ma'a salaama

My last e-mail from Jordan. I’m so glad I was able to write about so many of my experiences over the last month, but there really has been so much more I wish I could tell you and show you. Ive been busy packing and doing last minute things so I haven’t had much time to think, but I wanted to share some thoughts from my journal as my “last letter from Jordan”. I figure I already write about everything in my e-mails so sharing a little from my journal wont be too personal. Please excuse the cheesiness…. This entry was written when I had some time to think while we were on a long drive through northern Jordan.

“As we drive through Jordan I see many sites that were very new to me when I first arrived here. The many groves of olive trees, the rows and rows of off-white buildings, and the people all around. A man, dressed very differently from where I was raised, is holding his little girls hand as he buys her some candy from the market, two little boys are riding their bikes down the street, and the women’s thobs (robes worn for modesty) blow in the wind with only their eyes showing through their head coverings as we drive past. There are many things I don’t understand about the beliefs and culture here in Jordan and it was a little difficult to adjust when I first arrived. But I do understand, better than ever before, that all people have a few very important things in common. We all have thoughts, worries, hopes, and dreams for the future whether we live in America or Jordan. Although people wear different clothes, eat different food, and have different forms of shelter all over the world, it all serves the same purpose. Its amazing to me that we can form connections with people from anywhere in the world, no matter how different we might think we are. Connecting with others brings such a powerful feeling. Whether it’s the connection you form with your spouse, a close friend, or a person from another part of the world who you may never see again. My experiences in Jordan have made me value these relationships we are able to form more than ever before. I have felt the spirit so strongly here as I meet the people and learn of their culture. There is an Arab proverb that states “the deeper you go into the desert, the closer you come to God”. During my time here in Jordan I have gained a greater testimony of the important truths we have in the gospel and I see better how God views his children and loves us all the same. The scripture in 2 Nephi 26:33 has come alive and its truth has rung in my heart as I read that “all are alike unto God”. I have learned so much from the Jordanian people. I have been exposed to a hospitality I never even knew existed, especially in the middle east. I have learned the phrases “ahlan wa sahlan (warm welcome)”, “mish mushkila (no problem)”, and “in sha’ Allah (God willing)”. Phrases I have heard almost everyday here in Jordan. I learned there are still people in the world who respect and uphold modesty and chastity. But truly the greatest blessing has been to feel so strongly in my heart that God loves us all the same. Its easy for me to believe the idea that God loves all his children the same when I’m surrounded by people who are generally quite similar to me. But being exposed to people who come from such a different background and belief it means so much more to me that there is a God who still loves us all. Its interesting to me that I have felt that truth so strongly while I have been in Jordan, among people where at least 92% of the population is Muslim and do not hold the belief that they are children of God. Yet I have felt so strongly while I have been here that we are all brothers and sisters and children of God. I want so badly to have “a love of God and of all men” as it teaches in 2 Nephi 31:20 and to follow the commandment that “he who loveth God love his brother also” in 1 John 4:21.”

I have had such an amazing experience this last month. It was a pretty short trip but I will definitely be glad to be back home! I love you and I’ll see you soon!

Love Karen.