Sabbath

Sabbath is observed on Saturday for most of the people in Jerusalem and when the JC was instituted they received special permission from the church to do the same. Sacrament meeting is held in the most beautiful glass room overlooking the city! We are also blessed with a gorgeous organ and Brother Whipple who plays gorgeous prelude music with it. Speaking of music, it turns out we are one talented group of students. Three-fourths of the eighty kids here came to choir and we sounded great! We are going to have the opportunity to present a Christmas concert to the community before we leave in December! I am so excited! I might get to play the violin for it, too, which would be the icing on the cake! There are four other girls who brought violins and a couple of us played hymns today. What a blessing music is and how keenly I am missing it here! I need to find a balance of filling my thirst but not practicing too much…I must take advantage of all the opportunities that present themselves to me!

About twenty of us frequented the Orson Hyde Monument Park today. It is the site where Orson Hyde dedication the land in 1841 for the gathering of Israel at the request of Joseph Smith. The government owns the land but it is kept up by the church. We had a great view of the city and many of us took time there to ponder and write in out journals. All of the students are amazing! I couldn’t ask for a better group of kids to associate and learn with!

Lizzie writing in her journal at Orson Hyde Park.