Moore Quotes

In aspiring to imitate the date 11/11/11 and try my hand at alliteration, I'm going to do a post called Feature Friend Friday and feature one of my friends this Friday.

Travis Moore moved into my ward when I was a senior in high school and has been such a genuine friend ever since. He is at BYU with me now. He has texted me a quote almost every single day for the past year and a half or so and still does! When I am abroad and out of cell phone reception, he texts quotes to my email. Dedication.

He also has very creative ideas. For instance, today he and his brother Jeremy organized a flash mob in my History of Creativity class. Around 20 people who are not in that class were sitting in among the 60-ish students who are in the class, and at 11:11 a.m. their cell phone alarms went off and they left the classroom to make a wish. I think our substitute professor is still a little confused as to why they left...but the rest of us were amused.

Another creative idea he helped to mastermind was a facebook in real life party.  We all brought white t-shirts and wrote a status on it. We had relationship status stickers, green dots to show we were online to chat, a list of friends on our sleeves. There were events and photos everywhere, and we even played "Pin the Like sticker on Mark Zuckerberg." Very creative!

I have done photo shoots, gone urban exploring, been spelunking, watched movies in random places, explored the roof of the Swicket, gone canoeing, and scores of other fun things with Travis and his innovation.  He's a great example to me of spirituality, service, charity, and good wholesome activities.

Yesterday's quote from Travis leads me to one last thought for this Veteran's Day.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."~John F. Kennedy. 

Veterans are great examples of living by their gratitude for America. They truly understand that life is not just about themselves, but that life is in service to others. I am thankful for America and our freedom beyond what words on a blog can express. All it takes is going to another country to instill deep patriotism in your soul.

What are you thankful for?

• General Conference issue of the Ensign
• Josh Groban
• My boots
• Inspired Stake Presidents
• Roommate sleepovers in the living room
• It hasn't snowed yet
• My perfectly healthy pancreas (I've recently learned in my chronic disease class how important pancreases are!)
• Late night talks
• Emily, who made me actually enjoy Halloween this year.
• Hope is at BYU with me!
• A great FHE family
• Nicolle, my roommate who just had a birthday and got her mission call to the Phillipines!
• The convenience of baby carrots
• Listening to multiple general authorities at BYU in one week, including the Prophet
• Random, unexpected texts from friends
• Professor Merrill (my epidemiology professor)
• Jamie, who is joining me in not eating sugar between Halloween and Thanksgiving
• G-chat
• Republican debates (for entertainment value)
• Trees like this decorating one of the best places on earth (aka BYU):

  

 

 

Born Again

Just like any BYU institution, the Jerusalem Center shares this motto:

Enter to learn, go forth to serve.

Christ told his apostles before He left them, "Freely ye have recieved, freely give."

In Jerusalem, 

I have freely recieved.

       Liberally from God I have received

friends,

                                                       professors,
                 
                beautiful views,

                                                    
                                           opportunities,

but mostly, the Spirit that has caused many "born again" moments. Moments when I burn with a desire to do what God would have me do, no matter what it is. Moments when I want to reach out to everyone around me and when I love every person in my eyesight, even strangers.

Although hard to leave a place that offers an environment so conducive to righteous living,

I'm not looking back at the Jerusalem Center behind me...

but using it as I look to the future.

Freely I have recieved this incredible experience and all that it entails, and freely I want to share it through my actions--through who I am.

And now, after the many testimonies I have born on this blog, this is the testimony last of all which I give of Him: that He lives! I have walked on the shores of Galilee where He walked, I have prayed in Gethsemene, I have walked on the temple steps He preached on, I have felt his love at the Garden Tomb, and each place has stirred my soul and overwhelmed me with His love. We do not have to see Him to know Him-- the Holy Ghost is witness enough. And although I have felt the Spirit in Gethsemene, you don't have to be in Gethsemene to feel the Spirit. It is offered to each of us no matter where we are.

And, although it is nice to have walked where He walked, wouldn't it be better to walk how He walked? My experience is available for everyone to experience without a plane ticket.  You don't have to follow the footsteps of the Savior geographically to follow in His footsteps.

F R I E N D S

Each life that touches ours for good,

Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord.

Thou sendest blessings from above,

Through words and deeds of those who love.

 What greater goodness can we know,

Than Christlike friends whose loving ways

Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.

My heart is breaking to leave these people who have motivated and inspired me by their incredible examples. We have slept, eaten, sweated, sang, ran, worshipped, prayed, explored, cried and grown together. Thank you Jerusalem Winter 2011 for changing me!

Passover Week

During our last week in Jerusalem we've been following the events and paths of Jesus during His last week of life. They have been powerful days. It seems like this entire semester has just been getting better and better with each passing day. With two days left, I think often about what I have learned here and what I am specifically going to change because of this experience. The list is long.

We went to Bethany and saw Lazarus's tomb. It was during this miracle that many decided now was the time to kill Jesus. Lazarus caused many people to believe in Jesus, and so many sought his life, too. Isn't it wonderul that we believe in Christ who is greater than any distress, even death itself?

We went to a church in Bethphage, and since we had experienced Palm Sunday the day before, I really liked this painting.

Then we went to Dominus Flevit, a church I have been to several times because I love it so much. It is where Christ wept over Jerusalem. We also went to the Upper Room on Mount Zion where Christ instituted the sacrament at Passover. We sang some sacrament hymns and a tour group came in while we were singing. They began filming us on their cameras and as we left a few had tears in their eyes. This has been happening at many of the sites and churches we've visited. Being Easter week, this is high tourist season, but I don't mind at all because of the opportunity we have to interact with so many people. Today in a church at Bethesda I suggested we sing "I know that My Redeemer Lives" and the tourists in front of us were deeply touched by it. We offered them our hymn books and they sang along. I loved it so much and wish I could share the great spirit we feel with more people.

Then we went to St. Peter in Gallicantu, a church that commemorates the time Peter denied Christ for the third time and the cock crew. We talked a lot about Peter and how we can only give the benefit of the doubt to a faithful follower of Christ like he was, since we don't know all the details.

Last night, after a full day of field-tripping in the heat, we came home and had an Upper Room experience. We had a Passover scene all set up, just like Peter, James and John set up a Passover in an upper room after being with Christ in similar April heat all day. We read the story of the Passover and of Christ's conviction, had some musical numbers and listened to some very strong testimonies. We had this diarama of the triclinium that was set up for the first sacrament. It was neat because it was actually Passover last night, so all the people in the city we were looking at were celebrating Passover in their own homes as we spoke.

Wake up and smell the palm fronds

I had a great free day last Sunday, which was Palm Sunday. We left the JC at 6 a.m. and went to the church of the Holy Sepulchre to hear the organ that plays early in the morning. The organ wasn't playing, but it was still fun to go and hear some monks singing. Then we went to the Jewish Quarter and got some fresh cinnamon rolls and pastries and ate them in the Hurva Synagogue plaza, one of our favorite places to spend time. Then we went to Hezekiah's tunnel one more time. It was already hot at 8 a.m. so it felt really good. The only thing is, we just plumb forgot that it is pitch dark inside. We hadn't brought our flashlights or head lamps. But it didn't occur to us to not do it, we just walked it in the dark. Ashley bought a 4 shekel key chain flashlight and used the flash on her camera when we were desperate. It was a blast, and I almost recommend doing it in the dark if you ever go.

That afternoon is the Palm Sunday walk from Bethphage to Lions Gate, which is the route the Savior rode the donkey in on. There were literally thousands of people making the 2-hour march in the afternoon heat.

It was a great experience to be one the same roads that Jesus followed on Palm Sunday. Before Palm Sunday was just another Sunday, but now I'll never think of it the same again.

Last Sabbath

How I feel now that finals are over and I have academic freedom until August 29th:

I've been thinking how the Church does everything with such excellence. If they wanted to build a BYU campus in Jerusalem, they could have built a regular square brick building somewhere in the city. But instead, they built this:  

A beautiful 8-story arched limestone palace with every comfort of home that has the best view in Jerusalem. This place has become so very special to me. The Spirit is always here and there have been so many times when I have run down it's halls to my room simply to pour out a prayer of gratitude.  

Today is our last sabbath here. It's been an emotional day. We had an incredible Sacrament meeting and then I went to the Garden of Gethsemene.  My heart is very full and I am not going to even attempt to describe all the feelings reverberating through me. My experience here will always be one of my most precious and life-changing ones.  I am so thankful for Jesus Christ, and only wish that those I love could feel what I have felt. I know He loves us and will always be our truest friend. I love Him with all my heart.

That beautiful building above + loving professors + Christlike friends + immersion in the scriptures + many more blessings from God =

One very happy girl.