Each year as Easter approaches I find that my testimony of Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world, is strengthened and spiritually infused as I recall and ponder an extraordinary experience I had years ago in Jerusalem, in the Garden Tomb.
It was after a long hard month of hectic travel and demanding work, in some pretty remote places in the world, that my husband and I planed to conclude our business trip with a visit to the Holy Land for the upcoming Easter holiday.
I had not been there before but my husband, a seasoned traveler, had many times.
Flights were booked, hotel accommodations made, and plans were laid for our first trip there together.
I was very excited and could hardly wait to see all the places I had only read about in the scriptures.
I was an “armchair” scholar of the Holy Land at the time and just beginning my study of ancient religions. This was a dream come true for me! Finally I would have the chance to walk in the footsteps of the great ones of Biblical history, the good and the bad. God’s chosen and anointed, Prophets and Apostles, and even the Savior himself. What a wonderful opportunity!
But suddenly our plans were changed with a ring of the telephone.
A critical business problem had come up in our London office, which my husband had to personally tend to.
With this change of circumstances, I soon realized that if I was going to be able to see and experience the Holy Land, which I had longed to do for years, I had to rise to the occasion and go on my own, with hope that my husband would be able to join me. So I boarded the plane to Tel Aviv.
Well aware of the history of constant political tension in Jerusalem, and throughout all of Israel, I was unsure and intimidated at the thought of being there alone, especially for a potentially charged holiday like Easter, which most certainly would draw enormous crowds.
I knew no one there and was depending on my husband’s protection, expertise and knowledge of where to go and what to see in the short time we had. But for now that was out of the question.
During the planning stages of our trip we talked about the special and sacred places we would be seeing.
It was there in that tiny, dusty, politically charged country, where the Savior of the World was born, lived, walked, taught and performed his ministry and miracles, that I wanted to ponder and pray, and hopefully receive insight and answers to some very serious problems that were weighing me down.
My faith felt strong enough to take on the adventure of going alone, but my mind was constantly telling me that I should be afraid, especially as a woman, to travel alone in such an intense place as Israel. However, it was the comforting influence of the spirit that calmed my troubled mind and opened the door to an experience that would forever change my life.
The hotel we were booked into was just up the hill from the Old City of Jerusalem, so I was able to walk to quite a few interesting and important sights without wondering too far from the hotel, which was my security blanket.
The weather was beautiful and as expected, there were enormous crowds of people everywhere.
The narrow shop lined streets in the Old City, became like a clogged artery with movement extremely slow and sluggish. But there were so many fascinating sights, smells and sounds, that I was grateful for the chance to go slowly so that I could take it all in. It was like I had stepped back in time two thousand years.
My mind was racing, trying to imagine what great souls had walked these narrow passages where I was now walking. That thought sank deep within me and I could hardly believe that I was really there!
After hours of wandering the streets of Old Jerusalem, without any unpleasant incident, I found myself at the Damascus Gate and thought of all the scriptural references to this gate and the “road to Damascus” which anciently stretched out directly in front of me.
As I exited through the gate I turned to look at the massive walls surrounding the Old City and thought of King Hezekiah, and the Prophet Isaiah, who channeled all of the outside water sources into the city, then fortressed the City walls and “…prayed and cried to heaven” for help to defeat the oncoming siege of the mighty Assyrian army, and how an angel of the Lord was sent and destroyed the army outside the City walls. (2 Chronicles 32: 20-21)
So many stories tell us of the beggars at the gates of the great City of Jerusalem and how they were healed, and blessed by the Apostles and the Savior himself. And there I stood at one of those very gates, in need of help myself!
I then headed for my last stop of the day, the Garden Tomb, which was just up the road from the Damascus Gate.
As I walked towards the Garden Tomb, I was filled with anticipation thinking about the things I would see and experience, and perhaps the opportunity I would have to sit quietly in a corner of the Garden and offer up my prayers of need and concern to my Father in Heaven.
But upon entering, I was taken back by all the people that were there, which appeared to be gathered in different religious groups being taught by their own Pastors, Preachers or Tour Guides.
There were so many groups gathered throughout the Garden that there was no quiet space to be found. I felt like I was attending a religious revival and could relate to the Prophet Joseph Smith’s testimony “…and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir…some crying, ‘Lo, here!’ and others, ‘Lo there!” (Joseph Smith – History, Chapter 1, verse 5)
It became very clear to me that I was not going to be able to sit quietly, anywhere in the Garden, and ponder and pray as I had hoped to do. So I took advantage of a guided tour that was just starting and was lucky enough to get a guide that was not only historically knowledgeable, but also scripturally knowledgeable. In spite of the crowds, it was a deeply moving experience and I was grateful to be there.
Upon leaving, I took a minute to look back over the Garden and tried to imagine what it would have been like with just half of the people there that day.
Would I have found my special spot, my place to ponder and pray? I finally left after minutes of standing there perusing the scene for where that spot might have been.
When I finally walked through the exit, I left with the ache of disappointment in my heart, and feeling a bit foolish in even thinking that I would have the chance for any solitude in such a popular and historical place.
That night I didn’t get much sleep, for the events of the day kept playing over and over in my mind.
The whole experience seemed surreal to me.
However, in spite of a restless night, I woke up early before the sunrise.
From my hotel window I could look out over Jerusalem and the surrounding area.
As I looked out of my window, and saw the rays of the rising sun start to glaze everything in a soft golden glow, the words of the Savior came into my mind.
“Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew, 23:37)
I couldn’t help but wonder if when the Savior uttered those words, was he too, high on a hill overlooking that magnificent city?
Then a wonderful thought came to me! Maybe if I went back to the Garden that morning, and was there right when it opened, maybe I would be able to find a private little spot before the crowds came, especially with it being Good Friday.
It was a cold and rather brisk morning. I could feel the wind in my face and I became aware of blustery grey clouds gathering overhead, but hope burned brightly in my heart as I hurried along.
As I turned onto the small street that led to the entrance to the Garden Tomb, I noticed that not one soul was in sight and I was very surprised to see that was the case.
However as I got closer, I saw that the gate to the entrance was slightly open, but no one was there. I couldn’t help but wonder why it was standing ajar!
When I stepped inside the gate, I saw only the gardener who was stooped over, working in the flowerbeds. I thought how back breaking his work was, but yet I envied him for the daily opportunity he must have to be in this beautiful and sacred garden all alone.
I greeted him and asked if the Garden Tomb was open and if it would be all right for me to come in? Instead of answering me, he lifted his head, looked directly at me and asked, “Have you not been here before?”
Even though the covering about his head partially hid his face from my view, I could see that he was not a young man, but he had a kind face and a gentle way about him.
I told him that I had been there the day before but was hoping to be able to come again today. He then told me that the Garden Tomb was closed because of it being Good Friday and all the pilgrimages that were taking place down in the Old City.
My heart sank in my chest. I could hardly believe that the Garden Tomb, of all places on earth, was closed on Good Friday!
I am sure with that news, my face and body language displayed all the disappointment that I felt at that moment, for he then kindly responded, “come in and close the gate behind you. Just remember to close it tightly when you leave.” I was overcome with emotion and gratitude as there I stood, alone in the Garden. I never saw the gardener again.
Was it just coincidence, or maybe a stroke of good luck? Or was it just being in the right place at the right time that afforded me that day alone in the Garden Tomb? I know that it was none of these.
For me, that day in the Garden Tomb, was one of those “tender mercies” that Elder David A. Bednar so profoundly bares testimony.
“I believe…that the Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ….I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are available to all of us and that the Redeemer of Israel is eager to bestow such gifts upon us.” (David A. Bednar “The Tender Mercies of the Lord,” April 3, 2005)
That day, my Father in Heaven let me know that he was aware of me personally and knew the deepest, most private longings of my heart.
In my heart I longed for just a small private corner in the Garden, but my Father gave me all of the Garden.
How often that experience has brought to mind the Saviors words of promise that our Father desires to give us “all that he has.” I learned this to be true.
Since that unforgettable day, I have never wondered whether Heavenly Father hears all of our prayers, be they spoken or unspoken.
Did all of my heartaches and problems, for which I sought his counsel that day in the Garden Tomb, go away or get resolved? “No”, is the answer. In fact, many of them got worse!
But that no longer mattered because now I knew that He knew the prayers and concerns of my heart, and that he would help me, guide me and bless me with all that I needed to meet the problems and challenges of life.
It is that knowledge and testimony, fortified by the Garden Tomb experience, which gave me the strength to carry on then, and to face even greater challenges that came along with the passing years.
As I continue to ponder all that I learned, felt and experienced in that beautiful Garden Tomb, on that most unforgettable day, one thought has lingered and continues to dominate all of the others. Who was the gardener at the Gate?
