Living a Lesson

It’s amazing how time flies once you get into a routine, even in a foreign country.  It’s hard to believe that we have already been here for over 4 months.  It’s even harder to believe that December is almost over!  First, the weather is so warm that it still feels like October.  Second, no terrible seasonal music, annoying commercials, noisy bell ringers, or awkward greetings that come along with Christmas.

In another way, however, it seems like we’ve been here longer.  With all the people we’ve met, places we’ve been, and events we’ve attended, it’s hard to believe it could all be crammed into four months.

In honor of our time here, and seeing that we are nearing the half-way point, here are some of the personal benefits this opportunity has already given us:

·  To more fully relate to the people and places in the Biblical narrative, walking where they walked, seeing things they saw, etc.

·  To feel more connected with the work of God, living His way of life as an example for the world

·  To feel more connected with the people of the world as God’s children, knowing that we are all created in His image, having the same incredible potential

·  To more fully understand the concept of living as pilgrims in this world, realizing that our true home is nowhere in the cultures of this present age

·  To better deal with different personalities, standards, and expectations, knowing that our problems, like us, aren’t going anywhere soon

·  To better appreciate the challenges faced by the small groups of believers scattered across the world

·  To better understand the cultures and traditions of the world, looking toward our future roles as kings and priests of God, guiding and healing all men

·  To better understand the pressing need for the Kingdom to come, both on a global and personal scale

·  To more fully envision the amazing changes that will take place in the Kingdom through the healing of the earth and its people

We look forward to the remainder of our time here, knowing that we will learn these lessons more deeply, and hopefully have others to add to the list.

Thanks for all the love and support from back home,

Darren and Amber

Costumes, Community Service, Cakes and Candles, and Confusion

This has been a very rewarding trip so far and I can't believe how blessed I am to be doing something so fun and inspiring and then being able to inspire in return.  I have been very busy at ABS but I am not complaining because it was so much fun and fulfilling.  Here is what I have been up to recently...

"Costumes"

A few weeks ago was the Theater Production of "The Wave". It is based on a movie called "Die Welle(German) which was based on a real life occurrence at an American college. I am very proud of the students because they worked so hard over a three month period to do 2 school performances and 2 public performances in their school theater.

Both Stella and I heard about the play not to long after school started and offered to help. We began by attending auditions and giving our input on who should be cast and as what characters. There were a few girls that sang when auditioning and I found out that there would be a song in the play and was quickly volunteered by the director to help in this area.

The cast was chosen along with the backstage crew, a props team, makeup girls, and a stage

fighting group for a "gang fight" in the play. The weeks went by and so did rehearsal after rehearsal. At least 4 a week for 3 months.

I was able to see a group of scraggly kids slowly progress into actors with characters who worked together as a team to memorize their lines and put together a play to remember.

The play is about a teacher who for "project week" at school unknowingly gets autocracy.

He was hoping for anarchy along with the students but has to change his plans.

He discusses what autocracy is with his students and they insist that it is not necessary to discuss the subject because an autocracy would never happen again in Europe. The teacher sets out to prove them wrong. He tells them that sometimes 

characteristics found in an autocratic government aren't wrong but beneficial.

He starts with making them call him by his last name and be more formal. He also has them straighten the desks and stand when speaking.

The students soon choose to all wear white and they then stick together to help a school reject when he is bullied and they only help because he is a part of their class project. They also choose a name for there group("The Wave") and a logo. Soon the students are behaving with a power hungry sort of pride which is fed to them by the teacher who is also unaware of his behavior.  The students graffiti their logo all over town and refuse students to parties if not wearing a white shirt or if they are not a part of "The Wave".  Little did the teacher know that he and the students were becoming power hungry and getting out of control.  The school reject spray painted their logo on the town clocktower and is the one being effected the most by "The Wave".  Being the school reject made him depressed but now having "friends" he feels a part of something and is one of the most loyal members. 

 Several students refused to conform to "The Wave" and they are ridiculed for it.  One of the members of " The Wave" is dating a girl who refuses to join and he ends up getting so fired up and aggressive because of this group that he hits his girlfriend across the face later to realize what he has done and that it is "The Wave"'s fault. His girlfriend and another 

student write an article in the school newspaper about "The Wave" and try to spread it around at a party which soon breaks out in a huge fight that including a Neo Nazi gang. The teacher holds a school assembly for only "The Wave" participants and the boyfriend voices his concerns after hitting his girlfriend and his realization as to what "The Wave" has done to him and that everyone has turned into the same thing.

The teacher soon realizes what he has done and apologizes to the class.

All of the class is confused. The teacher explains that indeed an autocracy could happen again and it did. He tells them "The Wave" is over and the students argue insisting that they can make things work and stay together.  Finally the school reject(end: read at your own risk. lol Don't read if you wanna watch the movie.) pulls out a gun and insists that "The Wave" go on. A student approaches him and then he shoots the student.

The teacher then talks him into lowering his gun but all of a sudden his turns the gun on himself and commits suicide.

THE END.

It was such a powerful play. The students really got into their roles and the audience couldn't help but get caught up and at times felt a part of the play. I am so proud of them for all that they have done. I am blessed to have been able to help with such an amazing part of the school and I am privileged to have gotten to know the students on a more personal level. At the end of the performance they gave Stella and myself flowers for helping out. It was so sweet of them and I was caught off guard. I hope to help out with the younger kids' play next semester.

"Community Service"

After the drama week was over I had the opportunity to accompany some 9th graders to do some community service for a school in a poor area. I am not going to go into much detail because you can read about it in the United News...I am not a writer but I wrote an article!!!! :-P  Its called "A Physical and Spiritual Stamp Through Inspiration".  (At least I think thats what it will be called.) 

The students painted the school and an artist started painting some pictures and I was able to help.  The students had fun making a mess on themselves with the paint and managed to make some of it on the walls. haha. The principal also came and the students were so determined to get paint all over him but he was more determined to not get it on himself.

"Candles and Cakes"

I ended that week with my birthday!!!! Friday night all four of us volunteers ate together and Amber made me a cake!!! :-P Stella and I set out to head to our friend Ghada's house who made me cheesecake!!!!  It had one small candle on it and Ghada sang me happy b-day in Arabic. :-P We hung out with her and drank tea while chatting. It is also fun to be around her.

She then told us of a Sushi place to go eat at because I had been craving Sushi. She dropped us off and we met up with another friend of ours. It was a Chinese and Indian restaurant so I had Indian food and Sushi. YUM! Our friend took us home and presented me with yet another cheesecake...I am pretty sure I gained some weight. haha. He had these really cool candles that were pretty much fireworks!!! They were saweet! I received many "Happy B-day"s on facebook from friends here and from home.

"Confusion"

We were told by different people that there would be snow Monday...then some people said there would be no snow. So Monday morning comes around and I got a text message at 4am saying that the school would not open until 10 because of SNOW! Yes it had snowed! I looked on my window ledge and there was almost 3 inches. Then I went back to bed. haha. Then I received another text at 7ish saying that the school would not open until 10 because of snow...I was a little upset because I was sleeping and I already knew that! haha. Then at 8ish I received another text saying that school was closed the whole day...I was happy again and slept some more. haha.

Wednesday night I was in the shower and had one leg shaved...then our power went out! :-/ I wrapped myself in a towel and headed out to find my flashlight. Stella, having also just got in the shower, was also in a towel and we both tried to find out why the power went out. I'm sure we looked pretty goofy running around our apartments in the dark in towels. Haha. We both got dressed and found out that only our apartment lost power. I finally found my flashlight and checked the breakers...nothing out of the ordinary. Our neighbor had the building door man/maintenance man check the power switches in the basement and the power came back on. I finished my shower and Stella decided to wait till the morn to finish hers. haha.

Stella and I have this upcoming week off from work but the following week we will be traveling to Switzerland for a school ski/snowboard trip!!!!!! Keep a look out for snow and crash stories from the land of cheese and chocolate.

I miss and love everyone!!!!

~Amanda

A Day in the Life...

We have been here in Jordan for about 4 months now, and now that we have our routine down, we thought we would share it with you.  Here’s a run-down of our average day at the YMWA:

5:30am -  Our alarm goes off for the first time and, depending on how tired we are, we hit snooze 2 or 3 times.  We finally get up and ready, and we are out the door by 6:20am.

6:25am -  The bus arrives at our building, except when it’s late (which is often).  Then begins our 1 ½ hour bus ride to work.  After our stop, we wind through west Amman, picking up about 25 students and 10 teachers.  When we are almost finished with the route, some of the teachers get off the bus and pick up falafel sandwiches for breakfast (including us most days).  We arrive at our final destination around 7:55am.

8:00am -  School begins!  Amber heads to the art class in the school section, and Darren heads to the woodshop in the vocational section.

Amber’s day -  After arriving, I head straight to the art room in the school section, where I lay out the materials for the first class.  We have done so many projects!  Here are a few: drawing, finger painting, egg carton creations, paper mosaics, play dough sculptures, and using dirt/sawdust/leaves to make textured pictures.  Which children come to art class depends on the time and day of the week – each day we get a different grade level from the school section or the preschool section, six grades in all.  From 8:20 to 10:00, I have three different groups of children (in 30 minute classes), all from the same grade.  From 10:00 to 11:00 is my lunch break.  Three days a week, I have recess duty, so from 11:00 to 11:20 I keep an eye on the kids while they play.  From 11:25 to 12:50, two more groups come in for art class.  The days go by fast when you have so many different groups of kids coming in.  

Darren’s day -  My typical morning starts off in the shop office, eating a bit of bread and falafel and having a glass or two of tea with the guys.  After we’re finished, we split up to get at our individual work.  So far, I’ve worked on wooden toddler toys, cooking utensils, weaving looms, and tea server sets.  Projects I have not worked on include chairs, tables, picture frames, cutting boards, and more children’s toys. In the shop class, there are about 10 students (all boys) who help out where they can: carrying and stacking, sanding and clamping, assisting with machinery… anything that’s not complicated or dangerous.  At about 11:00, everyone finishes what they’re doing, gets cleaned up, and heads to the cafeteria for “breakfast.”  For the students it may be breakfast, but for me it’s lunch.  The meal period is pretty short, about 15 or 20 minutes, and then we head back to the shop.  School is over at 1:00, so the rest of the day goes by pretty quickly.

This is pretty much our routine, Sunday through Thursday, with the following exceptions:  On Tuesdays we have our Group 1 English class, which consists of 6 of the vocational students who have some knowledge of English, but not much.  On Wednesday, Darren takes Group 2 English class, which is 3 of the more advanced students.  Amber goes with the school section, on that day, to the city sports complex, where she instructs a few students in tennis.  Thursdays are also slightly different, in that the vocational students get an hour of free time after lunch, and everybody gets off at about noon.

We love the staff that we work with and enjoy our jobs, but what really makes the difference is the students: they are always there, smiling and laughing, even though they have no idea what we are talking about.  When we come in, they are always happy to see us and ready to great us with whatever English they know.  Several of them ask about past volunteers (Lena, Emily, Kelly, and Jamie) daily. We know that when we leave the school, we will leave behind an imprint on the student’s lives, and next year they will ask where we are, too.

~Amber and Darren Henke

Staying Focused

The H-Team has been in Amman for almost 4 months now, and I am throughly enjoying my time here. Serving at the Amman Baccalaureate School has opened the door to many wonderful opportunities. I am working with the Finance Department and assisting the Vice Principal; I have also been coaching volleyball and helping with the drama production. As of Friday, the 3rd of December I coached my last volleyball game, and the drama production was completed. 

Amanda, Janeann (Drama
Head), & Stella

I now find myself thinking about what I have learned from working with the drama students for 3 months and coaching eight 7th and 8th grade girls. Many things come to mind, but one in particular, staying focused. Over the months of coaching volleyball I would tell the girls to stay focused on the game, on the ball, or playing as a team and together we would say "3, 2, 1, focus". During drama rehearsals I would tell the students they needed to focus on their part, and pay attention to what was going on, on stage.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to coach volleyball and help with the drama production. 

Girls Volleyball Team @ Tournament

Where does that leave me? I'm now asking the questions, am I focused? Am I staying focused on the reasons I came here and the job I came to do? Am I staying focused on the goals set for this project? I have had so many amazing experiences since I've been here; seeing Jordan, visiting Beirut, making new friends, learning about the culture, working with the students, and the list goes on. There have also been some tests and trials along the way, but I tell myself God never gives you something you can't handle, stay focused. Remember why I am  hear and stay focused on the goal. 


Until Next Time 
~ Stella