October 31, 2007

Spencer Kelly A Jordanian Halloween

October 31, 2007


We weren’t able to celebrate Halloween by dressing up and racing door to door for candy today but were able to visit some really neat places. The first place we visited was the city of Jerash which is among the world’s best and most preserved Roman cities. The city ruins were amazing. The city included a Roman cardo, theatre, hippodrome, temple and large plaza.

Although we weren’t able to dress like Romans this Halloween we were able to act like them. We held our own “chariot” races against Brother Draper’s class. From the start of the race it appeared as if Bus 1’s warriors would easily conquer Bus 2’s but at a crucial turning point the race spun upside down, making Bus 2 the victor.

Our second stop of the day was at the Amman Branch building. District President Bradford and Sister Bradford spoke to us about the current situation of the Church in the Middle East area. I was impressed by how much area this district of the Church covers. The area includes Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia in which President Bradford spoke briefly about them. He then focused mainly on one or two members of the Church from these places.

After listening to the miraculous stories of these members in how they were led to their membership in the Church, I felt deeply grateful to a Heavenly Father who watches over each one of us. I felt especially grateful that He watches even those in these areas of the world where the activity of the Church is limited. President Bradford emphasized that their assignment as missionaries to this land was not to help the Church grow but to be maintained. This allows a door to remain open so when there is an opportunity for missionaries to begin preaching in this land there will be a solid foundation of members on which it can stand.

I felt that each of us left the meeting with the spirit of missionary work and a greater appreciation for all the faithful members that live their lives in accordance to gospel principles amidst so much opposition.


One of my most memorable experiences during this Old Testament class was our trip to the Western Wall our first week here in Jerusalem. Not yet being accustomed to the culture and having very little knowledge about Judaism, it was culturally “eye opening” as well as spiritually enlightening getting to observe the Jews welcome the Sabbath in. I was surprised at the contrast between all the worshippers that came to the wall. For example, a group of youth came singing and dancing as to celebrate. This greatly differed from the many orthodox Jews who looked as if they were mourning a great loss and who stood piously at the wall.

As I observed the many different types of worship around me, I began to see how culturally diverse this group of people was-- yet, they were all united because of their faith. I thought about my own ways of worship and how they are similar to the many different types of worship I saw that night at the wall. Sometimes I enjoy dancing and singing for joy because of my many blessings. Whereas, other times, I am more contemplative and reverent when I am seeking comfort in times of personal difficulty. I learned from my experience at the Western Wall that although I might come from a much religiously different background than the Jewish people in this land, I can understand in a small way their need for spiritual enlightenment as well as their cultural ties which bring them close as a people.