Jerusalem

Elder Hochstrasser,

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary--oh wait, scratch that. start again.

Dear Jordan,

Congratulations! You have been given initial placement on the 2009 Fall Semester Program at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. Dates of this program are from September 1 to December 17

Your official acceptance, however, is pending until you have a Final Admission Interview with a member of the Jerusalem Center staff. Applicants who have received initial placement will be admitted for study at the Jerusalem Center based on their preparation for and ability to benefit from study at the Jerusalem Center, as well as their ability to contribute to the success of the experience for others in the unique Jerusalem Center setting.

etc.

My friend (Suzy) tells me that the interview is just a formality and that you most likely won't fail that. (I sure hope I don't now, or I'd look pretty dumb.) So this is pretty exciting news.

Jerusalem!

For those of you that haven't heard, I plan on going to the BYU Jerusalem Center this upcoming fall. I have started the application process and just need to write a few short essays. Here is a quick description of the Jerusalem Center for those that aren't familiar with BYU:

The Center itself is a beautiful building on Mount Scopus overlooking the Mount of Olives, the Kidron Valley, and the Old City. The 125,000 square-foot, eight-level structure is set amid five acres of beautifully landscaped gardens. Students study a core curriculum that focuses on Old and New Testament, ancient and modern Near Eastern studies, and language (Hebrew and Arabic). Classroom study is built around field trips that cover the length and breadth of the Holy Land.

I am very excited. As part of the application process I needed to have a few ecclesiastical interviews. I met with the 2nd Counselor in the Stake Presidency. He has newly been called and I discovered he was one of the main directors at the Jerusalem Center for the past two years--Richard Huntington. So he told me all about it during the interview. I will keep you all updated when I hear back from them.