Our Jerusalem Dinner

Last night we celebrated one of our very favorite Easter traditions of all!

Our Jerusalem dinner. :)

Every year on the Thursday before Easter which would have been the night that the Savior had the Last Supper, we turn down all the lights, move all the furniture, and have a primitive dinner that Jesus would have eaten with our own oil lamps that the kids sculpted with clay.

This really is one of the favorites for everyone in the family, and I love that they all look forward to it.

 Every year as we make our oil lamps we talk about the parable of the 10 Virgins, and how we can be prepared and have oil in our own lamps as we prepare for the Second Coming of the Savior of the world.

Everyone gets creative in their sculpting and it's always so fun to see what fun things they come up with!

 This year, Kierra made an elephant, 

 Carew and Dallin assisted Kesslyn in making a baby elephant, 

 Dallin made a candlestick, 

 Riley made a lamp with a lid, 

 Gavin made a coil lamp, and Kambriella made a sloth. ;)

We sat together around the floor to a dinner of fish, flat bread, yogurt, blueberries, pickles, cheese, and carrots. We lit our oil lamps (that only burned for a few seconds due to my lack of oil from the hobby store before it closed...isn't that ironic?? ;), and lit a few extra candles for some light. We listened to a pre-recorded video of my mom sharing her testimony and a few stories of her as a child (like being baptized in the river in Idaho ON her 8th birthday, November 19th...brrrrrrr), then we shared a few stories and testimonies with each other as well.

 With the lights down low, and the yummy food, this night tends to be a special night with a special spirit that accompanies our family. I hope and pray that the good that comes from these spiritual and fun traditions will sink deep into the souls of each of my children. I want nothing more than for each of them to have the gospel of Jesus Christ sink deep into their hearts.

At the close of this meal, it was time to begin our fast that would go through Good Friday with the rest of the world uniting together for "the present pandemic to be controlled, caregivers protected, the economy strengthened, and life normalized."

I know that miracles can come through fasting and prayer and I am grateful for the spirit that accompanies us during this petition to our loving and merciful God.