Last night was my favorite night by far!! We went to the wailing wall...I LOVEDDD IT! Walking through the front entrance, you could hear the buzzing noise of everyone praying. It almost sounded like a football game. It was a full house!! I instantly got the chills... from my head to my toes. I loved watching everyone walk by(I can people watch for hours). We entered into the women's side & walked towards the wall. As we got closer, I saw people reading scriptures, swaying front to back, praying & pouring their hearts out. Women & little girls were touching their foreheads to this sacred wall that they held very dear to their hearts. Many were praying & a couple of them were crying. We moved through the crowd then we finally got to the wall. We shoved our prayers(that we wrote out on paper) into the tiny cracks of the wall. I was amazed at how many papers were fitting in those little spaces. Every single hole was filled. We put our hands against the wall, then our foreheads. The spirit & feeling there were so strong. I was tingling the whole entire time. Everyone around had so much passion & love for their religion. I felt so connected with everyone around me. I wanted to give everyone a huge hug. I can't even explain the feelings. Then we walked away from the wall to let others have their turn. There were little groups of teenagers singing & dancing. Of course we joined in! We had no idea what they were saying but we jumped & clapped right along with them. We talked to a couple of the girls after & they said they sing to welcome in the sabbath. They explained some of their traditions with us & why they participate in them. The jewish women are stunning. They have long, shiny, dark hair with gorgeous light colored eyes. They loved talking to us & figuring out where we were from. There were so many mixed feelings in that one place, such peacefully sacredness but also happiness & rejoicing. I wish so badly that we could have taken pictures. Here are a couple of pictures from the internet so you can kind of get a feel for what its like. Except that we went at night & the place was packed. There wasn't a spot on the floor that could be seen. We were standing shoulder to shoulder, waiting to touch the wall. An experience I will never forget...
So excited for you. I loved going to the wall, and can still remember the note I placed in its cracks so long ago. Isn't it amazing, that even with just a part of the temple wall, you can still feel the spirit. I'm so grateful we have temple now a days, that are not destroyed, and that you can feel the spirit as strongly as you felt at the wall.
ReplyDeleteSo thrilled for you, as this week you are going to Turkey and Istanbul. One of things I can still remember at the Blue Mosque is that they had a tile mosaic at one of the entrances that was done about the time Lehi left Jerusalem and the colors are still brilliant and beautiful. Also, they told us that the Salt Lake Temple can fit inside the dome with room to spare. See if you can Find out if that is true. Stories sometimes change. Have a great week. We love you. Grandma and Grandpa