Sorry, Mom!

So… maybe it’s implied from the title but this blog is not exactly something my mom would fully approve of. Let’s be honest, most people would not. I want to say from the start that the peace I had during this entire day was WILD and I believe it was from the Lord as I asked Him step by step to show me what to do. 

First I will set the scene… It was our last adventure day in Jordan. We usually schedule one per week. There were some sites in the capital that my teammate, Elizabeth and I hadn’t gotten to see yet like the Roman amphitheater and the Citadel which is the remains of a Roman temple. It was a beautiful day so we decided to walk into downtown which took about an hour and a half. As we walked, Elizabeth felt led to pray for a man who was limping so we stopped and he let us pray over him! As we continued walking a taxi driver wanted us to use his services. We let him know that we were okay with walking. He suddenly grabs something in his passenger seat and holds it up. We realize it is pita bread as he screams “I HAVE PITA” hoping that would be enough reason to get in his taxi… we still laugh about this encounter to this day. 

Walking to downtown with Elizabeth.

We eventually arrive to the Roman amphitheater and sit there for a little bit. We then make our way up to the Citadel and begin to explore it. There were many signs with information on the different areas of ruins. As we approach one there are 2 young men standing there as well. They start up a conversation with us and we were pleased to see they both spoke a decent amount of English. We chatted and got acquainted. We learned they were both local to Jordan and mechanical engineers. They’ve been friends for many years. Definitely gave off brother vibes as they joked and made fun of each other. Suddenly they ask a very important question… “Have you both tried mansaf?” This is there traditional dish. We answer that we had been wanting to try it all month but hadn’t yet. They were appalled at this information and insisted that we must try it and joked about taking us to lunch to get some together. 

View from the top of the amphitheater.  

We then begin to explore the ruins together as they explain some of the history to us. The sun is starting to set on the city and we realize we had been there for a long time. During this time I was praying and continued to feel peace. I texted Elizabeth and asked her if she would feel safe getting food with them if they asked again. She then shared that she also felt such a peace about spending time with them. I shared our live location and details with our team once I realized we were spending an extended amount of time with them! 

As our time touring the Citadel ended they asked us if they could take us to the best place in town to get mansaf! Once we arrived we saw the HUGE dishes of rice and meat that were being shared with multiple people and families. This place was small so we had to wait for a table. As we waited our new friends continued to crack jokes and make us laugh until it hurt. It felt like we were hanging out with old friends or brothers. At one point they were teasing each other because one was around a year older than the other. The younger one said to the older one, “you’re so old you were born behind Jesus’ house.” Elizabeth and I were in tears laughing at this point. 

Mansaf is a traditional Arab dish made of lamb and rice with a warm savory yogurt sauce poured over it and mixed in. It was one of the most amazing meals I’ve had! We ate it family style on one big plate with spoons while passing around the yogurt sauce to make sure there was enough on each bite. We offered to pay but they insisted on treating us.

Before… 

After…

After dinner we went to one of the highest points in the city and drank tea with a beautiful view. Throughout our time together it was made known that they were Muslim and we shared that we were Christian. Normally when this happens someone is trying to subtly or directly communicate that their religion is the right one. This has been my experience, anyway. I am so thankful for those opportunities to wrestle together and share the truth of who Jesus is. However, this time it was different. There was so much respect extended to us. They asked questions and we got to share more about our beliefs and I was so grateful for this! 

The night ended with genuine thankfulness from both them and us for our time together. We only had a few days left before leaving for Turkey and they really wanted to show us their home town. We decided to try to see them again in the capital. On one of our last days we got to see one of them again and introduce him to more of our friends on our team and squad. We explored the city more but had to leave for church since it was a Sunday. Church was on Sunday evenings so our new friend insisted on driving 4 of us there because he wanted as much time with us as possible. It was a hard goodbye. 

This adventure day and time with these local men was exactly what my heart was longing for this month. There is nothing like getting to be shown around by people who have grown up in the country and are proud to be from there. I wanted adventure, I hoped for genuine laughter and kindness,  and that is exactly what we got. The reason I title this “sorry, mom,” is because most people including my mom would not have encouraged us to be alone with these men and trust them so easily. Most people express their concerns and assume a majority of people have bad intentions in these situations. I know we may have taken a risk in some ways, but I am so glad that we did and got to experience peace throughout the day. What I got to see this day was 2 wonderful Arab men happy to have 2 new friends from America to share their culture with. What we got was to be the fragrance of Christ! I now have 2 friends in Jordan who I will never forget! 

I think about and pray for them and will continue to. Please join me in this!