Today I went to the Zoo!   There was a giant ark there, which was pretty much empty inside but it had a great view of the zoo and the surrounding area. We got to ride on a little train too to get around. One of the best parts of the day was that there was this group of preschoolers who all had down syndrome, and it was so sweet to see how excited they got at all of the different animals... even the boring ones. They were really... uplifting... to watch.
It was called a biblical zoo, but that included most of the animals that were on the ark, so maybe that's what they meant. There were zebras and hippos and rhinos and giraffes and a lion and a red panda and snakes and monkeys and flamingos... As well as, well, you can enjoy the pics:

A few people pointed out to me that I haven't really focused on anything... other than the places I visit and what I learn there. And, they're right. I haven't. So I suppose it might be a good thing to just talk about day-to-day life type stuff. So here goes. The Jerusalem Center is, basically, the coolest place I have ever lived: Three meals a day, every day (except fast Sabbath). Each meal has a variety of mostly all-you-can eat items. No need to cook. No dishes (and no need to organize a *strained laugh* “system” for doing the dishes with roommates!).

So, there are 8 floors in the JC.

• The 8th floor has the main entrance, the 24/7 security center (which has cameras all over the outside of the center—and they can zoom them extremely far), various classrooms used mainly for Sunday meetings, a multi-room library (pretty impressive, actually), a few small offices, a small art room, and the main auditorium that is used for tons of things including sacrament meetings and free concerts that we host (one of the ways that we are facilitating positive exposure for the Church because we can't prostlytize).
  
  
• The 7th floor houses our forum room where we have combined academic classes as well as houses the majority of the office space for our administrators, security, and office personnel.
  
  
• The 6th floor is where most of us hang out: it has the oasis (our cafeteria—did I mention that every meal has all you can drink lemonade as well as orange and grapefruit juices?), the computer lab, the manna cabana (student-run shack where we can buy treats in the evening), as well a few study rooms—two of which are equipped with HDTV's. It is also where our main classrooms are. We have 4 classrooms, but the JC is not at full student capacity, so we only ever use 3 of them (plus one 'secret' unmarked classroom).
  
  
• The 5th floor is where the faculty and all other non-students live--All of whom are absolutely exceptional people. First, there are the Whipples—I could write an entire entry about them. They are so awesome! Sister Whipple is one of those sweet ladies that just goes out of her way to love everyone. Bro. Whipple is a Swiss army knife of awesomeness—he has been a mission President, is involved in a new translation of the Polish Book of Mormon, and is the organist for the center and bell ringer for the YMCA tower in Jerusalem and lets us come with him! The Jacksons are the center doctors. They look after our temporal welfare and genuinely concerned about us always. The Okiishis take care of a bunch of stuff. Brother O is the branch president, so he does a LOT with that. He also helps host concerts. Sister O picks and arranges flowers to put around the Center to keep it looking nice, and also works with people who come to visit the Center. Our teachers Bro. Hamblin, Bro. Manscill, and Bro. Emmett and their families are there, too. They are all so... endearing (see attached pics).
  
  
• The 4th and 3rd floors are our student rooms. Four people per room. My roommates are Christian Frandsen, Nick Petersen, and Jared Young. All awesome, some in more... unique ways than others ;)
  
  
• The 2nd floor is more rooms (unused) and the laundry/ping pong area. The first floor is more unused rooms and the main entrance to West Jerusalem. And then under the center is the water, electrical, and other facility-type thangs. I feel perfectly safe and always at home.

My classes are:

-Old Testament, a class we have every day with about ~12 chapters of reading per day.

-A Jewish history class, taught by an orthodox Jew named Ophir. He grew up in New Jersey, is bald and always wears his kippa. He is the most engaging lecturer of all my teachers. He took us to his local synagog last week. It was all in Hebrew, so I didn't understand any of it. But they did give us a booklet to follow along with. It was all prescribed recitation with one time where a congregant gave what amounted to a talk.

-An Arab history class, taught by a Palestinian Christian who lives in Bethlehem (an area almost completely inhabited by Palestinian Muslims) named Dr. Adnan Musallam. His readings are very interesting—they really cause you to try to think about things in a different way—but his class is the one I enjoy least. I have a hard time understanding him, and he doesn't have a lot of skill at handling a class. His writing assignments are monumentally long.

-An Ancient Near Eastern studies class. Taught by Bro. Hamblin. This is about the archeology and, well, ancient history of the places we visit. He kinda comes off as a no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point facts man, but he has a soft side... and a very playful sense of humor. Don't have a verdict on his class yet. His readings are the worst, but his lectures are ok—except the parts where he just talks about the dry topics like pottery shards and stuff.

-Field Trips. Definitely among the coolest things we do.

-Language class. I'm in Hebrew taught by one Judy Goldman. She is a sweet, endearing, yet deeply discerning and talented teacher. Her class is almost zero pressure, yet I am learning a lot. I'll have a post about what I've learned shortly.

-For free time, I usually go into the city, read my scriptures, play games or watch movies that other people organize, and write about what I'm learning/experiencing. I have learned TONS and have had a lot of previously-learned lessons become... palpable... here.

   We walked up to the gate and wondered if we were in the right place.  There was a long line of Hasidic (ultra-orthodox) Jews with the iconic curls on the sides of their heads (called "peyot") coming out of the building.  But it was the right place: the tomb was in the basement and was also used as a synagogue.
            As I walked into the synagogue, I was humbled what I saw.  Even though I had before been in a place where orthodox Jews worship, the level of devotion of the Jewish people still touches me.  The casket that commemorates the place where David is believed to rest was part of the sacred wall where Jews pray.  As some Jews pray, they rock back and forth as they pray or read from the Torah.  At first, I thought this is unnerving, but then I learned the reason behind it: they interpret the scripture that one should worship God with all one's heart, might, mind, and strength to require a physical manifestation of their worship.  Now every time I see it, I reflect on my personal prayers: am I physically there when I speak to and worship my Lord?

            After visiting the tomb, I sat down on the steps and read a few scriptures related to the life and doings of David.  His was an amazing life: he was a lowly shepherd boy, and grew to be the most successful persona in Jewish history.  He united the tribes under a single banner and extended Israeli territory to the largest it had ever been, before or since.  If anyone had claim to being on top—to being the best, it was King David.  Which is why the rest of his story is so tragic.  His pride was his downfall.  Now, I don't pretend to know all of why he did what he did with Uriah and Bathsheba—only God knows what was truly going through his head and He will be the judge.  What I was struck with, though, was the impression I got that David seemed oblivious to his own slippage.  I have read the Old Testament before, but never in any serious depth until my religion class here in the Holy Land... and I have missed a lot. At the burial place of David himself, I re-read 2 Samuel chapter 12.  It is the prophet Nathan telling David a parable of two men: one rich, one poor.  The rich man “had many flocks and herds... but the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb.”  When a traveler came to the rich man's house, the rich man “took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.” When David heard this, “David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die.”  David was not even aware of the irony of his statement.  Nathan responded “Thou art the man” (2 Samuel 12:7).  Those four words... are life-changing. 

            People say I overuse that phrase, but that is how I really see things.  And this story, for me, illustrates precisely why.  David, like every. Single. One. Of us...is habitually too slow to look for the multifaceted application to ourselves in every parable, every maxim, every Sunday school lesson, or any inspired piece of truth from any source.  Now, this isn't required by any specific commandment.  It isn't unexpected.  Actually, it justifiably has the potential to be unhealthy... but I posit the idea that it is not only possible to do so healthily, but is actually the best possible thing to do for your health—physically and spiritually.  I am sure David went to religious services, He knew the commandments... yet he drifted far enough away in his mind to be able to listen to truth and either unconsciously zone out, or consciously justify that his situation was somehow different—that the lessons being taught were for “others.”  Imagine how his life would have been different if he would have had the simple humility—at all times and in all places—to say to himself, “I am never beyond the need to learn, improve, or repent.” Imagine a world where everyone asks, “Am I 'the man'”?  or “Lord, is it I?” (Matthew 26:22).  If approached with an eternal perspective, I believe this principle is the basis upon which we fulfill our purpose on Earth and, from my (acknowledgely limited experience) is the quickest way to make heaven of our lives while on Earth.  Consider the words of someone who, I genuinely believe, speaks for God:
“Now as we conclude this general conference, let us all give heed to what was said to us. Let us assume the counsel given applies to us, to me. Let us hearken to those we sustain as prophets and seers, as well as the other brethren, as if our eternal life depended upon it, because it does!” (Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, May 1978, p.77, emphasis added). Consider also this inspired quote, (that currently happens to be my second favorite of all time):

• “My dear brothers and sisters, the Lord does not want us to become aware of our state of nothingness and misery (see Mosiah 4:11; Alma 26:12; Hel. 12:7; Moses 1:10) only at the Day of Judgment. Now and every day in our mortal lives, He wants to sharpen our awareness. . . as He calls us to a continuous process of repentance...It seems that we can only effectively go through the process of continuous repentance if we literally learn to become our own judges. We ourselves and the Lord are the only ones who really know us. We do not even know ourselves unless we have learned to walk the lonely and most challenging road toward self-honesty, as constantly prompted by the Spirit.  This is the sacrifice we have to learn to offer. Nobody will ever be able to understand or even to accept principles of truth unless he or she, to some degree, has developed a painful awareness of the dimensions of self-honesty. Without the capability to recognize truth, we will not be really free: we will be slaves to habits or prejudices heavily covered with excuses. But learning to become aware of the depth of the dimensions of truth will make us free. We cannot remove a stumbling block unless we see it first. We cannot grow unless we know what is holding us back” (F. Enzio Busche, “University for Eternal Life,” Ensign, May 1989, 71)

            Is this too idealistic?  Perhaps... but for what it is worth, it has changed my life, and I testify that—if this total and constant application is applied holistically to the truths in the gospel (especially those about God's love and mercy)—it is the most liberating and happiness-sustaining ways to live.  Once we realize our relationship to God and our absolute dependence on Him, there is no shame in acknowledging that we have a consistent need to learn, improve, and repent.  In fact, I believe that humble acknowledgment brings us closest to the heart and mind of Christ, the fountain of all joy (See 1 Ne. 11:25 and Rev. 7:17).