Not the Tabernacle Choir

When the members of the North Jordan branch sing the church hymns in Arabic, it isn't pretty.  Trying to match the Arabic words with the western music is very difficult, so we decided to have song practice in Sunday School.

Sewar, our music leader, played a CD of someone singing the hymn and everyone listened.  Then we all sang along with the CD.  It was really very nice.  Everyone enjoyed it and we were much improved.

Relief Society Training Meeting

Every good meeting has food!  This Relief Society Training Meeting began with hot chocolate, cinnamon rolls, fala feel (crispy "mystery" balls), humus and fool.  We loved the gelatin dessert covered with nuts and sugar syrup.

I was so happy to have the district leaders from Amman (on the right) come to Husn for the training.  Sister Huda and I are having a very difficult time communicating, and they were so helpful.  One of the women translated for us.

Food Box Delivery

On Wednesday we delivered 25 food boxes to more needy, hungry Syrian refugees.   They were very happy to get them.

Laura and Mohammed

These people are living in one of the poor areas of Amman.  Wearing a scarf over your head seems like a pretty good idea in this cold weather.

Mansaf, The Jordan National Dish

Jamal invited us to his home for lunch on Wednesday.  It was an "eat till you drop" affair, and the main course was the Jordanian national dish called Mansaf.

Here's what you do:  Tear off a thin piece of bread.  Then fold it over and use it to grab a big of hunk of rice and meat.  Then stuff it all in your mouth.  It's fun, but messy.  Very tasty.

Mansaf can be made with chicken or lamb.  This dish was made with lamb. 

We had to wait for the local TV station to interview Jamal for an upcoming program about his humanitarian work.  The interviewer and camera crew were all invited to stay and have lunch with us.  Of course they accepted the invitation.

More Than Pencils and Toothbrushes

His Majesty King Adbulla II recognizes that children who have been subjected to deprivation, violence and ignorance are the most susceptible to falling prey to extremism, terrorism and racism.  He feels that education can plan a vital role in preventing Syrian and Jordanian children from engaging in negative acts of extremism on society now and when they grow older.  In a region that suffers from political turmoil this emphasis is especially critical in order to achieve peace and prosperity for its citizens and their future.

Because of our excellent relationship with the General Union of Volunatary Societies and others in Jordan, LDS Charities has been asked to be a principal player in the project and to furnish school kits, hygiene kits and health education for 100,000 students.  The materials will go to Syrian refugee students, needy Jordanian students and students with special needs.  This means significant publicity and recognition for LDSC.  The desired launch date of the project, including a press conference is January 30, the king's birthday.

We have spent a lot of time this past week writing a proposal for the project to go to Salt Lake for approval. We are very excited about the project for the following reasons:

1. The project is much more than pencils, paper and toothbrushes.  It is a project of hope and self-esteem.  When a child has a backpack with materials to help improve his or her mind and body he has less tendency to think about negative things and focus on bettering himself.

2.  Student volunteers will be used to process and package the donated items in the kits.  Volunteer specialists will work with the students and help develop the spirit of volunteerism and the desire to do good for others.

3.  Sessions will be held to teach students personal hygiene care and its importance.  They will also be taught how to use the materials for cleaning teeth, washing hands, etc.

This project is very large.  The launch ceremony will be under the direction of Queen Rania and a representative of LDSC will be one of the speakers along with some very high level government officials.  The General Union of Volunatry Societies has requested a statement from either the First Presidency or Elder Holland to be included in each kit along with a statement from the king of Jordan.

All this in a Muslim country where the Church isn't even officially recognized.

We are waiting anxiously to see if the project will be approved in Salt Lake.

Really Really Fresh Chicken

We were filling a food order for a needy family so we went to the local chicken shop.

The owner opened the cage, pulled out a chicken and stuffed it into a blue laundry basket.  Then he got three more and stuffed them in the basket too.  Next he weighed the chickens.  After we paid our money he carefully lifted them out of the basket, took a very sharp knife and slit the throat of each one.  Immediately the chicken went limp--it was dead.  He was very careful and respectful of the chickens.  They were really quite calm.  It's almost like they knew their destiny in life was to be dinner for a hungry family.

We left as he was dipping the chickens into a vat of boiling water.  When we came back later the chickens were plucked, dressed and bagged.  

The Pharmicist

It's always amazing how we were able to meet people that we feel like we were "supposed" to meet.

When we went to the pharmacy in Husn to pick up a prescription, we met the owner, Mohammed, who just happened to be here today.  He is from Husn but now lives in Canada.  He speaks very good English, and we enjoyed getting to know him.  Mohammed has a business in Amman that sells medical equipment, specifically glucomoters and test strips for diabetes.  Amazing thing, is that we are working with the university here on a project that requires glucometers and test strips.  We got his phone number.