Gossip in the Center

With 82 students living under one roof you think there would be more drama and gossip.  But. There isn't.  It is kind of like everyone know everything about each other, and if we think something is happening, we say it and then find out if it is true or not.  But with 4 days left, we have a new piece of information, that can't get sorted out...

Last night Brother Manscill went into the library late at night to get a book.  He turned on the lights and found a couple in there.  Easy enough, right?  Except he won't tell us who it is.  He said they were a surprise couple to see, and he had never really even seen them together.  People tried to guess, and he kept saying no.  Then he gave one more hint... He is like the Romeo of the center...  It still doesn't help.  But, there is officially gossip going around the center.  I guess.  Mags came and told us, prefacing it with the fact that this is gossip.

And, tonight was the first night that I hugged a professor after receiving a grade.  I survived Old Testament.

5 days

Where does time go?  I feel like it was yesterday that I walked through the front gates at the Jerusalem Center.  All the service couples lined the front walk to shake our hands and hug us in welcome.  I knew maybe 5 people's names, and for everyone else, I looked at the name tag we were required to wear.  And the days moved slow.  Where did the time go?  Tonight I was talking to my dad about being here, and how blessed I feel, and quickly he replied, 'So then you're glad you went.'  We laughed.

The joy I have felt while being in Jerusalem has been so strong.  I feel like I have devoted the past semester to improving myself through Christ.  And now, as I go home during the Holidays, all I want to do is tell everyone about this joy.  I love Jerusalem.  And I want to always remember to pray for the peace here.  It no longer is a conflict between Israeli's and Palestinians, but now between people I love.  Whatever happens here will effect people I have met, played soccer with, talked about their beliefs, laughed with, and developed a deep love for.  Oh Jerusalem, if I forget thee...

This week we've had finals and I spoke in church.  Now things have calmed down in the center, and they have picked up in Provo, so we have time some time on our hands. 

Here's to our last 5 days!

Bethlehem...without words

George and Ramses deserve words. Thank you for the most beautiful nativity! And letting me call my mom from your cell phone! 

Out My Window

A weekend in Jerusalem

After church on Saturday we went to the private section of the Garden of Gethsemene.  This part deserves to be called a garden and not just "the three trees of Gethsemene."  How lucky that my afternoon decision was to decide whether to go read at the Garden Tomb or the Garden of Gethsemene.  Honestly?

Sunday we went to the YMCA to play the bells in the bell tower.  To clarify... this means that I actually played the bells.  To be exact, I played the Carol of the Bells for all of West Jerusalem to hear! One of the service couples at the center goes and plays the bells every Sunday (he is a masterful organist, and it must carry on to bells also?), and he lets us come.  I loved it!  Nathan played the Hogwarts theme music. So cool.  How fun would it be to all of a sudden hear the bells playing this?

That night we went to dinner at Roza in West Jerusalem for Shelleybelly's birthday(more Shelleyisms are coming) and Adri's parents came!  Her dad surprised us all and paid for us, he is an angel! It was so fun hanging out with her parents! It gave us a new light on Adri, and made me love her even more!

Then we went to Ben Yehuda Street and got gelato.  When we were leaving we saw this lady sitting at a table by herself, with a single rose on the table. We were trying to think of what her story could be, so finally I went and started talking to her.  It turns out the rose was just given to her by a plant shop owner when she bought a plant.  But, the rose wasn't the story.  No, it's the fact that her name is Michelle and she is Prince's lover.  Yes, the Prince. They are lovers, and he will come back to her when she gets with a handsome, sexy black man.  That is the only thing that will make Prince come back to her. And yes, I mean back, because she made it clear that they have already been together.  But she wouldn't be his groupie, so she left him.  So she asked us about clubs where she could find black men.  She's from Canada, and has been in Israel for 2 weeks.  When she finds her black man, and Prince comes back for her 5 seconds later, Prince will have a concert in Jerusalem, and she will find us and give us tickets.

Oh Michelle, go find your black man!