Shalom Aleichem!

Well, believe it or not my time in Jerusalem has come to a close. I needed to leave the program a little early to be with my family. Don't worry, nothing terrible has happened. It was what I needed to do :)

My experience here has been a remarkable one. I am so grateful for the new family I have made with the students and the teachers and their families. They are the best contribution that the trip had in store for me, second only to the stronger relationship I now have with my Heavenly Father.

If there is one thing that I have learned, it is that someone does not need to see where the Savior walked or traveled to know that He performed everything that the scriptures say. You do not need to be at the Pool of Siloam to know that He healed the blind. You do not need to go to Bethlehem to know that angels heralded His miraculous birth. You do not need to walk into the empty Garden Tomb to know that He is not there, for He is risen. Most of all, you do not need to walk among the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane to know that He paid the infinite and ultimate price for a world full of sinners.

I love Him. I worship the Father who sent Jesus Christ to this earth, and I know that They both love us with a perfect unity. I am grateful that being in Jerusalem pulled me into the scriptures, and made the sacred words all the more real and easy to understand.


Now, as head back to Provo soon, I am excited for what the future has in store. Life is ever changing and ever challenging, but I know the Lord directs our paths and when we don't rely on our own understanding and acknowledge Him in all of our ways there is additional light and strength waiting for us.

Shalom aleichem! (Peace be unto you!)

Sterling

P.S. - I will continue to post more pictures of the trip here, and videos too!

Of Sheep and Men

Hello everybody! Sorry it has been so long, but things have been extremely fast paced around here and so it is hard to find the time even to post a few pictures. But here is some of the latest:

We went to a beautiful area right outside of Tel Aviv called Neot Kedumim. There we learned about a lot of biblical plants, and had a chance to herd sheep and goats. This little guy was being a bit stubborn, but I got him to hold still long enough to take a picture with me. The man who led us in herding them said that we were more unified in our teamwork than any group he had seen in a long time. If only we were allowed to talk to him more . . .

At the end of our passover meal, our Jewish professor asked some of us to compose a beat and rap to a song that Jewish children sing to celebrate the end of passover. We performed it for the entire faculty and students at the dinner. Elder Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy was also there listening, but he and his wife loved it. It's not everyday that you perform a rap for a General Authority . . . 

Within the last 6 years, a separation wall has been built between the West Bank and Israel to decrease the suicide bombings in the city. This is the most public part of the wall. The bombings have almost disappeared entirely since the wall was built (though many argue it is not because of the wall but other factors). This is obviously meant for an English audience because this particular graffiti artist purposefully did not write in Hebrew or Arabic. Interestingly, anything in English here speaks more to the intentions of the writer than its actual contents.

I took this picture of some of my friends at the Russian Church of Mary Magdelene in the Kidron Valley. This beautiful church is right next to the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of all Nations. 

When the Savior taught, "Consider the lilies", he was probably talking about these beautiful flowers that grow all over the Holy Land. They are not very big, but their red coloring is deep and rich. I took this picture at the place where we herded sheep. Aren't they beautiful?

"even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field . . . even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith."

Also, I wrote a poem late last night as I sat on a porch of the Jerusalem Center. It carries a lot of meaning for me, and I hope it has some uplifting power for you:

A Spring Night in Kidron

A gentle breeze through Gethsemane’s Garden
softly blows o'er olive leaves of green
It whispers to ears of souls that are wond'ring
"Who has oft traveled this valley’s vein?"

It wasn’t too far to the Mount of Olives
for ancient kings that watched at its base
Wind softly, faintly, is sighing its old song
Echoing when it felt the King’s face

Don’t close weary eyes, be watchful and prayerful
Though scoffed and scorned, He made sure His reign.
Teacher turned Savior, He bled on this mountain
Pressed for our sins, our suf'ring, our pain

A perfect life, tried and galvanized by fire
A finished work, forgetting not one.
A selfless servant and Master that taught us,
"Not my will, but Thine, O Lord be done."

A gentle breeze through Gethsemane's Garden
for noble souls that watch by its base
Wind softly but surely still sings hope's anthem
“Jesus Christ will return to this place!”

Samson, Goliath, and Slingin' Stones

The last week and a half has been extremely busy, and there are still a couple of midterms to go. It is sad to think that I am hitting the halfway point in so many of my classes. Time is going by much faster than I have planned on, but that's just life isn't it?

Oh, and I want to shout out to my little brother Mckay! He will be serving as a missionary in the Utica New York Mission and will be leaving April 4th (sadly, two weeks before I come home). I am so proud of him. The new and improved Elder May :)

This blog post is mostly just commentary on some pictures because I have lots more to do tonight, but I hope you enjoy!

Here is a picture of the Garden Tomb that sits not very far from the green hill Golgotha outside the city wall. We sang hymns while sitting on some benches nearby. A group of people from Asia and another from England came close to the tomb, and when they heard us singing, they began to cry. I t has been wonderful to meet so many faithful people from around the world.

We finally were let into the Garden of Gethsemane by the tenant. He wouldn't let us in the last couple of times, but this most recent time there were fewer people and he was in a good mood. I made sure to get some leaves from one of the trees to bring home. Anybody know of a good way to store leaves properly? 

This is near the Valley of Elah, where David slew Goliath. It is also near the place where Samson slew the thousand men with a donkey jawbone (I don't know how much I believe that is literally what happened, but it was interesting to talk about nonetheless!). I am slinging a small round stone at a hillside nearby. I got good enough to throw a stone about a hundred yards, though it is really hard to aim anywhere but forward, and nobody got hurt ;)

This shot is me looking from the Mount of Olives west to the Temple Mount, or Haram al-sharif as the Muslims call it. In between me and the Dome of the Rock is the valley of Kidron, Gethsemane, and two cemeteries.

I am standing in the Jordan River. We were not far from Jericho when we crossed it, so the water is far downstream and less clean than the pictures in LDS scriptures. It was complete with flies and stagnant water. It is someone near here that Jesus was probably baptized. We sang hymns, and there were even some white doves that flew over in a timely fashion. It was a peaceful and serene experience to be there. I liked that it was not as pristine a location as I had initially thought, because it made it all the more real that Jesus was willing to go below all things and show obedience to the Father by being baptized. I am grateful for His perfect example of humility, and it is remarkable that a perfect King would do all that He did so that He could show us the way. 

Across the River Jordan, from the West Bank to the East

We got home from Jordan Thursday evening, and since we have midterms next week it was an extremely busy Friday doing homework. I am relieved to have a day of rest and document my travels.

Jordan was an amazing experience. The first day we went to Mount Nebo, where Moses would end his journey as he looked across the valley to the promised land that he would never set foot in. It was on Nebo that he was translated (if you believe what Alma teaches). There was a beautiful monument erected to Moses there also:

Not far from Nebo was Madaba, where we stopped to see the oldest map of the Holy Land that still survives. It was made of over 2 million tile pieces, and sit in the floor of a greek orthodox church. The highlights of the entire trip for me were Petra and Jerash. Petra was breathtaking. The entire site is immense slot canyons that have resulted from thousands of years of water runoff. The slot canyons expand into sandstone valleys whose walls are cliffs with gigantic ruins carved right out of the sandstone cliffs. I pulled out my Indiana Jones hat, payed a local to ride his camel on one of the trails, and decided that I was just livin' the dream. It was so hard to capture the epic nature of everything with my camera, but here is a taste:

Today I was officially called and set apart as a primary teacher for the valiant 8 year old boys. They are wonderful little guys, the newest members of the Church. They get a little squirmy and anxious, but I feel so privileged to be reminded what Jesus meant when he twice taught the Nephites that we must, "repent, and become as a little child." Way to go Mom for putting up with all of those primary kids for so many years :) For some reason, I think the four boys I have are much more well behaved than I was in primary . . . .

I love you all, and I will try to blog a couple of times this week so I can share more!

Shalom aleichem,

-SJM

And the walls came a tumblin' down!

Among going to Negev (Southern Israel), the Garden Tomb, the Western Wall, and Jerod's Winter Palace, we literally took the road down to Jericho this week. Yep. You heard right. The road to Jericho. Just like the poor unassuming man in the parable of the Good Samaritan, we went down to the lowest and oldest city on earth. But don't worry, I didn't get robbed or plundered and left on the side of the road to die. I do have some pics from the trip though:

The walls of Jericho would have been built on top of this older wall that has been uncovered by archaeologists. In you didn't know what was going on, this is me faking to blow a trumpet. I guess these walls weren't supposed to come down . . .

Like I said, Jericho is the lowest and oldest city on earth. Pretty cool huh?

This arid landscape is the Judean Wilderness, which marks the road to Jericho and also the likely place where Jesus fasted for forty days and nights. I am trying to look contemplative here. Far in the distance, in the top left-middle of the picture, is the Mount of Olives.

Shabbat Shalom - and some pics!

Though I know most of your worship services will happen in a day and a half, shabbat shalom to all of you! Shabbat shalom means "Have a peaceful Sabbath." The sunset has passed here in the Old City, and the Sabbath is well under way for the Jewish world here, and for the Jerusalem Latter-Day Saints tomorrow. We were supposed to visit the Western Wall today as the Jews welcomed in the Sabbath, but they had to cancel the trip because of a rain storm that has continued most of the day. We are grateful for the rain, because it has been very dry here, but we were all a little down that we were stuck inside today.

Tonight, Jews around the world will light candles, and sing in Hebrew their prayer to invite in the Holy Day. My Jewish professor, Judy Goldman, was talking to me about what she does as the Sabbath Evening comes. She told me that she gathers her children around after they have dressed in their Sabbath clothing, and they very carefully turn off every electronic device in their home. The televisions, the computers, iPods, and anything else that might distract them from true worship. Then, with her children joining her, they sing a three page prayer that they all have memorized. It begins, "Barukh atah Adonai." Which translated from Hebrew means, "Blessed art Thou, Lord our God."

I was inspired by the faith and strength of this good Jewish woman. She is my Hebrew professor, and already I can read and write the first six letters of the Hebrew alphabet! It really isn't as difficult as it may sound, but I would be happy to write your name in Hebrew when I get back. I will give you a good deal :) Sorry . . . I must be getting used to bartering with the merchants.

I am so grateful to be in this beautiful place. Every morning I wake up and feel like I need to give thanks to God for the opportunity to be here, because I am realizing better what I have, but also what I need to be, and most importantly who I need to be. 

We got to have a tour of the underground parts of this building by the director here, Eran Hayet, yesterday. Each of us got to mark our name in the stone of the foundation of the building. It was a cool experience because there are thousands of names down there, and I got to add my name to theirs. The Jerusalem Center really is a temple of learning, but also a place of memories and history.  It is such a beautiful building, and I discovered several new rooms and tunnels these past few days. Yes, I do like to go exploring with the professor's children :) They are a lot of fun. The director of the Center reminded us about the absolutely immense costs to keep this place up, and he showed us some additional tunnels that we had not found. He also told us (tangent) that in Israel there is a 100% tax on many things. For instance, if you want to buy a $30,000 car, you pay $60,000 because of taxes. Also, gasoline is about $7 a gallon. So I don't think I have any rights to complain about filling up my car again . . . 

We met some great people from New York who are training to be Rabbis and Pastors. They were lost and hungry in the Old City, and I was surprised that I already knew enough to help them find food for a good price and then their way out of the city. It is amazing how much you can learn without realizing it. They asked us how long we were staying in Jerusalem, and when we told them, they were shocked. They could only tell us how long they had saved up and how hard they had worked to only be able to stay a week. They envied our opportunity. One lady named Clare was training to become a Protestant pastor, and she said, "I will spend the next two years of my life digesting this last week in Jerusalem. I can't imagine the opportunity to be able to stay for 3 months!"

I am so grateful to be here, and I love you all!

Shalom,


SJM

ORSON HYPE PARK - Courtney Neves, Codi Jamison, me

Mount of Olives view of the Temple Mount (Haram al-Sharif)

Dome of the Rock - Traditional site where Muhammad had his "Night Vision" and where Abraham sacrificed Isaac. Also former site of Herod's Temple.

Local neighborhood kids that play near the JC gate.

Church of All Nations in Gethsemane. This is supposedly the rock where Jesus prayed in the Garden, but it is one of many sites that claim to be built where He was. 

One of the many possible tombs of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

The magnificent Western Wall, one of the last remaining parts of Jerusalem that still stands as it was in the time of Christ. Jews insert prayers into the wall as part of their worship. The men on the left, the women on right. Everyone must have their head covered. This should sound familiar to some of us :)

"You Mormons . . . are a lot like Muslims"

Hello everybody! I am not going to try and write about everything that has happened thus far in this blog post, but I will try to capture some of the best moments in the Garden of Gethsemane and the Christian Quarter of the Holy City. I hope you are all doing well. Oh . . . and I should mention for my Utah and Idaho readers that it has been a freezing 50 to 60 degrees all week. I am sure you feel bad for me right?

Garden of Gethsemane:

First of all, it is so exciting for me that I can go to Gethsemane whenever I want (It is about a 15 minute walk if I am in a small group. That's 900 seconds to the GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE. Wow. Count to 900 right now, and that is how long it takes me to get there. I just want to make sure I convey how amazing that is to me!). After our Sabbath services were over (which are held on Saturday - for those of you who are more interested in this, please talk to a Seventh Day Adventist and you can learn all about it), we walked through the Orson Hyde Park, which is really a beautiful stone walkway that switchbacks down into the Kidron Valley. The Church bought the land and donated it to the city decades ago, and now it provides a sort of preparation/thoughtful time before the Garden.

When we got to the garden, I spent some time reading the different accounts of the Atonement, and there is a beautiful Roman Catholic Church that is nearby that contained many paintings and murals about the Savior's suffering. It is a great study room. It was a beautiful church, and it is the tenants of that church I think who take care of the olive grove just outside. I later found out that if olive trees are taken care of, they never die of old age (there must be a two and a half minute talk in that fact I think!). We have a tree here at the Center that is 1300 years old, and from I understand, they are much older in the garden. It is amazing to think about what those trees have seen, what they have lived through, and who has walked among their branches.

I am looking forward to going to the Garden again when I have more time, because it is there that I feel like I need to read and understand as much as I can. Don't we all feel that way?

Christian Quarter:

Jerusalem has at least 6 gates that I know of so far, and the most popular one seems to be Damascus Gate on the North Side. Not far from Damascus Gate midst the hundreds of merchants and money changers in the Old City is a little shop named Ali Baba. The owner of this shop is known simply as Shabban, and he is an absolutely wonderful man. An honest dealer with fair prices, he helped us understand what things should cost and where to go for the best products and prices. He has been working with students and teachers from BYU for over 27 years, and he was happy to tell us about the visits he has had from Steve Young, Truman Madsen, and a list of other names that I should have remembered. The neat thing is, he understands us perfectly, and though is English is not his strong point, he was anxious to tell us that he likes to work with us because, "You Mormons . . . are a lot like Muslims." He went on in broken phrases to compliment the modesty of the women, the Word of Wisdom, and the kindness and honesty we have. I will definitely think twice about what I think it means to be Muslim now. I was so impressed by this good Arab man who lives his faith and treats others so well.

Later, as we were walking on the Haram al-Sharif, or as Christian and Jews say, the Temple Mount, a muslim  woman came up to us and began to compliment us on the same things that Shabban did. She was so kind, and I felt like I was on my mission again. We did not proselyte, and we did not even explain anything other than that we were from BYU, but it was so welcoming to be treated with respect by the native people here. I am finding that it is very difficult to take any sides because they are so devoted and good whether they are from Israel or Palestine, whether they are Christian, Muslim, or Jewish. These are extremely faithful and devoted people, and my heart goes out to all of them.

As we sat in Sacrament Meeting on the Sabbath, a Christain-Mormon Palestinian woman got up to speak. She is the district Relief Society president of Israel (districts are what are formed if there are not enough members to make a stake). She welcomed all of us warmly, and she bore powerful testimony of something I thought I knew but had never come to realize. She told us that we were all children of Abraham, and because we are to inherit all of Abraham's blessings, this very land that we live on now is our familial Divine inheritance. This Holy Land is our home, spiritually AND literally. Father Abraham secured it for us by his faithfulness. Up to that point, I have felt somewhat like I was a stranger in this land. A stranger to language, custom, culture . . . just about everything. But when that woman testified of the Abrahamic Covenant, I realized that I am home. This place will be, if I am faithful, where I can find my father Abraham.

"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God." Ephesians 2:19 (emphasis added). 

I read that scripture over and over again. I think Paul was writing to our little group on Mount Scopus when he wrote that.


The Spirit of God like a fire is burning in my heart, and I love you all,


-SJM

Peace in the high places

Hello my wonderful friends and family. I have realized that I probably won't have time to blog every couple days, but I will try to get one in every three or four days.

It has been a busy last two days! We spent them in the city. I hope to get to post some pictures, but they asked us not to take any pictures yet because they wanted us to pay attention and get to learn the city. I feel like my knowledge has grown exponentially about this place. I wish I could fly you all over here and tell you about the Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Church of All Nations, the Church of the Ascension, Damascus and Joppa Gates . . . oh it is all so amazing.

They took us into the city, and fed us some shawarma and salab. Seeing as this is my first time outside of the USA, I am curious and willing to eat anything, which is a good and bad thing. The salab is a drink that tastes like warm custard mixed with dish soap, and I don't like it at all. It was . . . a good learning experience :) Shawarma, on the other hand, is absolutely delicious. I am definitely having that again. It is basically the Arab version of a hot dog, but it is nothing like a hot dog (I guess that doesn't really explain much . . .) It is a bunch of cooked meats, stuffed into pita bread, and heated in a small oven. It tasted like heaven in the wet cold air.

It was surprising to see how commercialized Jerusalem is. Even as we walked along the Via Dolorosa, the "Way of Sorrow," which marks the traditional path where the Savior walked as He carried the cross to Golgotha, the way was lined with food shops, clothing vendors, mini restaurants, etc . . . Though many scholars don't believe that this is actually the place that the Savior walked, it was so strange to see so much retail going on. What was more strange was hearing the vendors recognize us so quickly. They would shout, "Welcome Mormons! 50% off for you!" Another vendor yelled, "We love BYU!" My favorite was one man who smiled and said, "Go Cougars." They even have shirts printed with the BYU logo on them . . . I can't tell you how funny it is to see an olive wood carving of a Star of David, the Virgin Mary, and Joseph Smith all side by side in a shop window.

Luckily, the city is filled with large rooftops that are quiet and very scenic. We climbed some stairs to the top of an Austrian Hospice and looked over the city. It was breathtaking and peaceful. I am looking forward to the Sabbath (which we will have on Saturday like the Jews). I will be teaching primary tomorrow to the local branch kids, and I am looking forward to it.

I have one more story. As we got back to the center, we could hear the beautiful organ being played by Richard Eliot on the top floor of the Center. He will be performing as part of the 25th anniversary of the Center tomorrow night. We snuck into the large Upper Auditorium and just sat looking out the huge windows at Jerusalem while Brother Eliot played and played. I thought about the prophecies about the Holy City, both past, present, and future. It was Orson Hyde who came and dedicated this land, and promised 170 years ago that the Jews would return, the city would be rebuilt, and that the temple would be reconstructed. It was amazing to me that the former two have happened since Brother Hyde's visit. Though it seems now like the temple will never be built again, the other two promises seemed just as unlikely when Brother Hyde came and made all three of them. The Spirit brought back to me conviction that one day the Savior will return to this place, and that He will be recognized by all as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

I told Brother Eliot that we were grateful that he played for us, and after we chatted for a little while, we talked about Grandpa May. He remembered him well, but was saddened to hear that he had passed away. I am grateful that Grandpa's good life and influence stretches even to the Holy Land.

I am headed to bed. It is just after midnight here. Goodnight!

-SJM

P.S. I will not be checking facebook or twitter while I am gone, but feel free to email me at sterlingjamesmay@gmail.com

"Something Happened Here"

I am completely exhausted from 31 hours of being awake, so this will be a short blog post, but I AM HERE!

Wow is it ever beautiful. I will post pictures later when I go to an internet cafe because we are not allowed to at the Jerusalem Center due to low bandwidth. Then all of you can appreciate what i am seeing - I will try to describe it though :)

I am typing on my computer while literally overlooking the Holy City itself. When we arrived, we sat in the Upper Auditorium on the eight level of the Center. The Israeli director of the Jerusalem Center (who is Jewish - cool), Eran Hayet, said that this is among the best of the views of the city. Imagine being able to walk out the back door of the nicest hotel you have ever been in, and then being able to sit down on an immaculate lawn, surrounded by palm trees and the Biblical Gardens, and gaze down on thousands of years of history, devotion, faith, architecture, culture, and that all being lit up by a deep orange sunset. The Dome of the Rock. The Kidron Valley. The Jerusalem City Wall. And all of it with amazing people. Wow.

Oh, and to top it all off, Richard Eliot (the primary organist for the Tabernacle Choir) is here practicing for the 25h anniversary of the Jerusalem Center and played "Israel, Israel God is Calling" while we all sang and looked over the city. He will be here for the next few days in preparation for his performance on the Sabbath (Saturday). As we sang, I remembered with tears in my eyes what my Mom has been telling me for years about Jerusalem, "In the city, you feel that something happened there. Something great." She would often then testify of the Savior and His infinite words and works.

The Savior was here. He taught and lived and died here. I was reminded of a couple of verses that my brother Mckay read to me just before I left. The Savior was teaching the Nephites about the promises the Lord has made to His people. The Lord taught, "Then will the Father gather them together again, and give unto them ^aJerusalem for the ^bland of their inheritance. . ..  Verily, verily, I say unto you, all these things shall surely come, even as the Father hath commanded me. Then shall this covenant which the Father hath covenanted with his people be fulfilled; and then shall ^aJerusalem be inhabited again with my people, and it shall be the land of their inheritance." 3 Nephi 20:33&46


I am thrilled to be here for a small while to inhabit this Holy Land and to learn more about His words and life. I am grateful that the Spirit is helping direct my mind to what each of us has that is already holy and sacred - the words of the prophets and the Savior himself. It is the scriptures that I hope become better friends with during this trip, because truly it is those words that already testify that something great happened on this earth. Just a few minutes walk away from where I sit is the very garden where He bled and suffered, and the hillside where He was crucified. And yet the beauty of that is I already knew that He had done those things before I came. This experience just brings it to the forefront of my mind and makes it all the more vivid.

I am going to love this place. I think I already do :)

Until tomorrow in Jerusalem,

-SJM

"You won't find Him there, unless you take Him with you"

Hello blogger world! I am very excited to share some of what I learn and see while I study for the next few months at the BYU Jerusalem Center. I will be traveling through the Holy City itself, as well as other parts of the Holy Land including Bethlehem, Galilee, Jericho, and a week long trip to Turkey (which is the replacement for a now very hostile Egypt).

I got to talk to Bernard Madsen, son of the late Truman Madsen (former Jerusalem Center director) just a few days ago about what Jerusalem is like. He told me, "Imagine your own neighborhood being attacked by a local gang, except they had automatic weapons and some suicide bombers among them. How would those circumstances affect how you acted, where you went, and how you thought about security? That is what Jerusalem is like all of the time." He went on to address an assumption that I had made about going on a tour to find a pristine tourist environment filled with actual locations where Jesus Christ walked. He told me that there were so many different buildings devoted to Islam, Judaism, and Christianity at each famous location that it might be difficult to find a peaceful experience i was hoping for. He told me, "You won't find him there, unless you take Him with you first."

That is just what I hope to do. My greatest desire is that I can take the Savior with me, and that my faith and knowledge of His teachings and life will increase as a result of this trip. If I can hold them in my heart so they can be shared with my friends and family when I come back, then I know these experiences over the next few months will become an invaluable asset.

I will spend tomorrow packing and getting ready at the orientation on BYU campus.

I love you all! See you in a few months.

-SJM

If you want to learn some of the basics about what is going on in Israel and why things are so hostile, I recommend the following videos that explain the conflict in Israel generally (Thanks Brennan!). You can find them here: 

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/09/14/world/middleeast/the-battle-of-the-barrier.html