A Horn is Essential in Jordan

Yesterday we went to Madaba and on the way we noticed that the horn on our vehicle wasn't working.  Normally, we probably wouldn't have even given it a thought, but in Jordan a horn is essential for your safety.  Everyone honks all the time.  People honk for everything and nobody gets angry about it. It's the Jordan public safety at work.  If you don't honk, how would the other drivers know you are there--especially if they're talking on their cell phones or visiting with family members in the back seat?  It's a crazy system, but it works.

The "tender mercy" of the day was that we happened to be near the Kia Service Center when the horn went out and we happened to have extra time to stop by and get it fixed.  If the horn had gone out in Hussen we would have had a long dangerous time getting back to Amman to get it fixed, and it would have taken us a whole day to do, which we don't have right now.

Often the Lord helps us do big things, but most of the time He helps us with small things--and that reminds us of how much he loves us and is aware of us.  We know he feels the same way about all His children.

I hope we remember that you NEVER honk at other drivers back home.

Was it Easter?

When you live in a Muslim country, nobody mentions Easter so it's easy to forget.  In Jordan Sunday is a regular work day and Friday is the Sabbath.  So if Easter Sunday is Friday, is Good Friday really Wednesday?  I get so confused.

On Sunday we took some time to read about the last week of Jesus' life, his crucifixion, death and resurrection.  It's always difficult to imagine the tremendous suffering He went through to pay the price for all our sorrows, heartaches and sins, but we're very grateful that He did.  Words cannot express how much we love Him.  We feel so honored to have the privilege of representing Him in His work.  Next month we will be visiting the Holy Land and seeing where Jesus lived, walking in his footsteps and enjoying the places he loved.

It will be a great "capstone" to our mission.  

Happy Birthday Relief Society

Today we celebrated the Relief Society birthday at church.  

Each sister was given a bouquet of fresh roses from Sister Virginia's garden.

Last year the Relief Society had a huge barbecue that included an $80 cake.  

Things have changed since then.  Most of the people who were coming to church to get "free stuff"  have gone away because the church stopped the excessive spending and hand-outs. We feel sorry that the people who left never understood the great blessings of the gospel.  The gifts from God are infinitely more valuable than anything money can buy.

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."  Matthew 6:33 

School Mother's Day Celebration

We love the Khadaja Primary School for girls in Al Husn.  The project we had with them for the last few months has been so much fun!  LDSC donated classroom heaters, clean water dispensers, a copy machine, laptop computer and some other things to enhance the learning environment at the school.

Shopping for the laptop computer with the school principal and vice principal.

Freyal LOVES the laptop.  "It's Windows 10!!!"

Every time we visit the school we get MOBBED.  Everyone wants to shake our hands, give kisses and hugs and ask "how are you" in English.

One of the teachers invited us to lunch at her home.  It was a feast.  We laughed and talked for several hours.  When it was time to leave they invited us to stay and spend the night!! 

 If this is lunch, what do they do for dinner?

After lunch we sat around learning some new Arabic words.  It was very funny.  

Everyone laughed and laughed at us. 

We're glad there wasn't an exam because we would have flunked.

This week the primary school had a very impressive program involving students to celebrate important historical events in Jordan, along with Mother's Day. 

We were invited to attend the activities but didn't understand that we were going to be honored guests.  Other invited guests included school district officials, local school principals and teachers, government officials, parents, civic and religious leaders.

As a result of recent projects and activities in the Al Husn area, we are acquainted with most of the dignitaries who attended.

Lynn was asked to participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony with the member of parliament representing Al Husn.

The printed introduction to the program from the school director said the following:

"Please allow me to thank all of those from the local community for their cooperation with our school, especially Mr. Leen and Mrs. Murna as it is a great example of religious unity, forgiveness and love between societies and religion . . . ." 

The objective of the recent projects LDSC had with the two schools in Al Husn was to help improve the educational environment in the schools.  In addition, an important objective was to enhance the image of LDSC and the Church in the community. The projects have provided excellent public relations opportunities and have helped others to see the Church as being an example of "love between societies and religions.

The Women's Hygiene Kits

LDSC donated 100 women's hygiene kits to the National Women's Health Center for their hygiene education program.  They were so happy to get them.

This cute Muslim woman named Asma will visit one of the poorest areas in Jordan and teach the women the importance of personal hygiene.  Feminine hygiene products are not available to many women, so these should be a very welcome gift.  The cloth products can be washed and re-used.  This project benefits the women who sew as well as the recipients.

Kawkab, Nesreen and Nada at United Muslim Relief came to our rescue when we were right down to the wire in having the kits available in time. They deserve a great big thank you. (and three kisses on each cheek)!!

Towels, soap, pad holders, extra pads and panties are included in the kit.  And a comb and toothbrush.

Roya Eye Clinic an Example of Service

Dr. Thara is an ophthalmologist at the Roya Eye Center in Irbid.  Two days a week she goes to Ramtha and and provides free vision care services to the Syrian refugees at the Altkaful Health Center  The refugees with eye problems receive advanced treatment at a deep discount at the Roya Eye Center.

The Roya Eye Center is equipped with state-of-the art vision equipment.  Dr; Shadi Alkahateeb, the owner, was educated in the United States and chose to come back home to Jordan to serve his countrymen and those less fortunate. 

These good people understand the joy and happiness that comes from service to others.  We are constantly humbled by the generosity of the people of Jordan.

Teaching the Gospel

After meetings last Friday we accompanied President Penrod, the district president, to visit and have lunch with the mother and 2 brothers of Azat Haddad, the young man who is preparing to go on a mission.  The mother and one of the brothers are not members.  The other brother, Nash, is a counselor in the branch presidency in Amman Branch 1. President Penrod speaks fluent Arabic and was able to teach the mother and non-member brother about modern-day revelation and living prophets and answer some of their questions.  We could sense that they were touched.  We ended the visit with prayer being offered by Nash.  He prayed that his mother would join the church.  She is a sweet lady.  It would be great if Azat could baptize his mother before he leaves on his mission.

On our mission we have never had the opportunity to teach the gospel discussions in someone's home. We wish with all our hearts that we could.  However our mission has been to show people the love of the Savior by the charitable things we do.  Neal Maxwell said, "Go out and preach the gospel.  If necessary, use words."  That's what we try to do.  We hope and pray that what we do will help prepare people's hearts and minds so that when the time is right and the barriers are down they will readily accept the gospel message--using the words.

Eating Out

Ok, we admit it, we eat a lot of junk food.  The staff at McDonalds and Subway know our first names.   We go there a lot.  The explanation is simple:  We know what we're getting and they have a bathroom.

McMoud at the Subway shop always takes his time "creating"a salad for us, cutting and arranging layers of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.  As we wait and watch, I can't help but compare McMoud's way with our way at home (throw the ingredients in a bowl, squirt on the salad dressing and toss the bowl on the counter in about 15 seconds). We like our food to be fast, but sometimes we miss the enjoyment of the visual presentation.

We don't let McMoud watch us "mess it all up" with our fork before we dig in.  He might be hurt.

Moral of the story:  Always do your best, even if you're working at Subway.

Move the slit lamps!!!

LDS Charities had a vision project last year in Jordan.  The project was to test people at random, find out which ones had diabetes and then test their eyes for early signs of blindness caused by the disease.  Two eye-testing machines (slit lamps) were purchased and used for the project.  After the testing was completed, the slit lamps were left to gather dust.  We inherited the project at this point.

Our thought was to donate the unused equipment to the Ministry of Health for use in the vision department of the Al Basheer Hospital in Amman.

We started to discuss the donation with Dr. Ali, head of opthamology almost a year ago.  "Go ahead and have your people move them" we told him.  He said he would get it done after Ramadan in July. 

When July came and the slit lamps were still sitting unused, we visited Dr. Ali again.  He promised us he would get it done.  Time went by, letters of donation were written and serial numbers recorded.  Still nothing happened--until last week.

Lynn talking with Dr. Ali 

 "You told us you would have the slit lamps moved by the end of Ramadan last year.
What can we do to help make this happen?"

Dr. Ali's equipment manager stopped by the office, made a couple of phone calls .. .and it was done!

This is what a slit lamp looks like.  

The Al Basheer hospital now has two new slit lamps, which they desperately needed.

And we still have our sanity.

"Be humble...gentle...full of patience and long suffering."  Alma 7:23

Marriage In A Muslim Country

It isn't easy for LDS singles in Jordan to get married.  Why?

1. Almost everyone here is a Muslim.  As a Christian, marrying a Muslim is impossible.  It won't happen.
2. Marrying another Christian isn't easy either.  The family probably wouldn't allow it because we're "Mormons".
3. The only eligible LDS singles are your cousins.  

Yesterday I talked with our branch president, President Amer. He's 32 years old, returned missionary, active in the Church, has a good job and no prospects of marriage.

President Amer teaching Sunday School 

Amer expressed his deep desire to find a young woman with a testimony and marry her in the temple for time and eternity.  He wants his children to be born in the covenant and be nurtured and taught the gospel in their home.  He isn't willing to settle for less.  May God bless him.  He's a great man.

Not A Bomb

The Altkaful Health Cender is remodeling an old building across the street from their Clinic.  The building will house a much-needed laboratory.  We have submitted a proposal to headquarters for LDS Charities to donate some of the equipment needed or the lab.

 It looks like a bomb hit ...

but this pile of rubble is part of the remodeling project for the new lab.

"This is where the equipment will be"

Last week the clinic had 2 "free health days" for Syrian refugees and a team of doctors from the U.S. participated in the event.  1,400 people were served.  On the second day an official from the Ministry of Health showed up and threatened to shut down the clinic because they didn't have the necessary paperwork giving them permission for the event.  It isn't clear who dropped the ball, but it wasn't Altkaful. All the U.S.doctors were forced to leave and take their medications.  

Abd was devastated.  He had worked so hard and then Altkaful was left to carry on without any support.  We tried to cheer him up but there wasn't anything we could do.  Lynn told him to "do your best--do your very very best--and leave the rest to Allah."  Then we went to our car and prayed for him.

 The rest of the story is amazing.  Abd was able to rally his own team of doctors and use all the medications from his store room.  The clinic served 650 patients the first day with the outside help.  On the second day when they were left alone they served 750!  We are so proud of them.  Abid was smiling again. His pharmacy was empty, but the team of US doctors sent a donation of $1500 to replenish the shelves. They are very sorry for what happened.

Isis Gun Battle in Irbid

Seven armed men were killed in Irbid (about 6 miles from here) during a raid by security forces on Tuesday night.  The group of men was identified as Isis affiliates who were planning to carry out attacks on military and civil sites in Jordan.  Thirteen other members of the group were arrested.  One Jordanian Special Forces officer was killed.

The members of the North Jordan branch are all safe, but a bit shaken by the events, and many could hear the shooting and explosions during the night.  The event took place in an area close to where two active members of the branch live.  Power was shut off in their homes and they all stayed inside.  The next morning it was over and life went back to normal in Irbid.

The comments we read on social media were patriotic and supportive of the king and the Jordanian Special Forces.  The Special Forces officer who was killed has become a national hero and was promoted posthumously from captain to major.  The king attended his funeral.  Flags are flying and people are proud that Jordan has demonstrated once again their resolve to keep terrorist cells out of the country.  Jordan is very blessed to have a good king.  The people love him.

You can read about the events at jordantimes.com


http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/jordanians-say-kingdom-has-no-place-terrorists

It's Spring in Jordan

Last Saturday we took a rare day off and went for a drive down to the Jordan River Valley.  It was a beautiful spring day and everything was so green, we couldn't believe we were in Jordan.

 The Jordan River Valley is the fertile land along the Jordan River as it leaves the Sea of Galilee and runs south to the Dead Sea.  The temperature is a few degrees warmer than in other areas of Jordan.  The availability of water from the river through irrigation makes it an ideal place for growing fruits and vegetables year round.

 This is a very poor area.  Thousands of Bedoins live here.

 The Jordan River forms the boundary between Jordan and Israel.  Those mountains in the background are in Israel.

 Happy Sheep and goats feed along the road. 

 Cars can go across the Jordan River into Israel at this point but we didn't bring our passports so we didn't go.  There's a $52 per person exit tax to come back to Jordan 

Leaving the Jordan River Valley we drove up through some lush, green country.  

We understand that Christ spent some time in this area.  We can see why he loved it.

 Farmers plowing the fields...the old fashioned way.

Aren't They Cute!!

This is the new Branch Presidency of the North Jordan Branch.  Aren't they cute? 

Elder Tolley was released as second counselor.  

Now the branch leadership is one hundred percent Jordanian!

New Hospital Near the Border

Our dear friend Dr. Baseem invited us to visit the new Northern Badya hospital near the Zaatari camp where he is now a member of the management staff.

The hospital is going to be a major hospital and is in the stages of preparation for operation.  The main sponsor of the hospital is the government of Japan.  We're not sure what they want from LDS Charities, but we will probably find out.

The hospital is very near the Syrian border (That's Syria way in the background).  We drove along the road and saw large fields of boulder-size white rocks in the distance.  It was the most amazing sight--it looked like huge hailstones had fallen from heaven.  Ouch!! That would\ hurt.

Wheelchairs in Jordan

Last Saturday we visited the Al Nahda Society for the Handicapped society in Irbid to see their operation.  The Al Nahda Society is one of the distributors for wheelchairs LDSC uses in Jurdan.  They also do repairs.  It was inspiring to watch handicapped volunteers working to help other people who are handicapped ("disabled").

Access to public life is not easy for people in wheelchairs.  Getting around in public is so difficult that most people just stay in their homes.  The sidewalks are "hit and miss" and a challenge to navigate on foot, let alone in a wheelchair.   The Al Nahda Society is working for change, but change is slow.

Diabetes Testing Supplies for Altkaful

On Thursday we visited the Altkaful Clinic in Ramtha and donated some of the supplies left over from the diabetic retinopathy campaign last year.  The director is extremely grateful for our visits and support.

We love Altkaful!!

Zaatari Refugee Camp

Several weeks ago we received notice that Bishop Dean Davies from the Presiding Bishopric was planning to come to Jordan.  Dave McMillan the Director of Temporal Affairs for the Middle-East would be accompanying him, along with their wives.  They held a 3-day "cluster meeting"  (conference) in Amman with directors of temporal affairs from Africa, Europe and the Middle East.  At the end of the conference Bishop Davies and Brother McMillan asked to spend a day with us to see some humanitarian projects in Jordan.  

We personally have never been into the formal refugee camps but we thought it would be good for Bishop Davies (and us) to have the experience.  The Church recently made a large contribution to the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) for their medical clinic in the Zaatari camp so we felt it would be appropriate for the director of SAMS to take us into the camp and see the clinic.

Getting into the refugee camp requires a formal written approval which isn't easy to get.  Security is extremely tight and they don't let just "anybody" go in.  The visitors from Salt Lake sent copies of their passports two weeks ahead and we asked Laui Alkuzi, Jordan Director of SAMS to help us make the arrangements.  Then all we could do is hope and pray and wait.  

As time for the planned visit grew shorter, we experienced a real test of our faith.  On Tuesday, the day before the visit we still didn't have the written approval.  All we had was a promise, which doesn't get you past the armed guards (and a tank with a machine gun on the top) at the gate.  We waited until noon and called Laui to say we would have to cancel and do something else if we didn't hear anything by 1:00.  Truth is, we didn't have anything else at all.  We tried not to panic and have faith.  We prayed again and told the Lord we really needed His help and we needed it by 1:00.  At 1:02 the phone rang and we got the news that written approval had been received.  Whew!!  We are so grateful to the Lord for answering our plea for help.  Bishop Davies never knew what we had been through.  Everything went very smoothly.

This is the only picture I could get from the street leading up to the gate.  No pictures allowed of the guards or the entrance.

Inside the camp we were allowed to take a few pictures, but asked if it was okay first.  The Tolleys, Bishop and Darla Davies, Brenda and Dave McMillan.  They were nice folks.

Lynn made sure to thank the SAMS camp director for granting us permission.

 We saw lots and lots of young mothers with their children in the clinic.

 Here we are looking at a display of used eyeglasses.

 The pharmacy gives medications to about 250 patients per day. 

The school playground looks like a fortress--completely surrounded by barbed wire.

UNICEF oversees the schools in the camp.  These children are getting a good education.

 People live in portable buildings called "caravans."  Some are painted with beautiful pictures of their homeland. and messages of hope.

The people living here are from Damascas.  The artwork is beautiful.

The Zaatari Camp isn't ideal.  There are lots of problems here, as we can imagine, but there are also many organizations working to make life in the camps bearable.  Besides medical care and schooling, there is water and electricity available.  Every family is given money for food and there's one street of shops where a huge variety of goods including fresh vegetables and fruit are available to purchase.  There is one bicycle for every 50 people.  Water is delivered every morning.  The streets are paved and electricity is available.  How amazing is that?  It's not perfect, but Jordan is a good host.  May God bless the Jordanians and the Syrians.

Time For A Change

For 20 years the missionary couples have played a major leadership role the North Jordan Branch.  It's been great for the members--if they don't feel like doing their calling they know the missionaries will cover for them.  If they want anything they know the missionaries will get it for them.   Missions have been entirely paid for, groceries provided, rent, medicine, education, transportation all paid when they ask.  The kind-hearted missionaries have been like the mother and father who do too much and they create spoiled, dependent children.

Things are changing now.  We have spent most of our mission teaching self-reliance and personal conversion.  A lot of payments have stopped and people are learning that the church isn't the Bank of Jesus Christ.  We offer salvation--not cash payments.  It's the right thing, and we know it's painful but we also know that one person that is truly converted is better than a hundred who hang around with their hands out.

Lynn has spent a lot of time teaching and counseling with President Amer.  One of Lynn's "gifts" (talents) is the gift of administration.  He truly understands how the Lord's church works.  It's very satisfying to watch him teach Amer and for Amer to learn and understand.  Amer's a great man.  This past week we all got the impression that it is time for the missionaries to back out of leadership roles, and for the members to step up.  We will both be released soon and the Relief Society and branch presidency will all be made up of local members.  They will be under the direction of and trained by the district leaders in Amman--not us.  We know it won't be easy, but it's the right thing--and the will of our Heavenly Father.  He is in charge and now is the time.

Heck, we're not even real missionaries--we're "humanitarian volunteers"!  Heaven help us if the government thought we were missionaries.  We'd be on the next plane home.

Best buddies

Lynn and President Amer

The Rough-Rider

This is a "rough-rider" wheelchair.  It's designed for rough terrain.  Notice the heavy-duty wheels on the front.

This wheelchair is going to be used by a young disabled girl who attends school in Al Husn.  Her old one was very terrible.

The little girl is happy!

Her mother is happy!

The principal of the school is happy!

Her classmates are happy!

The little Syrian refugee girls are happy!

And we're happy!

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY