But I won't apologize for being here. Because this is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I have needed this. This weekend has of course been packed with food and friends and fun. More fun than I ever thought humanly possible. Its crazy!
Yesterday we went back to the outdoor market (which is called a Souk by the way), where I bought a dress. The thing I love about the Souks is the people. We're surrounded by people all the time, and what's great about people is you don't even have to speak their language, you can just feel their energy. And the lady that sells the dresses has a great energy. She is so sweet, and she doesn't speak any English, and my Arabic is limited to numbers...but we figure things out.
The other fun thing about the market is going with friends. We met up there with some Jordanian friends, and like I've said before and I'm about to say a bunch more times, the people here are amazing. So friendly. So accepting. It's so wonderful.
Today on all our adventures, including the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George (with a very old mosiac map of the Holy Land) where we witnessed a middle school fight where the boys took off their belts and were beating eachother, to Mt. Nebo where Moses saw the Promised Land and then died (or..rather..was translated..or whatever), and then to the Baptismal Site of Jesus, and finally to the Dead Sea; my favorite thing was meeting people.
After we went to the church in Madaba, we stopped at a local place that makes and sells mosaics and other furniture like Egyptian Rugs and a variety of other things. At this store,the sweetest 20 year old guy gave us a short little info session about how the mosaics are made. He, like our other Jordanian friends and the woman at the souk, also had a great energy about him. So, later when everyone was milling about the warehouse/store place, I got the opportunity to find out more about his life.
He is 20 years old and he's from Syria. Yes, he falls under the category that I keep mentioning to you, and I promise to tell you more about- refugee. His friends and family are spread out all over the world. And when I asked him what he thought would be the ideal outcome for him in the future he said, "All I want in my life is to see peace in my country, and to go back to my home and have my friends and family."
~For those of you who are reading this post and have all three of those things: home. friends. and family- I want you to stop reading this post and take a moment to thank God, seriously because you don't know how good you have it.~
We continued to talk for a few minutes. My eyes welled up with tears as I said to him something along the lines of, "I think about you and your people often and I want you to know that my heart goes out to you. I'm so sorry about what you've been through, I can't even imagine that kind of difficulty". He thanked me for my comments and as my friend and I walked away, talking about how sweet this kid was, he ran after us to give us a gift. I was speechless. And I still am. Of all the people who have a reason to be bitter and angry and hateful, he does. But he was not any of those things. He was kind and generous, and giving.
While we were at the baptismal site I made even more friends!! A group of guys from Texas talked to me for a while, we joked around about lots of different things. And they asked me about Mormonism! That's right! I had a little missionary moment. That was great.
And I also met another guy who was originally from India, but lived and worked in Dubai. He was so great too! By that time, after making so many friends, I just couldn't help but think how easy it is to talk to people and I remembered truly how much I love talking to people! Whether the topic of the conversation is Texas, or the Church, or American movies, or politics, or just joking around about silly stuff, people are so great you guys!! So great!! It takes a risk sometimes to get the courage up to ask people about themselves, but it's as simple as, "Where are you from?" and from there it will just flow naturally. The great thing is you never know what you'll learn from them. People are full of wisdom! Their experiences are valuable and their knowledge is valuable.
And when I consider all of these things, the amazing things that I was able to see and the incredible people I was able to meet, I am humbled.
Recently, I read of an experience of someone else who stood atop Mt. Nebo and had a thought process similar to my own. Elder Russel M. Nelson in 1989 said of his insights on the mountain top, "“Here in the land made holy by the Prince of Peace, contention has existed almost continuously from that day to this. Prior to His ascension from the Holy Land, the Savior pronounced a unique blessing: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” His peace is not necessarily political; his peace is personal. But that spirit of inner peace is driven away by contention. Contention does not usually begin as strife between countries. More often, it starts with an individual, for we can contend within ourselves over simple matters of right and wrong. From there, contention can infect neighbors and nations like a spreading sore…."
The truth that carries on through all nations and all people is that each and every one of us either promotes peace or contention. Look at it this way though, making peace is as easy as making friends. It's as easy as forgiving someone, or forgetting a wrong they've committed against you. A previous King of Jordan said a similar thing, “King Hussein always emphasized that true peace is not created by treaties between governments, but must be built between people. And to bring people together, we had to begin with our children. The only way to overcome the enmity of previous generations is to enable the next generation, the future guardians of peace, to meet and interact openly and honestly in a secure atmosphere of trust. Education and exposure can impress upon young people the importance of resolving conflicts without violence, teach them the skills with which to do it, and to make their voices heard in issues that affect them." (As quoted by his wife, Queen Noor.)
So, look around, everywhere you look the world is bleeding. There is violence in Stockton and Detroit and the Bronx, there are struggles in Russia and China and Brazil and every other country in the world. Destruction mercilessly sweeps her hand across nations without regard to the people who live there.
My one wish is that we could all just be a little more sympathetic to each other. I, just like my Syrian friend, simply want to see peace in this world. I want more healing and less heartache. I want more friendships and less fear. And I just want you all to travel to the Middle East so you could see that people are not that different than you. They are our brothers and sisters, regardless of race, religion, history or creed.
And I love them!
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