Aside from being sick, teaching has held its own set of challenges. Mariam and I are new at teaching, but we had no idea the difficulty of teaching the 4 and 5 year olds how to write lets and numbers. We are finally making some progress. I think the trick has been for Mariam and I to figure out how to teach the kids. But we are having the most fun and the kids are wonderful. I missed a day from being sick, but they sent pictures saying hi and had been asking for Miss Rebekah. That just made me smile when I walked into the class room and saw the kids just that much more excited to see me there. :)
Aside from school, I now have two wonderful roommates from Norway. They like to ride penguins to school and have pet dragons and are related to many notorious vikings as all Norwegians are. (Just kidding) But we have had a blast learning more about the city together and figuring out the different forms of transportation available to us as well as miserably fail at trying to speak the language and just laugh. They are teaching English at a school for adults near us. We spend many of our evenings working on our different lesson plans at the same time and talking about the many weird rules in English. They speak excellent English, but trying to explain the rules when it isn't you're native tongue can be difficult. Trying to explain it when it IS your native tongue can be interesting.
Overall, my experiences thus far have been surreal even now. I can't believe that I am living in this dream and that it has already been 6 weeks. Everyone I meet is just excited to give me the chance to know the real Jordan and real them. They want me to see the Middle East for what it is and that can be summed up in one word. Hospitality. Home visits have been one of my biggest joys. People will just come over unannounced and share a time of coffee, chatting, and breaking of bread....pita bread with a bit of hummus. They will never let you go hungry. I have been almost force-fed on more than one occasion and apparently need to eat like a Jordanian, but I am always caffeinated and enjoy my time with everyone.
But this really opens my eyes to the culture of the Bible and makes it all more real that in many ways, that is how they lived back then. People were expected to take care of the visitor. They went out of they way to make sure needs were met. The disciples shared everything, the good Samaritan went out of his way to help a man who wasn't even in his own "group." But none of that matters. Even at the school, there is a family-like mentality and I'm wrapped in the middle like the precious one that everyone wants to look out for. I appreciate and am humbled by their generosity and hospitality more than they can ever imagine.
I am really, really blessed.
Praise God for what He is doing and what He has done.
***P.s. More pictures on the way! We will be doing some things with Olives with the students here soon and I have introduced many teachers to the wonders of Pinterest.... Or I utilize pinterest and they think I have wondrous ideas.... :D
***P.s. More pictures on the way! We will be doing some things with Olives with the students here soon and I have introduced many teachers to the wonders of Pinterest.... Or I utilize pinterest and they think I have wondrous ideas.... :D
*~*~*~*~*~*~Rebekah Is In Jordan : How To Support Pray4MiddleEast.~*~*~*~*~*~*
For cash or check please send charitable donations to Global Treasury Services. Checks should be made payable to General Treasurer Church of the Nazarene at:
Church of the Nazarene
P.O. Box 843116
Kansas City, MO 64184
and memo should include the following information: 1. Amman, Jordan 2. Rebekah Musselman. 3. Mission Corps.
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