Winter Wonderland

I'm sorry for skipping over Christmas, but I wanted to show you the view from Jerusalem on Thursday, January 10, 2013.  The last time it snowed this hard was 1992 when Frank was here as a student.  The entire city was bracing for the storm, and schools and businesses closed early Wednesday afternoon.

It was a great blessing that the new students arrived Wednesday afternoon, not only because the rainy streets were nearly vacant in advance of the storm, but also because one day's delay in plans would have stranded the students perhaps in JFK or Tel Aviv.  What a blessing that the brunt of the storm waited until bedtime.

We got up early to check on the school closure, then I grabbed my camera and headed out about 7am.  First stop: the playground a few meters down the hall from us on the first floor.

The snow accumulated on the windows up and down the central staircase, but didn't last long past sunup.

 Our faithful Security Staff were on hand to see us through the storm.  Many of our staff stayed the night in the center knowing the roads would be horrible.  These three were in the parking garage.

On Level 8, I found Samia and Murad, who live next door to the center and came to fulfill their duties in the housekeeping department.  We got our first taste of kumquats from this pretty tree last fall.

Many students were up early because of the 9-hour time difference and tried to catch their first glimpses of   Jerusalem.

The biblical gardens are undergoing renovations, which will enhance the beauty of the north side of the property.  Under the snow is a new water feature, walking path, and interpretive sign bases.

The beam press, loaded with the extra weight of 3 inches of snow.  A total of 4-6 inches was reported in Jerusalem, with up to 8 inches in some areas.

The strange shapes of the screw press and the huge olive-crushing mill catch the blue-grays of the pre-dawn sky.

Students heard the Muslim call to prayer this morning about 5 am.  Since we acclimated to the time difference, we usually don't hear the earliest call anymore.  You can see the Al-Aksa Mosque's gray dome center left.

A cat must have explored the Biblical Gardens before sunrise.

The sun rose and pushed aside some of the clouds, but it continued to snow off and on throughout the day. Here you can see the Dome of the Rock, the Dormitian Abbey behind it, and the Hurva Synagogue toward the right.  The domes of gold, gray, and white wore the same color for a few hours today.

Here is a view of the Muslim quarter of the old city, with the Christian Quarter behind it and the YMCA tower on the center skyline.

From the lower entrance to the Jerusalem Center, you can see the East Jerusalem village of At-Tur on the left, the old city in the middle, and West Jerusalem on the right.

Our balcony is on the left in the next picture, close to the lower entrance which leads to the lower gate.  

A few days ago, the wind blew down this tree at the lower gate.  I don't think there was any damage, but it took a few days before it could be cut up and hauled off.

The clouds were very dramatic around 8 am.  Our "Jerusalem Cousins" got a head start playing in the snow, and our kids were still eating breakfast by the time the others were cold and ready to play indoors.

You can see the snow-covered cars below.  This road leads up to "Crash Corner," and as early as Wednesday night we could hear shouting and honking as people threw snowballs at cars which were struggling to get up the steep road.

Some men were making snow angels down the hill from us.  In the link at the end of this post you can see how other Jerusalemites enjoyed the snow.

An ambulance makes its way carefully up the hill.

We found all the mittens and scarves we had brought and headed outside.  Megan is looking for just the right target.

We lined up for the family photo just as the snow began again.  This snowman was made by students, then destroyed, and rebuilt again.  Kind of like the city behind us which you can't see.

Emily gets ready for a new snowman.

Carrie's shorter hair loved all the extra moisture.  She donated 10 inches to Locks of Love in honor of Tori and Madi Campbell, friends from Orem, who face chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants for MLD.  (Click here for more about Tori and Madi.)

If you look carefully below, you can see Carrie's message stamped into the snow.

 

We made Cosmo together outside the Oasis.  Emily made the base, Amanda made the tail, hands, "Y", and football.  He was melting and sad looking by 3 pm.

These soggy redheads enjoyed the hill below the playground.

Snow angels are tricky to photograph.  Finer matter, I guess. 

The best family photo came last, after a few dryer loads of mittens, two baths, and several costume changes.

To see more photos from Jerusalem, click here for an article from the Daily Mail.  I love this photo because of the white sculpture on the left, a landmark known in the Jerusalem Center as "The Pencil Sharpener."

Christmas in Bethlehem Group

Many thanks to Sahar Qumsiyeh (in the striped red and gray sweater) for these photos of the Bethlehem Group's Christmas pageant on Sunday, December 23rd.  This took place in the remodelled meeting place below the Marcous family's apartment.  Sahar says the kids did a great job. 

  Santa Claus was played by Tony Azar, who with his wife Emily and four adorable kids once lived in our ward in Orem.  They live in Ramallah and worship with the Bethlehem saints whenever they can make the circuitous drive.
Direct Route from Ramallah to Bethlehem, 31 km, 41 min.  I don't even know how one drives to Bethlehem without crossing into Jerusalem, but it sometimes takes 3 hours.

 The cute props were made by Jolynn Williams of the Jerusalem branch and used the day before for our pageant.  The consulate and UN families in the Jerusalem branch are currently able to travel to Bethlehem, but the BYU families are not, except for Christmas Eve, when we got special permission to see the parade.

 

 After the pageant, the kids opened gifts from the district (mostly from Sahar, but the Tel Aviv branch and the Jerusalem branch also sent gifts which were given on a different occasion.)

Sahar's departure to the London MTC is only weeks away, and she will be sorely missed by everyone in the Jerusalem District!

December Fun

For the Anglican School Christmas play, Emily was a shepherd.  Amanda participated in a musical version of "A Christmas Carol," but unfortunately she was ill just before the performance so she missed out. 

We invited some friends over for lasagna, gingerbread cookies, and the BYU student Christmas Concert.  This is the only venue in which the students get to express their love for Jesus Christ before a public audience, and it was a real treat to hear fun songs (like "The Tonedeaf Angel") and sacred carols and songs from The Messiah.

This is me [Amanda] with Bamboo and his birthday with a muffmuff as a kake!!!!!

Carrie and a friend made a magazine for girls for her personal project, and she explained it to parents and teachers at a special event during school.  Here is Carrie's homeroom teacher (also Lisa's Arabic and science teacher) Mrs. Rania Husseini. 

Carrie poses with several friends from the Anglican school.

At the memories night, several students impersonated teachers, and here is Jed imitating Frank.  Jed is the one on the left, in case you can't tell. 

 

 

Advent Calendar and Christmas Poem

Happy December!  For those who want a countdown calendar with scriptures, my sister Shellie drew these cute pictures years ago.  You can print out the calendar (on 2 pages) and pictures, ask a child in your life to color the pictures, then each day read the scriptures and tape a picture in the square. 

 

Kristine Hansen is a friend from the Park 3rd ward who teaches writing at BYU, and she shared this poem with me. It seems fitting at Christmas time to remember not only the condescension of Christ at his birth, but also the purpose behind his birth, to know us, to rescue us, and to bring us to a potential much greater than we can even imagine.

Let Us Come Boldly

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Did it begin with his birth

In a cold and comfortless cave—

His ability to feel our pain?

Or when he felt faint from fatigue

Or from hunger and thirst,

Did he first know human frailty?

When the prince of this world,

Finding him weak in the wilderness,

Proffered power and dominion,

Did he, though resisting, not taste the lure?

When his friends became sick,

And some of them died,

Did he not grieve and mourn?

When he was rejected, despised, and betrayed,

Abandoned, then beaten and killed,

What more could he bear?

What condescension is here! What love!

Though he were a Son, he came down

To wade through all woes so that he might feel

As we feel, and know as we know.

And thus when we kneel to ask for his help,

We find him a friend whose faithfulness is firm,

Whose understanding is complete.

For he has plumbed the depths of all infirmity

To form the reservoir of love that flows

Into the never-ending fountain of his grace.

Now having ascended again on high,

Christ sits on a throne and bids us come

Boldly to him with all our needs,

For he is willing to salve all our sorrows

And dispense mercy from his vast stores.

Written by
Kristine Hansen

Happy 25th to the BYU Jerusalem Center

The Jerusalem Center employees celebrated its 25th anniversary with a dinner and awards ceremony.  I was out of town and did not attend, but here are some observations on the event from Ophir Yarden.





Women in hijab and men in kippot aren’t usually found dining together.  Last week these and many others – Jews, Christians and Muslims, some observant and others non-practicing – joined together to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of their workplace.  This is not a coexistence project or an experiment devoted to peacemaking, but simply daily work – the mutual interest of all involved.  For 25 years Jews and Arabs have worked together in all realms at The Jerusalem Center of Brigham Young University, a branch of the great American university sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).  In academics and instruction, in administration, support, security, maintenance and in the kitchen, Arabs and Jews work together.  Harmoniously.


Aptly enough, the event was scheduled for Thanksgiving eve on the U.S. calendar in a fine hotel in west Jerusalem (where the dietary needs of all could be addressed).  And just to broaden the cultural diversity, mostly American background music was provided by Garo, an Armenian keyboard musician.  Of course there were speeches and words of thanks – many of them.  And everyone understood as Tawfic Alawi, the center’s Associate Director serving as Master of Ceremonies, translated everything between the evening’s three languages: English, Arabic and Hebrew.  For some of us a highlight of the evening was the last speaker Nahum Nuriel, an Israeli Jew whose family hailed from Egypt. Mr. Nuriel commenced his remarks in Arabic and continued in Hebrew and English, as the translator stood idly by the side.

Click here for the full article.
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/thanksgiving-across-religious-and-national-lines/