My Thoughts In Amman, Jordan

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

So, I have been in Amman, Jordan since 4:30 pm Tuesday, May 11th. It is currently 6:18 am on Wednesday. For those reading back in the states (on the east coast that is) it is 11:18 pm. Just to give you a proper context as you read.

Thus far, I have paid $17.28 in the JFK airport for a package of dried mangos, a hummus/pretzel pack, and an iced green tea. You’ve got to love airport prices. I have sat on an airplane for a total of 13 hours, which in actuality wasn’t that bad. It amazed me that a beautiful baby boy sat in silence for the majority of the flight to Amman. However, this was not the case for the well-meaning woman who sat behind me and complained about the grotesque movie she was watching but convinced herself it was worth viewing in order to pass the time of the flight. Oh, how I truly do love people.

When our group arrived in Jordan, we awkwardly assembled as we exited the terminal. Confusion was stirring as we were uncertain whether or not we needed to purchase a Visa. Thankfully, our soon-to-be friend Ramez recognized our bewildered group. We were the Americans he was to guide to our bus and hotel.

Choosing to sit at the front of the bus… well, I stopped here earlier this morning and am now resuming at 11:15 pm. I’ll save the funny story about Ramez for those of you I get to talk with one on one.

As of yet, I have not adjusted to the food and time here, still reaping the effects of jet-lag. Pita bread has become my food of choice. Pita with butter, jelly, honey…tonight I was tempted to purchase a container of Nutella to smear on top of pitas in the morning! (Hmm…if only they had Fluff in the Middle East.) Water is a rare commodity in Jordan, as well as majority of the Middle East. After purchasing two 1.5 liter bottles of water at a grocery store for under one American dollar, I came to the realization that the hotel waiters have been overcharging our group—making a profit charging us $3.00 a bottle! I found this to be quite comical.

There is so much to remark about after this day. We traveled northwest of Amman, Jordan (the city we are staying in—the largest city in Jordan). Crossing over the Jabbuk Canyon and into Upper Gilead (Gilead was a place of “healing” or refuge for many, especially Christians, after the Jewish revolt in 65 AD). There were so many sites that we saw. While walking through the ruins of the Roman cities of the Decopolis have been fascinating, I am realizing a lot about myself and the heart that God is fashioning in me…

Allow me to display a snapshot of my heart and mind, if you will. One of the greatest sins that I struggle with is pride. I can easily focus more on making much of myself rather than making much of Christ. However, God in His faithfulness does not allow me to stay in that place. Rather, He is constantly placing me in situations in which I am confronted head on with this sin, in order that He might purge it out of me and make me more like Him—a humble servant.
Instead of trying to be something I’m not on this trip, God has been dealing with me and revealing in my heart what He has placed there. Let me explain…I have joined this study tour with many students across the country. There is a group from Texas, Arizona, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Massachusetts. Many of these individuals are currently studying Greek and Hebrew or are already very familiar with Biblical language and context. I am fascinated by each of their interests and pursuits—it is intriguing to say the least. However, I quickly noticed the tendency in me to “step-up my game.” Almost immediately I felt I had to prove myself in order to be better accepted or to fit in. How ridiculous, I know, but I am just being honest with what went on inside my head.

A scholar I am not. An archeologist I most certainly am not. But what am I? What is this group? Servants and followers of Jesus Christ. Coincidently, on the bus today I chose to listen to a podcast of a sermon of a friend of mine preached a month or so back. This was the exact point made in the sermon. Basically, when what we are supersedes who we are we grow and mature in our walk with Christ. When position (servants of Christ) trumps identity (scholar, make-up artist, barista, etc.) we are unified as a body and more effective in the kingdom of God.

So needless to say, in the midst of this Arab land, Jesus is drawing me closer to Himself in a way I hardly expected…to be continued! I must go to bed, Petra in the morning!

Oh! And by the way, many of you (friends and family) will appreciate this! Tonight after dinner, a group of us went to an Arabic Starbucks! Who would of thought? They even had soymilk. You can imagine what joy this brought me. Louie Armstrong was even playing in the background. I wonder how the Arab employees feel about the musical styling of Louie and the rest of the jazzy bunch played on Starbuck’s radio. Nonetheless, I was thrilled! There is nothing like seeing Muslims dressed in long white robes sitting Indian-style on sofas while sipping on lattes and eating chocolate chip cookies. Can you believe I forgot my camera? Typical.