Jan 15

Hey everybody...I am still alive. Just thought I would let you know that. I will try really hard to write something soon

New Year

Hey All, just wanted to write and tell everyone Happy New Years. I'm not sure why we celebrate that as a holiday, but we do. Some of the people here celebrate it as well, but it is not really a big deal.
كل عام و أنتم بخير
kul 'aam wa antum bikheer
(every year may you be blessed)

Merry Christmas

I hope this finds everybody having a wonderful Christmas and holiday season. It sure is different thinking about Christmas and the holidays in a foreign country, especially one with completely different traditions and enviornment. It seems wrong to even call it Christmas without snow, christmas carols, decorations, or spruce or pine trees...but that is the way the christmas cookie crumbles (or doesn't crumble as that case is here)
I told myself I was going to try and avoid thinking about the holidays too much, and so I wasn't going to listen to Christmas songs...but last night I gave in a listened to all my favorites, and as expected it made me cry. Not crying because I was sad to be away from friends and family, but because I was so happy remembering all those memories I have, and that I cherish so much. The part that is sad knowing that I have chosen to leave that behind in order to follow something greater than those joys. And though the memories bring joy, it carries a certain pain and sorrow with it. And while I listened to the words of these beloved songs God reminded me that 2000 years ago a baby was born who traveled much farther from home than I ever could, who gave up more than I can ever have, and who sacrificed more than I will ever be able to imagine. I feel priveleged to feel, in an infintesmally small way, what Christ must have felt when he left the glory of heaven and came to dwell with us lowly sinners...I will never understand how God could love me so much, but I thank him and praise him for it.
Merry Christmas, and "God Bless you with a 1000 blessings this year and every year" (thats a translated arabic holiday greeting)

Another Holiday...

I started to feel guilty about not writing for almost two weeks, but then I checked the blogs of my friends, and realize that they update about as often as I do, so I don't feel so bad. Yes, that is a terrible excuse, but it seems to appease my conscience, so I am using it.
Things have been going really well here in Jordan. I am finally starting to feel like I know what I am doing. I know a fair amount of people that I can spend time with when I am not studying or running around the city trying to take care of retarded bureaucratic issues. I have also managed to finally figure out the bus system here, more or less. Of course part of figuring out involved realizing that there really is not much system at all...Wednesday is an Islamic holiday, so clssses are canceled Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Which means the University will also be closed from Tues. - Sat. Most of the time during these holidays families gather together and celebrate the holiday together. I am not sure what that means for me, but I think it means I will have lots of time to study alone at my house. I am still hoping to go to some friends house, but I don't think it is common to invite foreigners over to celebrate the holiday. Also, most of the stores and shops are also closed, or at least the small ones, so I need to make sure I buy plenty of humus, falafel, and bread (which has become my replacement for peanut butter).
I will try to write more later, but right now I have a meeting at the physics department. Hope every one is doing well.

Finally some pictures

Hey everyone. Thank you to all the people who have posted comments, or sent emails. You don't know how much something that simple means to me. Most of the time I don't feel homesick, mostly because I manage to stay exceptionally busy. But nevertheless it is very comforting and encouraging just to hear from my friends.
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. As it turns out I got to go camping Friday. My roommate and a friend of mine went up north to a place called Umm Quais. It is an ancient Roman city. At the time of Christ it was one of the cities of the Decapolis. It was almost completely destroyed (as were most of the ancient sites in this area) by a major earthquake in the middle ages. After seeing the ancient ruins we took the packs and headed into the hills to try and find a nice camp site. My roommate has never been camping in the mountains/forest, so I figured I better teach him. We had a great time and got to see some really neat stuff (we also almost got in trouble with the army, because we were 'trespassing' on military land, which was only an issue because Umm Quais is only about 2 km from the border with Israel).

This is picture of the main Roman road that used to run through the middle of Umm Quais. The original name of the city was called Gadara. If that name sounds familiar, it should.

This is a picture of the ancient city center. Originally the was a large state building and courtyard with a giant statue on this site.

This my friend Dylan, my roommate, Ihab, and me at the campsite. We walked about two hours across the mountains/hills to find a nice little grove of pine trees where we set up camp.

This final picture is a view looking north west towards Israel. The valley in the forefront of the picture is the border with Israel. To the North East (not in the picture) about 15 km is the Golan Heights. The lake is called the lake of Tiberias, but better known to us as the Sea of Galilee. Nearly 2000 years ago there was a village called Gadara built here, and somewhere near the shores of this lake lived a madman, who spent his days in torment and anguish. He had no home, save the graveyard in which he resided. No friends, save the cold, silent tombs. Many nights he spent in chains of iron, which eventually he would break. But never could he break the chains with which Satan had bound him. He lived a life of hopelessness.
But one day, a day which seemed like every other day, a man came to the shore and entered the deserted graveyard. He was a man like he had never seen before...perhaps he was more than just a man. When the possessed saw this Man he ran towards and fell at his feet, and the devil within cried out, "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high?". Then something happened to this man who had been a slave to Satan longer than he could remember...he felt the spiritual chains come off and for the first time he felt freedom, true freedom. As he lifted up his eyes from the dusty ground he saw only Jesus. And realizing who is was who set him free he requested only that he might be allowed to stay with him, but Jesus responded '"Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee". And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.'

I wonder how we react when we look into the eyes of the One who set us free?