Amazing Couples

Monday, Nov. 17

This area is not a mission in the ordinary sense.  We don't even call ourselves missionaries and we don't wear badges.  Our mission is the "Middle-East Desk" and we are under the direction of Elder Bruce Carlson and Elder Ketcher of the Seventy.  Dave McMillan and Sharon Eubanks have direct responsibility for us.  Dave is Director of Temporal Affairs and Executive Secretary for the Presiding Bishopric and Sharon is the Area Welfare Manager for the Middle East and the Director of Humanitarian Services for the Church.  We are so happy when when come to Jordan.  This week was couples conference and they both were here to spend the entire week with us.

The couples who attended the conference came from all over the middle-east.  They are all doing such great work, it was humbling to be in their presence. 

Werner and Lilli Gysler have been married two years.  They come from Switzerland and are doing humanitarian projects in Lebanon.

Walter and Peggy Plumb are very wealthy and could be enjoying the "good life" but accepted the call to go to Iraq and Kirkistan (not sure how to spell it).  They are doing amazing humanitarian work on their own.  Brother Plum cried when he told us about the conditions some of the people are living in.

Roger and Leslie Madsen from Idaho are serving in Morocco.  They are working on their own, building relationships with key leaders in that country and doing humanitarian work there.

Brent and Margaret Strong.  Brent comes from BYU to help the American University of (Something) become accredited.  The school is run by the  Catholic Church.  This couple are amazing at building relationships and have made many friends in Jordan.  

Ron and Sandi Hammond are our district leaders.  He is a former stake president, mission president and area seventy.  They live at the Amman Center and oversee the activities there.  They are also heavily involved in humanitarian work as well as being our beloved leaders here in Jordan.

And then there's us...We come from the Salem 9th Ward and we try to do our best.  We know the Lord will help us be better than we are.  "We need plenty help."

Husn Branch Sabbath

November 14, Friday (the Sabbath)

This is our chapel in Husn.  There's no sign saying "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"  out front.   We're not sure how people find it, but they do.  It's a rented building and not a normal LDS church building.   There's an "immersion" out in the parking lot.  (that's Jordanian for baptismal font).  About 17 or 18 people attend.  Four are BYU students studying Arabic here in Jordan.

The stone building is quite cold so we dress warm, wear thermals and bring a blanket.  Actually Sister Tolley wears thermals.  

Morad taught Sunday School and his lesson was on the Plan of Salvation.  Even though we couldn't understand the words, we understood the message.  At one point, he switched over to English and said, "When God created the garden of Eden it was like a father who provided an apartment for his son and he furnished the place with a stove, a bed, dishes and other items he thought his son might need.  After all that, if he told his son to have no children, it  wouldn't make sense."  We loved the analogy.  It fits right in with the culture here.

Morad will be graduating from school next spring and then he plans to go to BYU for an advanced degree.  He broke up with his American girlfriend recently.  She has waited 3 years for him and now she just couldn't wait any longer and wants to get on with her life.  3 years is a very long time for an American girl, but the Jordanians often have engagements that last for years because their families won't let them get married until they finish school and have a good job.  Some couples wait 20 years.  It's insane.

In Relief Society the sisters chatted like magpies for the first few minutes.  I understood they were catching up on the news.  During the lesson the women were completely absorbed in the scriptures and read long passages together.  It was so sweet.  I understand that many of them can't have the scriptures in their homes or carry them around.  It's dangerous.  So they use the scriptures at the Church. 

Amer's sister, Sewar is in exams at school, but came to church.  This is not insignificant, because the exams are very important and go on for a long period of time.  Everyone stresses out about them a lot.  None of the other young people in the branch come to church during exams.  We asked Sewar if the Lord blesses her for keeping the Sabbath and she said yes, she got 97% on her last exam!  She mentioned that she was upset because two boys at her school were killed in an automobile accident yesterday.  Arabic people console themselves by saying "It's God's will" whenever anything bad happens.  Sewar told us it was God's will.

After the meeting I saw Brother Fayez standing out on the porch holding a beautiful bead necklace.  I asked him what it was because we have two necklaces just like it in our apartment on the shelf.  He explained that the beads were prayer beads and he recited the Lord's prayer as he passed the beads through his fingers.  Many members have a hard time giving up their Catholic traditions when they join the church.  We have to understand and teach them.

These four BYU Students are in Jordan studying Arabic.  They take the bus to Husn from Amman every Sunday to attend church with our branch.  

Shopping for the Needy

Thursday, Nov. 13  

President Amer assigned us to take the our Arabic-speaking Relief Society president shopping for groceries for a needy family in the branch.  We knew it wouldn't be easy but we also knew we would find a way.

The big challenge was to find her.  Nobody here has an address and all the buildings are square white stone.  Thankfully we have a GPS and the coordinates for her home are in it.  Amer called and told her to wait outside and we would pick her up.  When we drove down her street she was there with her daughter who speaks a few words of English.  

Even though we could barely communicate, we managed to do quite well.  It was fun going into the little shops to buy groceries and we saw all sorts of interesting things.  The two women bought chickens and milk and eggs and rice and lentils and sugar and vegetables and on and on.  Slowly it dawned on us that we were buying a LOT of food for a small family.  The more food they bought, the more we became concerned, because we didn't want everyone to think that we are a rich church with unlimited cash.  We finally had to tell them to stop, that we had enough.  The back of the van was full with enough food to last a month!!

We couldn't believe it when the needy family called to say they wouldn't be available for the delivery until tomorrow.  (We were thinking they would be anxiously waiting for their dinner.)  So we took everything to our house and kept it until the next evening.  Something tells us everyone involved needs to learn some more about welfare principles.  

Father Haddad--A Courageous Bridge Builder

 Wednesday, November 12

Lynn, Ron Hammond, Father Haddad,  Major Darren Coleman (LDS Chaplain with the US Army from Payson, Utah), Spencer (a member of the Church with the US Air Force) 

Lynn and Ron Hammond met with Father Nabil Haddad, founder and executive director of the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center on Wednesday.  He is a very impressive and influential man.  He has been working to bridge the gap between Christianity and Islam and to address the dangers of extremism.  He is an adviser to the king in regard to Christian/Muslim relations.  He is well known and well respected in Jordan and in other parts of the world.

One of the interesting bits of advice that he gave to us is that we need to proselyte in Jordan and spread the word of Christianity.  Lynn and Ron told him that we had an agreement with the government that we would not proselyte.

He knows the Koran and when he speaks to Islamic Imams he tells them they are not living the Koran.  Lynn told him he was bold and courageous. Some of the things that help him to be bold and courageous is is knowledge of Christianity, the Bible and the Koran.  In addition, it doesn't hurt to be a good friend of the king.

Father Haddad was invited to meet Elder Bruce Carlson of the Seventy after district conference on November 21.  

Jordan is a Place of Refuge

Sunday, Nov 9

Just like in ancient times, Jordan is a land of refuge and peace.  The spirit of this land is calming and soothing.  The people are very friendly and hospitable.

Jordan currently is host to nearly 1,700,000 refugees from Syria. Some refugees have integrated into the local society and live with family or friends.  Many others live in refugee camps.  We have been humbled by the goodness and welcoming spirit of the people here as they try to help the overwhelming numbers of people pouring into their country.

The people living in refugee camps are in dire need of hygeine kits and winter clothing.  LDS Charities has partnered with the General Union for Voluntary Service to distribute hygeine kits and winter clothing to the refugees as well as to needy Jordanian families.  It is estimated that over 10,000 people will benefit from this project.

Today we went to the town of Mafraq which is close to the Syrian border, for the distribution ceremony of the clothing and kits.  One of the refugee camps is located near Mafraq and there has been some unrest in the area so we were not allowed to go to the actual distribution.  The ceremony brought national leaders and the press to a place called the "Hope Center" which is also a school for disabled children.

Just a sidelight--the drive to Mafraq was lovely.  Large stone houses surrounded by olive groves dotted the countryside. The road was good and there were no signs of any problems.  Just peaceful people living their lives with their families.

At the Hope Center donations were stacked in big piles waiting for the local societies to pick them up.  The clothing was organized by size and customized for specific families.

The disabled children in the Hope Center were the first ones to receive the warm clothing.  

Ron Hammond gave a speech which was translated by President Amer.   

Children doing the "happy dance"

Lunch was Jordanian food

This woman dressed in black and her daughter (or granddaughter)? were standing outside the Center after the ceremony.  Both looked shell shocked.  They couldn't smile and their eyes were full of pain.  Someone said they were Syrian refugees.  It was very difficult to connect with them.  All we knew what to do was to hug them and say "God bless you."

Four Jordanian policemen were in attendance and escorted us out of town, just to make sure we were okay.  No problems.

In the next week or so, this interview was played on Jordanian TV.  It's now on Youtube.  If you look closely and wait patiently, you will see us in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=409Otp0k3N8  

New Calling for Myrna

Friday, Nov. 7 (The Jordan Sabbath)

   

Yes, that's me playing the keyboard!  I didn't make too many mistakes either.  That's one of the gifts Heavenly Father gives me when I'm on a mission.  When I come home I can't do it.

Today I was called and set apart as the counselor in the North Jordan Branch Relief Society.  The translation was a little loose and when I was asked to be the "Chancelory" in the women I thought "Great!  I'll be working in the Young women."  But then later I was told it was the Relief Society so I thought "Hurray!  I'll be working in the Relief Society!"  I couldn't understand what they said when they sustained me, but everyone raised their hand.

The Relief Society president's name if Huda and she doesn't speak any English--only Arabic.  What a pair we'll be!  I'm not sure how we'll do it, but we'll try.  We smile and wave our arms a lot.  She's been the Relief Society President for 14 years--or maybe she's been a member for 14 years, I'm not sure which.

The service was all in Arabic and was impossible for either of us to understand, but we felt the Spirit there and it was lovely and warm.  I did recognize three things they said:
1.  Book of Mormon
2.  Joseph Smith
3.  Amen
4.  Shookrahn (thank you)

We don't think we'll ever learn the language, so we'll have to rely on the Spirit and some really good translators to help us.  After the meeting a brother Kamal introduced himself and spoke English.  He offered to sit by me next time and translate the "headlights."  I thought that was hilarious but I accepted the offer.

Morad Elias who is the 1st counselor in the branch presidency had his beautiful long hair cut very short and when he came in the door we could hardly recognize him.  Now he looks like a man of the Priesthood.  Did I mention eligible? 

Annie - Leader and Friend

Monday, Nov. 1

We got into some heavy rain going to Amman today.  The local people are very grateful for the rain because they have had a long drought.  In town we splashed through big puddles and got soaking wet going into the Orange Cell Phone store.  It took us a long time to find a parking place.  Traffic was terrible and we spent most of the day sitting in the car going nowhere.  The Hammonds spent all day with us and we are very grateful.  We could never find our way around without them.

The reason we went to Amman for the second time in three days is because the Strongs and the Hammonds were giving a dinner for their dear friend Annie Majocopian and her husband Husam.  Annie heads up the Al Hussen Society that works with handicapped children.  The founder is Queen Abdula whose husband is the king of Iraq in exile.  Annie is good friends with the queen and is one of our key partners in Jordan.

The other two couples and us spend a lot of time developing relationships with influential people/partners.  We're amazed at how many leaders in the country have been influenced by the Church.  Approximately 200 people have gone to BYU on scholarships and come back to occupy leadership positions in Jordan. Some of these people are influential judges in the Jordanian court system who have gone to BYU law school for a year to earn a masters degree in international law.  We can't proselyte, but the Church has had a positive influence.

Annie's husband is leaving tomorrow for a job in Arabia.  He'll be gone for a few years, and everyone wanted to tell him goodbye.  Sister Hammond gave him one of the new hymnbooks in Arabic and he was thrilled.  The couple is Christian and has attended our church twice.  We met them at the hygiene kit service project the first day we were here.

We enjoyed the company of a great lady.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Sunday, November 2

Diabetes is a big problem in Jordan.  If it isn't brought under control diabetes can cause blindness (Diabetic Retinopathy).   Since the Jordanians are a very proud people, and it's hard for them to admit they have anything wrong with their health, they neglect to see a doctor until it's too late and they go blind. Local health clinics had been given very expensive diagnostic equipment but it was lying around not being used.

Brent and Margaret Strong are working with national leaders and health care workers to address the problem and to do what they can to help.  They are a very personable couple and have made friends with many leaders in the country.  They have been very successful in bringing with other agencies and churches together to find solutions.

Today we went with the Strongs to the Jordan University of Science and Technology where we met with the head of the school of nursing.  She will be part of a national team the Strongs are helping to coordinate.  We didn't have much of a clue what they were talking about.

The Celestial Six

Saturday, November 1

There are three missionary couples in Jordan.  That's it.  No young elders or sisters.  We will get together every Saturday in Amman for district meeting.  Ron and Sandy Hammond are the district leaders.  Ron has been an area seventy.  Brent Strong was a  renowned professor at BYU.  He and his wife Margaret are here to help the American Catholic University become accredited.  These wonderful people are making friends with key leaders in the country.  Both couples are awesome.  And then there's us--we're members of the Salem 9th Ward.  We don't know where we'll fit in with this awesome group yet, but we will.  They are very kind to us.  We call ourselves the "Celestial Six" and our goal is to become totally united in everything we do.  They truly "lift us up."

Brent and Margaret Strong, Sandy and Ron Hammond, Myrna and Lynn Tolley

 It was a privilege to be instructed by Ron Hammond.  He is very wise and Christ-like and a great leader.  He advised us to move away from the mirror and look out the window.  Alma 26:27.  In other words, forget yourself and concentrate on others.  The more we focus on work here the more the windows of heaven open up upon our family.  

The humanitarian work in Jordan is focused on three principles or "legs":

1.  Instruction by specialists 

2. Donation   

3. Volunteerism

The people we work with and teach these principles are being prepared to receive the gospel.  Training by specialists is compared to training in the gospel.  Donations are compared to the Savior's atonement.  Volunteerism is compared to our commitment.

We are  preparing the world for the return of the Savior.  We are doing missionary work on a massive scale.

Our Names are Lynn and Myrna

Friday, Oct 31

They don't call us Elder and Sister here in Jordan and we don't wear badges either.  Our official title is "Humanitarian Service Volunteers" and we represent LDS Charities.  Our names are Lynn and Myrna.  Some members of the Church call us "Brother" and "Sister" but we introduce ourselves by our first names.  We have to be careful in a Muslum country where they have laws against proselyting.  We could be on the first flight home if we're not careful.

We attended church today in our small branch and we were the speakers.  We had to have translators help us.  All the announcements and lessons were given in Arabic, and then translated but President Amer said they won't be doing that again after today.  There were approximately 27 attending, including some nonmembers and BYU students who are here studying Arabic.  Lynn was called and set apart as a counselor and branch clerk in the branch presidency.  Up until now the missionary brother has been branch president, but the time has come for local leadership. It's a good thing.  These men are ready.

Take note, young women, these two handsome leaders are both eligible bachelors.  The one on the right is taken already.

10,000 Knitted Caps

Thursday, Oct 30

For several months the members of the North Jordan Branch have been knitting caps as a project for needy children in Jordan.  The winters here are quite cold and the hats are much appreciated.  They will be donated to a local charity who will distribute them.  Up until today they have been kept in plastic bags in a storeroom on the roof of the chapel. This morning the charity came with a truck to pick them up.  Our job was to get them to the ground, 3 stories below.

Amer brought his brother to help, but we could tell it was an impossible task to bring the bags containing the hats down 3 flights of stairs.  They were much too heavy.  As we were thinking about how to do it we looked over the edge of the roof and got an idea (I wonder where that came from!!)  There was an old hose lying nearby.  We took the end, tied it to the bags and carefully let them down over the edge.  It worked great!  Laziness brings invention.

 

He Joined the Church for the Wrong Reasons

October 28, Tuesday

Amer (pronounced to rhyme with "hammer") Elyas, the branch president of the North Jordan Branch joined the Church for the wrong reason.

When he was a young boy he went to many churches but he didn't find what he was looking for.  Someone told him the Mormon church was giving away free laptops, a job and a trip to America.  That was very appealing to him because he wanted all three of those things.  When he went on the internet he found lots of information about the Church, but it was not good, mostly about polygamy.  In spite of the bad things he read, he decided to go and see for himself.

Amer was soon attending all the meetings and reading the Book of Mormon.  Because he is a Christian, the missionaries were able to teach him and he agreed to be baptized.  All went well until about a year and a half later he asked the missionary couple some questions about a mission.  He just wanted some information, but they misunderstood and thought he was asking if he could go, and before he knew it he was sending in his papers.  The call came and it was for the Johannesburg South Africa mission, which was great, except he couldn't speak English.  When he got to the MTC in Johannesburg they didn't have language classes so he had no idea what was going on.  After two days he went to the mission president and said he wanted to go home.  But again, he was misunderstood and soon found himself out with a companion from America. It was difficult but he did learn some English and he learned how to overcome his shyness.

Then the Lord started to pour out blessings on Amer.  After two years when he returned home he had the necessary skills to set up an importing business--a working knowledge of English and the self-confidence he needed.  His business began to thrive and he was very successful.

One day last year he was driving along in his van with his arm hanging out the window when he lost control and the van came crashing down and crushed his upper arm, severing the bone.  His lower arm was just hanging.  He was able to call for help with his other hand, but the doctor at the hospital told him they couldn't save his arm--it would have to be amputated.  Immediately he was rushed to a larger hospital in Amman and, with the help of Elder and Sister Hammond, a noted surgeon agreed to take him as a patient.  As it turned out the doctor was the best in the middle east.  He and his team worked a miracle with Amer's arm and were able to put it back together.  A metal plate was inserted and the nerves and muscle in his arm were repaired.  (we saw pictures, and it wasn't pretty).  It was a long process and took about a year and a half, but Amer's arm was saved and he has feeling in his left hand and some motion.  He's doing physical therapy and making remarkable progress.

 In the meantime, Amer has become refined.  His faith in his Heavenly Father has increased and his testimony deepened through the trial.  Last month he was called as branch president for the North Jordan Branch.  He will be a good one.  His business is building up again and he knows he has been blessed. To us it sounds as if the Lord is preparing him for greatness.  He is certainly a man for this time.

All this for a person who joined the Church for the wrong reason.  Come to think of it he got what he was looking for--a laptop, a job and a trip to America (which will probably come sooner or later).

One of the richest blessings we have received as missionaries is meeting people like Amer.

The Doctor

Monday, October 27

Getting adjusted to a foreign country and learning how things work isn't always easy.  We can always expect a few glitches and sometimes we have to step back and take a deep breath.  And laugh a lot.  Most problems aren't too serious, but they seem like it at the time.

Lynn's ear got plugged up on the flight over and has been a real bother to him.  In Jordan you can get almost any medicine you want at a pharmacy, the pharmacies are everywhere.  We decided to walk down to the main road in Husn to see if we could get Lynn some medicine.  The woman at the pharmacy said we needed to see a doctor for ear problems and she directed us to a doctor across the street.  Off we went dodging heavy traffic to get to the other side.  There we found a man who pointed us in the direction we needed to go.

The doctor's office wasn't glamorous, but we've seen worse.  A man was sitting at a desk behind a doorway with a curtain pulled aside.  He motioned to us and we went inside.  We were the only ones there.  Lynn told him he thought he had wax in his ear, so the doctor took him into a nearby examination room to take a look.  The small room had antiquated equipment in it.  The man rummaged around and found an old otoscope that was taped together with bandage tape.  He wiped it off with a rag, but when he picked it up the batteries fell out the bottom.  He picked them up, shoved them back inside, held it up at arms length and looked inside.  "Nothing there!"  he pronounced.   "I see nothing" for the other ear too.  He explained that the problem might be that Lynn's ears are still adjusting to the differences in air pressure from the airplane trip.  There was no charge!!  At least he spoke English. Kind of.

Our Missionary Apartment

Sunday, October 26

Note:  We haven't posted anything for the past week because of computer problems, but now we're all fixed up.

This is what we traded our Ford Explorer for--a 2010 Kia!  It only has a few bumps and scratches.  We expect to add some to the collection.  The traffic is crazy.

The missionary apartment is on the second floor of this building.  The front door is almost the same design as our screen door at home, only a lot heavier, with a sturdy lock.

This kitchen has everything we need, a stove, frig, microwave, pots and pans and lots of dishes.  I guess now we'll have to cook!  The couple who were here before us left little notes everywhere--even in the oven--explaining how things work.  It's been so helpful.  Our landlady doesn't speak English, but we wave our arms and smile a lot.  She's really a nice lady.  Her son helps translate.

We really hate to brag---but this is our living room.  We can sit here and watch Al Jazeera.  Or church videos.  This apartment is too big for us and has too much "stuff" but we'll try to adapt.  We'll probably be doing some entertaining here.  The Jordanians are very hospitable and friendly.