The Garden Tomb

This afternoon we took a field trip to the Garden Tomb. It was a pretty busy place but there is definitely a special spirit about it. I'm looking forward to going back in the future for some peaceful moments and for some pictures. I had my camera with me but I spent my time thinking about the special place I was visiting instead of taking pictures.

After we finished the tour (our tour guide was a hilarious Southern Baptist preacher!) our group of about 90 took a few minutes to sing some hymns about the Savior. It was beyond description. I have already mentioned how any group of BYU students forms a beautiful choir but this was extra special. I can only imagine the thoughts of the other people in the garden. I saw a group of Nigerians through the hedge swaying to our hymns. There were even some people videoing us. As we were walking out several people stopped me to tell me how much they enjoyed our singing. It truly sounded like a choir of angels.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before but we aren't allowed to discuss Mormonism here in Israel. A lot of people in Israel were afraid that the center was going to be a hub for missionary work and they were doing everything they could to halt the building process because they know how wonderful our missionaries are. In order to stop the persecution the church offered to add a clause to the lease for the land for the Jerusalem Center that prohibits sharing the gospel within the borders of Israel. In fact, if you have an Israeli passport you can't be baptized because of this agreement. The president of the church and the president of BYU both signed it so it means that not a single member of the church can legally discuss the gospel with someone who is not already a member of the church in Israel. But that cannot stop the light of the gospel. When that agreement was signed someone said "How will you hide the light in their eyes?" I know that the light shines from our eyes and from our beautiful hymns. Our singing touched several hearts today and the people here know who we are. I am so glad that we can still share the gospel by just being who we are even if we can't talk to people about our beliefs.

I am so grateful for all of the special experiences I am having here. Every day I wonder why I am so blessed.