Time is flying too fast. We are less than a week away from
my family leaving. I can’t believe it.
The week began with a great field trip. It went so well. We
started by going to Mount Tabor. We were the first people up there. We went
into the church and sang and spent some time talking about Moses and Elijah
there. Then we went to the outside of the church and looked down on where the
battle took place between Barak and the Canaanites. The Israelites were led by
Deborah, the prophetess. The visibility was incredible, and we could see the
whole valley and get a feel for where we were. The students taught us lessons
from the story of Deborah and Barak, especially about the power of following
God, and about how God is the one to deliver and why it is so important that we
realize that God is our deliverer. They did a great job. It was beautiful.
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| The Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor |
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| Stained Glass Window on Mount Tabor |
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| Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor |
Then we went out to a little grove area and talked about the
Transfiguration. Again the students did some teaching about the nature of God.
I also talked for a while about the glory of God, and how majestic he is, and
how we can’t comprehend his glory, but how we can be comforted by knowing our
potential. We also spoke of how great it is that glorious Christ condescended
to be with us in a veiled, mortal form. We took a little time to think and it
was a nice time overall. Mount Tabor was terrific.
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| Mount Tabor |
A small story developed from there. Jacob had gotten a hat
from the zoo for his birthday. He accidentally left it at Mount Tabor, he
thought in the church. That night we mentioned it to Phil, and he said he would
look for it. Jacob told the Skinners about it, and one student was with them,
Kayenta. They all looked for it in the church and checked lost and found. Then
Kayenta got into one of the 8 vans that run us up and down the mountain. They
each have 13 seats. She sat in the back corner, and as she got her backpack off
the ground when the ride was over, she noticed something tucked under the seat.
It turned out to be Jacob’s hat. What are the odds that with 43 people on the
trip, one of the four people who knew to look for the hat, and the one who
would ever sit in the back seat where Jacob sat, would sit in the one out of
the 104 possible seats, and look underneath and find the hat? As sister Skinner
said when she saw it, “God loves that little boy.”
From Mount Tabor we went to Megiddo. This is a big and
tremendous site. There is such history here. It controls access to an important
trade route, and has been conquered by dozens of people. We went through the
story of how Thutmosis III conquered it, saying that “the conquering of Megiddo
is like the conquering of 1000 cities.” We also went over how Solomon built the
big gate there, which accords with the biblical story. We talked about the
destruction by the Assyrians, and I pointed out to them that we were now in
territory where our ancestors lived and that some undoubtedly were scattered
from this city by the Assyrians. We looked at the huge Canaanite remains.
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| Tel Megiddo in the Spring Time |
We
looked down at the valley and talked about Armageddon. I compared the Ezekiel,
Revelation, and 1 Nephi accounts. The 1 Nephi account focuses on the spiritual
aspects (I am not sure if it is literal or not), and we talked about what we
should learn to prepare for spiritual Armageddon. I think they enjoyed our
discussion there. Then we looked at the stables, granaries, etc., and went out
the huge water cistern. It was fun.
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| My class in front of the plains of Megiddo/Armegeddon |
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| The plains of Megiddo/Armegeddon |
From there we went to Tel Jezreel. Several significant
stories happened here, including the death Naboth as Jezebel and King Ahab
killed him to get his vineyard. We also talked about Ahab going to battle from
here to Gilead, where he was killed. We also read, and acted out, the story of
Jehu coming to Jezreel to kill all the seed of Ahab, including Jezebel. The
students seemed to have a good time acting that story out, and we taught some nice
lessons about being true to God there. As they were getting on the bus I heard
one student say to another “the scriptures just so came to life for me.”
Mission accomplished, my week has been made.
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| The Harod section of the Jezreel Valley as seen from Tel Jezreel |
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| Tel Jezreel |
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| The Harod portion of the Jezreel Valley as seen from Tel Jezreel |
From there we went to Ein Harod. We went over the story of
Gideon there. At the spring where his men drank we acted the story out a little
bit. We had brought small pots, and a few lamps. As I tried to teach them that
with God on their side they needn’t worry or stress about things, that with
faith they can move forward, knowing that God can conquer anything for us. In
doing so I tried to teach it dramatically, smashing a lamp as I made a point.
The shards flew and almost hit some students. Whoops! But it was dramatic.
Then, as we acted it out, we had them get in groups of three, and one blew a
pretend trumpet, one turned on the light of their phone, and the other smashed
a small pot. I think it was memorable. I hope people learned the lesson we
hoped they would learn, and that the action helped it be more memorable.
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| Water bubbling up from the Ein Harod (spring of Harod) where Gideon and his men drank water |
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| Sabrina driking from Ein Harod like Gideon |
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| Some of my students drinking from Gideon's spring (ein Harod) |
As we went home, I listened to the chatter. It seemed to me
that it had been a very successful day. I think the students felt like the
places had really come to life for them, and that they had learned lessons and
could picture the scriptures better. They seemed to love it, and I was so very
happy. My kids seemed to also love it, I think the lessons were learned and
came to life for them also.
When we got back we did swimming, and had a very nice time. Phil
and Andy came out, and the three of us had some fun in the water together. I
couldn’t ask for more enjoyable companions, and that makes all the difference.
We had class the next day. Again I felt like it went really
well. I had three hours of class to do, two in a row, a two hour break, and one
more. The last hour was planned as a time to catch up. But I was already caught
up before we started class, and didn’t have a particularly complex set of
lessons, so I was sure we could even get ahead. But knowing we had some time, I
let some discussions go deep, and we had a lot of great conversations. We didn’t
quite finish at the end of the two hour block, so I thought we would catch up
in the third hour. But the discussion was so good that I didn’t catch up then
either, in fact I was behind when class ended. But we had a great time, we
explored some important issues. I love it when we can do that. We went swimming
again, and had a ton of fun as a family doing that. That evening we played
games as a family.
The next day was a big, great day. The Skinners were with
us. For the first part. I absolutely love doing the field trips on my own. It
is easier to control the timing and tempo, to weave the themes together, to
make the day have some unity, and to control the environment when doing it on
your own. It really is best to do some on your own. But Andy Skinner brings so
much to the table that it is also very good to have him along often. It has
been quite a while since he was with us, so it was long overdue, and it was
great!
We went to Hazor. This is such an amazing site. It was the
largest Canaanite city of them all. And it is the one that the Bible records
Joshua burned. They found an ash layer there that was over a meter thick.
Clearly the Bible wasn’t kidding, Josh burned that place. Andy did a great job
teaching them about that, and about the conquest in general. It was a pleasure,
as I knew it would be.
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| Inside the Canaanite Palace of Hazor (Hatsor) |
I took them out to see the Israelite remains. We sang a song
about Solomonic gates in the big, six chambered gate.
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| Both classes inside Hazor's Solomonic Gate |
We went and saw a house,
and spoke about what it was like to be a family and live there. Then we saw a
matsebah, a standing stone that became an object of worship. Then we went to
the watchtower. We read the verse about how this place was conquered by Tiglath
Pilesar III, who started the scattering of Israel in 732 BC. We talked about
the family that lived in the house we visited, and how they were scattered at
this time. We talked about how it was the idolatry represented in the standing
stone that resulted in their being scattered. No number of watchmen, and no
width of the walls and gates, was going to hold out the Assyrians once Israel
had become Idolatrous. We talked about identifying the idolatry in our lives so
that we can avoid being spiritually scattered. I feel like it went well. It
seemed to resonate with everyone.
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| The matsebah at Hatsor |
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| The watchtower of Hazor |
I do love that my kids are learning and getting this. I am
sure that sometimes they get tired of it, but it is such a great blessing that
they get to know these places. Of course, sometimes funny things come of it.
One group of students was talking to Jacob and he told them he hasn’t really
had a childhood, he had lectures instead. It is kind of true. Almost a quarter
of his life has been spent in Israel going on field trips with me. Of his life
that he can remember, it is probably about 1/3 of it that he has been doing
this. At another site he told the students he was with “warning, warning, hot
and boring.” He knew his stuff.
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| Jacob asleep on his mom on the bus |
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| Sabrina driving our bus |
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| Alexia asleep on the bus |
From Hatsor we went to Tel Dan. This is a terrifically
beautiful place. It is one of the headwaters of the Jordan, and as such water
is everywhere, so things grow everywhere. It is a beautiful walk, just
perfectly fantastic. We stopped at one place where the water springs out of a
rock, and compared living water with broken cisterns. It helps you realize how
much you need Christ.
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| The waters of Jordan at Tel Dan |
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| Water springing from the rocks to flow into the Jordan at Tel Dan |
Then we came to the high place of Dan. This is one of the places
that Jeroboam built and placed a golden calf and an altar. Of course my
students have studied this and read references to it so often, it was fun to
see the look on their faces when I told them where they were standing. It was a
“no way, we are really here, this is really it?” kind of moment. They were
caught up in it. We talked about how this was the very first city the Assyrians
would have hit, it was the first place from which Israel would be scattered.
And the reason for the scattering also began in this place, because of the
idolatry. The students talked to each other about how idolatry can start to
creep into our lives. I asked them while they were there on spiritual and
literal ground zero for the scattering of Israel, to ask themselves how they
were in danger of becoming like that, and to commit to change. I gave them time
to think about it, and I think it was a good moment.
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| My students at the high place at Tel Dan |
We also looked out over the area that had been so contested
between Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Then we walked around to the gates of the
city from the days of Abraham. We read about how Abraham came and fought here
as he attempted to rescue his nephew, Lot. While we cannot be sure, I think it
is a very good chance that Abraham fought his way through that gate. It is
almost certain he came past them. It is another one of those places where the
scripture story becomes very, very real. We have had a lot of those lately, and
that is what I live for with these students and my family. There is power in
that.
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| The Abrahamic gate at Tel Dan (Laish in Abraham's day) |
Finally we went to the gates. This is the one place where we
find a dais on which a ruler sat and governed and made decisions at the gate.
We talked about the role of gates, about how it was a place that was neither in
or out of the city. It was a place where those who didn’t belong could meet
with those who did, and decisions could be made as to whether they belonged. We
acted out a leper coming to meet the priest to determine whether he was healed
and cleansed or not. We acted out Boaz redeeming Ruth in the gate. We talked
about other scriptural stories having to do with gates, and included the idea
that people were taxed there, so storehouses were usually right inside the gate
as well. This is so that goods collected as tariffs could be stored there, but
also so that when the needy came to the ruler they could be given goods to help
them. Then we read from 2 Nephi 9, where it says that Christ is the judge at
the gate, and that he employs no servant there. He is the one who will
determine whether you are clean or not, which determines whether or not you can
enter and be part of the community inside. We talked about how Christ has
enough in his storehouse to make up for whatever deficit we have, and that he
wants to invite us into the City of God. The question is whether we are willing
to come to him and ask for his help, ask for him to cleanse us. Even for me I
was able to picture it better than I ever have before. It was a moving and
powerful moment for me, where things just really came together. I hope it was
for them as well.
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| The gate at Tel Dan |
From there we went to see a beautiful waterfall.
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| My class at the Banias Falls |
Then we
went to Banias, which is scriptural Caesarea Phillipi. We talked about Peter
declaring that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the Living God. We sang “I
Believe in Christ,” and talked about the importance of that meeting. Then we
went up to the cliffside and put our hand against the rock. I taught them about
the Church being built on the rock of
Apostolic testimony, and upon our ability to gain our own revelations about
that testimony. We read an apostolic testimony together, and I reminded them
that recently they had received just such a thing from Elder Christofferson.
Then I told them that they needed to commit to be as solid as that rock in
going forth and imparting of that testimony to others, especially in their
families, but really everywhere. It was a nice time together.
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| Caesarea Phillipi (Banias) the temple of Pan |
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| My kids thinking at Caesarea Phillipi (Banias) |
From there we went to Nimrod’s Castle. The other class got
up on the walls while I gathered my class together and gave them the speech
that Aragorn delivers at the Black Gate in the movies. After they got whipped
up we all stormed the castle together, resulting in a decent sized water fight.
I think it was fun. Jacob, Julianne and I did some exploring of the castle.
Jacob loves that place. We even found some bats there. It was a lot of fun.
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| Sabrina at Nimrod's Castle |
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| bats at Nimrod's Castle |
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| Jacob and the cistern at Nimrod's castle |
From there we drove to Har Bental, a place where you can
look down on to Syria, and almost see Damascus. Phil did a fantastic job of
teaching both about the modern history and about Paul’s journey to Damascus,
and relating that to our own lives. I think the day went as perfectly as one
could ever ask for. I had a great time!
When we got home we started to pack a bit, and to clean off
and deflate our water toys. It is hard to believe that our time here is already
winding down.
On Wednesday we got to have the Skinners with us on the bus
the whole day. It was a ton of fun. We went first to Akko. There I taught them
about the Third Crusade, and arranged them around a fountain in a way where
they could act out just a bit the sieges of the city. I hope it helped them
understand how it worked. Then we went into the hall and I showed them the
church, the refectory, etc., trying to explain to them about the military
orders and how the Hospitalers in particular cared for the poor and helped the
pilgrims and took care of the sick and buried them when necessary. Eventually I
had some duels with them. Then I gave them some free time. On the whole it went
well, I think they learned a bit and enjoyed it. My kids seem to have had a lot
of fun, and I think they learned a lot as well. It was a great time.
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| The sea wall at Akko |
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| Our family at Akko |
From there we went to Sepphoris. This is a great site that
hardly anyone gets to. It is huge. It was the capital when Jesus was young, and
I would be surprised if he and Joseph didn’t work there as stone masons as the
place was being built up. I took them around some of the wealthy mosaic floors
and then we had a pretty good conversation about the difficulty the Jews found themselves
in there as they had to decide how much of the culture of the world around them
they would adopt and how much they wouldn’t. Then I asked them to examine their
own lives, and to ask themselves what elements of modern culture they have
adopted that they really shouldn’t, that takes away from their being a holy,
covenant people. It looked to me like they were truly thinking, introspecting,
and trying to figure what changes they should make. This is great!
Then Andy took them to more of the city. He showed them the
house that has an amazingly beautiful mosaic portrait, which is also where a
triclinium was depicted. This is probably the kind of set up employed when
Christ had dinner. He did a great job of teaching about all of that.
Then we went to a part of the city that was very Jewish, and
he talked about how this was the place where the Mishnah was created. Again, he
did a terrific job. We also went to the theater, where he did some nice
teaching.
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| Roman game on the sidewalks of Sepphoris |
In the meantime, some intrigue had developed. Due to
non-malicious but poorly thought out joke, one of our students had gotten a
handful of prickly-pear. It was painful. They were working so hard on getting
them out. While Julianne was helping with this she realized that Sabrina wasn’t
with us. It turns out that due to some tension between her sister and herself
she had gone to a corner and then not seen when we left. Fortunately she staid
where she was, and Julianne was able to find
her.
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| A stone manger at Sepphoris |
I took everyone to the synagogue, and taught them about the
fantastic floor and its motif that so evokes the temple, but also strongly
evokes the facsimiles in the Book of Abraham. We had a nice time, and then we
took off.
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| A triclinium at Sepphoris |
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| A mosaic portrait at Sepphoris |
We needed to be to our next site by 4:00. We got there at
4:03. They still let us in, and I promised we would be out by 5 pm. Andy did a
fantastic job teaching in the synagogue there, which is the only one in which
we have found an actual “Moses’ Seat.” We also showed them beams from that
area, and it was fun for everyone to begin to picture beams and motes. We had a
nice time, and then got out by 4:55. It was a super successful day.
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| beams at Chorazim |
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| motes and beams in eyes at Chorazim |
We got home
with enough time for everyone to do just a tiny bit of swimming before dinner.
Then we spent the evening packing up.
The next morning we went to Mount Carmel, where I taught
about Elijah and the contest with the priests of Ba’al. I think everyone really
took some messages from that and internalized it. Then we went to Haifa and looked
down on the beautiful Bahai gardens. Then we went to the German Colony Templar
cemetery, where we had some nice lessons about missionaries and church members
there. Kaleb also did some work on what we hope will be his Eagle project,
though we have to move along on that.
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| The grove at Carmel |
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| Mount Carmel |
From there we went to Caesarea. It was a joy to teach about
Peter and Herod Agrippa and Pilate and Paul there. I particularly love teaching
about Paul’s defense of himself before Festus and Agrippa, and about Peter coming
to visit Cornelius there and extending the blessings of the Gospel to all the
world. What amazing places. We also went out to the aqueducts and let everyone
enjoy just a little time on the beach.
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| The palace at Caesarea |
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| Kaleb at the aqueduct at Caesarea |
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| my class at Caesarea |
On the way home we had a little fun, and then I talked about
the Book of Abraham for a while. On the whole I think it went well. Finally we
got back to the JC. It was nice to be home. We unpacked like crazy, and did
laundry too. Julianne works so hard!
I can’t imagine a better Galilee trip. This may be the best
one I have ever been a part of. It was insanely hot and humid, yet it didn’t
cause us problems and really didn’t take away from the field trips. This was a
Galilee trip where we experienced the greatest amount of freedom I ever have.
We were just allowed to do our jobs, and as a result, we did them exceptionally
well. The less interference, the better things go. We all agreed that it was a
spectacular time.
On Friday I taught my class for two hours. We got caught up,
and we had some wonderful times. Then I came home and we all did a lot of work
starting to pack up. We are now at less than a week before my family flies to
Utah. That is hard to believe. It took up most of the day to work on that, and
we still have a long way to go.
That evening we had dinner with everyone, and then we
watched some movies together as a family. It was a very pleasant evening.
The next day was District Conference. David Whitchurch was
released, and Doug Coombs was put in as the new District President. I felt to
sing Halelujah! He is perfect, he will be a blessing to the District. There
will be great rejoicing under his stewardship, and things will move forward in
a marvelous way! I am so happy for the district.
As things started, we remembered that during the afternoon
session they were going to hold primary, and Jacob had a talk and Sabrina had a
scripture. During one of the musical numbers Sabrina chose out her scripture.
Then she wrote this to/for Jacob: “Hi, I’m Jacob and today I’m giving a talk
about Christ. (Jacob, bare your testimony). I say these things in the name of
Jesus Christ, Amen. Notes: Don’t make it too short. Say things that you
question about him and then let the spirit just take you away. Don’t be afraid,
just stay calm and just trust the spirit. Good luck. Remember lots of little kids
keep it fun. Put some jokes in but jokes that are appropriate Like you will
figure it out and let the spirit whisper and guide you. I believe in you!”
Jacob figured out his own talk anyway, but I think this was the most amazing
and cute note a 10 year old sister could give her 9 year old brother.
The talks were good, and I think we were all uplifted. We
had a wonderful lunch, and then more talks. At the end Elder Price taught about
what kind of a teacher Christ was. To begin with I was feeling nervous, I
always wonder how I will feel I have been doing as a teacher, have I been
measuring up? By the end, as he summarized all the points we have made, I
thought, “that is exactly what I have done this semester.” I asked “Is it I”
and came out feeling okay. That is a rewarding feeling. I always have room to
improve, but I felt pretty good about things.
Then we had wonderful time together as a family. We played
some games, talked, watched a video about Jesus, had popcorn and ice cream and
played some more games. I am so blessed to have such a great family! I can’t believe
all the amazing experiences we have had together. I can’t believe our time
together here is already coming to an end. How blessed we are.
