Sunday, May 19, 2013

Day of Atonement and Some Symbolism


Day of Atonement:  Held in Sep/Oct
Atonement-in Hebrew is Kippur which means covering.  Christ covers our sins from God
     On Day of Atonement the people wear white.  They surround the temple alter with hands upraised in prayer circle and the High Priest, pleads for the people as a whole and then parts the veil and enters into God’s Presence.  There is a scapegoat which is driven out into the wilderness after being set apart.
Types and Symbols of Christ:
-Christ as the scapegoat in the Garden of Gethsemane
-Christ on the cross as the killed sacrifice
-Christ as the High Priest with the intercessory prayer where veil is rent thus permanently parting the veil so that now all can enter God’s presence for themselves.
Temple was destroyed in 70 AD.  Jews believe that Elijah will come and help restore the temple.  The Jews to this day pray for the restoration of the temple.                     --Kelly's notes

Who's who of the Herods


The Famous Herods
Herod the Great=King under Romans when Jesus Christ was born.

It was said that it was better to be Herod’s pig than to be his son.  He left the unclean pigs alone but killed at least three of his sons and one of his wives.
Herod Antipus= Herod the Great’s son.  The tetrarch.  Married half-brother’s wife, Herodius.  Daughter dances for him and asks for John the Baptist’s head.

Herod Agrippa=Herod the Great’s grandson.  Leader under Romans while Paul/Acts was preaching.  Ends the line.
Archaleus=Son of Herod the Great, rules Jerusalem when Jesus Christ comes back from Egypt, so Jesus moves to Nazareth.
Phillip= half-brother
Phillip= Brother

     Paul was brought to Herod Agrippa and has opportunity to bear witness.  Paul’s testimony is so strong that Herod ‘almost believes’.  (See Acts 26)  Here Paul read Paul’s testimony.
     Paul was 5 ft tall.  He was a small man with a whiny voice unless passionate and then he sounded like a lion.  He stands with enemies all around him.  His style was to not hold back but to bear strong testimony.
     When you put your faith against reason, when people say ‘that doesn't make sense’, know that God knows reasons we can’t understand.                                                   --Kelly's notes

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Tid Bits here and there and everywhere!


Day 3 Various information

-Kids go into the Army at 18 yrs old for 2-3 yrs. and then they take a year off.   Everyone does this except for the very religious (and some others), so they are delayed in education.
-There are 14-15 million Jews in the world.  In Israel there are about 6 m.  About 17 yrs ago 1 million immigrants came from Russia.  They were all assimilated into the country
-Olive trees live a long time, sometimes a thousand years.  It takes 15 yrs. from start to bear fruit. The Olive Trees were a symbol of hope and good for the survival of generations.

-Timothy was not a Jew—all other authors in New Testament were Jews.
-The Jews reject Jesus because he represents “Christianity”.  If they are to renounce Christianity they have to renounce Jesus.
-Lorenzo Snow=people could detect a change in his life when he returned from the Holy Land.
-Howard W. Hunter said  "If you come once you will want to return again—if you come more than once you will never want to leave."
-Bab=means gate or door in Arabic, ( sometimes pronounced 'bap') as John the Baptist was a gate to Jesus and as baptism is a gate…  the word 'baptism' comes from the Greek word meaning 'to immerse or dip'.
-1920's after the prohibition, Heber J. Grant dreamed a vision with terrible destruction to LDS families and it is then that the Word of Wisdom became mandatory.
-There is no constitution is Israel.  They use any countries' constitution.
- Gefilte fish is carp boiled a L*O*N*G time till it is a jelly...mmm, yum?
-falafels= Made with dried garbanzo beans ground into powder and mixed with water and spices. Then it is rolled into balls and fried.  These are put into pita bread with lettuce and veggies and tanhini sauce (made from sesame seeds).  It is a traditional lunch in Israel, much like a burger and fries.  Some of the falafels had fries on them. 
-Kosher is a separation of the Holy from the unholy.  A pause to separate self from the unholy.
-There are two General Authorities assigned to Israel at all times.
-In Hebrew each letter is assigned a number which gives meaning to words and meanings to numbers.  Ie; 666 = the number of the devil = 7 means perfection;  6 is not 7 but copies perfection, an imitation.

                                                                             ---Kelly's notes

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

LDS Tours 2013

Once, a motley group of tourists from all over the U.S., and by that I mostly just mean Texas, embarked on an epic journey with life-altering consequences. Little did any of them suspect that eternal bonds would be forged and testimonies solidified as they traveled around the Holy Land in the footsteps of their Savior. It is to establish a lifelong connection and record of the occurrences of this  unique adventure that this blog is hereby established. But first, an introduction of the adventurers:

Shon

Connor

Angie

Arden

Lorraine

Daren

Gary

Debbie

Ian

Brooklyn

Jami

Jan

Kelly,  desired and planned to spend time in the Holy Land.  Chose to wed, pay for hubby's education, and contribute to the world population with ten wonderfully awesome whippersnappers. So when offer came to accompany one of said whippersnappers-grabbed it with both hands!

Naomi, publicly proclaimed Master of General Championship, this boisterous crewmember happened upon the tour leader one fateful evening amidst the randomization provided by class scheduling according to convenience alone. As a result, Shon's Book of Mormon class was filled by one more seat and Naomi's thirst for adventure was sparked by his invitation. Knowing her mother's deepest yearnings and heartfelt desires, she set forth at a grueling pace with meager rations to finish the trip before leaving on a mission to France just a week later.

Mike

Jeri

Paul

Daryl

Sandra