So Yeah, I Was on the History Channel!

A view of the Jerusalem Center

It seems like even though I post an entry every few days, so much happens that I have to catch everyone up. Saturday after church I went to the Orson Hyde Park and Garden of Gethsemane with some friends, and it was really cool, although not exactly what I expected. I was thinking that the Garden of Gethsemane would look rather like it does in the paintings with Christ in them, but it all looks relatively new. I'm not sure exactly why, but there's this separate little garden that's different from the main touristy one, and if you tell them you're Mormon, they unlock the gate and let you in. It was pretty cool to be a VIP, especially when I saw other people glancing in and wondering how we got in there.

The "Mormon section" of the Garden of Gethsemane

This cat just jumped up on my bench while I was reading my scriptures in Gethsemane. I guess we're buds now.

Today I had class until 12, but as soon as we were done, I headed out to the city. My group and I were looking to go to the Temple Institute, where the rather extremist Jews are showcasing all of the items they have ready for when the Third Temple is built on the Temple Mount. We did eventually get there, but as we were walking to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, we saw some people filming something, and so we stopped to see what it was. The History Channel was doing a special on Judas Iscariot and were interviewing passersby about their views on him. It was basically a debate between this guy who started a new religion worshiping Judas and whoever wanted to take him on. I am terrible at arguing, so I didn't attempt, but a girl I was with did, and so I'm definitely in the background of the shots for about 10 minutes. I don't know how much they'll use when it actually airs, but look for me sometime in the spring!

Finally! A picture of the Western Wall!

The Golden Menorah that the people at the Temple Institute had made for whenever the Third Temple is built. They're really prepared.

This was the TV show being filmed. The guy in the plaid pants was the founder of the Judas religion, and the people surrounding him were being interviewed. I was definitely in the background :)