This post will be my own sappy musings, and won't be funny, so feel free to skip reading it. So this past week I was invited to attend a retreat for the Weizmann Department of Molecular Biology (even though I'm technically in the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics). For the retreat we ended up staying at the Ramot Resort on the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret). It was just a little north of the site (En Gev) where I stayed for two weeks back when I did the Jerusalem study abroad program through BYU 10 years ago.
(click here for a detailed view of where these resorts are)After our lectures the first evening there, I stepped outside and watched the sun set over the Sea and Tiberias (a city on the other side), as I had done many times while I was at En Gev. A feeling a nostalgia swept over me as I thought about the summer of 1998. I wanted to go back and relive those great memories... until I thought about how I was back then. I remember the spirit I felt as I visited the sites and gained a deeper understanding about the the scriptures, the life of Christ, his atonement and example, and what it meant to live the Gospel. I remembered what a life-changing experience that was. However, I also remembered how tough it was back then on the Jerusalem program trip. I was the sentimental type that wanted a girlfriend and to feel loved. However, being a pre-mission freshman, I was constantly treated as "a cute little brother" by everyone there (for obvious reasons), and to be completely honest, it left me feeling empty inside and lonely at times. Then I realized that I haven't felt those feelings since I began my mission in Spain (1999-2001), and since I met Maria (2002). I thought about how grateful I am to have Maria and Anabelle in my life. The emptiness I felt back then has long been filled with their love and the love of my Savior as my testimony of his role as my Savior and friend has grown over the years. It made me really appreciate the blessings in my life, and especially the lessons the Lord has taught me since then.
A photo I took from En Gev in July 1998
This post will be my own sappy musings, and won't be funny, so feel free to skip reading it. So this past week I was invited to attend a retreat for the Weizmann Department of Molecular Biology (even though I'm technically in the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics). For the retreat we ended up staying at the Ramot Resort on the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret). It was just a little north of the site (En Gev) where I stayed for two weeks back when I did the Jerusalem study abroad program through BYU 10 years ago. 
(click here for a detailed view of where these resorts are)After our lectures the first evening there, I stepped outside and watched the sun set over the Sea and Tiberias (a city on the other side), as I had done many times while I was at En Gev. A feeling a nostalgia swept over me as I thought about the summer of 1998. I wanted to go back and relive those great memories... until I thought about how I was back then. I remember the spirit I felt as I visited the sites and gained a deeper understanding about the the scriptures, the life of Christ, his atonement and example, and what it meant to live the Gospel. I remembered what a life-changing experience that was. However, I also remembered how tough it was back then on the Jerusalem program trip. I was the sentimental type that wanted a girlfriend and to feel loved. However, being a pre-mission freshman, I was constantly treated as "a cute little brother" by everyone there (for obvious reasons), and to be completely honest, it left me feeling empty inside and lonely at times. Then I realized that I haven't felt those feelings since I began my mission in Spain (1999-2001), and since I met Maria (2002). I thought about how grateful I am to have Maria and Anabelle in my life. The emptiness I felt back then has long been filled with their love and the love of my Savior as my testimony of his role as my Savior and friend has grown over the years. It made me really appreciate the blessings in my life, and especially the lessons the Lord has taught me since then.
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