Jordan Trip 2019

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Heading North

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…”

Matthew 6:33

Today we began our work with World Relief. We have received in-depth cultural and political/historical training before heading to Mafraq. We learned about the original Christians in the region, and why they disappeared. We have learned about the tensions in the region from a different perspective.

On the ride north, we had an encounter with a camel herd and watched the landscape change from the city skyline to the desert. The highway was peppered with strip-malls housing KFCs and gas stations next to open stretches where Bedouins and Gypsies have made their camps, as well as farms dotting the brown landscape green.

David and Susan have already headed out for a health-related home visit. The rest of us gathered for a pre-church snack and discussed what we have been seeing and what to prepare for tomorrow. Below are some of the first impressions we have had of Mafraq:

“My first impression was it is more commercial than I expected; there are more stores. The World Relief Staff is very positive and excited to meet us and serve alongside us.”

It has a resort town feel… the shape of the buildings, palm trees. It is a bit bigger than I expected. It’s just a little town in the dessert.”

I thought the World Relief staff was joking about shopping at Safeway, but there we were, buying breakfast provisions and snacks at Safeway right around the corner from where we will be teaching. We are in the desert, little vegetation, brown that stretches as far as the eye can see, and then there is a town, part modern, part run-down.”

“Compared to Amman, people are just as nice here. They are friendly, and very open to westerners. It’s much quieter than Amman, very peaceful.”

It is pleasantly refreshing. It’s open and accessible…it’s friendly.”

The sounds of Mafraq: What we thought was an ice cream truck was a man selling gasoline. A man on a loud speaker on the back of the truck who sounded like he was protesting was in fact selling watermelons. Kids running up and down the streets yelling and laughing.

Tomorrow we begin our official work with World Relief. Please pray for restful sleep, energy for our full days, listening to the Holy Spirit guiding our conversations, and planting the seeds of Christ.