Eliza's monthly update

Can I just begin by saying that I absolutely love living here. Last week I was in Galilee and then the day we got back I went to Eliot to go snorkeling and play on the beach. The days that have followed have been wonderful. On Saturday I went to the Garden tomb and the Garden of Gethsemane. Usually Gethsemane is over crowded and touristy, but I went right before they locked the place up and asked if I could stay in the garden after closing. It was just me and about 6 other people in the whole garden and I knew 4 of them. It was beautiful, the solitude was all I could have asked for.

This is me in front of the garden tomb, it is one of my favorite things to do in the holy land- to go to the gardens and study my scriptures and write in my journal.

Today I got to play the bells at the YMCA in West Jerusalem. Brother and Sister Squires go every Sunday to play the bells. Bro. Squires informs me that a mere 100,000 people were listening. eight years of piano really came in handy today as a played my while 4 notes over and over again.

Today was palm Sunday, so i went to the church of the holy sepulcher and waved my palm leaf with the best of them. I got to watch a procession among other things and got glared at by two different churches, three monks and a random group of elderly women... it was a blast.

This is the sunset over the sea of Galilee.

P.S. I am officially 21.

-Eliza