Holy Rowleys in the Holy of Holies

Probably the only time that we will ever go into a Holy of Holies!

We went on a field trip to the Negev Desert. It was very interesting and very, very hot. First we started at a Bedouin village. They served us herbal tea and showed us how they make rugs. It was really neat and we were able to see how they live and where they go to school. It was incredibly humbling and I was able to learn a lot about the women there. At the desert we saw ancient Israelite temples and all sorts of rocks! I'll be completely honest with you... We got back from Turkey at about 3 in the morning the night before and I was super tired. It was great and I'm glad I got pictures so that I could remember everything that happened. 

How they make the rugs, so neat. 

This is a house that people actually live in. It is so humbling to see their  lives and attitudes.

These are the women that are in school. They let us into their classroom  and allowed us to take pictures.

Sacrificial alter at Tel-Sheva.

The YMCA bell tower! Our branch president plays the bells every Sunday and he let us come play with him! It was a beautiful view and the bells were awesome... and loud. 

An Israeli ambulance... comforting. 

Another night we went to the Kotel tunnel. It's underground and you are able to see the rest of the Western Wall that they have excavated. 

Camille and I in a cave at the Kotel Tunnel.

These women were praying in the tunnel and I snapped a picture as we walked by.. 

Turkish Delight

This is at the Hippodrome Square which is the first place we went in Turkey! TURKEY IS AMAZING! I don't think anyone really gets this picture.. but it's like the Sleeping Beauty thing! I pricked my finger and the next one is me in pain... I'm sick of just smiling in pictures, it gets old after a while.

This is the courtyard of a Sultan's palace. I've thought about this a lot and have come to a decision- I want one. The tile work in the palace was incredible and it had one of the best views in all of Turkey right on the sea.

Here is an example of some of the tile work and the gold all over the windows... This is my roommate Diedra! I call her D. I have no idea what we are doing here. 

How cool is this?! This is the Blue Mosque and was actually used in a Star Wars movie! I've never seen Star Wars but it was really neat inside as well. 

We got to go on a cruise down the Bosphorus. It was BEAUTIFUL. I loved it and we got to goof around on the boat. We had the whole boat to ourselves and really had a great time in the amazing weather. 

This is my great friend Camille! I just love her. We tried to get the Turkish flag in the background but you can see the great view. 

My favorite picture of the entire semester. We were telling everyone about our "Sure Love Ya" tradition and we all decided to give it a try. Now everyone is doing it and we even did it after our FHE prayer on Monday. Precious. 

Turkey had all these amazing castles right on the shore and this is just one that we were able to see from the boat. 

We got to make a stop at this look-out point between Instanbul (not Constantinople) and Troy. 

I really wanted a picture with sheep and the shepherd and this one was perfect! He brought the sheep over to us and let us pet it.

TROY! Scott and I are sticking out of the first two windows. 

This was a theater at Troy that was there at the time of Paul. Gladiators used to fight in there so naturally we had a match of our own... 

Behind Camille and Scott is the Trojan horse used in the movie Troy. Yes... the same horse that Brad Pitt may have touched. 

Right next to this horse is an outdoor basketball court that all these kids were playing at. We decided to join them and it was a blast. I would display pictures but I am not as coordinated as I once was. 

Dean, BJ and Tyson were attempting to look tough as the sunset went down on the harbor... and succeeded. 

This sunset was so pretty and you can see the place where Paul had a vision of a man beckoning him to where we were standing! Pretty neat. 

Class picture at Assos.

Aslan is his name... Scott named him after our tour guide (who had to be the funniest man I have ever met). Scott got him in Assos and he has been a hit. 

Assos had an amazing view and Scott caught me taking a glimpse. 

Pergamum is the Seat of Satan! We were able to visit all the 7 churches that we talked about. It was very pretty for being the Seat of Satan. We rode a tram up to the top and were able to explore around. 

I never quite knew how silk was made and this was so cool to watch! We were also able to see the Turkish women tying all the rugs and one of the ladies let me give it a shot. I can now make a Turkish rug! It only takes 4-6 months. 

This is the ancient library at Ephesus! With Scott's library card...

Goddess of NIKE!!!

Ephesus was probably one of my favorite places we went to on the whole trip. 

Ancient toilets... classic. Our tour guide Bulent Aslan joined Scott in this lovely picture. 

The guide called on Scott to give a performance in the Ephesus theater, which is huge... so here he is warming up. 

A beautiful rendition of "Come Fly With Me" and "Hey Jude" was given to all of Ephesus. 

I wish I could describe how funny our guide was. Our professor's name is Judd but he could only pronounce it as "Jude". So naturally the song "Hey Jude" was stuck in our heads the entire trip. The guide even sang it for us over the microphone and it was the worst sounding noise I've ever heard. We have a list of all the funny things he said and it makes me laugh every time. I will have to post it soon. 

A little show was put on for all the people coming off the cruise ships and we got to see a Gladiator fight at Ephesus.

3 Kings... or 3 Stooges.

Here was the mosque we went to where all the women had to cover their heads. I don't know how those women get the scarfs to stay on... 

These flowers were ALL OVER Turkey. I fell in love with them and miss them all ready. It was so pretty and I couldn't leave without getting a picture of them. Turkey was beautiful and so interesting and I am so lucky to have been able to go!

LOCK-DOWN

So we are currently on lock-down. We were for Friday and Saturday but luckily we are leaving for Turkey today!! The Independence Day celebration caused some uprising since that is not a pleasant day for Palestinians. During the demonstrations on Friday some riots took place and the city was not safe for us to be in. We have been able to hear shots from the center but the security is very careful not to let us outside. I guess if we saw someone throwing a stone and took a picture, they could think we would send it in to Israeli soldiers. They are just trying to avoid us becoming a target in any way. Lucky for me the ping-pong table is in the bomb-shelter so my chances of being safe are pretty good... We are leaving for Turkey in about an hour and will be there for a week! I am so excited I can't stand it. Shalom!

The Best

I thought I would share some fun statistics of my life since I have been here...

• Number of camels offered for me - 50
• Estimated weight gain by August - 70
• Stairs walked daily - approximately a billion
• Pictures taken - 2 billion
• Miles walked daily - around 700 (give or take 2)
• Sweat excreted - 20-30 Liters
• Percentage of time exhausted - 97%
• Days I have attempted to do my hair - .5
• Times Scott has yelled "Ali, get back here!" - 5 per hour

So much to say!!! So Friday night we were able to go into the Old City and visit the Western Wall. It was the night before the Sabbath so cameras were not allowed but I wish I could explain the experience. We split into the men's and women's side and were able to go touch the wall. Then the girls began to sing and dance and the place turned into a huge celebration! We were in a series of circles and holding hands with all the Jewish women singing (mumbling) songs that we did not know. Then we left the female section and continued the dancing in the common area. There were tons and tons of Israeli soldiers around and they were asking for us to teach them how to dance. We didn't know what we were doing so they asked us to come dance in a big circle... they were holding very large guns so we had to say yes. We sang and danced and then they started RIDE THAT PONY!!! It was obviously not the same lyrics and was in Hebrew but was all the same dance moves that we do at girls camp. We were laughing and having so much fun. The boys in our group saw there was a party going on and were trying to get in, then they realized it was us! Don't worry mom.. our professors were all there and approved of the celebrating.

Scott and I have made a goal to go to the Garden Tomb every Shabbat. It's been a really neat experience and we are so blessed to be able to do that. I have learned that while the Spirit is strong in these holy places, I feel His love the most when I am sitting in sacrament meeting. Our ward here is great and it is fun to see how many local members there are. I was called as the visiting teaching supervisor and am excited to get going!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOM!!! And all other mothers, especially the ones who helped raise me. Mom, I was so happy to talk to you and I hope our other siblings slaved and waited on you hand and foot like I would have done. Sunday was a free day and we got to do whatever we wanted! We got a group together and went to a museum here of Jerusalem history that we needed for a class, we then went to West Jerusalem and did some exploring. We also spent time in the Jewish quarter of the city which is really nice and we found this amazing bakery which will easily double my weight.

Monday was a really cool field trip to Jericho! We got to see the spring and Herod's castle and learned a lot about the geography! Go ahead and ask me what the elevation of Jericho is... well I will tell you, it is 850 feet below sea level. We also stopped in the Judean Wilderness where Christ was tempted and the story of the good Samaritan takes place. While it was incredibly spiritual and a wonderful experience, it was hot. Rumor is that it will only get hotter, except while in Turkey.. that is supposed to be chilly.

Monday night was AMAZING! Israel's Independence Day!!! We got permission to stay out late and party with the rest of the city. Everyone met in West Jerusalem where there were concerts and dancing and silly string all over the place! People buy silly string and just spray it everywhere. I also got my favorite souvenir here. Yes, you all guessed it, a blow up sword. It - was - AWESOME! People get these huge blow up things and just start swinging them, it was hilarious to get in these battles with all the kids. Later that night there were fireworks and being the obnoxious group that we are, we danced and sang super loud and clapped for anything under the sky.

Headlamps = Awesome.

Today (Tuesday) we had class and then went through Zedekiah's Cave. It was fun to explore and run around and I got the chance to put my head-lamp to good use. I took it off in the city to avoid jealousy and everyone trying to rob me. We went back to the Bakery of Death (I am going to call it that from now on because of what it is doing to my cholesterol). Then we went to a overlook of the Western Wall. Here is something exciting!!! Paul Piper was here and we got to have dinner with him and visit with him! It was a really neat experience. Rumor was he was here to discuss allowing missionaries into Israel and we were able to ask him a lot of questions about that. He had lots of words of advice and he said that we need to work on our patience. He reminded us how blessed we are to be here and that we need to pray for this land. Elder Piper also said that he is convinced we will see more miracles in our lives than he has, and that is including the Berlin Wall which was a huge miracle. It got me really excited and gave us hope of one day being able to share the Gospel here.