all-time favorites to begin with!). The Spirit was so unbelievably strong, it was honestly my favorite part of the trip! (pictured below) I did capture a recording of the hymn but our bandwidth won't allow me to upload so it will come available at the end of the trip!

 

We also went to ELah Valley/Azekah where the story of David and Goliath took place, a classic childhood favorite! (1 Samuel 17) Just for fun we even went over by the riverbend on the edge of a mountain side and practiced with our aim. We had rope slings and flung rocks against the mountain. Believe it or not but it was hard and definitely pointed out that David had to have the Lord's help, there was no way I was even close to being able to kill someone with a single stone!

 

Here is a picture of Amanda and our with our David and Goliath slings!

Lastly we finished at Beth Shemesh overlooking the Sorek Valley. There really wasn't much to see there but it is mentioned in 1 Samuel 6. When the Philistines suffered for possessing the Ark of the Covenant, they put it on a cart and directed the animals toward the Israelite city of Beth Shemesh.

Miracles do Exist!

We arrived home at 6:15 exhausted and ready for dinner then bed. Although I could have fallen asleep right after Family Home Evening, the night wasn't over for the 3 associate nursing students. We had a test to take from 9-10:30 pm, in which we barely had time to study. I witnessed a miracle that night! We received a 92% even after reading questions wrong, fighting the urge to go to sleep, and not having any time to concentrate and study like usual. I realized no matter how insignificant the desires of our heart are, if they are righteous desires then God will be on our side and even perform miracles!

 

 

The Angels of Labor and Delivery

 September 24th, 2013

  On Tuesday I was on the labor and delivery unit at Makassed with Lindsay Hawkins. There was only 1 gal that was going to be coming in for a C-section later that day, so mostly we visited with the people working. At first the nurses and nursing students took us around to the different rooms of the Post-Partum unit and told of each delivery. There was one woman that my heart just went out to. She was admitted because of an ectopic pregnancy. They had given her medication to abort the baby but it hadn't worked for some reason. This lady was in immense pain! Can you imagine being 11 weeks along and having the baby in a place where babies really shouldn't be, not fun!  It was really hard to see her crying and in pain knowing they really couldn't do anything for her emotionally.  I have grown to love the people here so much! The one set of nursing students we met and talked with were from Gaza and had traveled at least 4 hours to get through customs each shift at the hospital. Their school was currently under strike for the tuition being raised, so they were worried they would have to quit nursing school and start over with clinical hours the following semester.  

    Interesting enough they were both born in the U.S. and spoke very good English, but had returned to Gaza around age 10. They talked to us about nurses training and answered our questions about their culture. It was fun because the one girl was engaged and had been for 6 months and still wasn't getting married until August. Can you imagine that long of an engagement! Definitely not your typical Mormon speed track! Anyways this may sound funny but the one (Esthma) proceeded to tell us she was engaged to her first cousin. She quickly followed this by saying "I know you don't do this in America, but it is our culture." I loved that she was willing to share and help us learn even if she knew we wouldn't agree. Another nurse we talked to was named Olah (like hi in Spanish!). She was the sweetest lady ever! She kept following us into rooms saying ask me any questions you would like. So on our down time we went to visit. As we talked about the unit and her career, she said Labor and Delivery was the happiest nursing place. She had worked there 17 years and didn't want to change anything! She loved seeing the new babies born and the pregnant mothers.

   It was also cool to see how open about God Olah was.  We didn't talk about religion or certain beliefs but she just kept talking about God and how he doesn't punish people with sickness. Something that she said that I think we all need to remember is "Illness/death doesn't know male from female, rice from poor, or child from adult" She talked about how we need to give thanks to God for everything, especially our health and our families health. She was so thankful for life and to still be living and 8 months pregnant herself! I learned a lot about how to appreciate life and love what you've been blessed with. I also realized we don't need to preach, teach, and proselyte everywhere we go. We can show we are converted to God by inviting Him into our conversations and by openly being thankful to God for our blessings. I hope I can someday make this big of an impact on the lives of others!

FuN iN tHe SuN!!!

Tel Aviv!!!

 September 23rd, 2013 Continued. . .

After getting back to the Jerusalem Center by 1, the Nursing students arranged to go to Tel Aviv (closest big city, where we flew into) for the afternoon since everyone else goes when we are in clinicals. It is about an hour away and costs 80 shekels (3.6 sheks=$1) but the beach alone was worth it! We got dropped off on the Mediterranean Sea's Beach. Although there were a bunch of people, it was beautiful with the white sand and overly blue water! Plus the City was right off the beach which was such a great view. We decided to tour the City first then watch the sunset on the beach before catching the bus home. One of the main things we wanted to see was the older city of Jaffa. I loved the huge clock tower the City was built around. WE also walked along the boardwalk seeing all the boats go out and the men fish off the walkways. I have never seen such huge fishing poles in my life! I even got to try my first gelato J Mango and cheese cake, it was delicious!

We met up with the other half of our group who spent all day at the beach, right before sunset. The water was unbelievably warm and clean! (unlike the reservoir back home!) The waves were huge and we had a blast body surfing, although we would be fine with a little less salt. We built sand castles and found sea shells by the sea shore. We wrote our name and Jerusalem in the sand. I honestly had such a carefree and fun time at the beach! It was the absolute perfect place to watch the sunset; the reflection off the water was breath taking. The rays shining through the clouds were my favorite because it seemed like the Lord was reaching down to brighten His people's lives.

 

 

 

 

 



Jericho Field Trip (9/23/13)

Jericho Field Trip

 

This is a picture of the Quruntul Monastery (above and below) in the Judean Wilderness. The Monessary was huge, even 15 feet wide! This site was on the Mount of Temptation, where the devil tempted Jesus after his 40 day fast. Found in Matthew 4:1-22 and Luke 4:1-13. This is a place of transformation in many ways. First of all for about 2-3 weeks each year this wilderness receives rain and displays green hillsides and beautiful flowers. We were shown some pictures off the internet (feel free to explore) to show the vast difference, and it seriously is so beautiful and so different than what we saw. Second coming here strips us of our worldly representations we have made and lets us see who we have really come and in some cases to meet and connect with God on all different levels. We looked at Isaiah 40: 6-8 then Matthew 3:1-12. If you look closely there are also little caves all along the hillside which were caves where individuals go to live by themselves to individually take on God. Also there are 2 Greek monks who still live here in this monastery.

 

Herod's Winter Palace



 

Next we went to Herod's Winter Palace (above) in Jericho. This was a huge site but it really didn't have much that we hadn't seen before. There was however a big round circle called a Mikvac (not sure of the spelling) which was a hot pool bath (pictured below). We like to refer to it as a Mormon Baptismal Font in the making ;)

 

TEl ES-SULTAN

 

Tel Es-Sultan in Jericho is the oldest man-made structure in the world. The Neolithic  (New Stone Age) ancient tower dates back to around 8000 B.C. The tel also yields evidence of Canaanite people in Bronze Age (3000-1200 B.C). Although this tower doesn't seem very tall it is amazing the condition it was in!

( look closely by the stairs, the top of the tower isn't remaining)

 

 

 

~The worth of souls is great in the sight of God~

Sunday September 22nd, 2013

Today I was so lucky to be able to work/observe as a student nurse at Makassed! This is one of the largest hospitals in this area and is actually run through a charity. Many transfers are made from Gaza and surrounding areas and many of the nurses travel up to 8+ hours to work here for 15+ years. It has been such an eye opening experience to be able to interact and see the culture as we serve those who need us most. Today I was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit which was awesome! Although I couldn't really do anything because the babies were so tiny, and because I am a foreign student nurse, it was great! The babies were so tiny and precious! Just so you can picture this children there were some who ranged from 700 grams to maybe 1500 grams and most had been in there for at least a week. I have noticed at this hospital there are many birth defects that are caused from marrying family, which happens alot in the Gaza due to border control. It is so sad to see these families so far from home with such sick children. It was also difficult to see the tiny babies with every tube posible and still struggling.

 

One experience that I had today, will forever change the way I view nursing and life in general. As I said earlier I was with some pretty critical babies and everything isn't all hunky dory all the time in these units. At one point I was watching my nurse give "my baby patient" suction when all of a sudden another nurse came to grab me and told me there was an emergency in a neighboring bassenette. I go over there to see a limb baby who was pale and showed no zest for life. Nurses began to do compressions and bag this poor little baby, clinging on every hope for survival they could. I honestly thought I would break down at this point, but it was so amazing to see the healthcare team working together with the same goal just praying for this little man's life. The respirations, oxygen, and heart rate just wouldn't go up. They called X-ray to see what was going on but that would take too long. FInally they intubated this poor little man, hooking him up to a ventilator in hopes they weren't too late. It was amazing to see the color return to his body, his chest start to raise with the machine, and everyone begin to breathe again. The baby was fine throughout the rest of the shift. He was still on the ventilator which meant more tubes and machines near by, but he was alive. This experience was really an amazing chance to realize the vulnerability of life. It can really be gone at a moments notice, but it can also be given with just the simplest acts. Cherish the life you were given and make the most out of every breath you take!

Negev Field Trip

Monday September 16th, 2013

I am so sorry this is way over due but better late than never! I thought I better describe what the Negev is and what our field trip consisted of. The Negev is a desert area south of Israel. The term comes from Hebrews word for "dry" but is used in the Old Testament to denote the direction south. Cool Fact: the Ark of the Covenant was made of wood from the acacia tree ("shittim" in Exodus 25:10) which is grown in this arid region. If you see any trees in the background most likely they are these same kind of trees. Here are some pictures with a short description to follow!

The Negev Desert-Bedwin community

 





Our first stop was at a Bedwin town where we stopped at the Lakiya Negev Weaving store and organization. This is an all women organization who raise money for the Bedwin community by making there own wool/yarn and creating rugs, pillow, key chains, belts, and everything you can imagine! They do it all out of a little building with a canopy in the back (pictured below). They were so welcoming to invite us into their shop and canopy, give us a drink, and share information about their organization. Their mission is to raise money for the Bedwin town as well as educate and provide job opportunities to those who are able. I had never thought how hard it would be to sheer the sheep, clean the "fur", comb it out, dye it, and then try to make something! These women are amazing! It reminded me of my mom's mad skills :)

 

 

This is my attempt to gather the wool into something useful. (which is very hard!!)

 

 

TEL ARAD!!

THis ancient cit ylies in the eastern Negev and consists of ruins of a Canaanite city from the Early Bronze Age and also an Israelite fortress. Arad is mentioned in the BIble as one of the cities whose inhabitants prevented the Israelites from entering into the Promised Land. Some of the scriptures we read and that Arad is mentioned in include: Numbers 21:1, Joshua 12:14, Numbers 12: 25-32, and Numbers 14:20-25. We also talked about sometimes its hard to see things that are right in front of you because you don't believe. In Alma 5 it talks about how we must see with the eye of belief in order to think and do. Just to kinda describe the City and what we saw (since I don't have very many pictures at this time, my camera died and I've haven't received the pictures from my friend).

The early Canaanite city was divided into quaters which housed a palace, temples, markets, and residential living quarters. There are no natural springs in the area, therefore the they were forced to capture surface rainwater, which flowed down the streets and drained into a pool located in the middle of the city.

*The most important find inside the upper fortress was a small temple complex from the Israelite period that patterned after the temple in Jerusalem. The temple consisted of an outer courtyard with a sacrificial alter, a second courtyard, and the HOly of HOlies. There were rooms located near the courtyard of the temple which may have housed ritual vessels used by the priests. The alter was built of unhewn stone and featured a runoff channel for the blood of the animal sacrifices. The temple was probably in use until either the time of Hezekiah or Josiah.

 

Notice in this picture you have to take an immediate right to get into the city/temple wall. This is a strategy for protection because those who are attempting to attach can't charge directly but have to turn and slow down. Also it is harder for RIght handed men to attack because of this feature. (Fun Fact: Benjamin warriors were left handed and were probably trained this way for fighting/attacking)

 

Beersheba (Beersheva)

Tel Beersheva is located between the wadis Hebron and Beersheba. (A wadi is a dry riverbed, a tel is a hill). It is a few miles east of the modern city of Beersheba. Beersheba in Hebrew means well of seven, or because sheva also means oath, it could mean well of the oath (Gen 21:27-32). This is where Abraham may have lived and made covenants with the Lord. The excavated town at Tel Beersheva is dated by most archaeologists to 900-700 BC. It includes a casemate wall, a four-chambered gate, and a large underground water system.During the Divided Monarchy, Judeans built a four-horned altar at Beershva. Unlike alters most laters this was made of hewned stones (smooth). Archaeologist were able to partially reconstruct it from stones found on site. You will notice some of the walls of the city are half one color and half another, or you may be able to notice a thicker line of mortar between a row of stones, this shows the line where the site has been rebuilt.

 

 

 

Me in the underground water system (don't worry it is empty now but it does have bridges just incase!)

 

Lauren Law and I in front of the four-horned alter.