Shalom!!!

I just have a quick minute to tell you about the last few days... On Thursday we toured around the city for the first time, we were flanked by guards from the center whole time! I felt very important! We tried some bread that's called kaapaer with weird green seasoning... Zaraat I think? I may be butchering those. 

The next day was a little boring we had a ton of orientations and tried to stay awake jeeeeet laaaaaag. I love the Jerusalem center though, it's huge and has spectacular views.... It's like living in a palace. We are also fed reeeeeeally well. Too well probably. I eat like triple what I was eating a week ago. And muchhhhh better food.

We were assigned to different student committees. I am on the "shekel shack" team that buys snacks in the city and resells them in the center for profit. So we can make money for tshirts! We have a huge budget and its really fun to kinda run a business on the side! We went down to explore Jerusalem today and got a little lost in the old city,.... We went to the garden tomb, and then wandered our way to the western wall! We were in the Jewish quarter which was empty since today is the Shabbat (Sabbath)

It was fun, and a really long long walk! 

My classes are awesome! My Old Testament teacher is bro Belnap who is pretty legit. He knows his stuff. I taught his daughter Emma in young women's today! I wish they would make that my official calling!!!

I am really loving it here, still pretty tired! jeeeeet laaaaaaag

Love, kl

Ma nishma!?

 "how are you doing?" in Hebrew! (actually it means directly - what are you hearing? Haha

 and you can reply Be'seder- meaning "good" or directly "all is in order" 

My Hebrew class is one of my favorites! the woman who teaches us is fun- we get to sing Hebrew songs :D she’s married to a rabbi and shares a lot of cultural things with us. My favorite class is Old Testament. we have it every day- and I love going into depth on these scriptures, especially because I feel like I really struggle with the Old Testament. We've talked this week about the creation and how scriptures often compare the "wilderness" and "sea" to the chaos that existed when there was merely 'matter unorganized." And you see that throughout scripture- people compare death and sin to wilderness and chaos. But God is constantly moving from chaos to cosmos (Greek word for ORDER) Bro Belnap gives really awesome insights! we spent almost an hour last class going over Hagar, Sarah's hand maid and mother of Ishmael when Sarah couldn't have children. Its so fun! and then to get to go to Mt. Moriah where Abraham supposedly went to sacrifice Isaac (Dome of the Rock now) or this week we go to Beersheba which is along the patriarchs way where Abraham traveled. 

I love living here too- there’s so many fun people. Like today (Saturday, the Sabbath) we went to the Garden tomb and had a tour and then sang songs outside... it was really beautiful music. and I got with a group of people just now and did some improv singing! haha i love it I had my interview with the branch president just now, I was called as a gospel doctrine teacher earlier this week! I taught today :D it was really last minute bc I was just covering for a girl who got sick! but it was soooooo fun to teach. I get such a rush to teach.... I feel like I’m doing the best thing I could with my time, studying and teaching! haha I am really jealous of Alyssa who gets to do that all the time on her mission! 

Y’know, one thing that has struck me as I am here, is that I feel the spirit more strongly when I read the scriptures and pray then I do when Im touring the sites, etc. I mean its cool and fun to be in the places, but I (and you ) can learn just the same and feel the spirit just as strong without ever seeing these places!!! 

I wrote my first paper of the semester this past week…On the contextual rules of propinquity. tell me that doesn't sound like a blast!?!? I worked harder on that then most assignments. That’s one plus to living in your school and having not much else to do then homework sometimes. haha there’s always the option of going down to Jerusalem and hanging out! But I am trying to focus on getting good grades!!!

Speaking of, gotta run to do some H slash W!!!

Love,

KL