Today, I feel, is an appropriate time to close the book on my experiences in Jerusalem. Today is Easter, and thus we're celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior from the tomb. As a family we read in Luke about the trial, the crucifixion, the burial...and I thought of my experiences that I myself had in those same places: the Mount of Olives; Golgotha; the Temple Mount; and others. Of course my experiences in Israel are over--I won't ever be in ridiculously close quarters with my 90+ friends who experienced Israel with me, singing crazy songs, having dance parties on the bus, gossiping about couples making out in the bomb shelter, or doing the Waka at the Pyramids. BUT, as I reflect on this last semester (which went quick as a wink, by the way), I realize that coming home marked the beginning of a new phase in my life. My testimony of the Savior has taken on a much different texture, and I am now out of the spiritual slump that I felt for the year following my mission. I'm ready to give everything I am and will be to the Church without any reserve. And, I will keep the memories I made with me for the rest of my life as I begin to understand what Jesus' life REALLY means in the context I spent so much time learning about.
I loved Israel with all my heart. I look back on the time when I first applied for the program and can't believe that I didn't want to go! But God knew that I needed it, and that I would come back a completely changed person. So many have commented that I'm much happier since I got back, my family in particular. And they're right--I want to be and am actually happy now; consistently. Thank goodness God doesn't ever give up on His children. But the important thing to realize is that Israel in and of itself didn't change me--the Spirit did. It was because of the experiences I had learning about Jesus and my personal relationship with both Him and the Father that my faith was renewed and my spiritual well-being revitalized. And, as I mentioned in a previous post, the Lord now dwells in His holy temples and in the voice of His servants. Israel is a great place with a special history and future, and indeed God is watching over Jerusalem. But for now, our responsibility and privilege lies in missionary work, the home, our communities, and LDS temples. Jerusalem will be redeemed, but it's not a priority right now.
I testify the Savior lives. He atoned for our sins, weaknesses, pains, and flaws because He loved us--"Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men" (D&C 19:18-19). Glory to God and His Divine and Holy Son for the work they are performing, laboring in the vineyard for the salvation of the human family! May I forever remember the sacred time I spent in Israel, never forgetting that the tomb is empty--"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said!" Of these things I testify in the sacred name of He who descended below all things, even Jesus Christ, the Lord, amen.
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