As I mentioned in my last blog, we got new teams in Jordan and I started team leading right after Christmas!
Our team name is “Abundance” coming from Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…” As a team we are believing that God can do abundantly more than we could ask or think during our time together!
Meet Michael, Lee, Elizabeth, Katie (who was also on my last team! What a sweet surprise) and Brett!
Once we left the desert, our time as a team officially started. Jordan was a time of getting adjusted to being on a new team and having this new role as a team leader. This meant new people to get to know on a deeper level, new personalities, learning to do life together, extending a whole lot of grace, patience and love, learning to communicate and pursuing unity!
We made our way over to another part of the capital called Marka. Our organization partnered us and another team with a church there. We could not find a hotel, hostel or place to stay as a team… A local hostel owner in another part of town made a call and connected us with a man who rented out an apartment. I was so thankful for the Lord’s provision! It was only a 10 minute walk to the church. Both my team and another team decided to combine our budgets to rent this place. I would like to add that it had 5 beds and 1 bathroom plus a squatty potty for 15 of us… what an experience! Many of us got to use our sleeping pads and slept between beds, in the living room or in the dining room!
While at this apartment we ran out of water many times. We did not know that there was a limited water supply in this part of the capital. The government would turn on the water once a week for about 24 hours. The house we were staying in had a water tank for about a family of 6… With washing dishes, clothes, showers etc, we went through that quickly! We learned that Jordan is the 2nd most water scarce country in the world. We quickly came up with plans to limit our water usage with less showers, paper plates, laundry only on water refill days and collecting rain for extra water!
While staying here we got to partner with a church that aims to love God, serve people and make disciples! One specific way they do this is by working closely with refugees specifically from Iraq and Syria. Many refugees are employed through the church and are taught different skills like wood working, making mosaics or working in the school the church has. As a team we got to serve in the school, in the wood-shop, organizing their storage room and editing testimonies and stories from the refugees to translate them into English!
While in the school we were shown drawings that many of the children made. They were asked to draw their life in Iraq which included drawings of bombs, ISIS, death, hunger and fear. Months later they were asked to draw their life now in Jordan which showed peace, their school, safety, friends and the church. These drawings were both heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. They are an image of the hope and restoration that Jesus brings to our lives and how God can use people like us to share this with others who are hurting like this church does.
I am so thankful for our time at the church. I was with the group of people who focused on organization in the storage room. I know how important it is for churches to know what they have and where it is! What a blessing it was to get to help with this. We helped with counting supplies, labeling boxes and making a system that is easy to approach when looking for items.
The man who was working with us on this specific project was a refugee from Iraq. As our time there was ending, he invited 5 of us over for a traditional Iraqi meal with his family! It was some of the most incredible food I’ve ever had. Stuffed grape leaves, rice, chicken, corn, potatoes and carrots all seasoned perfectly! Hearing stories and seeing the way this church meets both the practical and spiritual needs of the refugees was powerful. Many of these precious people are awaiting approval to move to other countries where they will have more opportunities. Many are not allowed to work which is a need the church is helping to meet.
Jordan was a FULL month so I’ll be writing a 3rd blog soon about a crazy day I shared with my teammate titled “Sorry, Mom.”
Thank you for checking in and taking the time to read these updates!
The Lord is so good, faithful and is showing up in ways I couldn’t have tried to imagine!
