“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
~ Mother Theresa

Thanks to all of your generous donations, we have been able to raise an additional $12,000 to help Syrian refugees living in Jordan. This week, Justin and I traveled back to Amman and this time we brought a few of our expat friends from China with us — Dean, Diane, and Alicia! Our goal was to distribute the funds among our local field partners and to meet with our partner organizations to learn more about their latest efforts providing emergency relief and community development to Syrian refugees living throughout Jordan. We also wanted to have the opportunity to sit down with many of the refugee families themselves to hear their stories and learn more about their experience living as refugees in Jordan.

Day One: Off and running

We had a great first day helping sort winter clothing at Catherine’s garage for Helping Refugees Jordan and helping to sort over 800 pairs of shoes in downtown Amman. While downtown, we met a wonderful Syrian family from Damascus who now live in Jordan and run their own volunteer organization to help out their fellow Syrian refugees. They have invited us to spend the day with them tomorrow. I continue to be amazed and blessed by the unending generosity of those who have lost and experienced so much, as well as the endearing hospitality of Arab culture. Being back in Jordan feels almost like being home.

Thank you again to all who have helped to support these families. We look forward to sitting down with them this week to tell them of your concern and generosity.

Alicia and I sort sweatshirts and jackets for the volunteer organization Helping Refugees in Jordan.

Dean, Diane, Justin, and Alicia struggle through just a handful of the 800 pairs of shoes to be sorted for distribution to refugee families in need. Although the refugees, and particularly the children, are always in need of shoes, aid organizations are careful not to give out shoes that are not in fair condition.

Enjoying time with new friends and old, hailing from all corners of the globe.

Day Two: Life along the Syrian border

We are so humbled and honored to be back in this country and among these people we have come to hold so dear. We spent today visiting with Syrian families in the town of Jabir, just yards from the Syrian border. You can see the Syrian border check point in the background and the wall that lines the border, just down the hill from the family’s tents. We also visited the families living in Zataari Village we met with last summer and it was great to see them living in more stable shelter. They were still experiencing significant health problems and battling skin infections, but overall everyone seemed better than the last time we saw them. We ended the afternoon having tea with Khalid and his sweet family, who fled from the city of Homs just over a year ago. When we saw the shelling of Homs on CNN last winter, Justin and I knew we had to do something to respond to what was happening in Syria. We never imagined we would end up in Jordan once, let alone twice, sipping tea in the tent homes of Syrians from that very town.

Khalid and his daughter Hanadi. I loved her. While the other kids ran around and played outside, we snuggled over tea in the warm tent.

We adopted Khalid’s mother-in-law as our Syrian grandomother. She is quick to show love and we can’t help but be quick to return it.

Me and Justin in front of the Syrian border. The checkpoint is in the center, where few cars pass through these days. To the left, you can see the grey wall and barbed wire fence. The sun is in our eyes, which is why we look pained. We weren’t quite sure whether we should smile or not.

As we arrived in the small dirt parking lot outside of the families’ make-shift tent homes, I realized I was standing at the Syrian border. I walked to the edge of a small embankment, the closest I could come to this embattled land, and knealt to pray. One day we will return to this border, only then we will cross it, partnering with our Syrian friends as they rebuild and restore their country. Our journey is far from over.

These little guys from the town of Daraa, Syria live just yards from their country, where a concrete wall, barbed wire fence, and armed guards separate them from their home.

This little girl was all smiles and giggles as she and one of her sisters played in the yard and enjoyed the treats we brought for them. Her older sister, however, cowered fearfully behind the door to their corrugated tin home. She has not spoken in over a year … since their home was hit by a barrel bomb in Syria.

Day Three: Red Light, Green Light

Today was a bit of a change of pace and lots of fun. We joined with other volunteers at a Kids Club for Syrian refugees in the Marka section of Amman. Many of the families are from Homs. The kids were absolutely hilarious and so full of energy and joy. Several of the little girls just gave me a random kiss on the cheek and smiled so big. We did painting, musical chairs, and multiple activities involving a ball. I think their favorite part was Red Light, Green Light. We gave them snack cakes and chocolate milk and then sent them home wired.

Day Four: Friends in high places

While Dean and Diane headed off to visit Petra for the day, Justin, Alicia, and I accompanied a Mercy Corps worker to the eastern desert town of Azraq. The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) is almost finished constructing an additional camp in Azraq to house refugees from Syria, as Zataari, in the north, is bursting at the seams.

We met with a woman named Sidnoufa who directs an organization called the Southern Azraq Women’s Association. She has fought all the odds and challenged social norms to make a huge difference for her community and now also for the Syrian refugees who call this small town home. She continues to be an advocate on the national level not only for the needs of the Syrians, but also for the needs of the local Jordanians, particularly the Bedouin, who are poor or disabled.

After getting to hear a bit of Sidnoufa’s story, she wanted to take us out into the community and introduce us to some of the Jordanian families her organization serves. We met with a Bedouin family whose daughter lives with a severe disability. They served us tea on the floor of their tent and shared with us a bit of their lifestyle and their story of what it is like raising a child with a disability in the middle of the harsh desert with no access to the services she needs to improve her quality of life. Sidnoufa advocates for families like this one on a national level to help connect them with services and resources.

As we were driving around with Sidnoufa, we commented to her about all the tourism possibilities we saw for a town like Azraq. She immediately picked up the phone and began speaking vehemently in Arabic to the person on the other end. When she hung up, she turned to us and said, “Would you like to meet with Jordan’s Senator from Azraq and share these thoughts with him? Because he wants to meet with you and he can do it right now.” Our jaws dropped as we nodded in agreement, shocked but excited by this sudden offer. Less than five minutes later we were sitting in his office, sipping tea and asking to use his restroom. The Senator represents the people of Azraq in Jordan’s Parliament. I’m not sure our feedback was useful to him, but it was an interesting experience for us, nonetheless.

Before we headed back to Amman for the evening, Sidnoufa and her staff treated us to what is probably the best meal I have ever experienced in the Middle East served on her family’s compound. Another example of the unparalleled Middle Eastern hospitality.

Day Five: A respite

Because of the heavy weight of the nature of this trip, we wanted to be sure to provide our teammates an opportunity to relax a bit and reflect on their experiences so far. We spent part of the day exploring Amman, checking out the sights, sounds, and smells of downtown, while also making a visit to the Dead Sea, which lies between Jordan and the West Bank (Palestinian Territory).

Day Six: Back in Mafraq

What a blessing to be back in Mafraq with P. Nour today. We love his heart for the oppressed and his vision for the people of Syria and Mafraq. When we were in Jordan last summer, his organization was providing services to around 2,000 Syrian families. That has now grown to over 3,500! Another story has been built onto the community center and a small school for Syrian children has been opened on the second floor, with plans to expand much more. It brought tears to my eyes to see kids from Syria filling classrooms that did not exist just 8 months ago. Half of our donations from our most recent fundraiser will go toward helping the church expand its short-term relief and long-term development projects.