I heard the Bells...

The first Sunday that I was here a bunch of us bolted into the city and raced to see anything and everything we could. We climbed all over the Mount of Olives, walked along the Garden of Gethsemene and the Kidron Valley, walked on the walls surrounding the Old City and many other things. This place has such a unique feeling about it and there is so much to see! One thing that we did that first Sunday was to meet one of the faculty, Brother Whipple, at the YMCA tower to participate in ringing the bells for the noon hour. It was so much fun! Little did I know that I was surrounded by music majors and the like (which, if I had known, I would've shied away from attempting to play) when I decided to give playing the bells a try. I had never played bells before (there are these wooden handles that you strike which are laid out similar to a piano keyboard) but managed to pull out a duet of the hymn, "Did You Think to Pray?" A few of the other students played some hymns as well, including "Come, Come, Ye Saints" and "Redeemer of Israel" before the chimes for the noon hour needed to be rung. It was pretty fun to have our music played, ringing out for all to hear over the Old City. There are a lot of Church members who work in the U.S. Embassy just near to the tower and they always smile when they hear the students playing. How incredible to have the hymns of the Restoration sounded out in the Old City of Jerusalem. Here are a few pictures of the bells and the tower...