JORDAN--Monday 10/29

Jordan (the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to be exact) is so cool! It took a little while to get through border control but eventually we made it. I fell in love with Jordan right off the bat. It looks pretty much like Israel (which makes sense since it’s just the other side of the Jordan River) but is just more Arabian. The first area we drove through was a farming area—there were so many banana trees! I loved sitting in the front of the bus and drinking in the whole feeling of it. The small streets, the children running around, the men and women in the traditional dress…so awesome!

Our first stop was Mt. Nebo where Moses came to see the Holy Land (Deuteronomy 32) and then was translated (Deut 34). Brother Judd, our New Testament teacher, gave an awesome devotional that made this place really special to me. He taught us that Moses was translated because he needed to have a body when the time came to restore the keys of the priesthood on the Mount of Transfiguration and the Kirtland Temple in 1836. These keys give us the ability to make covenants with the Lord, and I realized that I will be able to do that in just a few months! The keys that Moses took with him when he was translated are the same ones we have today that enable us to make covenants and progress. I’m grateful for Mt. Nebo and Moses and missionary work and temples! We sang “Called to Serve” as a class and it made me more excited to be a missionary soon!

After Mt. Nebo we went to the St. George Church at Madaba that has a really neat mosaic map of the Holy Land on the floor! The mosaics really impressed me. 

Close-up of a hand--incredible!

Later we drove to Macherus, one of Herod the Great’s fortresses and the site where John the Baptist was beheaded. When John the Baptist was imprisoned here because he was preaching against Herod’s illegitimate marriage to his niece/sister-in-law, Jesus went the other way to Galilee. This was interesting because many people wondered why Jesus didn’t go to Macherus to save his cousin, forerunner, and friend. It doesn’t say in the scriptures why Jesus didn’t save him, but I guess it’s just because that was God’s plan for John. After John the Baptist’s death, Jesus testified to the people: “Among these that are born of women there is not a great prophet than John the Baptist” (Luke 7:28). I learned a powerful principle: you don’t have to die for the gospel like John the Baptist and many other martyrs, but you must live for it. I am trying to live for it everyday. I don’t always do a perfect job but I am honestly trying my best!

Macherus

Kaelyn and me 

Me and Katie 

My cute roommate Rosie!

We had some long bus rides today but I had such a fun time sitting by Jaelyn! I have to say that I’m so impressed by every person in our group. Everyone here is amazing! I’ve never been surrounded by so many spiritual, worthy, talented men and women, including our professors and service couples.