Oftentimes, we all get so caught up with the news, that we don’t always hear the human side of the situations here in the Middle East.
This regular column in our newsletter is an attempt to bring some human stories to you. Stories that hopefully will hook your heart, and with that, continue to bring you to a places of prayer for the families that you will read about.
This first column is focusing on a recent Twins Tours’ staff member’s trip to help refugees in Jordan.
In the picture below, which was taken from a taxi headed north of Amman, you can see a very thin, white, horizontal line. That line is a sea of white UN tents, a sea of humanity in turmoil. This is, from a number of miles away, the largest UN refugee camp in Jordan. It is home now to over 300,000 refugees, from Iraq and Syria. At the time of the visit, non-UN people were not being allowed into the camp, as there had been some tribal skirmishes resulting in murders.
The refugees we were able to visit were living in and around Amman. They had been able to either bypass the refugee camp, or to get out of it. The housing was horrible, poverty abounded. The refugees survived ISIS in Iraq and Syria, but once they arrived in Jordan, they found other problems. Prejudice and fear on the parts of many Jordanians was not a warm welcome for them. A number of the children we met are being kept home by their parents due to intense bullying in the Jordanian schools. Some of the parents had them sleep in the day and stay awake at night. Families who wanted to paint the inside of their houses (see the 1st picture above) were told by their landlords that even if they painted it and paid for it themselves, the landlord would raise their rent because he could get more from another family if it was painted. The type of construction there is concrete, as in Israel, so it's extremely cold in the winter.
It is illegal for the refugees to work in Jordan, as it would take the jobs of the Jordanians. So there is too much time on people's hands. Despair and depression are all too real and regular companions of all.
To be able to get out and build a life, these people need a few things. First, a miracle of a country to take them in. Preference is given to people with some English skills. Second, some connections with international aid agencies to help make it happen. Despite this horrible place they are at, God still has destinies for each family. Please pray for those destinies to be fulfilled in spite of everything!
Even with life fuller than we can imagine with challenges for these people, they still put out a feast for us when we came to visit. You can see in the picture below the amazing food they presented us with.
All of these conditions make it ripe for the gospel . . . the Jordanian churches are working well together to meet the needs. The gospel is being presented with every gift of food, blankets, gas to heat the homes, etc.
So if you would like to make a contribution to these efforts, please let us now. We can connect you with credible churches there that will extend your care directly to these families' lives.