To prepare I read the lesson material and wrote down all of my personal questions regarding the topic. I picked a few veins of thought that I felt were most relevant and formed a lesson around the questions I had related to those points along with a few relevant quotes from the lesson material. Then I went to Elder's Quorum and let the class members teach me.
During the lesson I learned that although there are plenty of apparent perks to being single, if you desire progress and want to be more like God, starting a family will provide experiences that will help you do that. Marriage is a step towards understanding the love God has for us. It's also the means by which we can have a greater capacity to bless others, particularly our future children.
After our church meetings we all walked to the Garden Tomb - a public site owned and operated by a non-denominational Christian organization. I was surprised at how much peace I felt there. There were groups of people there from all over the world and from many different Christian denominations honoring that site in their own way. Many of them were singing songs about Christ or praying together. I loved the feeling there - it was a unified feeling. No contention or competition between denominations. Just safety and respect as we focused on honoring and showing reverence for Jesus Christ.
We got a tour of the site from a Messianic Jew who showed us where many believe Christ was crucified - Golgotha, or Calvary. Golgotha is a Hebrew word that means "skull" and Calvary comes from the Latin word calvaria, also meaning "skull." Both refer to a rock formation resembling a skull near the place where criminals were crucified during the time of Christ.
Can you see on the right side halfway up the two indents that resemble eyes? Right below them is a rock indentation resembling a decayed nose...
The tour guide mentioned the bus terminal below and how it was disappointing to many that it was built at the base of such a significant religious landmark. He said in a way it's even more appropriate than if nothing was there as it represents the way it must have been in Christ's time - a well trafficked road near a main entrance to the city. He said typically men were crucified in public places, on ground level for all to see. No mention of a hill was made in the Bible to describe Golgotha so it's likely he was crucified where that very bus terminal is.
From there we went to the tomb. One thing I really liked about the tour was that our guide never made the bold claim that it was the very tomb where Christ was lain. Instead he described it as one similar to Christ's tomb in a place near where it would have been. He explained that while it very well could have been where Christ was entombed, what mattered more was what it represented and that it allowed us to visualize what His tomb was like. 
On the lower right hand corner of the picture you can see, propped up, a round stone similar to the one used to close Christ's tomb, which would have had a much smaller door than the one seen below.
After the tour we all sang "I Stand All Amazed," one of my favorite hymns. Here are the lyrics to my favorite verse:
I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
I hope to gain a deeper and more personal understanding of the Savior and His love for me this semester. I've heard many describe their relationship with Christ and how to strengthen it. What better place in the world to get to know Christ than the place where he was born, lived, taught, atoned, and died for me?
"He is not here for he is risen."
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