Advent Day 7: I Can Hear Them

Told you it wouldn't be long

Today a poem: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. If you prefer (I know I do) you can click the youtube link below and listen to MercyMe singing this poem instead of just reading it (the intro lasts for about 45 seconds so just be patient). The message of the poem is one of hope that we need beyond the Christmas season but it is the bells of Christmas that serve as reminders of hope in this poem. This was the message of hope that the angels brought to the cold and lonely shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem all those years ago. It's the same message of hope that we accept as true and celebrate Christmas in memory of.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

and wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the South,

And with the sound

The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent

The hearth-stones of a continent,

And made forlorn

The households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1863

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHE4zVRnUfM

Luke 2:8-20

"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 

'Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.' And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."

That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown

Advent Day 6: More than a Streetmarket

First the much awaited pictures from a day in Eliat.  https://picasaweb.google.com/108532852514122909750/Eliat?authkey=Gv1sRgCPDhh9uP3pv4sgE#

Next, I'm sure you'd like to know why yet again my post is late. Well, ya see Friday nights are Souk by the Sea nights here. 

Souk by the Sea is a local market that runs from 4 until 11 pm Friday nights between the months of September and May. The Souk offers local handicrafts-men the chance to present and sell their traditional crafts and original creations to the tourists who stop into town on their tours of Jordan. Green Creations is one of the booths featured alongside Arabic calligraphy, olive wood sculptures and decorations, natural stone jewelry, Dead Sea spa products and multiple one of a kind goods. Tourists can also drink Arabic coffee while they get traditional Henna designs and enjoy live entertainment. What I like about Souk is that it's never boring. On busy nights, I get to meet people from all over who have gone on sporadic vacations or who are taking a break from the fast-paced life in the capital. People from all over come to share their stories with us and I get to tell them about Green Creations and about this town that I love. On slow nights, I get to know the other vendors, hear their stories and learn about their lives here. These are people that I would not meet normally and so getting to talk with them is always very interesting. This is what Souk is: a place where stories are told and where people share in the stories of others. The story of Jordan gets told through the entertainment, the time honored crafts displayed, and through the people who make and sell them. I don't have too many pictures of the Souk yet but you can check out Souk's website bellow, or their Facebook or twitter page (make sure to like/follow us).

Souk website: http://soukbythesea.com/

https://picasaweb.google.com/108532852514122909750/Souk1?authkey=Gv1sRgCNHcwe7Oht7eTQ

My next post is not late; I am just going to hold off on posting it until tomorrow morning so that you can fully appreciate this post and build virtuous patience.

Advent Day 5: Sons

Sorry that this one is a wee bit late. Yesterday we had a Christmas/Farewell party at Green Creations for my compatriots and the English term came to a close with Graduation in the evening. After graduation, Kara and I went out to dinner with our friend who is visiting from Amman. When all was said and done and Kara and I were back home it was 12:30.

I came across an interesting verse in Deuteronomy the other day. Moses begins this book by recounting to the remaining Israelites their journey from Egypt, their stubbornness and rebellion in the desert, and as a result their extra 40 years of wandering in the desert. These 40 years are coming to a close and soon they shall enter the Promise Land. In describing their trek through the desert, Moses puts it this way: Deuteronomy 1:31 "and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place." God carries you and me as a man carries his son.

Being called a son of God is no small thing. It was a title that mankind had and threw away. Since then God has made a way for this relationship to be reestablished. John tells us in the opening chapter of his Gospel about how the Word was sent into the earth that He created and cleared the path for man to return to his Heavenly Father. John 1:12 "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God." 

Paul loves this image of the Son gathering adopted sons to the Father through His sacrifice and the imparting of the Spirit that would allow the adoption certificate to be officiated. Romans 9:25-26 "As indeed he says in Hosea, 'Those who were not my people I will call "my people" and her who was not beloved I will call "beloved" And in the very place where it was said to them "You are not my people" there they will be called "sons of the living God."'"

What comes next is the owning of this new identity that we have been given. Our family name has changed from Adam to Christ and we can boldly call on the name of our Father because for a son it is not a bold thing at all to do so. A child calls out to his father because he knows a loving answer will be given and does not fear that his father is too far off to hear him. Romans 8:15-17 "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."

Advent Day 4: Pray for Rain

Living in the desert, you give up on the hope that the few clouds that do roll this way would bring rain with them. Rain sometimes, however, comes in the winter months here along with the cooler temperatures. What I mean by "cooler temperatures" is that most days it stays between 80 & 90 instead of 90 & 100. We had about two weeks of these temps but now its back to being hot...all the time. I was assured by my friends here that it usually stays cooler for longer but since I arrived in may and experienced the strangling heat of the summer right off the bat, imagining mild weather here is a stretch for me. The jokes on me though since last night we had rain. I'm bummed that I was asleep and missed it, but I saw the after math today and felt the humidity that the rain left behind.

One of the things that will continue to be strange to me as I gear up to spend Christmas in a place that is so very different from my home is that there will be no snow. However, with the break in the weather I continued to think throughout the day that it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. As a result I've included the link to Michael Bubble's version of this song (my favorite version of this song is done by Shane and Shane but I could not find it on youtube). Still haven't found a way to embed the videos on this page though so you'll have to follow the link to youtube and enjoy the song on there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhH5jPq5mVQ

Advent Day 3: Times

Very soon I will be the only intern here. Becca and Hailey are returning to the States in a matter of days to finish college and Kara is going as well to start her own college experience. I have never stayed in Jordan by myself longer than a week. Interns were already here when I arrived and though I've seen interns transition in and out it's never left me on my own. This week and next week will be filled with last hurrahs, final visits and bidding farewells. I knew this day was coming but "December" always seems far off in July and August so much so that you never expect it to actually happen. Sometimes I feel like so much of my life is spent talking about things that are going to happen that when they do happen I'm always taken aback by the abruptness with which things arrive and the quickness with which they leave. Now another finish line is in sight and the testing of my metal is coming. To be sure I'll still have the team around me and some new roommates will come with the New Year but now I'm different. I'll be the one with the experience and the knowledge, but also still an intern who is learning and experiencing new things everyday. The sands are again shifting under my feet and all I can do is pray for good balance to stay upright.

Ecclesiastics reminds us of the season and time for everything. The seasons of our lives rarely match up with those around us but it is with these people that we share our lives. Today I shared in a season of mourning as I attended a wake. 

Welfit is a women's exercise class that meets at the Center three times a week. The women have grown close to each other and to the ladies who teach the classes. One of the ladies who attended the classes, Lana, was a young woman full of life and expecting a baby. Very suddenly she became severely sick and the sickness claimed both her and her child. Every woman who is part of Welfit was heartbroken over this tragedy. Hailey and I have been going to classes once a week for a while now but because of the language barrier and scheduling conflicts we have not gotten a lot of opportunities to interact with them outside of class. Despite this I wanted to attend the meeting to show respect, love and support for everyone who did know Lana. It began with prayer, then there were some readings from the Quran and the Bible. Some of the women who were close to Lana talked about her character, her energy and how much they were going to miss her. My heart broke for each of the women there and for Lana's family. All I could do was sit, drink coffee and pray for every woman in the room. When it was over, I got up to leave to go running but I decided to go around and properly say goodbye to all the ladies there. Each of them thanked me heartily for coming. As I climbed the stairs up to the exercise room I couldn't help it, I cried.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-7 "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 
a time to break down, and a time to build up; 
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; 
a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 
a time to seek, and a time to lose; 
a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak."

O God give us joy when entering into new seasons, wisdom and love in sharing in the seasons of others, and faith and perseverance in all times.

Advent Day 2: Awe Inspiring Creation

One of the gifts I have received in the mail during my stay here was a book from my mother. Ann Voskamp’s new book The Greatest Gift is an advent reading that starts with scripture, then has a short devotional writing, next there is a daily challenge to get the reader to practically apply the lessons of the devo, lastly there is a journaling section for the reader to reflect on what they read and did that day. One of the practical applications of today’s reading, entitled “Life Begins as a Love Story” was to stop to marvel at the miracles that occur every second around us in creation. “So go to the window. Go to the hills, the desert, the corner, the back door, and be ravished and taken and awed, and you who were made by Love, made for love – be still and know and watch love come down. The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.” There are a lot of different things we could talk about from these simple instructions, but today I wanted to share with you some of the places that I have been to and left awed by. So here they are in no particular order:

Northern Ireland

Loch Lomond Scotland

Wadi Rum

The Red Sea

  Petra

Bird's Eye View

 Psalm 8

O Lord our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2     Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Advent Day 1: An Invitation

I want to start this Advent season as everything should be started: by inviting Christ in. Much of the Christmas season is spent reflecting on the incarnation of Christ which is right and worthy of our attention. However, I humbly offer that we should begin in a different spot. Instead of jumping into the state in which Jesus entered the world and the miracle thereof, we should begin in worshipful calling out to our Savior. It is when we are joined by the presence of the Holy that revelation and celebration joyfully go hand in hand. The song i chose to open with is Heaven Fall Down by Phil Wickham who is joined in the video by Shane and Shane (video at the end of the post). This prayerful and earnest calling upon the Spirit to fall on us is exactly the type of attitude that should be exemplified in the wake of this holiday season which focuses all too soon on the appearance rather than the coming. 

The Israelites in the Old Testament were well acquainted with having to wait for the Presence to fall. Israel could only move forward when the presence of the Lord moved beyond the tent of the Tabernacle. "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys" Exodus 40:34-38. How long the Israelites had to follow this pillar of cloud and where it would lead them were not subjects the people were to concern themselves with. The only logical response to looking out in the morning and seeing the tangible presence of God leading their people onward was complete obedience. Of course the Israelites did not exactly have obedience on their list of virtues but they did follow the pillars of cloud and fire in the wilderness for forty years. This cloud of presence also fills the Temple at its dedication in 1 Kings 8. After witnessing this desscention of the presence of the Holy, Solomon launches into a lengthy prayer of dedication in which he reflects: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!" 1 Kings 8:27. Completely preposterous isn't it that the God who created and sustains the universe would content himself to live in an earthly dwelling of any kind?

We already know the ending to this story though. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). A great fiery presence, a cloud of glory that could not be contained took on the form of a little baby. Why you ask? Well we'll talk about the 'why' soon enough. Tonight we will focus on the who and the where. The who is you and me and Christ. We cry out in desperation for the fullness of the Presence to be imparted to us, for heaven to fall down on us. This is where my advent will start: expectantly and desperately waiting.

Open our eyes, Lord, let us see
All that You are, all that You mean
Open our ears, Lord, let us hear
All that You are, be loud and clear
Please be near

As our praises rise
May Your presence fall

Heaven, Heaven fall down
Spirit, Spirit pour out
On us all now
Heaven fall down

Come Jesus come, come like the wind
Fill up this place, we welcome You in
Come Jesus come, come like the rain
Open the sky; show us Your face
Oh, Lord, we wait

As our praises rise
May Your presence fall

Heaven, Heaven fall down
Spirit, Spirit pour out
On us all now
Heaven fall down

We're crying out in desperation
Waiting now in expectation
We're crying out in desperation
For You
We're crying out in desperation
Waiting now in expectation
We're crying out in desperation
For You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXF5UY8zTmQ

A Hop, Skip and a Jump Away

Very Happy and very belated Thanksgiving to everyone back in the States.

This was not my first Turkey Day away from home. You might recall that I celebrated this holiday in Scotland during my semester abroad. Wish I could say that this made the homesickness easier but alas a nagging melancholy dogged my comings and goings on this festive occasion.

"The interns," as we have been dubbed, were invited to dinner at our friends' Cory and Aaron's home. The four of us joined Cory, Aaron their daughters Hailey, Eden and Destiny as well as Cory's mom visiting from the States. This was not the extent of our dinner party though; Cory invited four of her Jordanian friends as well. These ladies had never celebrated Thanksgiving before so to start things off we were all treated to a presentation given by Hailey and Eden. Hailey played Percillia Alden, a pilgrim who had come over on the Mayflower seeking religious freedom and a better life in a new land; Eden portrayed Squanto, a Native American who had been part of the tribe who decided to help the struggling English settlers by showing them how to grow crops and hunt animals. Next we were all given large pieces of construction paper and instructed to draw the Thanksgiving scene of our choosing on what would become our personalize place mats. Finally it was time to eat. We had all the traditional Thanksgiving fixings: turkey, (s)mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. All the while good conversations ensued and cultural exchanges took place. It was not a bad way to spend the holiday and my list of what I was thankful for grew exponentially that day.

Today Kara and I went on yet another adventure together. Our visas needed to be renewed for the final extension that can be given. The problem with this was that we could not obtain this extension here, instead we had two choices: go up to the capital for a day or two and get the extension or leave the country for a few hours then come back. This time around we chose the latter. We decided to jump the border to see what it looks like on the other side of the line. Our destination: Eliat, Israel. We started our day early, grabbing taxi around 8 am. Right off the bat, our trip took a strange turn. After telling our driver the name of the border crossing and being assured that he knew where to go, we set off on a hour long ride in the wrong direction. Turns out he had no idea that was the name of the border crossing and a ride that should have taken ten minutes took the better part of an hour and a half. On the bright side we did get to see the country side as it began to wake up.

Finally we got to the border crossing. We went through the appropriate check points on the Jordanian side but got held up in the exit visa office. Our visas were overdue and we were financially penalized accordingly. Once we were through the gate, we (or at least I) self-consciously walked through no man's land to the gate on the other side. We were greeted on the other side by a nice man wearing dark aviator sunglasses and carrying a big gun who directed us to the entry office. Inside, Kara was waved through without a problem. I, on the other hand, was subjected to extra security checks such as being asked what my purpose for visiting the country was and having my purse thoroughly checked. This however was relatively painless and we exited quickly to the other side. All that was left to do was exchange our Dinars for Sheckles before moving into Israel proper. Today was a particularly windy day and as I took out my 50 Dinar note to hand to the clerk, the wind blew it out of my hand. I literally ran after it and had to jump on it to reclaim it (this ordeal took place in front of the entire border patrol and other travelers making the crossing). Victorious, I returned to the exchange window and received 200 Sheckles for my 70 Dinars. Though this might sound like a big amount at first, the cost of everything in Israel is quite a bit more than what I am used to. To put this in perspective: once we cleared all checks and received our money and stamps, we took a taxi into the city. This ten minute taxi ride cost us 40 Sheckles.

I wish I could say that we did many exciting things during our short trip to Eliat but our sole purpose of going was to eat lunch then cross back over the border to Jordan. People watching, wandering and picture taking were the main activities that constituted our time in this sea side get away. Wandering actually took up the bulk of our time. In doing so we realized at one point that we had come to the end of the city and were halfway to the border. Not seeing the point of getting a taxi, we continued on foot to the border. The wind that had caused me so much trouble that morning actually provided some nice relief for us from the afternoon sun. Walking along Kara and I talked about the mystery that is life and how we are each seeking to follow God's will for us in these different seasons of our lives. Kara, like me, signed up to do a year-long stay here and her year is coming to a close on December 15th. I on the other hand have just celebrated my 6 month anniversary here a few days ago and am working to balance making plans for the future with being present where I am now. After a bit, we came to a sign that said "Dragon Country". We had walked into a sanctuary for poisonous reptiles, housing vipers and lizards. We had to pass through it in order to reach our destination. Having had months of having to be hyper aware of our surroundings, we were not the least bit hesitant to trek through this section of the desert knowing that we would perceive and avoid any threat. Our hike from the end of the city to the border crossing was about 5 miles and provided a nice mental break between the events of the morning and those that were waiting for us at the border.

Back at the border, we passed through the appropriate check points again. Unfortunately after paying the exit tax we realized that neither of us had enough money to purchase the visa we would receive on the other side. Extremely fervent and earnest prayers ensued as we timidly walked up to the visa window on the Jordanian side. The man working this window began our interaction by joking with us which was either a very good sign or a not so good sign. As we talked with him about what we did in town and our work as English teachers, we became more and more impressed with us. He stamped our passports and sent us on our way...not asking for any amount of money. Much rejoicing and many prayers of thanksgiving were sent heavenward as we walked through the gate and got into a (different) taxi.

To complete our day we joined Rana, Ziad, Hailey and Becca for Mensef. Rana and Ziad work at the Center as well. Both Rana and Ziad teach the ACCESS youth English program and work in different capacities at the Center. They have adopted the interns into their family and refer to us as their daughters. Today was Ziad's birthday so the four of us joined them for dinner. Mensef is the quintessential Jordanian dish. Some families eat it every Friday but Rana and Ziad prefer to only make it for special occasions. Made traditionally, this dish is a combination of lamb meat, rice, pine nuts and a yogurt based sauce. It is astounding how something so simple can be so good. I had had Rana's Mensef before but this time Ziad decided to teach us how to eat it with our hands. First you pull some meat off the bone and mix it in to the rice and nuts which are sparingly covered with the sauce. Once you have moved your small pile of food around so that it will not burn your finger prints off, you pick up a palm-full of it all and create a ball. When your ball of rice and meat is formed, work it to the end of your fingers and flick it into your mouth using your thumb. After a few awkward attempts, we all got the hang of it. Once we had eaten all we could, we hung out with Rana, Ziad and their kids, Nadeem and Lamar, for a while. We had healthy desserts that Rana made and Turkish coffee to end our visit. It was a great end to a great week that exemplified many of the things I love about this place: good food, great friends and grace & provision that only God can provide.

(photos of these adventures pending)

We all know I have been less than apt to keep promises in the past but I have decided to do Advent posts this holiday season. Starting tomorrow through December 31st, I will be posting anything from scripture to music videos to short messages that celebrate the coming of Christ and the implications thereof. I hope you'll join me and keep me accountable to this task.

Salt, Sickness and Fire

So you're probably wondering why yet again I have not kept my word and provided you with updates about the goings on over here. Well you see, life happens...

First the good news. Two weeks ago my fellow interns and I had the chance to chaperone an Access field trip. Access is the English program for teenagers that aims to not only improve the English skills of the students but also to instill in them a sense of personal value and obligation to the betterment of their community. Boys and girls take different trips because of the size of the classes; we went along on the girls' trip. Our trip would take about four hours one way so about nine in the morning a charter bus, a minivan and a red car set out from the center. The girls had been studying famous entrepreneurs so the first stop along the way was the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center. This center has hosted meetings of renown political and economic powers such as the World Economic Forum, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations. Here the girls heard about such meetings, the leaders who attend them and the true keys to success. Afterward we all made our way to the Amman Beach, which is the public section of the Dead Sea outside of Amman.

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth making it painful to travel to and from since your ears pop so often. The Dead Sea is also the saltiest body of water on Earth. Sadly, the waters have been steadily dwindling over the past few years and without intervention it is estimated that in thirty years the Sea would dry up. At the 2009 World Economic Forum, Jordan unveiled its plan to pipe water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. This system should be completed and the water level sustainable by 2017.The water is 97% salt making it impossible for anything to live in it and impossible for a person to sink in its waters. However, the salty water and the mud of the banks is said to have healing and regenerative properties. I'm sorry to say that the waters did not work on me. The level of salt in the water makes the water feel like oil and after wading in to mid calf, the salt started burning my skin. Needless to say I did not go in any further and instead I hung out on the beach with some of the girls while the rest floated out further. After a time we meat sandwiches over a grill and played a few relay games. Girls between the ages of 13 and 16 are the same wherever you are. These girls like to talk about the newest movies and One Direction while taking multiple pictures of themselves and the group with their iPhones. We had a fun day despite the long journey to and from our destination.

On to the bad news. I'm afraid our trek up north left me sick with a cold for nearly a week. I only worked one day out of the week before Kara sent me home. She said something silly about how someone with a fever needs rest. Luckily our English classes had not resumed yet and I could get some sleep.

More bad news. Thursday morning I woke up at 4:30 in the morning. While questioning why I was awake someone came beating at the door of my house. After spending a few moments wondering whether to call for help or wait for it to stop, my cell phone rang. My manager Rob's name came up on my phone and I quickly answered it. It was his wife Jess; she was the one knocking on the door. She and their four children were outside. Their house had caught fire and they needed to come inside. Their youngest daughter had woken up to use the bathroom and noticed the house was full of black smoke. Soon everyone in the house was roused and taken onto the upstairs balcony. It became apparent that they could not stay there and Rob was forced to jump off the balcony to procure a ladder for his family. We all agree that he wins Father of the Year; unfortunately his fall broke his wrist severely. The hospital here was not equipped for the surgery he needed so before noon the entire family headed up to Amman to see a surgeon there. I am so proud of how our team came together. All week shifts of people ready to work switched in and out of the house repairing the damage done. A power washer was utilized, fingers and faces were blackened, walls were primed and painted, books were carefully cleaned and a white dog was bathed multiple times. This weekend everything was moved back into the house, only 9 days later.

Living and working overseas always has a unique set of obstacles that I do not believe anyone can prepare for. Reaction to such circumstances reveals character and I am so glad to report that good character is one area the team here is not lacking. I am indeed blessed to be here at a time such as this.

Festival of Sacrifice

I meant to have this post up sooner but the internet at my house has decided since everyone else is on break it needs to be too. So why are we on break this week? Well if you don’t live in a Muslim country, I wouldn’t expect you to know why.This past week was the celebration of Eid al-Adha. If you have never heard of this holiday don't feel bad. Until I came here neither did I, much to the surprise of my English students who could not believe that Eid is not celebrated in the US. I'm sure it is celebrated but I have never lived in a community where it was either celebrated or even talked about.

The word Eid means “solemn festival” and there is an Eid to celebrate the end of two of the Five Pillars. At the end of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitar is a week long celebration of the end of the fasting season that is full of family visits and parties. Eid al-Adha marks the end of the Hajj. Hajj is the Pilgrimage to Mecca which all Muslims must complete at some point in their lives. Some people who do not go on Hajj will fast to show solidarity and support of their fellow Muslims who are. This particular Eid is the “festival of sacrifice” and it lives up to its name. All the traditions involved in the Hajj are done in remembrance and celebration of the prophet Ibrahim. The Eid is a continuation of this: it is a time when Muslims remember how Ibrahim was commanded by Allah to sacrifice his son. Because of his immense faith, Ibrahim submitted to the will of Allah but instead of having Ibrahim sacrifice his son, Allah mercifully provided a sheep as a substitutionary sacrifice. This story is recorded in the Quran, Sura 37 As-Saffat (Those Who Set the Ranks).

The celebration of this holiday includes the sacrificing of an animal which symbolizes the ram that Ibrahim sacrificed in place of his son. Some families celebrate together by purchasing a sheep or another acceptable animal and slaughtering it early in the morning on the first day of Eid. After the first call to prayer Tuesday morning, for an hour a chant went out over the speakers of the mosques during which time the animals were slaughtered and the sacrifices were offered. Unlike normal calls to prayer, this hour-long call was made by a congregation that included children instead of an individual. The sacrificial animals may be sheep, cows, goats, buffalo or camels. In some societies it is acceptable to offer chickens. Each animal is killed with the intention of being eaten. Families will make appointments with a local butcher for him to come to their house and kill the animal for them. The animal is then divided up into three parts: one part for the close family, one part for the extended family or family members who come to visit for the holiday, and one part for the poor. Some families choose to purchase prepared animals from the butcher instead. The holiday itself is only two days long but most people take the whole week off for traveling and parties. I'm sorry if this post seems dry but I can only give you a third party's perspective since I did not participate in this holiday nor was I invited to the house of someone who did.

Two more posts are in the works and inshallah they will be up this week. Happy weekend!

What's been happening?

My updates have not been exactly timely, so now I will fill you all in on what's been happening in my corner of the world.

There are two new interns living with Kara and I. Becca and Hailey are working to finish their senior year at university and decided to spend a semester abroad to fulfill their internship requirements. Props to them for keeping up with GC work, Souk by the Sea prep, teaching English and a full semester of classes online. Becca is keeping a photo blog that I listed the link to on the sidebar. We also have a new friend named Kelsey working with us in the Center. She is from Canada here to do language study and learn more about the culture.

We are back to working at Green Creations five days a week but I am only there three days. On mornings when I'm at GC, I split my time between updating the social media for GC and Souk, trying to get the word out online about our products and subscription service, and spending time with the ladies. Around 10:30 each morning the ladies break from whatever they're working on and have breakfast. Some mornings they bring bread, olives, pickles, tomatoes, cheese, humus or whatever they are hungry for. I join them some mornings to sit, share their food and listen to their conversations. My Arabic is as such that I can sometimes follow their conversations but I cannot contribute much. My friends Jumana and Manal speak English and will translate for me if I need them to. Tuesday mornings, Hailey and I join the aerobic classes at the Life Center called Well Fit. There are two classes each lasting for about an hour each that feature anything from Zumba  to belly dancing to Yoga. The two of us try to keep up without running into any of the ladies. I'm sure I look less than graceful but it's the type of good workout I feel for two days and I am thankful for it. Wednesdays are my days off. The only thing I have on these days is my Arabic lesson at noon and the rest of the day I leave open for grocery runs, visits or reading. Teaching English continues on three nights a week. This time I have a few more ladies but my class is still predominantly male. We have only two classes left before graduation this coming Thursday. Then we have a week long break for Eid al Adha then classes resume to finish the book we're working through. (More on Eid what the time comes).

So that's my weekly schedule. Other than this I've been working on getting into the community more. Rana, my Arabic teacher and Arab mama, took me to get my hair cut. We walked into what looked like an apartment building and got into the elevator with three Philippino women. Elevators here are about 4x4 mirrored boxes that seem to run on the prayers of those who use them. When the elevator doors closed we were plunged into darkness. The light bulb had burnt out some time ago but no one had bothered to change it. So the five of us stood in the dark until we reached our floor. Rana must have noticed I was a little uneasy because when we got out of the elevator she said "We're alright" and we were. The hair salon was like any other hair salon, the only differences were everyone was speaking in Arabic and there was some strange Asian soap opera on the TV while we waited. When Rana's hairdresser was free, Rana explained to her what I wanted and we got started. First one girl started wetting down my hair with a spray bottle which she had to refill half way through because my hair is so thick. Once my head was properly saturated, she started working a comb through my hair. By this time Rana and her hairdresser had finished talking and her hairdresser grabbed a brush to join the assault on my scalp. While this was happening Rana started giving her hairdresser a hard time saying that when she cut Rana's hair a few days earlier she had left one side longer than the other. So she quit brushing my hair for a minute to even out Rana's hair, it was at this time that I realized the first girl had disappeared. After Rana was satisfied, she turned her attention back to me. All this time I'm tripping over my Arabic and praying that Rana explained what I wanted them to do. When she had finished, she did not just want to dry my hair but said it needed styled. A third girl took over from here and curled my hair. Maybe some men reading this won't understand why getting your hair cut in a place where you don't speak the language is a big deal but I assure you it is.

If you remember, I had only one girl in my English class last term: Sojoud. This term Sojoud is in another class and her sister Aya is in Hailey's class. We found out they live across the street from us and they along with their mother, Asma, and younger sisters have been to our house where they did henna and taught us traditional Jordanian dance, Debka. Last Saturday they suggested we all go to the beach. Sojoud ended up not being able to come but Asma came along with her other two younger daughters. Asma's youngest daughter, Heba, has down-syndrome which is something that is usually viewed as shameful. In a culture where appearance is everything and shame and honor play into every aspect of life, children of any handicap are often hidden away from the public eye. Asma and her husband have different views on this subject. They take Heba to special classes in town and on outings such as our beach adventure.  We left very early in the morning to avoid the crowds that would come in the afternoon and evening to the beach. When we got there, we sat under an umbrella and ate hummus and falafel for breakfast. After we finished, we made our way into the water...which was freezing. I know it never gets cold here but this morning the wind was blowing and the temperature of the water caused us to stiffly and slowly walk into the surf. Asma did not mind at all and dove in out swimming all of us. She was fully covered in the full black abaya and white hijab but she did not seem to be weighed down at all by her clothing. We swam in the Sea and walked up and down the shoreline until noon then we packed up to head home. I had driven our big van because we could not all fit in Asma's car. Seeing the van, Heba adamantly requested that she ride in the "bus" to go home.

I've been on my first house visit by myself. One of my English students, also named Jumana but a different Jumana, invited me to her house for a meal. Monday after GC and Arabic, she had me call her as I got into a taxi so that she could give the driver directions to her house. He got lost along the way so I had to call her twice but all in all I did get to her place alright. Since this was our first visit and we were going to eat, I brought two bottles of pop to have with our lunch as my gift. I came in and after a quick hello, her husband left us to our visit. Jumana lives with her husband and three children: two daughters Sarah 11 and Bushra 5, and one son Abdullah 9. She and I chatted as she finished making lunch and we waited for her two oldest children to come home from school. Shortly after Sarah and Abdullah came home, Jumana's mother also came over. Jumana said that she had forgotten to tell her mother that I was coming and her mother had prepared lunch for Jumana's children. Jumana herself made oozy (rice with vegetables), chicken, spaghetti and salad. Her mother made a dish of eggplant and meat with a tomato sauce. Sorry, I can't remember what it was called. Jumana filled my plate with oozy and spaghetti and gave me half a chicken to eat. Because I'm American they took pity on me and gave me a fork and knife to use with my spoon. The six of us ate and talked about ourselves and our families. Jumana's mother is a retired headmistress of a school here and her father runs the Bedouin Gardens Hotel and Restaurant out near the sea. They have six daughters and one son. Jumana has a twin sister who lives in America now with her husband and children. Jumana's mother could not stay long after we finished eating and after she left Jumana and I looked at photo albums of her wedding, all of her sisters' weddings, her honeymoon in Istanbul and her children as babies. After the pictures, Sarah showed me her English book from school, Abdullah showed me how to do handstands and Bushra played hide and seek with me. We hung out for five hours and she didn't understand why I needed to leave so soon.

It's been really encouraging and fun to be making new friendships and getting to see how different people live here. Hopefully the future is filled with more visits and more punctual blog posts about them.