No Church

No church today because of the bad weather.  We stayed home and had our own "devotional" and even had an opening song.  Dad sings better than the Jordanians.  I think we should sing a duet in church.

Snowflakes in our back yard.  Brrrr means "cold" in Arabic.

Snow Storm in Jordan

It's snowing here!  The government knew the storm was coming and ordered the schools and government offices closed and told everyone to stay home for the next 2-3 days.  When we heard the news we went out and bought some groceries and prepared to hunker down.  By the time we came home there were very few cars on the road.  We wish traffic would be like that all the time.

There was a run on the bread store in Husn. 

We're so glad we live in a stone building, because the wind howled fiercely all night.  Things were flying in the wind, but our house stayed firm.  We couldn't help but think of the many Syrian people in the area who are living in tents and must be suffering.  We sincerely pray for them.

Letter from Pope Francis

We got an e-mail with a letter from the Pope today!  I thought it was worth including in our blog so our friends and family can see and understand the great compassion, love and goodness in others not of our faith.  

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and  God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to  console those who are in any affliction, with the consolation with which we ourselves  are consoled by God” (2 Cor 1:3-4).

When I thought of writing to you, our Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East,  these words of Saint Paul immediately came to mind.  I write to you just before  Christmas, knowing that for many of you the music of your Christmas hymns will also  be accompanied by tears and sighs.  Nonetheless, the birth of the Son of God in our  human flesh is an indescribable mystery of consolation:  "For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all people" (Tit 2:11). 

Sadly, afflictions and tribulations have not been lacking, even more recently, in the  Middle East.  They have been aggravated in the past months because of the continuing  hostilities in the region, but especially because of the work of a newer and disturbing  terrorist organization, of previously unimaginable dimensions, which has perpetrated all  kinds of abuses and inhuman acts.  It has particularly affected a number of you, who  have been brutally driven out of your native lands, where Christians have been present  since apostolic times.

Nor, in writing to you, can I remain silent about the members of other religious and ethnic groups who are also experiencing persecution and the effects of these conflicts.  Every  I follow the new reports of the enormous suffering endured by many people in the  Middle East.  I think in particular of the children, the young mothers, the elderly, the  homeless and all refugees, the starving and those facing the prospect of a hard winter  without an adequate shelter.  This suffering cries out to God and it calls for our  commitment to prayer and concrete efforts to help in any way possible.  I want to  express to all of you my personal closeness and solidarity, as well as that of the whole  Church, and to offer you a word of consolation and hope.

Dear brothers and sisters who courageously bear witness to Jesus in the land blessed by  the Lord, our consolation and our hope is Christ himself.  I encourage you, then, to  remain close to him, like branches on the vine, in the certainty that no tribulation, distress or persecution can separate us from him (cf. Rom 8:35).  May the trials which you are  presently enduring strengthen the faith and the fidelity of each and all of you!

I pray that you will be able to experience a fraternal communion modeled on that of the  first community of Jerusalem.  The unity willed by our Lord is more necessary than ever at these difficult times; it is a gift from God, who appeals to our freedom and awaits our  response.  May the word of God, the sacraments, prayer and fellowship nourish and  continually renew your communities.

The situation in which are you living is a powerful summons to holiness of life, as saints  and martyrs of every Christian community have attested.  I think with affection and  veneration of the pastors and faithful who have lately been killed, often merely for the  fact that they were Christians.  I think also of those who have been kidnapped, including several Orthodox bishops and priests of various rites.  May they soon return, safe and  sound, to their homes and communities!  I ask God to grant that all this suffering united  to the Lord’s cross will bring about much good for the Church and for all the peoples in the Middle East.

In the midst of hostility and conflicts, the communion which you experience in fraternity and simplicity is a sign of God’s Kingdom.  I am gratified by the good relations and  cooperation which exist between the patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches and  those of the Orthodox Churches, and also between the faithful of the different Churches.  The sufferings which Christians endure contribute immensely to the cause of unity.  It is the ecumenism of blood, which demands a trusting abandonment to the working of the Holy Spirit.

May you always bear witness to Jesus amid your difficulties!  Your very presence is  precious for the Middle East.  You are a small flock, but one with a great responsibility  in the land where Christianity was born and first spread.  You are like leaven in the  dough.  Even more than the many contributions which the Church makes in the areas of education, healthcare and social services, which are esteemed by all, the greatest source  of enrichment in the region is the presence of Christians themselves, your presence.   Thank you for your perseverance!

Your efforts to cooperate with people of other religions, with Jews and Muslims, is  another sign of the Kingdom of God.  The more difficult the situation, the more  interreligious dialogue becomes necessary.  There is no other way.  Dialogue, grounded  in an attitude of openness, in truth and love, is also the best antidote to the temptation to religious fundamentalism, which is a threat for followers of every religion.  At the same  time, dialogue is a service to justice and a necessary condition for the peace which all so ardently desire.

The majority of you live in environments which are predominantly Muslim.  You can help your Muslim fellow citizens to present with discernment a more authentic image of Islam, as so many of them desire, reiterating that Islam is a religion of peace, one which is  compatible with respect for human rights and favours peaceful coexistence on the part  of all.  This will prove beneficial for them and for all society.  The tragic situation faced by our Christian brothers and sisters in Iraq, as well as by the Yazidi and members of  other religious and ethnic communities, demands that all religious leaders clearly speak  out to condemn these crimes unanimously and unambiguously, and to denounce the  practice of invoking religion in order to justify them.

Dear brothers and sisters, almost all of you are native citizens of your respective  countries, and as such you have the duty and the right to take full part in the life and  progress of your nations.  Within the region you are called to be artisans of peace,  reconciliation and development, to promote dialogue, to build bridges in the spirit of the Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:3:12), and to proclaim the Gospel of peace, in a spirit of ready  cooperation with all national and international authorities.

In a special way I would like to express my esteem and gratitude to you, dear brother  patriarchs, bishops, priests, and men and women religious, who accompany the journey of your communities with loving concern.  How valuable is the presence and work of  those completely consecrated to the Lord, serving him in their brothers and sisters,  especially those in greatest need, and thus witnessing to his grandeur and his infinite  love!  How important is the presence of pastors in the midst of their flocks, especially in times of trouble!

To the young I send a paternal embrace.  I pray for your faithfulness, your human and  Christian development, and the attainment of your hopes and dreams.  I repeat to you:  “Do not be afraid or ashamed to be Christian.  Your relationship with Jesus will help you to cooperate generously with your fellow citizens, whatever their religious affiliation”  (Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, 63). 

To the elderly I express my respect and esteem.  You are the memory of your peoples.  I pray that this memory will become a seed which can grow and benefit generations yet to come.

I wish to encourage all of you who work in the very important fields of charity and  education.  I admire the work you do, especially through Caritas and other Catholic  charitable organizations in the different countries, in providing help to anyone who asks, without discrimination.  Through this witness of charity you help support the life of  society and you contribute to the peace for which the region hungers as if for bread.   Education too is critical for the future of society.  How important it is for promoting the  culture of encounter, respect for the dignity of each person and the absolute value of  every human being!

Dear brothers and sisters, even though you may not be numerous, you play a significant  role in the Church and in the countries where you live.  The entire Church is close to you and supports you, with immense respect and affection for your communities and your  mission.  We will continue to assist you with our prayers and with every other means at our disposal.

At the same time I continue to urge the international community to address your needs  and those of other suffering minorities, above all by promoting peace through  negotiation and diplomacy, for the sake of stemming and stopping as soon as possible  the violence which has already caused so much harm.  I once more condemn in the  strongest possible terms the traffic of arms.  Instead, what are needed are plans and  initiatives for peace, so as to further a global solution to the region’s problems.  How  much longer must the Middle East suffer from the lack of peace?  We must not resign  ourselves to conflicts as if change were not possible!  In the spirit of my pilgrimage to  the Holy Land and the subsequent prayer meeting in the Vatican with the Israeli and  Palestinian presidents, I encourage you to continue to pray for peace in the Middle East.  May those forced to leave their lands be able to return and to live in dignity and security.  May humanitarian aid increase and always have as its central concern the good of each  individual and each country, respecting their identity and without any other agendas.   May the entire Church and the international community become ever more conscious of  the importance of your presence in the region.

Dear Christian brothers and sisters of the Middle East, you have an enormous  responsibility and in meeting it you are not alone.  That is why I wanted to write to you,  to encourage you and to let you know how precious your presence and your mission are in the land which the Lord has blessed.  Your witness means much to me!  Thank you!  I pray for you and your intentions every day.  I thank you because I know that, amid your sufferings, you also pray for me and for my service to the Church.  I do hope to have  the chance to come to you in person and to visit and to comfort you.  May the Virgin  Mary, the All-Holy Mother of God and our Mother, accompany you and protect you always with her tender love.  To all of you and your families I impart my Apostolic Blessing, and I pray that your celebration of Christmas will be filled with  the love and peace of Christ our  Saviour.

From the Vatican, * * *

The Scarves

A large percentage of the people here are Muslim.  It's a custom that the Muslim women wear scarves to cover their hair when they go out.  Lynn says the scarves emphasize their beautiful faces.  I wish they would take them off so I could see what they really look like.

Someone explained that the scarf is an article of clothing that a woman wears to demonstrate her devotion to God and to remind her of her covenant to follow Him.  It is a protection to her both physically and spiritually.  Doesn't that sound a lot like the LDS temple garment? 

Crusader Castle at Karak

Sunday, Jan 4 (not the Sabbath)

In March, doctors that work with the vision initiative in humanitarian services will be coming to Jordan to give four lectures.  LDS Charities will be sponsoring the lectures as part of the diabetic retinopothy project for Jordan.  One of the lectures will be given in the ancient city of Karak, located about 100 miles south of Amman on the old Kings Highway. 

The Strongs invited us to go with them to meet the doctors at the University in Karak and identify a suitable location for the lectures.  We were told that the Karak castle had a meeting room and facilities that may be suitable for our group and our reason for going was to check it out.

The Karak castle was built in 1132 and is built on a hilltop near the caravan route between Damascus and Egypt.  

  

View from the top.  What a great location for a castle!

This ancient room was just perfect for what we need.  They have room for 70-100 doctors, sound system, and chairs.  The room is large enough for dinner to be served at one end.  The acoustics are fantastic.  The walls are a good 6 feet thick.  Is this awesome or what?

We were told that the weather warms up by March when we have the meeting.  Today it was windy and COLD.

At the Mu'tah University in Karak (a school of over 22,000 students) we met with the Vice President for Scientific Faculties, the dean of the medical school and the assistant dean.  It was a very productive meeting and they were excited to be able to participate in the diabetic retinopathy testing campaign that will be conducted throughout the entire country of Jordan.  We had a delightful meeting with these men.  They were very professional.  We felt that we became good friends in just a short time.

At lunch The dean of the medical school (with glasses) had many questions about the Mormon church.  We can answer the questions, but have to be careful not to teach or preach anything about the church.

Teaching Priesthood

Myrna prepared the lesson for Relief Society today but the Priesthood teacher didn't show up so she taught both.  First time she's ever taught Priesthood.

You don't have to prepare a big long lesson in our branch, because by the time they translate what you said, add their own comments and translate the comments back from the class, it's time for the closing prayer.

Midnight in Amman

This year the couples here in Jordan got together at the Amman Center to celebrate New Years.  We're basically just a group of "old fogies" so we don't do anything very exciting--just eat and talk and watch movies.  It was fun to take a break and just relax, and we enjoy being with the Strongs and Hammonds.  

When it got close to midnight, we decided to go down to the street and see if there was anything interesting happening.  Unfortunately the front door was locked and we couldn't get out, so we just walked into one of the vacant offices on the first floor and looked out through the window.  It was about 3 minutes to 12 when a car pulled up into the parking lot in front of the building and 4 young men got out, lifted up the trunk and pulled out some big mats.  I wondered if the mats were for bottle-rocket launchers or fireworks displays, and I stood back away from the plate glass window in case it got shattered.  What I saw next, I never would have expected in a million years.  The four young men stood on the mats, faced east, got down on their knees and prayed.  

When they were finished, they rolled up the mats, put them back in the trunk, and drove away.  We just stood in amazement.  We were speechless.  I think we should write a new song for New Year's Eve:  "Ere the Jordan clock strikes midnight, did you think to pray?"