October 31, 2007

Ryan Taylor
Nov 7, 2007
Journal Entry for October 31, 2007
Happy Halloween! Actually, we haven’t had much of a Halloween at all, since we are right in the middle of our trip to Jordan. Some of the students carved some pumpkins though, kindly giving one to Professor Huntington. I think that is as festive as it got for Halloween. It has been an absolute blast being in Jordan though! We spent the entire morning in Jerash, one of the ten Roman Decapolis cities throughout this area. The ruins are absolutely phenomenal. Amman is very dry, with little rain or even air moisture, so the Roman ruins have lasted a very long time, many of them only ruined by earthquakes. The cardo maximus, or main street, was quite spectacular to take in. The street is completely lined with high reaching columns about every 20 feet and is paved with large stone blocks. They stones even have grooves in them from all the traffic, and it isn’t hard to imagine a bustling street full of carts and wagons, with vendors and shops packed in between the columns. There are also several temples there, dedicated to Jupiter, Hercules, and other Roman deity. Some of the students attended a Roman theatrical production in the Hippodrome. They had actors showing off Roman dress and styles, performed mock battles of gladiators and legions, and even had a chariot race. The students that went seemed to enjoy it, although I’m sure it wasn’t nearly as engaging as races among the students themselves.
That afternoon we were hosted by the President of the Amman branch. We met at the church building in Amman, and he gave us a summary of the church in the Middle East. I was surprised to find out just how many Jordanians, Syrians, and even Egyptians are members. The Lord is truly preparing the foundation for this work to go forth among the Arab nations. This deals with the scattering and gathering of Israel, something we have learned a great deal about these last few months, something that I was quite ignorant about previously. It is incredible the prophecies that these people have concerning their future, and I have to pause and reflect in wonderment of the incredible things that the Lord is doing to prepare this land and his people for his restored gospel. It is a privilege to be here in the middle of it, and maybe one day take an active part in it as well.