أهلا إلى الأردن

Welcome to Jordan, where the weather is perfect, where my skin color will never allow me to fit in, where I can't understand their Arabic or their English, where they can't understand my Arabic or English, where the women are beautiful, where our first warning from a local was "don't mess with women", where not messing with women is more important that not messing with drugs, where half the people smile and welcome you to their country, where the other half ignore you like the new kid in school, where the televisions are nice but the programs are not, where the tea is delicious and the coffee is not (yet), where the mosques are huge and the Christian churches are not, in which qurans and prayer mats adorn each hotel room.

Welcome to the battlefront: spiritually, socially, politically, and linguistically.

Pretty cool place huh?

So... we went to this Souq (from my hotel window) last night to check out the local nightlife.

It was a local market alright, all locals. Haggling over clothing, purses, and ripoff DVDs. We were out of place for sure. We tried Arabic, but were denied. Imagine a group of three young Arabs in traditional dress going to Meadowbrook barbershop, or Bob's fish market, or Kroger. And keep in mind they barely speak English. That was us, just the opposite.

Today? Late checkout at 2, explore Amman till about 8, catch a bus to Irbid at 930 and BOOM. We will be in our home for the next two months. I still have yet to get used to that idea. Two months, here? Whatever, one day at a time.

As for the boss? He showed me some stuff on the plane here to Amman. I am about to call him up for some advice. His wisdom grounds me no matter my questions. That thing he said to Jeremiah just popped into my head, (thats him speaking).


For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (29:11)