Among the echoes of Islam

Rachel is midway through a degree in English and Education Studies at Cambridge University.

But she says her educational theory wasn’t much help when it came to teaching English in a summer language school run by a local church in Amman, Jordan. Approximately 150 children attended the school and Rachel was responsible for the 3-6 year olds, a class of about 40 boys and girls. “It was very much ‘learn by doing’,” she explains, “and it was hard work!”

Working alongside a local church is key to MECO’s approach to showing Christ’s love to the people of the Middle East, and this summer’s language school is co-ordinated by The Nazarene Church of Ashrafieh in a poorer part of Amman. Working with these youngsters can be very challenging, as Rachel explains.

“There were stressful times, but God used those to strengthen us. It wasn’t just the kids who made life interesting. One day two classroom assistants, both teenage girls from the church, had an argument.”

“However, the next day we were due to talk about forgiveness and love. It meant we could use them to demonstrate forgiveness to the children and their parents - both girls publicly said sorry and forgave each other. It seems God has a funny habit of using those tricky experiences for His glory.”

Rachel had spotted the advert for MEET on a leaflet one of her housemates had left lying around their shared student house. She felt God was prompting her to travel abroad in the summer, and the main activity of the MEET trip - teaching English - appealed to her, so she phoned to find out more.

“MECO’s values convinced me to go,” she says. “They really impressed me. I sensed the organisation’s servant-heart. It’s so important to be gentle and sensitive in cultures like Jordan’s.”

Learning about the culture
She admits, though, that she didn’t know much about Jordan’s culture before going there. “I had this children’s Bible kind of image in my head. What really surprised me was the (Muslim) call to prayer, which echoes throughout the city. It was unavoidable and a bit shocking.”

“That taught me so much about faith. Christians aren’t violently persecuted in Jordan, compared to some other countries, but they still have to take a stand and be different. One thing that was fantastic was worshipping with them - hearing them sing God’s praises to Arabic melodies. It brought home to me that we are part of a worldwide church. They weren’t translating English songs into Arabic - their worship was rooted in their culture. But the God they were worshipping was also my God; He is our God.”

Welcomed by the church
“From the outset, we were welcomed by the church. It was obvious we were part of the same family - brothers and sisters in Christ - from the moment we arrived. Every night we ate with different families from the church - generosity and hospitality are so important in the culture there.”

Although she found it sad to leave, Rachel feels confident about the progress the church is making in Amman. “It was a privilege to work alongside the Christians in Ashrafieh and the MECO team. I learned so much from them and feel they are truly kingdom-builders in what they do. It is hard when your church building is surrounded by mosques, in a city which echoes with Islam, but there is real fruit in their work.”