So, on our journey to our new home, we had a 3 day layover in Amman, Jordan. I didn’t really know what to expect, and going into the layover, to be honest, I wasn’t all that excited to be a “tourist”. I really just wanted to get to our “home” in Iraq. But those were 3 pretty amazing days and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
Even as we boarded the plane in Nashville, we were unsure of all the details of our travel plans. We didn’t really know how all the logistics were going to work – especially in regards to our 17 pieces of luggage. We hoped and prayed our luggage would be able to be checked all the way through to Iraq – but alas, that did not occur.
So, we weren’t sure of how we were going to get our luggage from the airport, to the guest house, to our “3 day” housing, and back to the airport in Amman. It was a huge blessing –the worker who picked us up from the airport and took us to the guest house for the night, ended up storing all of our luggage in his van during our 3 day layover.
Then, the next day, we met up with another worker whom we stayed with the next three days. We had contemplated going to Petra, but decided against the long trip (time and expense). Instead, we stayed closer to Amman and took a tour of the Biblical sites near the city.
I believe it was God ordained, because as wonderful as Petra would have been to see (and its still on my “Bucket List”), seeing and experiencing what we did was way better. I still am in awe as I look back at my pictures that I actually was physically in places of the Bible!
Swimming in the Dead Sea was quite the experience! It is so crazy that you physically cannot sink! And it is CRAZY salty! If you ever go, don’t get it on your mouth or in your eyes – yuck and ouch!
And I must say, standing by the shores of the Jordan River where it is thought that Jesus was baptized by John, imagining the Holy Spirit Dove descending on him – was truly breath taking. Then walking the paths in the desert where Jesus spent his 40 days tempted by Satan (I have a new appreciation for hot and dry!), made the stories I had only read about come to life. To all my Riverside and Faith friends – the whole experience brought all the wonderful years of the Mime to my mind! The temptation, baptism, and “man hug” scenes all have new found images in my mind!
Out of all the sites we saw, I would have to say I was most impacted by Mt. Nebo – the place where Moses is said to be buried and the place where he stood and “saw” (but never entered) the Promise Land. That was my WOW moment. I pinched myself, bringing home the reality that I was standing and looking out over “THE PROMISED LAND”! There really are no words to describe it. I think it made such an impression on me because I had spent the year studying about Moses in BSF and I have really been learning a lot about leadership through the life of Moses.
While seeing all the sites where miracles occurred thousands of years ago, it was just like God to provide us with a present day miracle of our own. When we made the decision to tour the sites around Amman, we knew we would need a driver for the day (it was easier and cheaper that way – plus then we knew he would be reliable). Divinely sent to us, our driver, Sharsad, was a man who had lived in Jordan all his life, was married and had 3 daughters (whom he boasted about how smart they were), and had a deep love for his country. Being that we were seeing all the Biblical sites, we asked Sharsad if the stories were also in the Quran. He shared a little about the Prophet Musa (Moses), but was quick to add, “But I don’t like Islam.” Really, were we hearing this right? As we continued conversation with him, we prayed for an open door, and God answered. He explained that he was frustrated with Islam because of the strict rules; “It is too hard,” he said. He would be out walking with his wife and she would not have her head covered and people would think down upon them. “This is not freedom!” he commented.
As we continued our day, driving to the baptism site we asked Sharsad about the story of Jesus in the Quran. After he shared we asked him if he had ever read the Injeel of Isa (the Gospel of Jesus). He said he had heard about it from a friend of his who was Christian and occasionally read it to him, but he had always wanted to read it for himself. My friend Bethany had a copy of the Arabic/English Injeel with her and showed it to him. He immediately started reading (yes, while driving on a very windy mountain road!). We told him that he could have the Injeel, but that he should wait to read it until we stopped and he wasn’t driving!
After a bit of silence, he asked the question that made all of us wonder, “Is this really happening!?” He said, “If I want to become a Christian, how would I do it?” We shared the beautiful simplicity of the gospel of salvation – simply having faith in Jesus as the Messiah and what He gave to us as a free gift through his death and resurrection.
“I have so many questions,” he said, “and I want to learn more.” We told him we would love for him to ask any questions he had. Over the next several hours we answered many of his questions, most related to the catholic tradition. We realized that Sharsad was under the impression that Christianity was also about a system of strict rules and regulations. As we shared about a relationship with God that is offered through Jesus, he said that was different than anything he had ever learned. He told us he knew that even before he met us, what his neighbor had told him was not the truth. He wanted to know more about Christianity but was discouraged when his neighbor wouldn’t take the time to answer his questions. He said on multiple occasions he had also tried to get the tourists he was driving around to talk about Christianity so that he could learn more, but they would only briefly answer his question and move on to talking about something else. He said he just wanted to learn but there was no one to encourage him. And then he said something that really hit my heart, "But now I have a second chance through you" he said.
As we got back in the van from the baptism site at the Jordan River, Sharsad told us that he had been reading the Injeel – he had read all of Matthew and was a good way into Mark. And people say miracles don’t happen today! At the very place where the Spirit of God first descended on Jesus, Sharsad, a follower of Islam, was reading the living and active Word of God for the very first time! On our drive back, he asked about Jesus’ death on the cross. We told him the significance of it and how it is the core of our faith – that it is through Christ’s death and resurrection we are able to obtain salvation.
As we parted ways that day we knew he was really pondering with this new found “truth” he had encountered. He still had many questions and asked us to “stand with him” as he sought to find out more; “I have known for a long time that Islam was not the truth and I have been seeking. But I need someone who will stand with me and help me.” He made us promise we would help him through answering his questions; and he also wanted us to talk to his wife and share the Truth with her. We exchanged contact information and assured him we would stand with him. He knew the hardship and difficulty he would be up against as a Muslim seeking truth in Isa (Jesus) – death was even a possibility. But even with all the adversity, Sharsad was fervent in his quest for the truth. He said he would finish reading the Injeel (in 10 days!) and he would watch the Jesus Film we gave him in Arabic.
“I need to understand more. I cannot change my religion in one day. I must believe.” We agreed and shared that the truth of the gospel is its simplicity. It is not about strict rules, but rather a free gift available to all who will believe. It is the truth (Jesus) that sets you free. Christianity is not a hard religion with difficult rules to follow, but when we do believe, Jesus, our Savior carries the burdens of our sin and shame.
We said we would pray for him; that God would reveal himself in a powerful way so that he would understand and know the truth that he was looking for. We also told him we would try and connect him with someone locally who could answer his questions. And he added, “But not like my neighbor!”
Would you lift our friend up in prayer as well? That he has gotten connected with other believers who will stand with him and answer his questions. That God would be moving mightily through his family that his entire household would come to know the Truth. In a land that has a history so rich in miracles and God’s redemptive history, may this also be a story of freedom and redemption.
So, yet again, even on the journey to get to Iraq, God was at work. May we always have our eyes, ears, and hearts open and ready to be a part of the great work God is doing all around us.
FAQ
What are the amenities like where you are living (aka. bathrooms, electricity, water, etc.)?
It is almost like America, ALMOST! In our house we have western toilets; very appreciative of those (though when visiting homes or out-and-about it is 99,9% “squaties”). Like many other foreign countries, we cannot flush our toilet paper – I thought that would be hard to get used to, but actually that has been one of the easiest transitions, I don’t think I’ve forgotten at all! City power (electricity), now in the summer, is on about 4-7 hours a day; so thank you to the Houston church for the $ for the generator! We may have to pay a little more for gas to run the generator, but it is worth it! Our house has 4 air conditioners (2 in living areas and 2 in each of our bedrooms) – like “window” air. Every time power switches or goes out (at least 5-10x’s a day) we have to turn them back on, but they are amazing. For the first (almost) month, we did not have hot water, but that is fixed now! The water tanks on our roof are filled about every other day; and now that we know our water pump works, around 4-6pm. when the water comes, we turn that on and it pumps the water up to our roof to fill the tanks. We’ve only run out a couple of times. And crazy enough, the water (in our house) is safe to drink! I think it’s even better than Adair water ;). We have a gas stove (run by a propane tank that sits next to it), a microwave (those are just new here this year!), refrigerator, just got a blender last week, and our next purchase is going to be a coffee pot (French press everyday gets a little old). We also have a washing machine (no dryers here – just hang up the clothes and in less than 3 hours everything is dry!), satellite dish for television (though we still are not proficient in working it) and a DVD player, and now we have internet access all at our house – amazing!
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