MONROE - A trip to the Holy Land is beyond reach for some people, but this Sunday, April 13, they can share the experiences of Clifford and Jackie Riley, a couple from Orem, Utah, on a mission with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that has brought them to the Monroe area for a year.
Clifford Riley hopes to "whet the appetites" of those who long to see the country by sharing his personal photos taken during several trips to Israel between 1986 and 2010.
An engineer and the past director of utilities at Brigham Young University, Clifford Riley went to the Jerusalem Center as it was being built, for the first time in 1986 at the request of the university. He inspected the heating and cooling system and fire alarm system for the building. When he returned, he was given the duty of inventorying the center's mechanical assets.
The university sent him back twice in the intervening years to review and evaluate the upkeep of the systems. Jackie Riley was able to accompany him in 2010.
The first part of his presentation is about the center, the ultimate purpose of his trips.
The Jerusalem Center is Brigham Young University's center for study in Jerusalem. The core curriculum includes the study of the Old and New Testaments, ancient and modern Near Eastern studies and language (Hebrew and Arabic), supplemented with field trips that cover the expanse of the Holy Land.
Jackie Riley calls the center "glorious" and described the center's auditorium looking down on a stage with a backdrop of the Old City through arching windows.
Musical artists perform at the center, she added, and though the performances are free, tickets must be requested to prevent crowds from having to be turned away.
The Rileys' pictures give attendees a sampling of the magnificent countryside, including the small coastal town of Caesarea.
Clifford Riley will then take his viewers to Ain Karim, a little town in the hills of Judea where Mary traveled to visit Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. That area is important as the introduction to the life and journeys of Christ, which follow in the photos of Nazareth, Bethlehem, the Shepherds' Fields, Gethsemane, Golgotha, and the Garden tomb, he said.
"I'm not an expert on Israel or Jerusalem," Clifford Riley said, "and I'm just an amateur photographer."
But the couple's enthusiasm for sharing their trips is bound to bring the Bible stories to life.
They will point out and read Biblical passages relating to some of the sites in an effort to help people better understand the stories, Jackie Riley said.
Attendees at Journey through the Holy Land will also be able to see a performance by the bass-baritone opera singer Peter Van de Graaff of Chicago, who has performed worldwide.
Clifford Riley hopes to "whet the appetites" of those who long to see the country by sharing his personal photos taken during several trips to Israel between 1986 and 2010.
An engineer and the past director of utilities at Brigham Young University, Clifford Riley went to the Jerusalem Center as it was being built, for the first time in 1986 at the request of the university. He inspected the heating and cooling system and fire alarm system for the building. When he returned, he was given the duty of inventorying the center's mechanical assets.
The university sent him back twice in the intervening years to review and evaluate the upkeep of the systems. Jackie Riley was able to accompany him in 2010.
The first part of his presentation is about the center, the ultimate purpose of his trips.
The Jerusalem Center is Brigham Young University's center for study in Jerusalem. The core curriculum includes the study of the Old and New Testaments, ancient and modern Near Eastern studies and language (Hebrew and Arabic), supplemented with field trips that cover the expanse of the Holy Land.
Jackie Riley calls the center "glorious" and described the center's auditorium looking down on a stage with a backdrop of the Old City through arching windows.
Musical artists perform at the center, she added, and though the performances are free, tickets must be requested to prevent crowds from having to be turned away.
The Rileys' pictures give attendees a sampling of the magnificent countryside, including the small coastal town of Caesarea.
Clifford Riley will then take his viewers to Ain Karim, a little town in the hills of Judea where Mary traveled to visit Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. That area is important as the introduction to the life and journeys of Christ, which follow in the photos of Nazareth, Bethlehem, the Shepherds' Fields, Gethsemane, Golgotha, and the Garden tomb, he said.
"I'm not an expert on Israel or Jerusalem," Clifford Riley said, "and I'm just an amateur photographer."
But the couple's enthusiasm for sharing their trips is bound to bring the Bible stories to life.
They will point out and read Biblical passages relating to some of the sites in an effort to help people better understand the stories, Jackie Riley said.
Attendees at Journey through the Holy Land will also be able to see a performance by the bass-baritone opera singer Peter Van de Graaff of Chicago, who has performed worldwide.