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.