Guest Blog by Bobbi

I spent just over two weeks in Jordan, from March 26 through April 11, visiting my sister Audry and the rest of the Jordan 5. All 5 volunteers were on spring break while I was there so we were able to travel around quite a bit and take in many of the noteworthy sites of the region: Jerash, Mt. Nebo, Petra (twice), and Wadi Rum. We even had the chance to head to Jerusalem for a few days. I love traveling, and I love learning, so visiting a land where so much of recorded history has occurred was an incredible experience.
I could write volumes about each day I spent in Jordan, but to spare you the tedium, I’ll just share two highlights of the trip.
The highlight of the actual travels for me was without a doubt Jerusalem. This took me by surprise because I had always considered Jerusalem “just another city,” and in a way, I still do. I don’t think it’s particularly holy. Land is holy – anything is holy – when God is there. But Jerusalem IS special. When Jesus Christ was on earth, He did much of His work there. Walking around Jerusalem resulted in this profound thought: “I am walking in the same places where Jesus Christ – God Himself – walked!” That is absolutely awesome! Of course I realized that even the Old City does not look the same now as it did in Christ’s time, so I wasn’t seeing what He saw. But He was there, and 2000 years later, I was there too.
The timing of our visit made it even more meaningful. We arrived in Jerusalem on Wednesday, March 31, the day after the First Day of Unleavened Bread. With an understanding of the chronology of the week of Christ’s crucifixion, we can know that if this had been the year Christ died, it would have been His second full day in the tomb. The next day, Thursday, would have been His third and final day in the grave, and just before sunset that day, He would have been resurrected. We were there, in Jerusalem, where it all happened, on the anniversary of the day when the first human being was resurrected to immortality, when the way to salvation was opened to humanity, and when victory over Satan and death was absolutely assured.
History aside, the coolest thing about visiting Jerusalem was imagining its future. We ate cheese, drank wine, and watched the sun set over the city from the Mount of Olives, to which Christ will soon return. We were RIGHT THERE where He is going to be. And after He comes back, Jerusalem will become the capital of the whole world. It will be the city to which everyone will look for leadership, and for education in God’s way of life. I imagine that I will get to visit Jerusalem many more times when that reality comes, but I doubt I will forget the first time I spent a few days there.
The other highlight of this trip for me had little to do with the sites; it had everything to do with those with whom I was seeing them. Hanging out with the Jordan 5 was SWEET, and there are two things about them that made it that way.
As a Youth Corps volunteer on a 9-month project in Thailand in 2003, what I appreciated most about my experience were the close friendships I developed with the other volunteers. I had been nervous about leaving my family behind, but as I landed in Bangkok with 4 other volunteers at the beginning of that project, I thought, “This is my home, and these are my brothers and sisters.” And indeed, we became very close, very fast. When Audry told me that she was going to Jordan, one of my greatest hopes was that she would experience this same closeness with her fellow volunteers. So it was wonderful to see that the 5 volunteers in Jordan do operate as a team and a family. One of the best examples of this is that they eat together 5 nights a week. Just like any family, they go their separate ways during the day, but then they come back together most evenings, share their experiences and just enjoy one another’s company. Another thing that brought them together was training for the Dead Sea Marathon. Before they even arrived in Jordan, they had all decided to run the race, and so they trained together. Eventually they weren’t running at the same times, places, or paces, but they still shared the experience and kept each other motivated. When I arrived, they were at the end of all their training, and it was heart-warming to see that the common battle to increase their endurance had bound them together like few other activities could. On April 9, they all finished their race. From now on they’ll be able to say not only, “I ran the Dead Sea Marathon,” but, “WE ran the Dead Sea Marathon.”
This ability of the Jordan 5 to work as a team or a family brings me to the second awesome thing about them: they are excellent hosts. They worked together to make all their guests’ visits over the two weeks I was there both comfortable and productive. Having been there for a full two weeks, I was not only able to experience their hospitality myself, but also enjoyed seeing them welcome and care for several other guests who visited within the same period. By the time I arrived, the 5 had all the meals and activities planned in detail for the next two weeks. They had thought out beforehand how to set up the Passover, how to accommodate the most visitors they’d ever had at the Night to Be Much Observed, how to set up their apartments for Sabbath services, how to feed everyone each night, where to have everyone sleep. When it came time to tour, they had already made arrangements for transportation, housing, eating. They took care of everything for their visitors, and they packed in a lot of fun for us too.
The 5 volunteers are doing an excellent job. They serve each other, they serve their guests, and though I only saw Audry at work, I have no doubt that they all serve their coworkers and students well. Keep them in your prayers as their service in Jordan continues for the next three months.

Bobbi