Syrian Widows and Orphans

December 29, Monday

It was a beautiful morning for a trip to Mafraq to distribute food boxes to Syrian refugees.  The road we traveled took us through some farm country where the recent rains have changed the earth and made it beautiful and green.  Large stone houses surrounded by olive orchards and little rock fences dot the countryside.  It's a very peaceful and prosperous looking area.  Who would ever imagine that war and suffering are so close by.

The trip wasn't without stress, however.  Even though we have a GPS, we really got lost when we got to Mafraq and it was very frustrating to be in a place where you don't know where you are, can't speak the language or read any of the signs.  Finally, we pulled over in front of a restaurant that had a sign in English and Jamal sent someone to get us.

When we arrived at the United Muslim Relief office we walked upstairs to a room filled with women and children.  The women were all Syrian widows.  Everyone was waiting patiently for us to arrive and as soon
as we did Jamal introduced us as representatives of LDS Charities, one of the donors of the food boxes they were about to receive.  Then the fun began.

Every child was given a piece of candy, then another and another.  The mothers got candy, too.  It was just like Christmas.  Jamal says that the families get rice and oil in the food boxes, but the children must have candy, too.  He is so kind and loving and thoughtful.  

We were wondering how the women would carry the heavy boxes home, but Jamal explained that he had given each one the money for a taxi.  He gave them enough to come to the center and then to go back home. 

Occasionally we meet someone who steals our hearts.  This little girl in the pink was so friendly, smart and cute, we couldn't help but love her.  The woman with the green vest works for Jamal.  She's a widow with five children, one handicapped.  

 And then we meet some who break our hearts.  This young girl was in a lot of pain, but as hard as we tried, we couldn't get her to look up or to respond to our hugs.  It was obvious that she was suffering, and we didn't know how to help.

Most of the widows had come to the Muslum Relief Center to get their food boxes, but there were some families Jamal wanted us to see in their own homes, so we delivered the food boxes to them. 

I thought this shack was the home of a refugee family but it wasn't.  It's a shelter for a sheepherder!  The sheep are behind.  The building where the refugees are staying is on the left.

My camera got switched to black and white by mistake, but the dark colors are suitable for this scene.  It was like a motel, with the doors opening to a courtyard.  Each apartment had two rooms. 

Lynn took off his shoes to go in the door.  Inside was a family with two disabled children--a daughter who is deaf and dumb and a son who is totally paralyzed.  The son was laying on a mat on the floor.  There was no furniture inside.  As far as we could tell this family had nothing but the clothes they were wearing and some blankets.

These 5 children are orphans being raised by their grandmother. 

Some people are happy no matter what.  This widow and her children were smiling and grateful for the food. 

We wonder how we would respond if we had to face the difficulties and tragedies that life hands to the people we met today.  We are so blessed and we are very grateful for what we have.  We hope we can be more like our Savior and we hope we can also be more like Jamal, a good good man.

Syrian Family in a Field

Saturday, Dec. 27

Jamal Iqtish, our partner in the "Food for Syrian Refugees Living Outside of Organized Camps" project, took us to deliver some of the food boxes today.

The people we visited are living in an old abandoned house in a farmer's field outside of Amman.  Last night one of the women living there gave birth to twins (a boy and a girl).

    There are 8 families with a total of 42 people living in the house.  They received 7 boxes of food.  This will last them for one month.

Jamal brought candy for the children and they all waited patiently for him to pass it out.  There was no pushing and shoving or taking more than one piece. 

It was heartwarming to see such love and compassion from this great man.  He personally knows every one.

One of the older women was the leader of the group and she joked that she wanted to get engaged to Jamal.

There's nothing like a piece of candy to make life better.  Notice the dirt floor.

This man told us he walked 10 days to get to the Syrian border.  Members of his family were killed before they could escape.

Sumaiya's Gift

Friday, Dec 26 The Sabbath

We had a short meeting schedule today because many of the members are still visiting with their families for Christmas.  Family obligations are very important.  Everyone must visit their family at Christmas, and we think this applies not only to Christians, but also to Muslims.

Sumaiya is probably the poorest member of our branch, but she is also one of the most faithful.  We have come to love her, even though we can't carry on a conversation.  Mostly we communicate with smiles, hugs and kisses.  We call her our "sadiki" (friend).

Today she brought us a Christmas gift.  We got tears in our eyes--not because it was the only gift we got this year, but because she gave it out of her poverty.

Christmas

December 25

Christmas day was quiet for us.  We decided to take the morning and reflect on the birth of our Savior, and so we read from the scriptures about his birth and about his atonement.  It was a special time.

For our dinner, we tried to make some Jordanian food.  Lynn peeled a palmetto and we seeded some pomegranates to make a salad.  We got red juice all over the kitchen, but the salad tasted pretty good. We decided that we'll need more practice.

The tradition here is for families to visit each other on Christmas.  It's a nice day for eating and enjoying the company of the ones they love.  In our family were able to visit with Kristen, Kevin and Jill via Skype and Face Time.

We're Residents!

December 22 Monday

It took two days, a lawyer, a 45 minute drive to a scary hospital full of Egyptian men, a walk through traffic on a busy road, two times to the police station, some official stamps, special photos, miscellaneous legal documents a 2-hour wait and $126 to become legal temporary residents of Jordan.  Hope we don't have to do that again!

  

Our lawyer's name is Raad (pronounced "Rod") 

An Emotional Visit

Dec 21, Sunday (not the Sabbath)

Earlier this year the members of the North Jordan Branch made and donated 1,000 winter caps to the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO).   Some of the caps went to the clothing bank (Jordan's version of the Deseret Industries) and others went to the cancer patients in the pediatric ward of the Hussein Cancer Hospital in Amman.   JHCO has invited us to both events when the hats were delivered.

Today we met the representatives of JHCO at the Cancer Center and helped them deliver Christmas bags to the children.  Each bag had some school supplies, a small toy and the hat we donated.  The hats were made with special soft yarn so they wouldn't irritate the tiny sensitive heads.

Most of the children were very sick, and didn't have much interest in the gifts.  Others liked them a lot.

In one room a little boy about two years old was sitting in a chair with his head down. When he looked up, his eyes were full of terror.  I've never seen such a look on anyone's face.  His father was there in the room with him, but not giving much comfort.  Someone told us the child's mother was in another country and couldn't get a visa to come here.  It broke our hearts.  We wanted to pick him up and hold him tight, but we couldn't.

The girls from JHCO became very emotional and had to take a break from the visits.  They both have such tender hearts.

 Marlene and Sarah from JHCO 

Greek Orthodox Church Christmas Food Boxes

December 20, Saturday

Today we joined with the members of the Greek Orthodox Church in Amman to fill 75 boxes with food for the needy.  It was a good event and helped provide for the poor and also helped strengthen our relationship with Father Dabbour and the Greek Orthodox Church.  LDS Charities donated the food and the boxes.

An LDS family visiting from Dubai helped us assemble the food boxes. 

"Worker Bees"

  

Father Dabbour was very happy!

Branch Christmas Party

Dec 18

Guess who played Santa at the branch Christmas party!

Brother Tolley, the chick magnet . . . .

Jordanian food . . .

Father Kildani

Dec 14

The three couples had dinner with Father Hanna Kildani, the Parish Priest of the Latin Catholic Church in Amman.  He is a dedicated Christian who actively promotes peace, love and brotherhood.

It was a cold night. . .

The Hammonds and Strongs have a good relationship with Father Kildani.  We were very interested in hearing about his book detailing the history of Christianity in the Holy Land.

It was late when we started for home, an hour and a half drive.  We were going along trying to find our way when the GPS directed us to get off the highway onto another road.  Before we knew it we were out in the "boonies."  At first we thought there was a detour, but soon realized that "Huda" (the name of our GPS) had led us astray.  We went down dark alleys, along lonely bumpy roads and through all sorts of twists and turns.  We had to follow Huda because we had no idea where we were.  Finally, we were guided back to the main road and breathed a sigh of relief as we headed north.  

Food for Syrian Refugee Families

Dec 15
The World Food Program recently was forced to discontinue funding for food for Syrian refugees.  While the support has resumed, many Syrian refugee families living outside of the organized camps still lack sources for food.  A number of organizations are working to fill the void.

Jamal Iqtish, a very dedicated humanitarian and a special advisor to United Muslum Relief is passionately involved in trying to help the needy.  He contacted us and asked if LDS Charities would be interested in helping to provide food boxes to Syrian refugee families who are living in very harsh conditions.

Today we met Jamal and he took us to his supplier in Amman so we could see the contents of the food box.

The items in the box will feed a family of 5 for one month.  

 These men are the suppliers for the food.  Jamal assured us that the vendors are reliable and honest.  They will provide excellent quality items for the best price.

Everything will fit inside this box.  It brings tears to our eyes to think of how little it takes to feed a refugee family and compare that to how many bags of groceries we would buy in the United States for our family for a month.  Note:  Jamal is including a bag of candy for the children.

United Muslum Relief is asking for LDS Charities to provide 250 boxes at a price of $50 per box.  We will submit the project to Salt Lake for approval.

The JUST Champions

December 14, Sunday (not the Sabbath)

One of the wonderful things about serving in this mission is that we get to meet some very exceptional people.  Many of them are leaders in the community and the nation.  We heard someone say, "Jordan is a gathering place of the elect people in the Middle-East."  From our experience so far, we have to agree.  Many of the people we've met are exceptional, good, good people.  Our job is to seek out the "champions" and build personal relationships with them.

Today we met two champions, Dr. Arwa (the dean of nursing) and Dr. Nihaya from the college of nursing at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST).  They have been working with LDS Charities on the diabetes awareness project.  LDS Charities has contributed glucometers and test strips to the project.  A good percentage of Jordanians have diabetes, and it's compounded by the fact that they don't want to admit they have anything wrong so they don't seek treatment.  It's a cultural thing.  Dr. Arwa and Dr. Nihaya were both delightful motivated women.  We liked them both a lot and are looking forward to a good relationship with them.

Just a note:  It was raining like crazy today (a blessing from Allah) and it made it very difficult for us to find the building and office of Dr. Nihaya.  Add to that, the fact that we couldn't find anyone who spoke enough English to help us.  We splashed around in the rain and prayed for help.  Immediately afterward a young boy came up to us and asked (in English!) if we needed help and then escorted us to the exact office.  It was easy--just go past the Koran sculpture, turn left, go down a hall, take the elevator to the third floor (no lights in the elevator), turn left, go down another hall to the sign hanging down from the ceiling and it's the second door from the end.  Dr. Nihaya's name is written in Arabic on the door.  That young boy had to have been an angel sent from Allah.

Handicap International

December 11

We met with Giovanni Segre, the Field Coordinator for Handicap International for North Jordan in his office in Irbid this morning.  We reviewed their annual report and had a good discussion of what the organization does.  Their expertise is in the area of evaluation and rehabilitation of the disabled.  In Jordan, the focus is on refugees and Jordanians.  They have a staff of trained and licensed physical therapists who work with people suffering from spinal chord injuries.  LDS Charities donated 11 Rough Rider wheelchairs earlier this year.  Giovanni inquired about the possibility of having us provide 500 wheelchairs.  We were impressed with the organization and what they do and are going to be visiting some of the centers where they provide their services.  Handicap International is a co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for the work they are doing.

Meeting with Mohammed

December 10

We met with Dr. Mohammed Tarwena, Director of Non-Communicable Diseases, at the Ministry of Health in Amman today.  The purpose of the meeting was to get input regarding social mobilization for the upcoming diabetic retinopathy campaign.  Dr. Mohammed gave us some very useful information and council.  His recommendation for the best way to reach the most people is to have the Imams make announcements and hand out flyers to people in the mosques.

After the meeting we went to lunch at Fatty Dads and watched this building burn while we ate our burgers.  The fire was out by the time the fire trucks arrived.

Christmas Decorating Activity

December 11

Decorating the church building for Christmas is an annual event for the North Jordan Branch.  Everyone had a good time and 27 people attended.  We wish that many would come to Sacrament Meeting.

The tradition here is to make a Christmas cave for the nativity.  It was fun to watch the women lovingly create the little cave out of boxes and burlap.

Then we ate popcorn specially prepared by Brother Tolley.

The Jordan Dubai Islamic Bank

Last week the ATM in the mall "ate" our money.  We banged and punched and kicked at the machine, but it wouldn't budge.  In desperation we walked over to a nearby bank which was under construction and asked if anyone could help us.

Like true Jordanians, the officers were falling all over themselves to help.  The Head of Sales and Service called the number on the machine for us but wasn't able to reach anyone.  The Branch Manager came and tried to do what he could.  We were so grateful and enjoyed making new friends.

Today was the grand opening of the Jordan Dubai Islamic Bank so we bought some flowers and stopped by with a thank-you note.  We were invited in for coffee and chocolates.  We explained that because of our religious beliefs we don't take coffee.  One of the men replied, "Oh so you can have healthy bodies."

Sometimes we don't know why we're led to certain people, but we never pass an opportunity to make friends.  Something about these people is special.  They don't know we're Mormons but we hope they will see the light in our eyes and feel of our love.  We certainly felt theirs.

Father Dabbour

Father Ibrahim Dabbour is the priest of the Greek Orthodox Church in Amman.  He's a jolly man with a big laugh and a big heart.  He's been to Utah as a special guest of the Church and attended conference.  LDS Charities is working with him to provide 75 Christmas food boxes to needy families.  The project will benefit approximately 300 persons.

The Green Orthodox Church will arrange to buy and transport the food, provide the facility for the assembly and bring 20 volunteers to the service project.  We will travel to Amman next Saturday to help with the project.  LDS charities will donate the cost of the food and the boxes.

The project will teach correct welfare principles to and strengthen the relationship of trust and partnership with the Green Orthodox clergy and community.

Wheelchairs for Disabled

This week we met with Giovanni Segre, the Field Coordinator for Handicap International for North Jordan in his office in Irbid.  Their expertise is in the area of evaluation and rehabilitation of the disabled.  In Jordan, the focus is on refugees and Jordanians.  They have a staff of trained and licensed physical therapists who work with people suffering from spinal chord injuries and other injuries or illnesses that have caused disability.  LDS Charities donated 11 Rough Rider wheelchairs earlier this year.  We discussed his request for 500 wheelchairs.  We were impressed with the organization and what they do and are going to be visiting some of the centers where they provide their services.  Humanitarian International is a co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for the work they are engaged in.

Meeting with Mohammed

December 10

Today we met with the director of non-communicable diseases in the Ministry of Health, Mohammed Tarwena.  We discussed ways to educate the people of Jordan about the upcoming diabetes testing and treatment for blindness caused by diabetes.  He was very helpful and gave us some suggestions of how to "get the word out."  One of his suggestions was to put flyers in all the mosques and have the Imams make announcements.  We thought it was a great idea.

The Tashman Family

December 7

President Amer asked Myrna and Samera Tashman to be in charge of the branch Christmas party and the decoration of the building.  This was an interesting assignment because Samera doesn't speak any English and we only know 4 words of Arabic.   So many times we feel like Nephi who didn't know how to build a ship, but he learned.  So we accepted the call not knowing how we would do it.

First of all we need to explain something that we are just now starting to understand.  Almost everyone in the branch is from the Tashman family.  (The landlady we rent the building from is a Tashman and so is the bus driver that brings the members from Irbid every Sunday!).  The Tashmans are a very large prominent family in this area.  Brother Tashman is the President of the family. The family has regular meetings and basically run their own government.  It was explained to us that this is legal in Jordan.  The family settles their own issues.  For instance, if a member of the Tashman family gets into an auto accident  involving someone from another family, the leaders get together and settle it within themselves.  This is usually done fairly and peacefully.  Sometimes not.  But it's all legal and it works for them.    

Brother and Sister Tashman are good people.  They were the first Jordanian couple to be sealed in the temple.  Brother Tashman is the most loving family man we have ever met.  Sister Tashman is exactly the same, very loving and giving.  With Amer's help, we set up a planning meeting for the Christmas Party in their home.

Getting there would be impossible for us if it weren't for our little GPS.  Sometimes the GPS leads us into places we wouldn't ever think would be right, but we always get there.  We wound around through Irbid (a city of 1 million people) for a while but found our way exactly to the right spot.  Many thanks to the Farleys the missionary couple who were here before us for putting in all the coordinates.

Brother and Sister Tashman, four of their children and a couple of cousins were there for the meeting and everyone shared ideas for the Christmas party (except for Tamer who was busy being a teenager with his cell phone).  Amer interpreted.  It was loads of fun.   Afterward, Sister Tashman served a nice dinner of Oozie (chicken and rice).

Umm Quas

December 6
Umm Quas is an ancient city located in the northwest part of Jordan, about an hours' drive from here. Anciently it was called Gadara and its hilltop location gave it great military importance over the centuries.  On one occasion Jesus went here and was encountered one or two men (accounts differ) who were possessed of devils.  They pled with Jesus to cast out the evil spirits.  Jesus agreed but then sent the spirits into a herd of swine who then ran into the sea and were drowned.   (see Mark 5:1, Luke 8:26, and Matthew 8:28)

 Today there are impressive ruins in Um Quas.  Some of the buildings are remarkably well preserved.

As is typical of Greek and Roman cities, there is a forum and a main road that is built in standard Roman style.  

The view of the Sea of Galilee and surrounding territory is spectacular.  The city of Tiberius can be clearly seen and also several Israeli farms.  The Golan Heights are immediately to the north and Syria is northeast.  Israel is northwest.  It's kind of like the four corners of southern Utah.

A guard tower is a good thing to have in this area.

Here we are having lunch at the Top of the Rock restaurant.  It's hard to believe this peaceful place is surrounded by so much turmoil. 

Shopping in Downtown Amman

You would think it would be dangerous for us to go to the very heart of downtown Amman.  But it wasn't.  We walked up and down the busy streets and went into the little shops with the other couples and never felt threatened.  It was sooo fun!  The weather is getting colder and we need some warm coats, so we went to "coat alley."
 

Rows and rows and rows of coats and suits

I told this guy what I wanted and he ran off down the racks for a minute and then came back with the perfect coat and the perfect fit.  $25 for this one.  I love my personal shopper

Lynn was looking for a coat, too, but lost his focus when we went by this shop with men's suits.  Who can resist a suit for $35?  Brother Hammond and Brother Strong held up the portable dressing room while Lynn tried on the pants.  The owner threw in two ties.

The on-site tailors were located around the area.  It took 10 minutes for Lynn's pants to be hemmed up and we were on our way, our purchases stuffed into a plastic bag.

Stopping for Kunafe

A very popular destination for a dessert called "Kunafe" is at the end of a long alley in downtown Amman.  People come from everywhere to enjoy the warm soft cheesy dish wrapped in a crunchy crust.  They line up in long lines, pay their money in a booth and then step inside a tiny shop where servers working over hot burners dish the delicious treat onto paper plates.   Once you get your Kunafe (on a paper plate), you squeeze outside so others can get in.  Something about the whole experience reminds me of the Seinfeld Soup Nazi.  Yummy food, but you better hurry in and hurry out.