Music, Mitzvahs, and Missions!

Hello again! This post will be much more true to normal style. Alright, so here are some exciting things that happened this past week:

Exams. Okay, so exams weren't exciting, but they went pretty well. I still have a couple left, so please continue to keep me in your prayers!

Bucket List item. I checked off another item from the Bucket List! I officially played the Harry Potter theme song in the bell tower for all of Jerusalem to hear. My life is complete.

Bar Mitzvahs. On Thursday morning, we didn't have any class (since the morning was devoted to studying for our Old Testament final). So what did we do? We went over to the Western Wall and watched Bar Mitzvahs take place! They have them every Monday and Thursday mornings, but we always have class. It was such a great experience--the Old City was practically empty, all of the pastries in the city were hot and fly-free, and it was wonderful to see these little boys everywhere reading the Torah by such an important religious site. I've been to a couple of Bat Mitzvahs (for girls) before, so I was at least somewhat familiar with the concept behind the idea. What I didn't remember from previous ceremonies was the candy being thrown from the women's side of the area over to where the boy was carrying the Torah. That was pretty fun. It was also great to be a music nerd and note the tonal differences of the Torah depending on the Jewish denomination involved (the Israeli ones were also significantly different from the ones that I remember in America--cool, right?). Anyway, here are some pictures from the trip:

A boy wearing a tefillin and watching his friend read the Torah

Bar mitzvah boy carrying the Torah

Three very lovely Jerusalem Center ladies

Thanking his female friends (who couldn't be in the men's section with him) after the ceremony

A different denomination

Reading the Torah

Another exciting thing happened today: I got to go to some residential areas in the Christian Quarter of the Old City that are specifically designated for people age 65+.

It was wonderful! My favorite part was at the end, where we got to go inside this lady's house and sing (or, in my case, play) hymns for her and for her mother. They absolutely loved it and kissed me on the cheek when it was done. It made me so happy--I can't wait to go back in a couple of weeks! Here are a couple of photos of me with my new-found friends:

So, in essence, life is fantastic. And it gets even better! Tomorrow we're going snorkeling in Eilat (and for the Mormons who are reading this, we're taking the trail of Lehi's family to get down there to the Red Sea!). We're also stopping at a kibbutz on the way back for dinner--don't see how life gets much better than that. But wait, there's more! On the fourth of July, we'll be taking a trip down to Bethlehem, complete with an evening devotional in Shepherds' Fields with music (including some violin numbers played by yours truly). I'm also planning on trying my hand as a street performer sometime this week... Should be interesting.

Oh, and I guess there's something else as well... My mission papers are IN! They should have arrived in Salt Lake City today, so I should find out in the next 2-3 weeks where I'll be going. Crazy! It all feels so surreal that I have no idea where I'll be spending the next year and a half of my future. It's exciting stuff, though! I wouldn't have it any other way.

Alright, that should be enough for now! Thanks for reading and for keeping me posted on your lives--I appreciate it so much. Have a fantastic week!

Love,
Becca