Saturday, May 22, 2010

Israel Favorites

My favorite places in Israel:

The Garden Tomb. I went to Israel with high expectations of spiritual feelings due to all the special connections I have with these well known sites. I did in fact have some very wonderful experiences, but many of the sites were so unrecognizable from their original state (to be expected after more then 2,000 years) and felt more like places of idol worship rather then holy spots. The Garden Tomb was one of the few places that I really felt the Holy Spirit. It remains in a garden state with out an overly decorated church or overwhelmed with tourists. I do not know if this was truly the site of our Saviors resurrection or burial, but I believe if not here it was somewhere like this.


The Sea of Galilee and the Church of the Beatitudes. I do not remember if this is the official name of the church, but is is the reported site of the Sermon on the Mount. A group of nuns care for the surrounding gardens which over look the Sea of Galilee and a humble church on the mount. Israel was a large desert and this was one of the few beautiful places. I felt the spirit here too because of the humble surroundings. It seems like when it comes to adorning a Church less is better.

The Dead Sea. It was fun to float in water that is 26% solid. I was able to do synchronized posing and have a lot of fun. WARNING- do not get the water in your eyes. Travis got only a few drops in his eyes and said it felt like acid. I think this might be just a little bit dramatic, but he had to get it out and flush his eyes.

BYU Jeruselum: I felt the spirit here too. As there was no preference between Palestinians or Jews. They has a beautiful view over looking the old city of Jerusalem and near by there were miniature replicas of Jerusalem through out the significant time changes, so that it was possible to see the evolution of the city and it's building. If you look next to my head you can see the Gold Dome of the Rock which is the holy site for Christians, Muslims, and Jews.




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