Hannah at Helping Hands - school for disabled kids
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Spring Missions Trips
Hannah and Russ have returned from Kenya and Jordan respectively - tired, in Hannah's case a bit ill, but blessed by the experiences.
KENYA
Hannah's group worked with children in an orphanage and in a school for disabled kids (normally shunned in this culture). Here's a photo of Hannah's team: (If you're facebook friends with her, she's posted a bunch of other pics).
Above - Hannah & Grace
Below - Hannah working on the new bathroom
Goofing off with the kids.
JORDAN
Russ' crew had the privilege of working with Iraqi refugees living in Amman, Jordan. A pre-school group of up to 30 kids met each morning, our boys played soccer each day with teenage boys, our girls helped run an afternoon girls club for teenage girls, the kids helped out in adult English classes, and evening we spent visiting the homes of the refugees. The last day of the trip was a bus trip down to the Dead Sea with the refugee kids our gang had befriended. In addition to helping the ongoing programs (including also a service project of rehabilitating and indoor "playground") our goal was to build positive relationships with these kids and their families so that when emigration (U.S., Canada, or Australia were the leading possibilities) occurs (anywhere from 3-8 or more years after fleeing Iraq) they would seek out believers.
The team, including students, leaders, and the couple working on site.
The stories of the refugees included many losses and challenges - family members and friends killed, lost businesses, relatives still in peril, marginal existence now in Amman, frustrations and red tape, etc. Two things were quite clear as we got to know and spend time with the refugee families. One - no matter where the refugees stood faithwise, hospitality was very much a part of their culture. You could not visit a home and avoid a slice of cake, a glass of fruit juice or soda, a cup of coffee, etc. - even if you shared not a word of common language. There was never a question of cost and for some it must have cost sacrificially. Two - those refugees who were believers may have lost much but they had a true wellspring of joy in their lives. It spoke to me of the trap that a comfortable existence can spring on a believer - the comfort/complacency trap. There are times we must move to the edge of our comfort envelopes and beyond to really know the hope of our calling, the riches of our inheritance, and the power that is at work within us (yeah, as you might sense from this past sentence, Russ got to preach to the refugee congregation from Eph 1).
Here are some shots from the trip - eventually we'll get some more posted on Facebook.
Three of our kids and four of the refugee teens
Esther and a friend.
Above - Mahata section of Amman - one of the poorer parts of town where Iraqi refugees have settled, our home for the week, and one of the tremendous number of mosques that dot the city of over 3 million (my morning wake-up was the 5AM call to prayer).
Below, Mahata street scenes.
One of the high points for Russ was sending about two hours with our Jordanian host and the boys on the team at the new national mosque of Jordan - built in honor of the late king. There we were able to observe the afternoon call to prayer as well as the prayer time itself. When that was over a number of locals greeted us warmly and then one of the two imams (teachers/leaders of a mosque) came over to speak with us. Through our host's translations, we were able to ask many questions regarding his role, the mosque, the Koran, etc. He sang to us part of the opening sura (chapter) of the Koran - the Fatiha (In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. The Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment. Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help. Keep us on the right path. The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray.) and then his assistant did the same in his own style (both, of course, in Arabic). I'm sure they thought that they were reaching out to us but it was a fascinating time to get authoritative words from a recognized leader of this faith - wow, as a teacher currently working through a unit on Islam in my Worldviews classes - what a moment!
Above, national mosque built in memory of King Hussein - sorry, no photos allowed inside.
Below - some of our girls and guys doing the Dead Sea beauty treatment. Separate beaches used for guys and girls.
Pray for Jordan, for the refugees, for the real hope to be found.
KENYA
Hannah's group worked with children in an orphanage and in a school for disabled kids (normally shunned in this culture). Here's a photo of Hannah's team: (If you're facebook friends with her, she's posted a bunch of other pics).
Above - Hannah & GraceBelow - Hannah working on the new bathroom
Goofing off with the kids.JORDAN
Russ' crew had the privilege of working with Iraqi refugees living in Amman, Jordan. A pre-school group of up to 30 kids met each morning, our boys played soccer each day with teenage boys, our girls helped run an afternoon girls club for teenage girls, the kids helped out in adult English classes, and evening we spent visiting the homes of the refugees. The last day of the trip was a bus trip down to the Dead Sea with the refugee kids our gang had befriended. In addition to helping the ongoing programs (including also a service project of rehabilitating and indoor "playground") our goal was to build positive relationships with these kids and their families so that when emigration (U.S., Canada, or Australia were the leading possibilities) occurs (anywhere from 3-8 or more years after fleeing Iraq) they would seek out believers.
The team, including students, leaders, and the couple working on site.The stories of the refugees included many losses and challenges - family members and friends killed, lost businesses, relatives still in peril, marginal existence now in Amman, frustrations and red tape, etc. Two things were quite clear as we got to know and spend time with the refugee families. One - no matter where the refugees stood faithwise, hospitality was very much a part of their culture. You could not visit a home and avoid a slice of cake, a glass of fruit juice or soda, a cup of coffee, etc. - even if you shared not a word of common language. There was never a question of cost and for some it must have cost sacrificially. Two - those refugees who were believers may have lost much but they had a true wellspring of joy in their lives. It spoke to me of the trap that a comfortable existence can spring on a believer - the comfort/complacency trap. There are times we must move to the edge of our comfort envelopes and beyond to really know the hope of our calling, the riches of our inheritance, and the power that is at work within us (yeah, as you might sense from this past sentence, Russ got to preach to the refugee congregation from Eph 1).
Here are some shots from the trip - eventually we'll get some more posted on Facebook.
Three of our kids and four of the refugee teens
Esther and a friend.
Above - Mahata section of Amman - one of the poorer parts of town where Iraqi refugees have settled, our home for the week, and one of the tremendous number of mosques that dot the city of over 3 million (my morning wake-up was the 5AM call to prayer).Below, Mahata street scenes.
One of the high points for Russ was sending about two hours with our Jordanian host and the boys on the team at the new national mosque of Jordan - built in honor of the late king. There we were able to observe the afternoon call to prayer as well as the prayer time itself. When that was over a number of locals greeted us warmly and then one of the two imams (teachers/leaders of a mosque) came over to speak with us. Through our host's translations, we were able to ask many questions regarding his role, the mosque, the Koran, etc. He sang to us part of the opening sura (chapter) of the Koran - the Fatiha (In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. The Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment. Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help. Keep us on the right path. The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray.) and then his assistant did the same in his own style (both, of course, in Arabic). I'm sure they thought that they were reaching out to us but it was a fascinating time to get authoritative words from a recognized leader of this faith - wow, as a teacher currently working through a unit on Islam in my Worldviews classes - what a moment!
Above, national mosque built in memory of King Hussein - sorry, no photos allowed inside.Below - some of our girls and guys doing the Dead Sea beauty treatment. Separate beaches used for guys and girls.
Pray for Jordan, for the refugees, for the real hope to be found.
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