Oh my wow, seriously, our Wadi Mujib extravaganza today was AWESOME and just what I needed. Guys, the water was peeerfect and it was seriously sooo pretty and just wow today was the bestestest. Here's some more pictures, in case there weren't enough all over social media lol.
Drink water, kids
Pre hike
We had to pose there after all the other couples did
Oh look, it's a Greg!
And a Jaren
Kristen, Sydney, mwah, Greg
Awh, look at lil Zach
Photo Credit: Greg. Who else
Under the waterfall
Sunday night, Asia, Ustadh Kirk, and I got to go have dinner with a sweet Syrian family I met in the park a couple weeks ago. They're refugees from just across the Jordan/Syria border in Daraa and were active participants in the peaceful demonstrations/resistance against Bashar Al-Assad after his brutal response to the young boys who, hearing that Tunisian/Egyptian dictators were falling had written on a wall, "You're next doctor," or something along those lines. I opened up a can of worms I hadn't quite intended to by asking what they thought about the Arab Spring, but boy am I grateful that I did and you can bet I'll never forget that conversation.
The father is a very humble and hard working man and though his eyes always seem to be smiling, speak volumes of his passion for freedom and the battle that's still waging for his people. He's been through a lot. I couldn't help but get emotional as he recounted his experiences and the awful things he'd witnessed in his country. No freedom of speech or right to privacy, the way those 10 year-old boys were tortured and their bodies mutilated, the way the communities rose in disgust and utter horror, the military wiping out innocent civilians, women and children dead in the streets, schools being bombed, missiles leaving cities desolate followed by more to stop those rushing to the aid of those who had been wounded in the first round, a brother missing, this uncle left dead, aunts and nieces being forced to watch their father interrogated at gunpoint, no one knows if the nephew has been imprisoned for 6 years or if he's been killed too, leaving everything and everyone familiar, fleeing the country and seeking refuge, trying to rebuild, trying to make a life for your family in a new and safer place, but the war isn't over.
"There is always blood on the doorway to freedom. I would happily give my life if it meant freedom for Syria and if they try to force me back, I won't go without a gun. I was never armed before, Arabs make terrible soldiers, but I'm not going back unarmed." The way he spoke of freedom, what he was and is still willing to sacrifice for it, how proud he is of his fellow Syrians who have likewise stood up to Assad and to all of those actively involved in the Arab Spring- we've become pretty detached as Americans from those who made our freedoms possible and sacrificed everything for it, but I think I got a glimpse of how it may have felt to listen to Thomas Paine, or Nathan Hale, or John Paul Jones, hearing the flame of desire and hope, the fight for liberty inside every human being given shape and voice. I am so grateful to be an American, for the freedoms I most definitely take for granted. These people want nothing more than to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, same as us, and their sacrifices and struggles I pray won't be in vain. It's not looking good for our Syrian friends. Russia, China, and Iran have made it pretty impossible for rebel forces to keep fighting at all, and many are packing up and going home not happy that they'll still be oppressed under a crazy power-hungry tyrant, but tired of fighting and of instability for their families. My heart aches for them. And while I left that sweet family's one room apartment just in tears and in pieces for them and the fact that I CAN'T FIX THE PROBLEM, I know that listening and caring and sympathizing with them and offering some encouragement and upliftment does good for them and for me. It's just baffling to me that for so long I've just seen these foreign conflicts/world events as news articles and pictures, sad stories that you can just turn off or tune out whenever you want to and now they're real people and real places and real problems. My problems now. You think I can just go home after this and get on with my merry life happy to have seen some sights and had some experiences while my people are still out here struggling for freedom and survival? Not a chance. There are things that are important and things that just plain aren't and there's a heck of a lot of work to get done while there are still feeble knees to strengthen and hands to hold and eyes to lift upwards and hearts to turn to the Savior. Really really grateful for these experiences.
We finished our bag/leather/purse class this week! None of us (Sydney, Greg, and I) were super interested in learning how to make purses pursay (lols) but we made some great friends in the class who we'll get to spend more time with here shortly aaaand I'm really looking forward to a few cool leather projects when I get back home. Just some ideas floating around in my head, you know. And I'm excited to give my bags away to some of my friends out here.
Bag #2!
I'm honestly not sure how, because I've been trying to be so careful, but I must have eaten something this week that really didn't agree with me (I have some food sensitivities) and I had to spend a few days in bed and close to the حمام "hamam" (bathroom-there's your Arabic word for the week and if you drink anywhere near as much water as I do, it may be the #1 most important word for your Arabic vocabulary.) Gold star for you if you got that. Anywho, it's been tricky for me to find things I can eat round these parts that I don't have to spend a lot of time prepping cuz #aintnobodygottimeforthat and so it seriously made my whole life when Kristen, Greg, and Sydney told me they'd found the gluten free store we'd heard about and were picking up some "halal/kosher/edible" things! Just wow. I legit got teary eyed biting into a piece of bread haha pathetic, I know, but I just have some of THE BESTEST NICEST FRIENDS IN THE WHOLE WORLD and I don't deserve 'em!
I'm definitely happy to be feeling better and probably wouldn't have missed church yesterday or that hike today even if it killed me...
Life is mighty fine out here, and these field trips outside of the city are the perfect change of pace and break from all the school work. They sure keep us busy busy out here, but it's so good. :)
Just Amman :)
Also, shout out to Sydney for somehow taking the worst pictures of me at the most random times...How does she do it? I'm really not sure. Don't worry, I'll get her back real good. https://sydslivro.wordpress.com/
Yeah, I liked the pic where you had your finger up your nostril and were trying to get the long rectangular shape in the other one...
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