Spring Holy Days

A lot has happened over the past few weeks!  We had so many visitors come and spend the Holy Days with us.  It was such a treat.

The first visitor to join us before the Spring Holy Days was Taj.  Taj is an adorable and energetic puppy that I have been able to look after until he goes to his adoptive family.  Fortunately the weather is beautiful right now which has made our daily walks very pleasant! 

Lewis, Lena, Laurel, Jason, and Jen flew in and took some time to do some touring in the area.  Mr. Sandilands flew in on the Wednesday before Passover and the following day Eva was baptized!  What a great way to start the Festival season!  The four of us plus Mr. Sandilands all went to Bethany Beyond the Jordan where Eva was baptized in the (freezing) Jordan River.  We had a memorable Passover service that evening that also included the Hoyers who joined us for the weekend. 

 

Everyone pitched in and worked hard to make sure that we had an amazing Night to Be Much Observed.  We began the day doing a little relaxing at the Dead Sea, and then came back home to finish prepping for the dinner.  Everything was delicious, but the most unique dish of the evening was Jason’s vegetable masterpiece! 

The First Day of Unleavened Bread was filled with great messages and fellowship.  I think the four of us got used to having such a “big” crowd (15 people plus one dog).  We said our goodbyes on Sunday to most of the group.  Stella, Jen, and I went with Mr. Sandilands to the airport on Monday for one last get together at Starbucks before Mr. Sandilands headed back home and the three of us went to Egypt.  We had such an amazing time touring in Cairo and Luxor. 

Spending the days in Egypt and then coming out of Egypt to be back home for the Last Day of Unleavened Bread made the week extra memorable and meaningful. 

We are now heading in to the final stretch of the school year. We only have ten weeks left. It is amazing how quickly the year is going by. We will keep everyone updated on our final weeks here in Jordan!

Until next time,

Jessica

What's New?

Amazing how time flies, and so much happens over the course of time. There has been a lot going on for me in Jordan since my last post and a lot of excitement to come over the next few days and weeks. With Jordan being closer to many places than the States, it provides a wonderful chance to travel and see other parts of the world. 

Recently, there was a weeklong mid-term break at school and Jessica and I took the opportunity to travel to London. This was my first time to London and I enjoyed every minute of it! The first day was sort of an "orientation" day with lots of walking, taking the buses, and seeing the sites. After getting coffee at a local cafe' the adventure began; walking along the River Thames, seeing the Parliament building, Big Ben, the London Eye, and several memorials. Finding some beautiful parks to walk through, passing many theaters, enjoying the Covent Garden’s area and world famous fish and chips at The Rock & Sole Plaice. Then heading on to Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park, Notting Hill, and Westminster Abby; before ending the day with a wonderful Sabbath dinner at Dave & Erin Treybig's and spending a nice relaxing Sabbath with them as well.  

Sunday highlights included a tour of the Theater Royal Drury Lane (the oldest continually operating theater in London), lunch at the amazing Chipotle, Piccadilly Circus, and Sherlock Holmes Restaurant and Museum. Monday started off with the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, walking through Hyde Park to the Marble Arch, and then on to the Tower of London with an amazing tour guide. The day ended with dinner at La Tasca and a phenomenal performance of Wicked. Tuesday was shopping day, including Harrods and pizza night with friends. Wednesday was our final full day in London and it was jam packed; visiting the British Library, British Museum, touring the Globe Theater, and ending the trip with the brilliant Phantom of the Opera. The trip to London was amazing and as much as I saw there's so much more!

Since London, I've been busy with work, setting up service projects for students and the yearbook is in full swing. Nothing too exciting going on at work, preparing for the Spring Holy Days, and looking forward to friends coming over. We'll have a total of 15 here to start the Holy Days off, what a blessing! Five of which will arrive later this week and they'll be doing site seeing around Jordan and even spending a few days in Jerusalem. Preparing for this special time of year is even more exciting this year as we get to help set things up for those visiting. This opportunity adds a whole new level to serving here in Jordan. May this Holy Day season be fulfilling and rewarding for all who know and understand.  

~ Until Next Time 

 

Stella

Winter Break

Hello everyone! For those of you who don't know, this is my second visit to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, I was here in '08 during the educational tour with Mr. Joel Meeker & Mr. Dave Baker. During that time I saw many amazing sites in both Jordan and Israel and this year I'm hoping to share those with my wife Eva.

As you would have seen in Eva's post we went to India for the feast and it was amazing. India even gave me her own special gift and I had to spend two days enjoying it… Also I gave my second sermonette there, I was so nervous that I cropped it down from eight and a half minutes to four and a half... but I'm working on that. When we arrived back in Jordan after the feast it was back to work  for a couple of months at the YMWA centre for special education where I work as a carpenter and general handy man. After the feast I started some window washing classes that Mr. Erickson had suggested. The students love working and accomplishing the tasks, and its fun and fulfilling to help them learn. Though they can be a bit of a handful sometimes, they love working but not waiting for instructions. While I show one student how to squeegee the other will half wash all the windows in the room and want to wash the windows in the next room, but it’s still a lot of fun.

At the end of those couple of months our winter vacation started (January). A week into the break, the Horchaks came to visit and travel for few days including the Sabbath. We had an amazing time going to places in and around Amman with them. Thursday we had a meeting at the school and that evening Eva and I made dinner. On Friday we traveled to Pella in the Jordan valley where there is evidence that the early Christians fled there when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and then we went to the Citadel, which is on a hill in the middle of Amman over looking the Roman Amphitheater and 2000 years ago was the site of a 70 foot statue of Hercules. That along with the museum that contained nearly 4000 years of the sites history made it a very fun and interesting site to visit. Eva and I love going, we have been there a few times now. On Saturday Jessica & Stella made brunch for us all then Mr. Horchak gave a great sermon. Afterwards we took a drive to Madaba and Mt. Nebo. Madaba has the oldest map of the Holy Land and Mt. Nebo is where Moses looked upon the Holy Land before he died. From Mt. Nebo we could see the West Bank, the Dead Sea and Jericho to the west in Israel and Amman to the north. This is also a great place to view the sunset.

 We were sad to see Mr. & Mrs. Horchak go, we had a great time with them and wished they could have stayed longer. But soon afterwards Eva and I headed out to see Jerusalem and Tel'aviv. It wasn't to much of an adventure getting to Jerusalem and our hostel was cozy enough. We had a great time in the Old City of Jerusalem, so much history and culture! And after your taken for a fool a few times by merchants you learn a thing or two about haggling… There are some great places to see in this world but there are few like the Old City of Jerusalem. With it's jungle of roads, alleys and covered markets. It's tightly packed vendors selling silk and cashmere scarves, boxes inlaid with mother of pearl, jewelry, antiques, and ancient artifacts. Just walking through the streets is an adventure in itself.

After three days in the old city we then went to Tel'aviv which is on the Israeli coast 45 minutes away from Jerusalem. In Tel'aviv we met up with Kurt and Jennifer Hoyer (Kurt works at the U.S. Embassy in Tel'aviv) and had a great time with them. They took us to the beach at Caesarea for a light picnic with some of their friends and despite it being January the weather was fairly nice. Caesarea was the dream of King Harod the "great", it was one of the largest ports on the Mediterranean and what makes it so amazing is that there was no natural port there… so he built one. Most of the construction was like most fortified ports of the time with walls, towers and a light house. The really innovative thing was the use of volcanic ash, he would fill a barge with the ash then float it out to sea and sink it. when exposed to salt water the ash would become like cement which could then be built upon.

Later we went to the Hoyers home for dinner and an evening of conversation, they were very gracious hosts and offered there spare bed to us which we gratefully accepted (it was much better than the bed at the hostel). Although we were only able to spend a day or so with the Hoyers it was a great time and we had a lot of fun. The next day we had to head home to Amman and that included a bus ride with some Israeli soldiers, a taxi to the Old City, and then another taxi to the Jordanian border, an over priced exit fee then another taxi back to our apartment. Since then our winter break has ended so we're back to work at the YMWA and we've had our second snow in Amman!

Joshua-

Polka Dots and Fairy Tales

I’ve been asked by many Jordanians if this is my first time to Jordan, and I reply that it is not, but it is my first time living here.  Then the other person will nod, understanding that coming to Jordan as a tourist is much different than living here.  It was partly that experience of travelling to Jordan in 2008 that made me consider returning for a full school year with the Jordan Project. 

After I was accepted to volunteer with the project, I learned that I would be teaching at the Amman Baccalaureate School (ABS) in the Kindergarten (KG).  Having taught Kindergarten for the past four years, I was eager to see what the KG at ABS would be like.  I have learned that no matter where you are in the world, kids are kids!  They are excited about learning and are eager to ask questions and love to have fun.  The teachers have all been so welcoming and I am enjoying getting to know them better, as well as learning from each other while we plan lessons and discuss curriculum and other educational topics.  The teachers, of course, love to have fun too.  We recently all dressed up for the 100^th Day of School (I colored 100 polka dots on my shirt!) and for our current unit of study, Once Upon a Time, which focuses on literature, elements in a story, and different ways to express stories.  Each classroom was a different fairy tale theme and the teachers decorated the rooms and wore costumes according to the story we were telling that day. 

But ABS is only one part of Jordan.  Recently, Stella and I had the opportunity to visit another part of Amman – an all-girls school at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) refugee camp.  We were given a tour of the school and were able to sit in on one of the English Writing classes.  The girls were all so eager to learn and participate, so attentive, and very respectful.  I remember going in to one classroom during our tour and the girls would all encourage each other by clapping when someone spoke their English sentences correctly in front of the class (and the visitors).  The girls would smile at us when we would come in to the room and they all, including the teachers, made us feel so welcome.  It was clear that the girls appreciated and were grateful for the education they were receiving.

We are a little over half-way through our journey here in Jordan, and I am sure there will be many more exciting opportunities along the way! 

Until next time,

Jessica

A Second Tour of Duty

 Having the chance to volunteer as part of the Jordan Project at the Amman Baccalaureate School in Jordan for one year was amazing, but being able to come back for a second year is a privilege. There have been many volunteers serve as part of the Jordan Project however there have been very few stay for two years. I have had many wonderful experiences, amazing adventures, and phenomenal growth opportunities.

This year I'm the Creativity, Action, & Service (CAS) Coordinator for the Diploma College and the Yearbook Manager. The CAS program is a part of the curriculum where students have to participate in activities in each of the three areas mentioned above and meet specific learning outcomes. As the CAS Coordinator I am responsible to make sure the students in grades 11 and 12 are meeting the requirements. To help the students meet the requirements I arrange service activities outside of school hours for them to participate in. The activities that have been organized so far are painting a public school outside Amman, ushering at a local bazaar, and working with Save the Children's anemia campaign. Additionally, we offer a selection of classes for students to participate in during the school day, once a week. As the Yearbook Manager I am responsible for creating a masterpiece of memories from the year for each student. A team of students from grades 8-11 works with me to help select photos, designs, and

provide input. 

Life during my second year here has been an ongoing voyage and I’m looking forward to the months to come. Since my return from my visit home this summer I’ve traveled around Jordan some more, went back to the States, and visited friends in Doha with a day tour of Dubai. We had a visit from Mr. & Mrs. Horchak last week and explored some amazing places in Jordan. In February I will be visiting London with Jessica, March will bring friends from the US for a visit, April brings more visitors and hopefully a visit to Turkey, and then the home stretch with a trip to Africa before heading home in July! Many more experience to come at school, in Jordan, and with the project over the next 6 months or so.

~ Until Next Time

Stella

My first months in Jordan

It’s hard to believe that four and half months have already past since we’ve been living in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. At first I thought it would take forever to get to January. When I first came to the YMWA Center I was nerves but filled with excitement. I still love going to work and seeing  everyone, being with those children makes me feel like I have even greater purpose in life, which I’m sure makes anyone feel great. Living here in Jordan has really been life changing experience and working with everyone at the YMWA Center, by getting to know the people here and their culture, which I still have tons to learn about.

Their life style is different compared to what I’m use to back in the States, almost opposite in the sense of everyone is always in a hurry in the USA while most people here seem laid back which makes them look like their not stressed out. One example is almost everyone at the school has morning tea when they get to work for fifteen minutes or so. This culture change has helped me to become more patient and flexible, in life in general and working with the mentally handicap students. This has been such a unique opportunity to serve them, I completely appreciate this and everyone who supported me to come here! Being able to see all the positive differences in their culture, for example everywhere Joshua and I go we are welcomed, we seem to be well looked after/ cared for, the people are very hospitable.

I love being at the school and seeing the children so eager to learn and do things because I can remember when I was in school only few of us we’re like this. In the very beginning I didn’t really know what section of the school I would be put in. I am very pleased with being the teachers assistant, and yes I don’t speak very much Arabic so the language barrier is difficult but I can still do many things at the school and I hear that speaking is only 20% of a language but body language and tone are the 80% which I use all the time. Being a teachers assistant allows me to get to know all of the students and interact with each one on a even more personal level in the school section and with the teachers. I love knowing the people here, everyone seems to have strong friendships, the staff with staff and the students with students.The staff and students have been very pleasant and patient with me because of the language barrier and the lack of knowledge of their culture, which I highly appreciate them being this way toward me. I am so glad to be apart of something so wonderful and rewarding.

Places I’ve gone while Joshua and I have been here are the Roman Amphitheater with Jessica, I also went to the Souk in down town Amman with Stella, Jessica and our neighbor Kathy. I had a great time at both of the places seeing the Roman Amphitheater and their museum next to it was awesome and at the Souk three out of four of us ended up buying paintings, that were absolutely beautiful. Joshua, Jessica, Stella and I also went to the Royal Automobile Museum which has many cars that the Kings have used. I’ve been there twice, once was on a field trip with group #4 in the school section the kids loved it. Also Joshua, Jessica and I went to Hyderabad, India for the Feast of Tabernacles while Stella went back to the U.S. for the Feast. The nature in India was beautiful, and our brethren in India are inspiring people, I loved getting to know them. We had a total of 18 people for the first half of the Feast then 17 people for the second half because Mr. Baker and his family switched with Mr. Evans and his family where they started the Feast in Sri Lanka. We saw many things there that has made me even more grateful for what God has given me and personally see why the kingdom needs to come soon. The way people live there is amazing and while driving everyone looks crunched for space in their vehicles and on the road. While we were there I have learned that authentic India food that isn’t sooo spicy is amazingly tasty with buttered naan!

Right now it’s winter break for Joshua and I, we are excited to go see places! We are on our third day of the break and surprisingly so far it’s been raining pretty much everyday which makes it difficult for us to go to see the ancient ruins. I am looking forward to the many more adventures we’ll have while we are here and the visits that are soon to come from brethren in America.

~Eva Messerly