JORDAN 2016
How is the Alliance Church involved in Jordan? Four years ago, the Syrian refugee population began to grow exponentially in norther Jordan. An Alliance Church there, with a congregation of just 50 people, felt the call of God to reach out to these neighbours. This small church had been giving out essential supplies to refugees: Mattresses, pillows, cook stoves, carpets etc. In their first year they were able to help and share the gospel with 200 people. After four years, this church of 50 people has helped and shared the love of God with 23,000 Syrian Refugees. They obviously can t do this alone. This call is enormous. In the last four years this northern city s population has swelled from approximately 45,000 to nearly 150,000 people. 88% of their population has refugee status. There is an opportunity here for us to join our fellow believers, a church, who is answering the call to love their neighbours. This particular mission fits all the criteria we have established for a missionary partnership. It is bible based, it is compassion and evangelism focused and presents the opportunity for a strong on going partnership.
About Jordan Jordan is located in the Middle East and borders Syria, Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea, Palestine, Israel, and Iraq. It covers some 89,342 sq.km Jordan is a land steeped in history. It has been home to some of mankind's earliest settlements and villages, and relics of many of the world's great civilizations can still be seen today. At the crossroads of the Middle East, the lands of Jordan and Israel have served as a strategic nexus connecting Asia, Africa and Europe. Thus, Jordan's geography has given it an important role to play as a conduit for trade and communications, connecting east and west, north and south. Jordan continues to play this role today.
FAQs! Are there any health risks? Jordan is one of the more advanced and democratic of the Middle Eastern nations. Although there are no immediate health risks to travelling in Jordan (in general) it is advisable that whenever you travel anywhere you visit a travel health nurse and make sure all your vaccinations are up to date. Medical services are excellent in Jordan and most doctors are bilingual in Arabic and English. Larger hotels have a doctor on call and embassies can also suggest doctors and hospitals. What will the food be like? Delicious! There are a lot of rice and couscous dishes; most will contain chicken and or beef. There is often cucumber and tomato salads. It is close to a Mediterranean diet, the spice combinations may be a little unfamiliar as they use a lot of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice (even in meat dishes.) You will also find they use a lot of pine nuts, lentils, chickpeas etc. If you have any specific food allergies these can likely be accommodated. What medication do we need? 1. All team members are expected to have their vaccinations up to date. These should include TwinRx (Hep A&B) and Typhoid. 2. Immodium AD for diarrhea, which is often caused by change in climate, food and water. 3. Any prescribed medications that you may need. (The team leader must also be made aware of any prescriptions you are bringing)
Will we need visas or any other legal documentation? All team members will need a passport, valid six months past the date of the return flight. Upon arrival at the airport in Amman, we will need 40 Jordanian dinars (JOD) each to purchase a tourist visa. The equivalent of $75 CAD (If we plan to do sightseeing while we are there, we may want to look into a visa called the Jordan Pass, which costs 80 JOD (CAD$147), and includes entry into many of the tourist destinations in Jordan. This is something we will discuss as a team) When is the trip? From the time we leave Cold Lake to the time we return will be approximately 12 calendar days. It is recommended, that if possible, you take an additional two days off from work to leave time for any unforeseen circumstances that may arise and to allow yourself time to get over jetlag on your return. We are currently looking at two different options. Either in October (around Thanksgiving) or sometime in the New Year. The church in this northern city is eager to have us join them and are very flexible on time. We hope to peg down specific days as soon as we have an established and committed team in place. Here are some deadlines we would like to meet. July 17 th Application Deadline. (Spots are limited, so apply soon!) Aug. 7 th $450 deposit is due Sept. 4 th You must have a valid passport in your possession and vaccinations should be up to date.
How do we prepare? Our preparation is broken down in four areas: Biblical, Cultural and Linguistic & Service Our goal is to prepare well. We need to know biblically Why we are partnering with this ministry. We need to understand culturally how we can best serve. We need to invest as much as we can to understanding how to communicate in the country we are visiting. The church in Mafraq has requested that we come with a basic understanding of regional culture, politics, and religion. Our time there will be a learning experience but we should still know more than the average westerner on the street before we come. In order to do this, team members will be required to attend regular get togethers where we learn about the culture, language and religion of the area. This will not only benefit us while we are there, but help us as we build the team around this common mission. We will also work together in local service projects before leaving.
How much does it cost? The cost of going, per person, is approximately $3,000. As a team we are responsible to raise these funds. Individually, each team member is required to put $450 of their own money toward the trip. The remaining costs we raise through the other ways shown below. Vaccination, Passport, Health Insurance and Visa costs are the responsibility of the individual. Some vaccinations are costly, but much of the cost will depend on what you already have. Again, it is best to talk to a travel health nurse, or your doctor about what you will need. Below is the breakdown of costs that make up the $3,000 for each person. Cost Breakdown: $950 - food, accommodation and transportation while in Jordan $1500 -$2000 flights from Edmonton to Jordan $200 - towards the ministry of the Alliance Church in Jordan and to defer any additional costs of hosting the team. Our Funding Goals can be seen on the chart below. Individual Team Members, 15% Church Family, 60% Team Building Fundraising, 10% Prayer Letters, 15%
Am I qualified to go? Our aim this year is to send a group of ten to fifteen people and look at the possibility of a partnership with the Alliance Church in Jordan. Each person that becomes a part of Jordan 2016 needs to discern in what capacity God is asking them to join in this ministry, whether it is as a sender, or as one being sent. As leadership we would love to aid you in the discernment process, by walking alongside those that are thinking of applying. Below are a number of aspects that may help you think through whether this is a ministry God has for you. At the end is a prayer and reflection guide which helps you ask some important questions that we should each ask to discern God s leading. Time commitment We will be spending a significant amount of time together as a team in language training, prayer and cultural learning. If you are committed in a lot of other ministries, it may be hard to find the time to commit to the team. Is it something you can prioritize in your schedule? Relationship to Jesus We want to partner with the work God is doing in Jordan. The church there expects that every member of the team has a personal relationship with Jesus as we seek to bless them with not only physical help but spiritual as well. As a church we are committed to becoming multi-dimensional disciples of Christ. When we go to Jordan, we go as representatives of Christ, living out the truth that we have been learning. We are more concerned with spiritual growth than we are with how spiritual one is considered by others.
Posture It is essential that the team have a teachable and humble heart. We cannot be a group of individuals that needs to see things happen our way, rather than a team of missionaries that would lay down whatever we need to in order to serve Christ and the people He loves. Our goal is to serve the people of Jordan and the Syrian refugees there. To do this well, we each need to have a teachable posture that is present in the trip and the preparation. Physical requirements We currently do not take anyone below the age of 16. There may be a fair bit of walking, but apart from that there are no physical activities that would inhibit generally healthy persons from taking part. Questions to ask The following questions are great to ask yourself and pray through. Just because you don t feel ready to serve or sacrifice doesn t mean that God doesn t want you to go. Involve wise godly people in the discernment process. - What makes me nervous about the experience? - What are my fears? - Are they valid fears? - Am I willing to go and serve? - Am I capable of giving up time to go and for the required preparation? - How can I prepare myself spiritually?
Pray! Ask God if this is something He wants you to do. If He doesn t prompt you to go, in what other capacity would He have you participate? Ask Him to enable you for whatever it is He calls you to. Experience God s love for the World in a whole new way!
Application Form Jordan 2016 Grand Centre Alliance Church Please complete this entire form and return it to Grace. Personal Information 1. (Mr. Mrs. Miss) 2. Address: City, Province: Postal Code: 3. Date of Birth: / / Health Record 4. Evaluate your health (circle 1): Excellent Good Fair Poor Explain if Fair or Poor: 5. Do you have any chronic ailment or physical disability which might prevent you from eating certain types of food or mild exercise? Yes / No If yes, please explain. 6. Is there any medical condition that we need to be aware of while on this trip? Yes / No If yes, please explain.
7. Are you taking any regularly prescribed medication that we should be aware of in an emergency? Yes / No Spiritual Health 8. Tell us about your walk with Christ, how did you come to follow Him? 9. State briefly your current relationship with Christ: 10. Give reasons why you would like to go with Grand Centre Alliance Church to Jordan: Other
11. What do you hope to learn from this trip? Personally: Culturally: Spiritually: 5403-56 Street, Cold Lake, AB T9M 1R4 grace@gcalliance.org