On the mount of beatitudes, we sang some scriptures on this beautiful mountain. The spirit was strongly present. Brother Woods turned the time over to us to share and experience that we have liked or something that we feel like we needed to share. It turned into a mini testimony meeting. The spirit testified to me that everything that was said was true. The students on this program have such a strong testimony. We have all gone through a lot and we have all fought different battles in our lives but we all have one thing in common..we all turn to the Lord for help. He is the only one that can get us through these hard times. I love singing hymns at the different sites because it brings such a different spirit.
We went to the museum where we saw the ancient boat. The sea had drained out almost completely when they saw this old, first century boat. The archeologist saw that the boat was very delicate & if they took it out it would break apart. They decided how they would get this boat out through many careful steps. It took a lot of patience to preserve this boat. They decided to soak it in some chemical bath for quite a while so the wood could soak up some particles to strengthen it. Some people thought this was the boat of the disciples. It fits twelve people. It was so cool to see the boat with my own eyes & to know that that boat was around in the time of Christ. After we looked at the boat we got on an authentic Jesus boat.
We sailed the Sea of Galilee just liked Jesus did. As we were sailing along, we saw a sailboat flipped over. They were having difficulty getting the sail back up because the wind was blowing like crazy. It kind of put the scriptures in perspective for me. Every time I look out at the sea it looks pretty calm but it was windy out there & I got a little glimpse of what the storm would be like. Once we got out in the middle of the sea, they slowed down the boat. We sang Master, the Tempest is Raging. The chorus of this song is, " The winds and the waves shall obey thy will: Peace, be still. Whether the wrath of the storm tossed sea or demons or men or whatever it be, No waters can swallow the sip where lies, The maters of ocean and earth and skies. They all shall sweetly obey thy will: Peace, be still; Peace be still..." I love this because it shows that Jesus has power over all things in this world. He can calm any situation even a huge storm. We I had time to sit and think while we were on the boat. I just thought about how the storm and the huge waves are just like trials in our lives. They are big, scary and stress us out. Jesus didn't calm the storm right as it happened. He let it go on for quite some time till his disciples couldn't handle it anymore. He does the same thing in our lives. He doesn't take away our trials. He lets us push through them until we can't handle any more then he "calms the sea". He knows exactly what we can handle & he lets these things happen so we can learn & grow from them. If the sea was calm the whole time his disciples wouldn't have turned to him for help. Our trials in life humble us & turn us towards Jesus Christ who loves us. He is always there for us whenever we need comfort. He can calm the storms in our lives just as he calmed the sea in the scriptures.
Brother Woods class looking over the Sea of Galilee
Mount of Beatitudes
A recovered boat from the 1st century!!!
This rock reminded me of you grandma stone!
Jesus "look-a-like" boat
Representing the US!
Dani & I on the Sea of Galilee
Sculpture of a horned alter
I can't get over this view!!
The gang
The three amigos
This reminded me of Hawaii
Today we went to church in Tiberias. There branch is very small. I heard they can't get more than double digit attendance. There building used to be a house that they renovated & turned into a church building which was beautiful. It's on a hill that over looks the Sea of Galilee. Usually the hymn numbers are posted on the wall to let the congregation know what to sing but there were three different page numbers posted for the english book, spanish book & arabic book. No matter what language the hymns are sung in, the spirit still testifies. Our prayer was given in spanish, the sacrament prayer was given in hebrew and the talks were given in english. How cool is that?? The church is true no matter what language. I love how we can join to together no matter where we are in the world & worship God. The gospel is taught all throughout the world in many different languages. I love that. We sang the song I Stand All Amazed. The song couldn't better explain my feelings. I stand amazed looking at these sites where Jesus walked, just amazed at all that has happened here. The first line says, "I stand all amazed at the love jesus offers me..." He has shown me how much he cares & loves me. He loves us each individually so much. The closer we come to Christ the more we realize all the little things in life that he does for us. He came to this earth, lead the way & died for me. He paid that price that no one else could. I can't thank him enough. In Jacob's talk today he talked about how he wanted to buy this wooden carving for his parents but it was expensive. He thought, "Am I willing to pay this price for the ones I love?" He said he would pay any price for his parents because he loves them so much. It made me think about my savior. He paid the price for me because he loves me, just like he loves every one else. He wouldn't have come to this earth if he didn't. I am so grateful for his love for me & the example he set to show us the way back to our Heavenly Father.
Yesterday we were on the bus heading to the last site. I was laying down in the back of the bus listening to music. All of a sudden I had this unbearable pain in my head. Something I have never ever felt before. It felt like a knife was in the back of my head & the most intense pressure was squeezing my head. I sat up so fast. I couldn't believe how much pain I was in. I just curled up in a ball, held my head & cried. I was in so much pain I couldn't get anyones attention for help. I couldn't say a single word. I was in shock from how bad it hurt. In that moment of pain, something came to my mind as clear as daylight. "I know the pain you are going through." Jesus Christ suffered so much. He knows exactly what each & everyone of us are going through. I knew at that moment he was right there with me. This pain persisted for a couple more minutes. (the longest minutes of my life) The bus came to a stop & students were getting off. People noticed that I was in pain & ran to the nurse. She came to see what was wrong. They also called two priesthood holders to give me a blessing. Still in excruciating pain, I received a blessing. Right after the blessing, the pain was bearable. It wasn't completely gone but I was able to relax. I am so thankful for the priesthood that has been restored here on this earth & for worthy priesthood holders who are able to use the power to heal the sick & afflicted. After the blessing I stayed on the bus while the others went to see the site. I decided to read my scriptures while I was waiting. The first verse I flipped to was Matthew 8 which reads, "And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean And immediately his leprosy was cleansed." What an awesome verse to open up to. I was just healed by the power of God just like this man in the scriptures. Again, the scriptures came to life for me. I was able to relate to this man & feel relief like I bet he did. I just want to bare my testimony that I am so thankful for this gospel and the priesthood power. This gospel has brought me so much peace & joy in my life. I can't imagine my life without it. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to live in the Holy Land & to experience all these amazing things. I know that my Savior & Heavenly Father love me so much. I know that the scriptures are true and thankful that I am able to read & learn more about my savior. I know the relationship I have with my Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ is real. I know that families can be together forever & I am so grateful for my amazing family that love me & care so much for me. I am thankful for the life I live & the health I have. I am so grateful for this gospel & know it is true without a doubt. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
