Galilee part 1: vacation on steroids, but sweet

It took us pretty much the whole day to get ready for going to Galilee. But we did get ready, and then away we went, for one of the most magical, wonderful, amazing experiences we have ever had. Julianne and the youngest four followed the bus in the van. So that they didn’t have to leave so early they skipped the first site, since they had been there before. It was Bet Sha’an. We had a bit of a puzzle getting there, they have just changed the entrance, and now you go in a new way and take a tram in. A bit complicated, but it worked. We had a very nice devotional there.
The tel is a large one. It is a huge city near top of a high tel 206 ft below sea level near the top of the hill, though actually 350 ft. below sea level in city. N 31* 37.705, E 034* 54.797. It has early Canaanite settlement there, and eventually became an Egyptian stronghold with a large Egyptian presence there. It is easily defensible, and sits at the junction of two important valleys (Harod and Jezreel) which makes it at the crossroads of two major trade routes. It has two large springs , and large areas of land watered by Jordan overflow (almost Egypt-like). The Israelites had difficult time conquering this place. Manasseh was to inherit it, but couldn’t conquer. Saul also failed, his and Johnathan’s dead bodies were hung there after they were killed at Mt. Gilboa. The men of Jabesh Gilead, whom Saul had helped earlier, eventually rescued the bodies and gave them a proper burial. We spent a lot of time talking about the fall of Saul and Johnathan, and read David’s lament over them. It is pretty touching stuff. Finally, David conquered the city.


Looking down on the Roman ruins from on the tel


The cardo (or main street) of the Roman city of Scythopolis



Under the Ptoelmies the city expanded to the bottom of the hill when they settled Scythian mercenaries there, and it thus came to be known as Scythopolis. During the Roman era it was a Decapolis city, the only one west of the Jordan. Since there was a Jewish population there, and since the Savior went to some Decapolis cities and some of them came to the Sermon on the Mount, it is likely the Savior came to Bet Sha’an at some point. The Roman ruins are extensive, and it has a great example of a Roman Bath. We spent some time exploring. All in all it was enjoyable.
From there we went to Nazareth Village, where the family met up with us. They do a nice job there, and I think this was their best time yet. Lots of good stuff for the students to learn and understand. And Julianne did a little bit more filming for our nativity video there.


Workers at Nazareth Village as they sift wheat




Alexia, Kaleb and Sabrina got to ride the donkey at Nazareth Village


Students learning from the guide at Nazareth Village



A worker harvesting with a scythe at Nazareth Village


Then we went to the church built over the synagogue there, and had some wonderful moments talking about the Savior reading from Isaiah and announcing his messiahship there based on that scriptures. We spoke of how Jesus Christ is the one who heals and frees the captives, and how he chose a scripture that described so well his mortal mission. I love how the Spirit bears sweet testimony of these things as you talk about them. At the Church of the Annunciation we were fortunate to meet with Father Molina, an ambassador for the Catholic church. He was there to do a mass for some people in the Church, but he let us go first, and explained many things about the church to the students. We also spent some nice time singing, and talking about the goodness of Mary. It was very nice.


Amber leading the music in the church built over the Nazareth Synagogue



Having spoken of Mary I took the opportunity on the bus ride to talk about motherhood, a topic about which I feel fairly passionately. We spoke about it most of the way to Mt. Arbel. Then we had some questions that took right up until when we got there, and we continued them afterwards almost all the way to Ein Gev. Mt. Arbel was wonderful, though it was horribly hot. It was one of the most hot and humid days I have ever been a part of. However, we were able to get them well oriented to the lake and surrounding territories while there.


The class at Mt. Arbel



We were so happy to get checked in to our little bungalow in Ein Gev. I cannot explain how much I love Ein Gev. It is so peaceful and so beautiful, but it is also so associated with wonderful memories of great people and great teaching moments that it has a magical feel about it. Our children also love it, and were so excited to return.

The little patio at our apartment



Where some of the kids sleep (or bounce) in our little apartment at Ein Gev


One of the things that made this such a great 11 days is how it worked out for the family. Think of it. 11 days where we don’t have to make any meals. Where we have someone come in and sweep and clean the bathroom and change the sheets. Where we can go to the beach often, but also have fun things planned for us every other day, and have a ton of great things to drive to and do. The kids read books, played on the computer, played cards, spent hours at the beach, ate lots of stuff they loved (hot chocolate and cereal and cottage cheese every morning), played with the students, and in general had a wonderful time. This is a family vacation sent from heaven.


Kaleb and Alexia eating in the cafeteria at Ein Gev


The next day I spent most of the day teaching. I forgot how wonderfully classes go in Galilee. The classroom is not that great, but the place lends a spirit to the discussions, and we are so intensively studying the New Testament, that the lessons there are always amazing. It was a great day of classes. Plus it is great to be able to go outside and use the environment. At the end of class today we went out and looked up the hill at Hippos, which I am convinced is a city set on a hill that they could see at the sermon on the mount, and which I am even more convinced was the city wherein the owners of the swine who ran into the sea lived. Afterwards, we relaxed in the air conditioned room for a while (it was stiflingly hot and at least as humid as Hawaii), and went out to the beach (my wife had already had the kids out there before lunch). We played in a raft, played with students, had horse and rider fights, etc. What a really wonderful day.

Two weeks gone by too fast

It is getting to that hectic period, and it won't get better until we have been back in the states for a while. So, I am going to have to give up on as much detail and as many pictures, and just get done what I can.

Sunday was a great day. Julianne went to the house of our friend Willeke Kunibe, a Dutch woman who married a Palestinian man, converted to Islam, and has been living here for something like 35 years. She works for Dukkak travel agency, who handles all our travel out of the country. She came with us to Turkey and Julianne and she hit it off. Today she had the ladies from the JC over to learn how to make lots of the traditional Palestinian pastry thingies. They spent all day there. I played with the kids a bit, but mostly they spent the day getting ready for the talent show. They practiced skits, songs, shows, etc. all day. Then that night we put on the Judd/Muhlestein kids talent show. There were sword fights, songs, puppet pals, gymnastics, guitar songs, Jacob told stories twice, and it was a big hit. The kids loved it, and as always, the students made them feel like a million bucks! I also played in a basketball tournament that night. My leg, which I thought had gotten all better during Jordan, started to really hurt me again. It was hard to play, and I really limped my way through the day.

Monday was my least favorite field trip, because we went to the Holocaust museum. BJ came, and while this stuff is terrible, I think it is good for him to go to. This time I decided I just really didn’t want to go through one more time. So I went with them through all of Ophir’s excellent preliminary lecture, then when they went inside I waited at the end. A few students couldn’t take it and came out pretty early, and I shoo’ed them back in. Several came out weeping and most were emotionally exhausted. I am glad I did not go in. Afterwards we had the great lecture on Mt. Herzl by Ophir. All in all it was a good field trip. And that night our wonderful friend Lynde Mott arrived. Poor woman, her flight was delayed, but she made it. She is such a wonderful, giving, thoughtful delight, and it is great to have her here. I think she is going to love it here.

I did my last two classes with my Old Testament class. It is hard to believe that is already over. It is hard to believe I am done with those OT field trips for a long time. While I am excited to be with my new class, I am having a hard time dealing with the idea of not meeting with my old class anymore, or of not teaching Old Testament here anymore. I have so, so very much loved helping students learn to understand and love the OT. I have reveled in their coming to see its patterns, symbols and meanings. It has been a wonderful experience, I don’t like that it is over. And I really don’t like the idea of my OT students going on field trips without me with them. I really, really wish I was going with both classes on these field trips. I so want to take them all through them. Not that I don’t think Frank will do an even better job than me, but that I want to share in the experiences with them.


My OT class on our last day together




I have not been able to go with Lynde to very many places. Julianne has taken her all over the place. She has gone everywhere with her, and they move fast and do a lot. I joined them for the touring around the temple mount where the Savior would have gone in and out of the temple. I really had the distinct impression that I kind of interrupted what was an amazing flow between the two of them, and that Julianne would have done a better job of showing her that place than I did. Julianne is so amazing, and really knows this stuff. I was able to take Lynde and the Oliver family to the City of David, with BJ, and that was fun and I had a great time. I really like doing that stuff with BJ, we have a lot of fun together. He and I walked home together after that, and it was great. I also gave my final. That was an interesting day. Julianne and Lynde were gone all day, heading to Ein Gedi, Wadi Arugot, the Dead Sea, Qumran, the Baptismal Site, Jericho, various places in Jericho, and Wadi Qelt.


Lynde and Julianne at the Western Wall together


Lynde in a mikvah near the temple




I tried to watch the kids and get stuff done. Eran wanted to talk to me for a while. He was “irritated” at an email I had sent wherein I had outlined a way I thought we had not planned as well as we should have and had failed the students in a small thing. It took us a while of going around and around to get that thing worked out. The kids had been doing pretty well during all of this and then they wanted to go play in some places, and I thought that they were behaving well enough that it would be okay. I went to collect Kaleb, Alexia and Sabrina from the Bomb Shelter/Nursery. I got there five minutes before I was supposed to give my final. There I found that the floor was covered in a thick layer of water and bubbles. They had made an incredible mess, and I did not have time to clean it then. I sent them all home, and gave the final. Then I went to get Kaleb and Alexia and have them clean it up, while BJ watched Jacob and Sabrina. While we were cleaning, trying to be very quiet because we were right next to where the Islam class was being held, I suddenly heard Jacob and Sabrina yelling in where the class was being held. I just couldn’t win for losing today. But it all worked out okay in the end, and hopefully some children learned a thing or two.

The next while became a blur. We went lots of places with Lynde. I think she was really enjoying it, but I think we also worked her too hard and wore her out too much. Some of our more memorable outings were to Ein Kerem (she loved the Church of the Visitation, where Elizabeth supposedly lived and Mary stayed with her there. This church has great artwork), to the valley of Elah, where we did some slinging like David, and where we drove our 4 wheel drive vehicle up onto Sha’araim to come to really understand the whole story, and to Beth Shemesh. We had wonderful times, and she is great to be with.
On Friday I began my New Testament class. It was very enjoyable. I miss my other class members very much, and it will be hard to see them do field trips with someone else. But I really enjoyed starting this class with these guys. It is going to be great. On Monday we had our first field trip together. It was also the 4th of July. So, once the bus got going I brought out a flag I had printed, and we did the pledge of allegiance and sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic, the Star Spangled Banner, and sang along with Lee Greenwood to I’m Proud to be an American. We went to the Herodion, a fortress palace that Herod built, both as a place he could be safe if there were an uprising, and a place to serve as a mausoleum. The lower part has a huge pool, lots of palace buildings, a Roman Bath, and a ton of things to explore. The upper part is a huge fortress. We had lots of time to look at the landscape and explore the areas inside. We finished ahead of schedule, and still had a call from the other bus about how they had finished even earlier and were hoping we could get done soon so we could go to Bethlehem University together. I told them we were going to finish a bit early, but it was always my plan to use the time we had on site to our best advantage and that we would not let other people being nervous about time take away from our good time. I did a small spiritual thought tying in Herod’s tyranny with the 4th of July, we explored the tunnel system, and left. I felt good about how it went.

At Bethlehem University we had the usual propagandistic smack, and then the students got to enjoy spending time with their students. My kids had been great on this field trip so far, and during this part they just watched a movie near the bus. Then we went to a great lunch in the Tent restaurant. Then we went to Manger Square. For the first time my children went inside the Church of the Nativity. It was empty. I have never seen it so empty. It is amazing to be there with no one else. We were able to look at everything we wanted to, and teach everything we wanted. We still had to hurry through the part with the manger, they just make everyone do that. Ah well. We sang a little in St. Catherine’s, the catholic part of the church. All in all it was very nice. The students got a little shopping time in Manger Square. And then it was off to shepherd’s field.


Family at the "birth spot in the Church of the Nativity




At shepherd’s field we did a little filming for our family movie. Then we had all the students stand at the crest of the hill where they could see so much. I tried to get them to picture people like Ruth and David there. I tried to help them picture angels and the Savior there. Then we sang one song and I let them have some time for their journals. During that time BJ explored down in the valley a bit. He went to the watchtower, which he liked, and scared out some gazelles (or gazelle like creatures). I saw them running along for a long time. Very cool. It made me think of what kind of animals would prey on gazelles. Lions came to mind. And then I remembered that David had killed a lion somewhere around Bethlehem. Somehow the story became just a little more real to me.



Filming at Shepherd's Field



Then we retired to a sheepfold. We had some musical numbers and by then were out of time. Se we got on the bus and had a very nice testimony meeting all the way home. On the whole I think the whole things was a great success. I felt very good about it.

No matter how much I have known the reality of the condescension of Christ when he deigned to come down to this world as a mortal baby, every time I look over at the hills of Bethlehem it becomes more real to me. While I love being in Bethlehem itself, and I like to think of his birth there, I never have a chance to have a nice moment in the Church of the Nativity. I like the place, but they hurry you through too much. I wanted to talk to my children about the birth of Christ there, but it just isn’t possible. But when I go to the fields across from the city, where you can look over at Bethlehem, and picture the shepherds hurrying there, and picture Mary and Joseph traveling there, and picture the star, and think of what happened there, it always strikes me as so amazing the Christ would come to earth in that way so that he could rescue us. This time I thought of what it must have been like for that great being to take his first breath in that little, mortal body. Oh how he must love us to be willing to go through that. How real it is. Jesus Christ is real! He really came to save us! This is such an amazing and wonderful truth!

Bethlehem and surrounding hills




Meanwhile, Lynde had been through a relaxing morning. Then she had met up with a friend of ours, Rebekah Call, who had taken her through Bethlehem on their own. I think she had an adventurous and great time.

The next morning Julianne, Lynde, BJ, and Tashara packed up and went to Galilee. They went to all sorts of places all day long. That night they did a service project at the Tiberias Branch House, which needed a lot of weeding done. They spent forever doing that, then had a great night sleeping on the roof, saw a great sunrise, weeded some more, saw a ton of great stuff, and dropped Lynde off at the airport. I guess she was pretty worn out by then. Julianne worked her hard. I think we also underestimate how much of a toll it takes on someone to see and hear and feel so many very new and foreign things. We have been doing that kind of thing for enough years that we are kind of used to it, and forget how tiring it is for most people.


Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee




In the meantime, the other kids and I had a great time. We did some fun things, they played on computers a lot, I got a lot of work done, including some good work on my book about God’s love in the Old Testament. I am getting close to finishing that. All in all we had some very nice days. Friday they planned for us a great 4th of July celebration, even though it was the 8th by then. It was the best BBQ I had ever been to. So much good food. They even made cheeseburgers! Amazing, you can’t do that here, yet they did. We had great music, and the students danced with our kids on their shoulders. We had a carnival with 3 legged races, fishing for prized, marshmallow bobbing, etc. It was a very fun night. Sabbath was great. Tashara spoke in Sacrament meeting, and did very well. Alexia spoke in primary and did very well. We visited with lots of students, pretty much all day long. All in all it was a very nice family day.
"

Important Roads, Cities, Rivers, and Canyons

Church was great, but kinda sad. It was the last Sabbath with the Lewis family. Brother Lewis has been the other counselor in the branch presidency the whole time I have been here, and his family has done a lot with us, and we have had a lot of fun with them. It has been wonderful. I will miss him and his family.

Most people were better, but a few new ones got sick, including some Judds. Hope that does not mean that we all get sick too. We had a nice Sabbath, I even had a nap, and some students came over to play games with us and we really enjoyed that. They even brought me a few Father’s Day cookies, along with a very nice note from a student about how I have been a kind of father to her. I am grateful to have helped her, and can’t help but think that being a surrogate father for someone who has lost their father and helping her feel her dad’s presence is really what we all should be doing for our Heavenly Father for all his children. I love these students.

Sunday was a cool day. First, I got to sleep in (which I usually can’t do even if I have the opportunity), and had breakfast in bed and got some wonderful Father’s Day signs, cards, etc. We decided to try to put together how the Road to Emmaus went. We drove out to Motsa, which is probably the site of Emmaus. From there we started walking back towards Jerusalem, trying to discern what was the most likely route. We took a few wrong turns, but I think we pieced together that lower part pretty well. ( We went from 1940 ft., N 31* 45.026, E 034* 58.538 to 1909 ft., N 31* 47.539, E 035* 09.822).




Walking the Road to Emmaeus



Finding Herodian Period stones on the walk


All the way to Jerusalem is a bit far for our whole family to walk, especially on a very hot day. But we got up to where we could see the city and guess how the route went from there from what we already know of the roads in that area. Julianne and I hope to go back some time and explore it further when we can hike a little harder. But it was a great day. We even got to talk to our fathers to wish them a happy Father’s Day.

The next day we headed out to Jordan. I was so happy because Tashara was coming with me this time. It ended up being a great time, the best Daddy-daughter date the world has ever known. On the way down we talked about the children of Israel crossing the Jordan in some spot near to where we were. We also talked about Elisha and Elijah crossing over the Jordan and Elijah’s translation. We sang “Swing Low” and had a great time. The border crossing went faster than any of us had ever seen. Then we went up to Mt. Nebo, and had a little devotional about Moses, the children of Israel, Elijah, and the snake being lifted up on a stick for Israel to look at and be healed (there is a monument to that built on Nebo). We compared that to Christ, reading from 1 Nephi and John 3. I am so very grateful that Jesus Christ was lifted up so that I might be saved, and my family, and these good people here we have so come to love. (I forgot to take a gps measurement until we were on our way down from Nebo. It is above 2900 ft., that’s all I know).

Driving around we talked about how we were in Moab, and pointed out plains where they had successful agriculture and called to mind Ruth. We also talked about how Moab had been part of the Kingdom of Israel at times, and read from the Mesha inscription about how King Mesha, from Dibon of Moab, threw off Israelite control. We drove through Dibon, and stopped for a while in Medaba, the first city he battled in. There we had lunch and we went to the Church of St. George, where there are so many beautiful mosaics, including a very important mosaic map of Byzantine Jerusalem.


The Church of St. George at Madaba



Learning about the map mosaic at the church




From there we went to Machaerus, the fortress of Herod where John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded. (2578 ft, N. 31* 44.268, E 035* 46.540) Frank Judd gave a great devotional about John the Baptist there. It was very good, and I think it touched a lot of people. As we drove further south around we also pointed out that we were going into Edom. We arrived at our hotel late. Dinner was good, the room was okay, I was tired, and Tashara and I slept very well.



Machaerus


The deep pit in the big tower At Machaerus. Typically they kept prisoners in the pit in the tower. Could John have spent some time in here?




The next morning we awoke to learn that several of our students were sick. That is bad since we were hiking into Petra, which is probably the coolest day they will have here. Happily they all got better as we went along. Shelby, my little Hawaiian, almost didn’t make it. She had to be helped up to the Treasury/Kazneh/tomb of Aretas IV (that is the real thing it is)/place where Indy found the Holy Grail. I didn’t think she would make it any further. But as we went, she got feeling better and better, until she was running around and hiking around keeping up with all of us. She ended up having a great day. I am so happy for her.




Hiking up towards the Siq/Canyon of the Crescent Moon (it only has that name in the movie


We stopped to sing in a tomb on the way up


Tashara hiking up



In the Siq



First view of the Treasury


The Treasury/Kazneh/Tomb of Aretas IV/place where Indy found the Holy Grail



The Three Musketeers at the Kazneh. Frank Judd, Me, Jeff Chadwick




We moved very, very fast. Our good guide, Odeh, took my suggestion to heart and got us up to the Basin in less than two hours. From there we were able to let everyone go where they wanted. There was enough time left for everyone that they hike to all the major sites if they wanted to. Everyone was able to do whatever they wanted, and had a great time doing it. I think it was the most successful Petra trip ever. The key is moving fast and having free time to explore. Tashara and I hiked to the Monastery (its really a tomb). Then we had lunch, went to the temple of Dushara that was built at the same time and in a similar style to the temple of Herod. We also went to the palace (which is incorrectly labeled the great temple). Then, while Tashara went to the Royal Tombs I went off to the temple of the Winged Lion and the Byzantine church. Finally we all hiked out together. We had an incredible time.



Tashara and I at the Monastery (not really a monastery, just a tomb that got that name later


Temple built by Aretas IV, contemporary with the temple Herod built


The palace at Petra



The Royal Tombs of Petra



Tashara was almost held captive by the Petra guards. No worries, I busted her out. No sweat. (actually we all sweat a fair bit there)



Temple of the Winged Lion



Mosaics from the Byzantine church at Petra



Tashara and Carrie riding their horse out of Petra


For those who are interested, here is the gps info for the places we went: hotel: Entry to site: 3393 ft., N 30* 19.546, 035* 28.043. Siq entry: 3153 ft. Kazneh/Treasury: 2983 ft., N 30* 19.631, E 035* 26.904. Monastery: 3373 ft.. Temple of the Winged Lion 2840 ft., N 30* 19.802, E 035* 26.555. Royal Tombs: 2922 ft., N 30* 19.633, E 035* 26.907.

Once we got on the bus we it did not take us long to arrive at Shobak castle. This is a great place, lots of rooms, tunnels, etc. We searched forever for a particular tunnel which I had been in twice before. We finally found it. We also did other kinds of exploring and had a ton of fun. I gave them part of Aragorn’s speech just before they went to battle at Mordor before we went in, and then we stormed the castle together. What fun.



Getting ready to storm the castle


Fun inside the castle


On the long drive after that we stopped once to see the remains of the ancient Kings’ Highway, mentioned in the Bible and lots of other sources. We even found a little road that went off of it to a Roman Waystation, built to protect the highway. Cool stuff.


Youseef, the other guide, and a great guy, showing us the Kings' Highway


Late at night we got into our hotel in Amman. This time I ended up in the huge suite. We were slotted to share it with the Huntingtons, but they graciously thought that Tashara and Carrie Judd, who so love to be with each other, would like to be in that suite together. So, Frank had one room, I had another, and Tashara and Carrie shared a room. In our suite we had four bathrooms, a washing machine, a full kitchen, a dining room, a front room, a balcony, and tons of space and beautiful furniture. It was nice. We slept well.



The front room in our sweet suite



The dining room in our suite. Behind it you can see the nice kitchen.



The next morning we started out to go to the big mosque there. But the bus was late, we were running behind, and then they wanted all the girls to wear the big black robes that we affectionately call dementor robes. We fought with them about that, lost, and so we didn’t want to lose all the time it would take to get them on and off, so we skipped the mosque. Instead we went to the citadel, which is the site of Biblical Rabbat Ammon, the high place of Ammon, or the capital of the Ammonites, which is where Amman got its name.



Tashara and I at Rabbat Amman


Tashara found herself feeling Herculean as her arm ended in the remains of the hand of Hercules at the Temple of Hercules at Philadelphia, which is the Roman period name for Rabbat Amman


It was Rabbat Amman that David and Joab conquered. It was here that Uriah lost his life. We showed the students the proto-aeolic capital that lies just outside the entrance in a little plant area, clear architectural evidence that Solomon did some building there. We went on a nice little tour, and had a devotional about David and Uriah, stressing how we need to repent quickly instead of falling as David did. It is a sad devotional, and sad to look down on the area where Uriah died due to David’s treachery. But it was a good devotional. It is an important place in the Bible.(2731 ft., N 31* 57.253, E 035* 56.186)


Looking up at the citadel, or Rabbat Amman



The walls of Rabbat Amman



Odeh teaching the students inside the Ummyad Palace at Rabbat Amman




From there we drove to Jerash.


We stopped to see the plant from which the Balm of Gilead was made. We were traveling through Gilead all this day, thinking of the Balm, of Elijah being from there, of the men of Jabesh Gilead who keep showing up in the Bible, and other great stories.


On the way we stopped at the Jabbok river, where I did a devotional for all the students about Jacob wrestling with an angel there. I felt like things really came together well in that devotional, and that the students understood what I was trying to convey to them and were touched. We gave them some time to write in their journals and think there.



The Jabbok River


Tashara and Carrie at the Jabbok River



Tashara and I at the Jabbok


Then we went on to Jerash. Jerash is a Decapolis city from the time of Christ. It is probably Jershon, the place the Book of Abraham tells us was visited by Abraham as he came down to Canaan. Its location and name make it a perfect match for that story. It is a fun place.



The triple gate entry to Jerash


Me half way up the triple gate at Jerash. I tried and tried to figure out how to get the rest of the way up, but didn't. One day, one day.



Downtown Roman Jerash



Again, Odeh moved us through quickly, and then the students were able to do lots of exploring. Jeff Chadwick and I took those who wanted to go with us through the temple of Diana/Artemis, and to the theater, and then some also came to the temple of Zeus there. I loved being with Tashara. For a short time she went with some of her friends and I explored a little on my own. I climbed into places I hadn’t been before, crawled into new places, saw some new things, and had a great time. It couldn’t be better. (2731 ft., N 31* 57.253, E 035* 56.186)



Nymphs at the Nymphaeum




The forum at Jerash


Hmmmm. Two of my students worshiping either another of my students or Diana/Aretemis. Sometimes its better not to ask questions.

Hmmmm. I found two of my students, holding hands across an altar in a holy of holies, but it was in the Artemis/Diana temple. Not sure I want to know more about that.


Sara Siddoway the Seasider learned how to make sand art while waiting in the shops of Jerash. She made the bottle she is holding. Very cool!




We got back to Amman pretty early. Frank and I took Tashara and Carrie to an area we had been before. But it was pretty plain and boring. The sad fact is that there isn’t a lot of excitement in Amman, and the students end up being pretty bored by the time they are all done. Ah well. We shopped, had ice cream, and got back for dinner. I thought I might go to bed early, but something much better happened. We showed a few students our nice suite, and a bunch of them ended up staying to visit. I love visiting with them, and it was a highlight of the trip to sit in our front room and visit with them for several hours. I have also loved our bus time. Rides that have typically seemed very long went very fast because I was so busy visiting with the students and talking about all sorts of things. It was a great trip that way. These are such great people, and I love being around them.


Tashara on the bus




The next morning we went to the big, big theater there in Amman (at that time named Philadelphia). It is an amazing place. When you stand in the sweet spot there and say something you can hear yourself in dolby surround sound. The acoustics are really a bit freaky. But it is cool. We sang there, and had a wonderful time.



The theater in Amman


Tashara and Ray Huntington looking down from the top of the theater


Then we took the students on a walk through Amman’s down town. We saw a nice mosque, and did some shopping. We kept it very structured, and it went well.




The mosque in downtown Amman. The moon is barely visible behind it.


You never know what you mind find for sale on the streets of Amman. Here are ducks, turtles, chickens, rabbits, geese, and more


Radioactive chicks for sale on the streets of Amman



I already said it. You really never know what you will find for sale on the streets of Amman.




From there we went to the traditional baptismal site on the Jordan River. It was great to look across to where Alexia had been baptized. I talked about that during my little devotional, and about how lucky we are to have the Savior set the example for us, and to have that real and powerful ordinance available to us. I am so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and his willingness to come to earth and condescend to set the example for us. As we sang a primary song about baptism, and I was just going to give them free time, it seemed to me that we should let some people have a moment to bear their testimonies. Several did, and it ended up being a very nice moment. This was a powerful place. I especially enjoyed being there with Tashara. She is such a great girl is so many ways. She is really a special girl.


Looking across the Jordan to the spot where Alexia was baptized




The border crossing went more quickly than ever, and we got back in good time. It was so good to see the rest of the family. They are a wonderful bunch. Julianne does so much for them, and I think they don’t really realize it. But it is always a blessing to be back with them.

We had class the next morning. Two hours of it! We did Ezekiel, and I think it went better than ever before. I feel the Lord really directed me in what to say and talk about. Beautiful. I had a ton to do, and I am not sure I got it all done. But I tried. Lately I have done a lot of visiting one on one with students who are struggling with this or that, or have questions about this and that. Each time I am overwhelmed with how much the Lord loves these students. They are amazing people, and the Lord loves them. Giving them a blessing gives me incredible glimpses into how he feels about them and how amazing they are. It is a privilege.

When I got home I learned that the email announcement from the college had been made. My colleagues now know that I am the new associate chair for Ancient Scripture. I feel very awkward about it. I am happy to serve, but worried about my ability to do it well. I worry about the time it will take away from other things, especially my family. I worry about its impact on my pride, and hope I will just do things with pure intent. I don’t know how to respond when people tell me congratulations, and I don’t like the attention, I am very uncomfortable with it. But this too shall pass.

Sabbath was different but fun. First I was surprised to learn that they will make me the first counselor, and we won’t have a second counselor until I leave. That will be interesting. Second, Ashley, one of our most wonderful students from the first semester, was in church. She is here for a two month Ulpan (intensive Hebrew) program. So, after church she came to our house for dinner. We then visited with her until it was time to skype, and then for Julianne’s visiting teachers to come. Before they left some students had come by to play games. Before they left Frank Judd came by so that he and I could do tithing together. By the time that was over it was time to take care of just a few things and go to bed. No breaks, a few surprises, but one great day with so many great people.