I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I am in JERUSALEM!! I have been on a plane all day long! While we were waiting during our 5 hour lay over in New York, we got to experience the Jewish culture right then & there. As we walked to our terminal where our plane was, we walked by groups of Jews that were standing in groups, facing a wall, swaying back & forth, praying. It was so interesting to watch (I probably was staring wayy too long) On the long flight, they all stood up at a certain time, put on a couple sacred pieces of clothing and walked to the back of the airplane to pray. I was immersed into this culture without even being in Israel! So we finally landed in Tel Aviv!! I was so excited once the airplane touched the runway. After months of excitement & anticipation, I was finally here! We waited in long lines to get our passport checked to enter into the country (I felt pretty official!) Then we got on a bus & headed to the BYU Jerusalem Center which was around 45 minutes away from the airport. As we were driving on the bus, we could spot the Jerusalem Center because it was glowing on the side of the mountain... it was stunning. As we pulled up to the center, we were greeted by the smiling staff. We walked into the center & we all were gigglin with excitement! We could not believe that we were actually here! It felt like a dream. We walked into the room where church will be held & we sat down to be introduced to the staff members. Then.. they slowly opened the curtain in front of us to a JAW DROPPING view! The windows over look the old city. We heard the prayer that plays on loud speaker which goes all throughout the city for everyone to hear. All of us students and staff sung some hymns & the spirit was so overwhelming! It hit me like a wall of bricks. I knew at that very moment.. that I was in the right place. I can not wait to share all of my amazing experiences with you guys. The wifi here isn't strong enough to upload pictures so I will have to upload them when I am in town. I miss you guys a bunch, write me an email if you have time, I would love to hear from you!:) Sending my love from half way around the world..xoxo

I love to travel & see everything there is to see. I don't wan't to let anything pass me by. I just finished  my first year of college at BYU Hawaii. I have such a love for the culture, land and people there now. Hawaii will always have a special place in my heart. I definitely would call it home. Living right by the beach was something I did not mind either haha I met some amazing friends that have impacted my life. While I was there I decided to apply for a study abroad that my dad did when he was in college. I was accepted & now I am onto my next adventure in life.. BYU JERUSALEM!

I can NOT wait for all the amazing adventures that lie ahead of me. This is going to be a life changing experience. I leave April 29th which is coming so quickly! It seems like it was just yesterday when I opened my acceptance letter & now I am packing my bags, grabbing my passport & saying my goodbyes. My family just threw a Jerusalem party for me this last week which got me so excited!! My grandparents have been showing me videos & telling stories about their experiences there. You can tell the way my grandpa talks about this place, there is something very special and it has impacted his life. I can't wait to experience it for myself. I will be living there until August 14th. I wouldn't be able to have this opportunity if it wasn't for my family. I am going to miss them so much, they are always there for me. I can't wait to come back & share all of my awesome stories. I won't be on social media, only to upload pictures so my mom knows that I'm not dead (She's gonna be glued to her phone waiting for updates haha) I would love to get emails from you guys since it's the only way I will be able to stay in contact with everyone. I can't wait for this next chapter of life to start. I will keep you all updated with pictures and entries on my blog. I love & will miss you all!!! XOXO

Email: Bailey.Stone@aol.com

This is the BYU Jerusalem Center where I will be living

Some pictures from the city..