I first heard of the opportunity to study abroad at the BYU Jerusalem Center when I was a Junior in High School. My Aunt and Uncle had lived there while my Uncle worked as an Institute Teacher. I sat spellbound as she described the experience to me and I knew after that first conversation that I wanted to study at the BYU Jerusalem Center. I had been saving my money to travel to Germany my Senior year but after learning about the Jerusalem Center my plan changed. I now had a new vision and a lot more money to save.
My dream never faded, and by the time I was a sophomore at BYU I had saved enough to go. I was thrilled. I had always had a dream to travel and now my adventure was about to begin. I went to the DI to buy some luggage, and I found an old plaid suit case that fit my budget and was large enough. Finally, the day to leave arrived. My parents took me to the airport and there was a tangible excitement in the air as the students gathered and the process of getting to know each other began. We laughed, chatted and played games all through the night until we finally landed in Tel Aviv. The security in this airport was unlike anything we had experienced in the US. Each piece of luggage was carefully inspected. A soldier picked up my old, heavy, plaid suitcase from the DI. It clearly was an outlier among the newer lighter pieces of my fellow students. “ Who is the owner of this bag?” He barked. Timidly I approached the soldier and let him know I was the owner. He asked me to follow him. He led me to a room in the back where they opened my bag to be checked. Finding all in order he let me close the bag and rejoin my friends.
As we left the airport a feeling of being home settled on me. It was a feeling I had not experienced up until that point in my life, but it was real and unshakeable. I watched out the window as a world so new to me sped by. When we arrived at the Jerusalem Center we walked quietly into the building. I can still remember the sound of the water fountain that echoed through the entry. We were in awe at the beauty of the building. This was punctuated by the amazing view of the Old City from the chapel. This was going to be my home for the next few months; I could hardly believe it.
We spent the next few months learning the language, history and culture of this amazing area. I came to appreciate the power of listening to the thoughts and experiences of others and learning to respect the devotions and deep love of God held by so many who also viewed this land as a Holy Land.
Two moments are etched powerfully in my mind. One day while exploring the old city I walked into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I noticed a woman looking at a picture of the Savior that was hanging on the wall, and her adoration of our Savior was clearly visible on her face. It became an invitation to me. I began to desire to know Him and love Him as she so clearly did. On another occasion, we had traveled as a small group of students to a bagel shop in the Jewish quarter of the city. While we were there eating lunch, a poorly dressed man approached me. He started quizzing me on what I believed. Because of the agreement our church has with the leaders of the country I was not at liberty to answer any of his questions but I did encourage him to look at the library where he might find materials to read. He then looked straight at me and said, I know that the scriptures speak of the Mount of Olives being split open at Christ’s return and I believe your BYU Center is part of the fulfillment of that prophecy. His words made an impact on me that I will never forget. These two experiences taught me powerfully to learn from and respect the knowledge and faith of others who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ, but who pray and receive answers from the Father of us all.
Finally, after seeing and learning so many things about the life of Christ it was time to return home. On the way to the airport, a clear thought impressed upon my mind. “It has been a great privilege for you to walk where Jesus has walked; but it will be even more important for you now to learn to walk how Jesus walked.” That experience came a year later as I served a full time mission.
Sixteen years after I had originally traveled to Jerusalem, I returned with my family where we baptized my son in the Jordan River. When I disembarked from the airplane that same overwhelming feeling of being home returned. It was a powerful reminder to me that our life here on Earth is a journey home and that we all desire to return home to our Heavenly Father someday.
Jana Hyatt, Fall 1995
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