JULY 15, 2002

Paul and Patty Barker arrived this week. They are the new service couple here and will work on humanitarian projects, in addition to hosting tours. Paul and Jim were at Stanford at the same time. We went to the Tel Aviv airport to pick them up. It seems like months since we arrived in Israel but it has only been three weeks. Before going to the airport, we did a little grocery shopping at Baladi’s. We are getting better at knowing where things are and what to get. A young worker, Mohammed, saw that we were struggling to figure out what some items really were (pictures are deceiving!) and offered to help. He became our personal shopper! They are very nice in that market. The hard part is navigating shopping carts in the very narrow aisles with tons of people around. 

             

Happy Birthday to Deanne! #64! How did that happen? This is the most exotic place I’ve been on my birthday, for sure. It was a quiet day, though, being the Sabbath. Marvel and Mark Earnshaw brought over cupcakes and balloons which was really nice.

                                

We drove to Ascension Café on the Mount of Olives for shawarma. Sami, our friendly taxi driver, had taken us by there last week. The shawarmas were great and the price was about the same as by the Shuk. This café is within walking distance to the Center as well. Yeah! On our outing, we also stopped at the Mount of Olive Bazaar where we had met Rami last week. He was more than happy to have us bring "fresh meat" (Paul and Patty) to the store.

Jim had an appointment with Fadi Suidan, the CEO at the YMCA. He was the nicest man and SO eager to hear and see Jim play the carillon. It is the loveliest YMCA we’ve ever seen and has a 50-room hotel as part of the building. It was built in 1932 and has that 1930’s art-deco charm.  Fadi, a Palestinian Greek Catholic, seems very eager to bring back the true mission of the YMCA and reach out to those in need. He has only been CEO for three months. We discussed having Jim come on Sundays and play the carillon for an hour. This has always been a part of the Center's outreach for years. Ten students can come with us each Sunday.

          

  

President Biden was in Jerusalem July 13-14 and stayed at the King David Hotel, which is right across from the YMCA Tower. Fadi asked Jim to come every day while the President was there and play music on the carillon, especially American patriotic music. He thought it would benefit the U.S. staffers and workers at the King David Hotel. Well, we were able to get to the YMCA on Wednesday, but there was no way to get past the trucks, police, and blockades on Thursday. Friday, President Biden came to the Augusta Victoria Hospital which is just outside of the BYU Center's gate. There were police, barricades, huge buses blocking the roads, news reporters, hovering helicopters--everywhere. We tried to walk around to the other side of the hospital, but it was even tighter on that side. 

  

snipers on the roof!

 news cameras

 

The Jerusalem Center is always referred to as the Mormon University!

We also discovered the Mamilla Mall not far from the King David Hotel. It is the fanciest mall in Jerusalem that we have seen thus far. Across the street from the mall is the Jaffa Gate which we hadn't visited yet. We are learning new things every day!

                 

And yes, there are TONS of olive trees in Jerusalem!

                                                     

 JULY 8, 2022

Toward the end of the week, Jim and I took the short bus ride to the Old City. The bus stop is right out the back gate of the Center. Bus 275, which drops you off near the Damascus Gate. On arrival, we walked east through an open-air market (aren’t they all?) and found the Garden Tomb. I was there once in 1994 and do NOT remember that location being right in the middle of a bustling metropolis…. It is now! The back of the garden area backs up to the busy bus station we just left. As we arrived, we joined a very colorfully dressed group of “pilgrims” from Nigeria. It was a beautiful sight.

 

  

The Garden Tomb was a very peaceful and calm place. And despite knowing or not knowing if it was THE sight of the burial and resurrection, there was a definite spiritual component to the sight. I’m so glad we found it.

Then we ventured into the Old City to see if we could navigate getting to the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall. Jim had the map—so tourist—but we still need it at this point. We sauntered down the old streets that were jam-packed with locals going to shops, restaurants, and markets. Occasionally a motorcycle or car comes down the narrow streets. How is that allowed? There are young soldiers posted at various points in the city. YOUNG kids with machine guns! We found the Jewish Quarter easily but had to go through security to get in. We spent time at the Western Wall appreciating the orthodox people in prayer. Amazing to watch their dedication. We would love to have seen the Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock, but it is off limits during prayer time. We'll go another time.

We found our way back toward the Damascus Gate and decided to stop for a falafel dinner at Basti Restaurant. It was very good! A Brazilian crew was filming a Biblical documentary right in front of us as we ate.

 

Back to Bus 275 and the Center. We did it! Jim found that the reclining chairs in the apartment are really comfy. It took about one minute for him to be fast asleep!! All in a day’s work.

The next morning, we walked (3.1 miles round-trip) to the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of All Nations, the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, and the Mount of Olives. Gethsemane, again, was not how I remembered it.  The grounds are beautifully kept. You can’t wander among the huge olive trees anymore, but you can walk around the perimeter. The thought of what took place there is still overwhelming.

Jim's mother's favorite sculpture.

We met up with Sami, a taxi driver. EVERYONE asks if we are Mormons. We do stand out. Sami lives on the Mount of Olives and once worked for the BYU Center. He quickly showed us a photo of Pres. Nelson and Elder Holland from five years ago. He gave us a free ride to the top of the Mount of Olives to Rami’s Mount of Olives Bazaar. It is, by far, the nicest olive wood and souvenir shop I’ve seen thus far. "For you everything is 50% off--but today only!" 

On the walk home, we stopped at a local food market. There we met Abraham the Palestinian butcher. He was so kind. We told him we wanted ground beef and he began to cut off a piece of regular beef and put it in a grinder with seasoning, parsley, and onion AND a little fat. He said it wouldn’t taste good otherwise. I guess we’ll find out! 

Across the street from Abraham's store is what is called the “Arab Costco," four or five shops that sell bulk items. Good to know what’s there.  I must admit that all the markets look the same to me now. All the same items. Prices are about the same too. It depends on how far you want to travel to get food. 

 JULY 5, 2022

We ended our first week with a trip to Bethlehem with the students. There were 43 students on the bus which made for a lot of chatter and laughter. They all get along very well.

First stop: Herodium--the remains of Herod’s palace. It’s pretty remarkable that some of the ruins are still standing after 2000 years! But Jerusalem limestone is strong and durable. We walked through the ruins, down into the cisterns, and amphitheater.

 

Next: The Church of the Nativity, the traditional place of Jesus’s birth. It is a very ornate church on “Manger Square” with lots of beautiful lighting and color. It is built over the assumed spot. We were not alone! There was a long line to go down into the grotto under the altar area in the church to see the star that indicates “the” site of the birth. Stable can mean cave, so this is an appropriate possibility. As pilgrims, we could bend down to touch the stone, the place!

          

Next stop was Shepherds' Field #1. It features a cave and is found next to a Greek Orthodox Church.

By lunchtime, we were all hot, tired, and hungry. The Tent is a large Palestinian restaurant that serves pita bread with about 12 different sauces, hummus, and vegetable dishes to eat with it. Tasty. Then they brought out skewers of meat and chicken freshly BBQed with roasted tomatoes. Baklava for dessert and there was lemonade with mint to drink. A true feast. 

 

And there were a few fun stores on the streets of Bethlehem.

                                

Finally, we ended up at the “LDS” Shepherds' Field. Who really knows where the shepherds came from and how they traveled to Bethlehem, but it wasn’t hard to imagine when sitting in that terrain. We sat on the big rocks and read the Christmas Story from Luke interspersed with Christmas carols. It was so lovely. Eric Huntsman, the academic director, is a member of the Tabernacle Choir and has a beautiful voice. He was happy to lead the singing. Everyone was given some time to reflect on the meaning of where they were. 

We are still learning how to get around in Jerusalem. We drove with the Earnshaws to Baladi's, a Palestinian market, to grocery shop. Jim hadn't been shopping yet.... sticker shock. But we arrived back at the Center in one piece without any untoward driving events! 

The faculty and service couples were invited to dinner by Jimmy of Jimmy's Bazaar in Jerusalem. He is famous for is olive wood carvings, and has endeared himself to the LDS population with his "Mormon" olive wood carvings--of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Liahona, BYU Cougar, etc. He also hosted us for dinner at his restaurant, the Philadelphia (which means brotherly love in Greek). It was another feast (like The Tent), with the extra addition of a Roman candle in the kebabs!

                  

All of the students left on July 4 for ten days in Galilee, so we are alone at the Center except for staff. Alas, the cafeteria is closed while the students are gone, so we have to cook!! 

The shuk (open marketplace) at Ben Yehuda was our first solo outing in a car. They have the most beautiful produce, dates, nuts, fruits, and breads.

                 

We also got our first shawarma at The Jerusalem Shawarma! It was outstanding. 

                         

In the evening, our Branch had a talent show and potluck. Since the students were gone, we weren't sure how many people would be in attendance. Luckily, a group of LDS youth on a humanitarian trip in Israel were in attendance (otherwise there would only have been about a dozen from the Branch there). Jim shared his talent at the organ, of course. One of the kids requested "Star Wars," and Jim was happy to comply.

We continue to look for ways to serve. We are grateful the tours will begin again soon, and the concert series will start up officially in September. In the interim, we are organizing the loads of mostly choral music at the Center. We definitely are feeling more comfortable as we branch out on our own.