Opportunities...Zach

Coming to Jordan has been an experience full of incredible opportunities. It is hard to put into words what being on a project like this can do to you. It changes who you are, how you think, who you want to become, and what you want to do with the rest of your life. I know I will never be able to fully express how living in Jordan has changed me, but I think I can tell you about some of the unbelievable opportunities we've been given--some obvious and some unexpected, even for us.

Opportunities to travel. Well duh...if you don't see that as a potential opportunity when applying for a project like this then you probably don't know where to find Jordan on the map! But coming to Amman hasn't been all, as you know if you've seen some of the other pictures on this site. We've been able to see Petra, the Dead Sea, Jerash, and Aqaba--most of the bigs sites in Jordan. Outside of our new home we've also been able to visit Sri Lanka, Israel (Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Megiddo, Jerusalem), Emily and I went to Cairo, Egypt for the weekend, and the five of us are heading to Cyprus during our last week before the four of us fly back to the States.

Opportunities to build relationships. We've gotten to meet some incredible people since we've been here. We've built relationships with our students and co-workers that will be hard to leave behind. Some of the people we've met have become friends, and we will probably keep in touch with them for many years to come. We don't like to talk about how close our departure date is because we know we will miss these people. Another incredible opportunity to build relationships has come in the form of a group of 5. Let me put it this way...imagine getting to know someone really well, growing in friendship with them, taking it another step and feeling as close as family, seeing each other every day for nearly a year, and even living under the same roof together (in some cases!). Now multiply that by 4. The opportunity to build friendships that will last a lifetime was an unforeseeable outcome for me...at least to the level that it has become a reality.

Opportunities to learn and grow. Life has been compared by some to muscle tissue--it only gets stronger when it faces some resistance. We have had some challenges, twists and turns in our time here...none of which I would change. They have brought us closer together, they have helped us learn more about ourselves, and they have helped us rely more on God. Teaching, living in another country & culture, and being away from your friends and family can all be hard on their own. Combined, they demand focus, endurance, and more strength than any human being can muster up alone...the perfect environment to be stretched and strengthened.

Next year's volunteers have already been selected. We are excited that they too will be given these opportunities and many others that I can't even begin to find the words to describe.