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

Dinner with Ghaleb

There's this guy named Ghaleb in Irbid who thinks Lynn looks like Bill Clinton.  Every time we talk to him on the phone, he asks for Clinton.  When Kevin, Jill and Kristen were here we took them to Ghaleb's furniture shop to meet him and he was very pleased.  He has become our friend. (he manufactured some cosmetology chairs for us to donate to the Al Husn Secondary and Vocational School)

On Wednesday we were invited to have dinner with Ghaleb at his home.  In Jordan it's very common to be invited to dinner.  Almost everyone we meet invites us--even the attendant at the gas station.  We've been to the homes of a diverse group of people and in almost every case they serve the same thing--MANSAF.  When Ghaleb invited us to dinner he asked what kind of mansaf would we like?  Chicken or lamb? The lamb is grey boiled and served over rice, including the head.  We picked chicken.

Mansaf is served on a big tray piled with rice and chicken on the top and covered with toasted almonds.  You take a big scoop of rice, add the chicken and then pour hot yogurt gravy over the top.  It's really quite tasty.  That's the meal.  After your tummy feels like it's going to burst, they serve fresh fruit.  Then you are free to go home.

Right To Play

In December an organization called "Right to Play" asked the Presiding Bishopric for a large donation.  We were asked to check it out here in Jordan and send our assessment back to Salt Lake.

On Sunday (not the Sabbath) we spent the entire day visiting their programs in action.  It was a very interesting experience for us.  We think their methods are making a difference and are touching the lives of many children in a positive way.

In a neighborhood women's center in a Palestenian refugee camp we saw volunteers working with young girls who were learning how to identify their feelings and understand what is happening in their lives.

The children in this classroom in a poor area of Amman were excited and engaged in learning. 

Teachers used a variety of teaching techniques

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These little girls were learning the difference between telling a lie and telling the truth by acting out the story of Little Red Riding Hood.

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Learning math with cards

Learning math by jumping to numbers painted on the floor

 Right to Play is bringing diverse groups of children together and teaching them how to cooperate.

It's very important for children in this part of the world to learn how to cooperate with people who aren't the same as they are.

After the visit, we recommended a significant contribution.  We feel confident that Right To Play can have a big impact on education in the Middle-East.  An added bonus is that they have a "house with glass walls."  They use the latest technology to eliminate waste and to let donors know how every penny is spent.  A big "thumbs up" for Right to Play!!

A Final Visit

We visited the Al Husn Secondary and Vocational School  for a final review of the donations made by LDSC.  The water coolers, classroom chairs, specialty lab chairs, computer and classroom heaters were very much appreciated.   We had President Amer with us, and we all went on a tour of the school.

Cosmetology lab

Sewing class

 Gardening

This cow was very angry because the school sold her son yesterday.  She was bellowing loudly.

Cows, chickens, goats, sheep and geese are part of their vocational training.  We were given a gift of fresh milk and eggs to take home.  I made a triple batch of pudding with the fresh dairy products.  Oh so delicious.

More Boom-Booms

Last week the fighting in Syria got a bit close and 5 stray bomb shells fell on the Jordanian side of the border in a town called Ramtha about 10 miles from here.  We are confident that the border between Jordan and Syria is secure, but the people in Ramtha are getting a bit jittery.  (no one was hurt).  I never imagined that I would be in a place where I could actually hear bombing while standing in my kitchen!  We're not worried, but are very grateful for the Spirit to help us know where we should and shouldn't be.

We're Clueless

Sometimes we think we should have taken a couple of years to learn Arabic before we came here.  It may have been helpful.

When we were invited to attend a special meeting with civic leaders in Al Husn we thought the purpose of the meeting was to witness the swearing in of a new mayor.  We went to the meeting, listened to a lot of talking and still aren't exactly sure what happened.  We don't think we got a new mayor.

A very kind woman who is the principal of the Greek Orthodox Church School in Al Husn and speaks limited English asked me to sit with her in the women's area separate from the men.  Dad was left on his own.  The woman tried to explain that the seven men who gave speeches were all mayors (?) and were outlining what they had accomplished this past year.  It was a good thing for us to be there to represent LDS Charities as a member of the community.  We were happy to be included.

 View from the women's table.

Our friend, Dr. Bourhan was one of the "important men" at the event.  He gave a speech.

Amman District Leadership Meeting

The district presidency has been trying to hold a district training meeting for all the branch leaders in the 3 branches here in Amman every month.  Our little group of leaders from the North Jordan Branch is very faithful in attending, and we don't have trouble convincing the members to go because it's an outing and their transportation is paid.  We all enjoy the meetings very much.

Recently the church was able to get some headsets brought in from the U.S. and now we have translation available for everyone.  Now are all able to enjoy the instructions from our leaders in our own language.

After the meeting, the new couple, the Phillips, invited everyone into the missionary apartment area of the building for food  Most of the members didn't even know the area was there and it was really fun to sit and visit with them in the homey atmosphere  The members of our branch are all very poor and we had to watch them carefully so they didn't scoop up all the cookies and fill their pockets before everyone got served.  Hunger trumps manners.

Ironically, the instruction we received in the meeting was on fasting.

The Amman district will all fast next month for the softening of hearts and for the growth of the Church here.

Syrian Relief and Development (SRD)

According to official figures there are 1.4 million Syrians living in Jordan.  Jordan has been very welcoming, hospitable and tolerant to the refugees who seek safety and security here.  This places a huge burden on the country.  As we have said so many times, we are overwhelmed by the good charities and organizations from all over the world who come here to do what they can to help.

One of the many NGO's is called Syrian Relief and Development (SRD).  SRD is an organization that supports a charity hospital that serves Syrian refugees in Amman.  The hospital provides general and specialized medical services including maternal and birth care for refugees.

Right now, we don't know if we can help the hospital, but we are trying to establish relationships with groups of people who are in a position to help the Syrians when they go home "nshala" (God Willing).  There will be a lot of work to do then.  SRD could be one of those groups.  They are already rehabilitating homes in Syria.

These are some of the craft items made by refugee children in SRD's summer camp.

Bishop Davies to Zaatari Camp

Next week Bishop Davies, the presiding  bishop for the Church and his wife will be in Jordan for three days of meetings with area directors of temporal affairs from Europe, Asia, Africa etc. and their wives.  The meetings will be at the Amman Center and we won't be involved.  However, since we are the humanitarian directors for Jordan we have been asked to provide a humanitarian experience for Bishop Davies and Dave McMillan, director of temporal affairs for the Middle East on the last day of the conference before they go home.  Since the Church recently made a contribution to the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) we thought it would be great to arrange a visit to Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan and visit the medical clinic that SAMS supports with the donation from the Church.

It's not easy to get permission to go into the camp.  Security is VERY TIGHT but our friends at SAMS told us they could arrange it.  The Davies and McMillans sent copies of their passports for government approval to go into the camp.  We arranged for a van and a driver, a tour of the Zaatari camp medical center and welcome by camp leadership.

Then we got a phone call this morning saying that the government needs more time to grant the approval.  SAMS is doing what they can, but it doesn't look hopeful.  We are hoping and praying that everything works out.  It would be a great experience for Bishop Davies.

We have a "plan B" but it isn't quite as exciting as "plan A."

A Great Partnership

For the past few months we have been discussing the possibility of partnering with United Muslim Relief for a project to assist the Altkaful Heralth Clinic.  Altkaful serves 150-300 Syrian refugees per day.  We have been working with the health center for several months and are very impressed with what they do and how they do it.  We had a recent project with them where we helped with medicine and medical supplies.

We are proposing that LDSC partners with United Muslim Relief to provide more assistance to the clinic.  UMR has committed to a donation of a shipping container of medical supplies.  We are proposing to donate some medical equipment.  We feel that this project is a good example of two partners working together to increase quality medical services to a large number of refugees.

We sent the proposal to Salt Lake last week.  Hope we get approval!!

Lynn and Jamal discussing medications.

Let Me In!!

We have been making announcements before our branch meetings to turn off all cell phones.  Anwar Tashman and his wife were late for Sacrament meeting on Friday and somehow the handle on the door to the building got stuck and they couldn't open the door.  They started calling people in the congregation on their cell phones.  Most of the cell phones had been turned off and the ones that were operating were ignored by their users.  Somehow they eventually found a way to get in.  After Sacrament Meeting, Anwar's first question was, "why didn't you answer your phone?"

Stranded at The Berm

North and east of where we live in Jordan out in the desert in an area called "The Berm" an estimated 20,000 Syrians are trapped in the no man's land between Syria and Jordan.  The people living here are trying desperately to cross the border into Jordan, but are being prevented by Jordanian border guards from moving any further.  The concern is that the group may have been infiltrated by Isis.

The Berm is rocky area between two long earthen banks or berms 60 miles from the nearest road, village or any other infrastructure in northeastern Jordan.  The land is inhabited by scorpions, snakes, insects and wild animals.  The International Red Cross has sent water trucks and other aid, but access is very difficult.  The refugee group living there consists mostly of families, including hundreds of pregnant women.  Seventeen babies have been born at the site since mid-December.  There are no sanitation or medical facilities and the only water in the area is brackish.  The weather has been cold. 

These people aren't gypsies or Bedouins--they're ordinary citizens who have fled their homes for their lives, leaving everything behind.  They have nowhere else to go, so they went into the desert, hoping to cross the border into Jordan from this remote area.  The ones who make a run for it get shot and killed.

In the last few days, Jordan has begun processing the people living here and allowing them to cross. 

The Elderly and the sick go first..

Children

Portable scanners check everything carried across.

They don't have much to carry

 Everyone gets patted down for weapons...

It's being reported that 50 - 100 people are being admitted into Jordan per day.  At that rate, many will have a long wait. 

We're not sure, but we think they are going directly to the camps.  The camps aren't the ritz, but they do have food, shelter and medical care.

LDS Charities has been asked by International Medical Corps to contribute soap and shampoo for 12,000 hygiene kits.  We are helping to coordinate the effort.  It hardly seems like enough.

Does This Look Familiar?

Guess what we saw in a stack in Jamal's office!!  

"Where did you get these?" we asked.  "They came from Utah" Jamal told us.

WOW!!  RELIEF SOCIETY QUILTS!!! 

They will certainly be put to good use here.  Thank you to the good kind people back home.