Youth Conference: Footsteps of Lehi

Hi, friends,

 I just got back from Youth Conference, 3 days and 2 nights camping in the Negev desert Bedoin-style with 19 youth and 10 leaders.   And 30 spoons.  Washed in sand.  I haven't heard of anyone getting sick afterwards, but I was really wishing for some biodegradable dish soap, especially after the camel licked the water tank we were all using to refill our water bottles!

Five  stars for the food, the bonding among the youth, and the moonlit night as our ceiling.  (Riding a camel gets 1 star--good view but painful, worse than an uncomfortable bike seat.)  Five stars for John Howell, Kevin Mayberry, and Mark Morrison, branch presidents who gathered youth and led out with support from Dennis Lifferth, district president.   Five stars for Erin Belnap and Larissa Properzi who traipsed all over West Jerusalem to find a dozen sleeping bags, which kept us mostly dry in a drizzle.  Five stars for Ben Midbar tours, for welcoming us to their desert, and for showing us that we really don't need as much as we use, that teens can actually survive 3 days without cell phones and processed foods, and grownups can actually survive even when their cell phone cameras are out of battery.  And five stars for the youth (including Amanda and Emily) who reached out to each other and hiked, sang, and played with fellow saints from Haifa to Beer Sheva.   

The desert seems to contain a whole lotta nothing, but by looking closer, we can see that it is full of space, full of stars, full of amazing creatures who are well-suited for its challenges, and full of spirit--think of all the prophets who came from the desert, but very few felt the need to build temples there because they considered the desert a temple already.  No pictures can do it justice, but here are a couple taken before my battery died!

More September-Laying Foundations

So many foundations to begin in September!

Meeting  84 new best friends, orienting them to their new home, cultural expectations, field trip schedule, committee assignments (like Arab night or Seder committee), callings, Come Follow Me groups, and oh, yes, squeeze in some classes, ostensibly the primary reason we BYU faculty families are here!  Not to mention explaining the rules, lots of rules!  Most rules are here to keep everyone safe.  Some are here to keep the administration sane.  Our family's goal is to not mistakes so glaring that they spawn a new rule, or at least to not have the rule overtly named after us.  Each amazing field trip requires reservations, orientation meeting(s) or verbal announcements (Frank's jobs) as well as visual flyers with all the important details (Frank and I tag team on this) and usually some form of tipping or cash outlay (my job).

Then, to help with morale and make things fun, we mix in a talent show, choir practices, ping pong tournaments, and a guided tour under the building to legally add our names to the walls of the utility space below. 

If morale is a problem and students want to talk to someone about stress or whatever, they can contact the ombudsperson (me) and talk about how they feel and I help brainstorm possible options.  I have been trying to assemble some handouts and guidelines for possible scenarios, like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and sexual harassment.  BYU Caps seems to have helpful resources; I hope they will be helpful in real actual use here.

I have been blessed to be able to meet with  members of the Relief Society from all over Israel and Palestine, some Ukrainian and Russian speaking members in Beersheva and Tel Aviv, some Philippina members near Haifa, some local members who joined the church in other countries and then came here, and some expatriate members who are here for only a few years.  I meet them, love them, learn from them, exchange What'sApp phone numbers, and then we all have to go back to our own lives until the next time we meet.  It is an interesting arrangement.  No time to hold back and wait for people to warm up before trying to love them and see them as God sees them.

According to Mother Theresa, "If you judge people, you have no time to love them."  Of course we all study others closely and make judgments, but we can try to do it without blame or condemnation.  If someone is blunt or unkind, do I mentally label them a jerk and think, "How dare they?"  or do I secretly wonder if they're having a tough day or otherwise manifesting inner wounds?  If I choose the first, labelling and blaming, it will show in how I treat them, and they will likely continue to act that way in a vicious cycle that seems to prove my labels right but also makes me complicit in reinforcing their view of the world (of course, I am not responsible for what they choose to think, do, or say).  If I choose the second approach, observing without criticizing or blaming, maybe reflecting back whatever bit of truth I'm seeing in them, it will also show, and maybe hearts will soften, or at least they may feel safe to be their real, best selves.  I've seen that happen since I've been here, a frosty greeting turned into civility and actually resolving with an apology.  I consider that a moment of sacred vulnerability.

Arab Culture Night

This is the sign outside of the BYU Jerusalem Center.

Overlooking Jerusalem from the south

"Family Tree" pic in Jericho

Pizza in the Jewish Quarter after Hezekiah's tunnel

Shofar for Rosh Hoshana

Palmahim beach

Honey and Apples for Rosh Hashana

Cut paper art for a friend who is ill

At Qasr Al Yahud baptismal site

Our wonderful service couples:  Dennis and Margaret Lifferth, Mark and Mary Ann Morrison, Mark and Marvel Earnshaw (who just went home) John and Shawna Hilton, and Arvid and Kelly Carlson.

Getting Ready for Halloween!

September 2019

Quick post, photos to follow:

My birthday was fun.  I was intending at first to go low key which is easy when school starts in September and people don't think about birthdays because so much else is going on.  Then I realized I was feeling a bit isolated, so I decided to just bite the bullet and let the cat out of the bag.  One box of cupcake mix, 2 cartons of ice cream, and lots of napkins later, I felt much better.  The kids and Frank got me a potted plant (day 4 still alive) and I got 2 bday cards from my mom on the same day.  It was a DIY poem, with every other line of the poem blank.  So it says, "You're birthday's here, I just can't wait...." and I have to finish with a rhyme.  Then my parents called and we took turns reading our version of the missing lines.   I did the obligatory 46 pushups plus 1 to grow on (cheater style, in 2 sets).

I went out to lunch with some other moms-Zuni's sweet potato ravioli were the best!

 Our branch--the Jerusalem branch-- now has a young women's presidency and primary presidency.  I am the district R.S. secretary. Frank is in the district presidency as a counselor.   Still waiting on Seminary callings.  They do a hybrid seminary program here, some online with 2 weekly meetings.

I visited the Tel Aviv branch today in the 4th floor of an office building, and I met so many pioneers who joined the church in their home country and then found their way to Israel for work.  One lady from Cameroon said, "I was baptized 11 years ago today.  Today is my other birthday, when I was born to Jesus!"   Across the hallway from the Tel Aviv branch is the worship space for a Baptist congregation, so two groups of believers were filing into the building, and you know how you try to figure out who is new in the ward and who is visiting without revealing that you are kind of hoping for the former?  This was just as tricky.  We shared an elevator with a Chinese man and made small talk, and I asked him which congregation he was looking for.  He said, "The Church of Jesus Christ!"  #revealednameofthechurch.  

Arrival

Thinking of loved ones back home and our fun and busy summer!

Thursday 8/15/19  We left for Jerusalem in the afternoon and arrived Friday around dinner time.  Our flight were fine; I didn't sleep much, but that's to be expected.  The tradition is that when the plane touches down in Tel Aviv, everyone applauds, but just then I felt a wave of homesickness for my three sweet daughters in Utah, so I was clapping and crying at the same time!  



The director of the Jerusalem Center, Eran Hayet met us at the airport with his daugher Hadas, who is Lisa's age.  This was a very kind gesture that made us feel very special.  (Especially later on when we were the welcoming committee for others and realized how tiring it can be to wait in the airport for up to an hour on your feet!)  We and all our luggage made it back to the Jerusalem Center, which instantly felt like we never left!  I keep feeling like I am in a dream here,  and then the next instant it feels like the intervening 2 years in Utah were just a dream.  



We spoke for about 15 minutes with the Skinners, whom we are replacing.  Then we stayed in a different apartment for a few days while our real apartment was being prepared.  The temporary apartment was very nice and updated.  It had a mini-fridge and microwave, so we ate pita and veggies and yogurt for a few days.  We arrived in plum season, yay!

The next day was Saturday, Sabbath.  It was amazing as always.  Taking the sacrament and singing hymns about Jesus Christ really make the Holy Land feel holy to me.  Our friends John and Heather Howell are here with 4 of their 5 sons, and they all bike to church every week as well as lead and teach in the branch.  We were delighted to see Sahar Qumsiyeh visiting our branch from Idaho.  She was the Relief Society president when we first came to Jerusalem 9 years ago and a dear friend and now author. 
 
I ate lunch with Sahar and our friend Raghad, then enjoyed a nice potluck hosted by the four service couples from the center: the Lifferths, Hiltons, Earnshaws, and Morrisons.  These couples do so much to make us and the students feel comfortable here as well as coordinate outreach and tours of the building.  




8/20/19 We settled in to our real apartment on Monday night, and we welcomed the rest of the team on Tuesday.  The Belnaps, Pierces, and Properzis arrived from Utah, Ashkelon, and Italy, and we are all sorting out apartments and measuring cups and new phones this week.

 Amanda got to practice on the amazing organ today.  She is very motivated to play the beautiful organ here, and maybe she will have the chance to play in church in a few months.  We had a google hangout with the kids back home on the weekend, and that helped a lot to see that they are doing okay.  



8/23/19  We went to Palmahim beach for the afternoon with the Belnaps, and we enjoyed bobbing with the warm waves.  We stopped at McDonalds on the way back, where the choices were mini-burgers or huge burgers.  And you could choose either chicken nuggets or corn schnitzel, with traditional chopped cucumber salad on the side.

Thursday we had a new student Orientation at the Anglican School, then we went to the Mehane Yehuda Shuk, a busy, covered street market.  Sunday, which is like a Saturday, we visited the Citadel of David for some amazing views and an overview of thousands of years of history.
It must be more humid here because we are all looking a little extra glamorous!

Emily's teacher from three years ago just happened to spot us as we were walking by and ran over to say hello!  What are the chances?



8/28/19 Everything is fine here, the girls started school 2 days ago, and they each have a few classmates they knew from before.  They ride a shuttle to school with the other 9 students from the center, for a total of 11!  Amanda has been helpful in monitoring behavior on the bus and keeping track of booster seats for little ones.   Both Amanda and Emily have been zooming through the books in the kids library here.  They are waiting anxiously for the school library to open, but that may not happen for weeks.  

 

We celebrated the birthday of one of our Jerusalem cousins!  Passiflora flavored ice cream is actually really amazing!

Our world is a little upside-down at the moment, but all is well!  No comfort in the growth zone, no growth in the comfort zone, right?