9 days...

So, all that is going through my mind right now is, " holy cow, holy cow, holy cow, am I really going to Jerusalem in 9 days?!!?"

Yes, that exact phrase runs through my mind almost daily, hourly, and every minute. I can't believe that only a couple of months ago I was on the waiting list thinking that I wasn't going and then BAM I have 9 days until I leave. I just get chills every time I think of Jerusalem and that I'll actually be LIVING there for the next 14 weeks. Not just visiting or site seeing...I'll be living there. Walking where Jesus walked and where He performed countless miracles.

A year ago I only dreamt about this experience. I never thought it would come true...

It all started Christmas of 2009. I had come home for the holiday break from school and I was talking to my dad and he mentioned to me to look into the Jerusalem Center sponsored by BYU. I was like, "Saweet! heck yeah I'll look into it." As I was looking through there webpage I was getting more and more excited about the experience until I saw how expensive it was. I went to my dad and told him that I wasn't sure if I should go simply because of how expensive it was. My dad looked at me and said, "Jenny, your mom and I will talk and we will call you."

So, I go back to the land of the potato and 2 weeks into school my dad calls me saying, " Jenny, your mom and I decided we want you to go to Jerusalem." I freaked out! That's when I started looking into what I needed to do to get ready and was beyond excited until my dad passed away. When I went home for the funeral I told my mom I didn't have to go and that she could use the money my dad had saved to pay for bills or anything. My mom looked me in the eye and told me that everything wold be all right and that it was my dad's dream for me to go to Jerusalem. She told me that when I went he would be there with me through the whole experience.

It came to the time where I needed to put in my application...mind you I had finished it in a month before it was due...I was a tad bit excited ha ha. I had applied to go during winter semester 2011, because that was my off-track from school, so I wouldn't have to defer or anything. When I was home I had received the letter that told me that I had been denied all together. I didn't even get on the waiting list. I had no clue what to do, so I decided that the Lord had a reason for me to not go during winter and I was going to reapply for the following year during fall.

I was sitting in my science class, half asleep, when I was looking at the BYU-Jerusalem page again seeing what the deadlines were to turn in my application for the fall. As I was looking I saw that there was still a week left to turn in an application for the upcoming spring semester. I immediately texted my mom and told her I wanted to apply and she gave me the ok. So, that week I fixed up my essays and got the necessary interviews and sent in my application.

There were a little mishaps with my application, with me not putting enough postage, it being returned to my house in Florida, and my mom having to overnight my application to Utah for them to say I was able to apply, but it got there. Two weeks later I got notice that I was #7 on the waiting list. I was so excited. I turned everything in and just had to wait, and wait, and wait...It was almost February and I hadn't heard anything from the Jerusalem Center.

I was starting to get doubts because I had to either plan on going to Jerusalem or get ready to go back to Idaho. I was getting scared and was about to call Debbie from the center to tell her to cancel my application when I got a call saying that I was accepted. Granted, when she called I had laryngitis and I couldn't speak, but I was able to squeak out a "Yes, I want to go."

Now, here I am 9 days until departure. It has been a crazy process, but I'm about to go on a journey that will change my life forever. I hope all of you will join in the journey with me.