Learning from Service
“My faith and theological studies came alive on this mission trip in a practical way.”
Edward (second from left) a 2nd Year Biblical Studies student shares what he learned on Bethlehem Bible College’s recent mission trip to Syrian Refugees in Jordan.
When I said I would go on the trip to Jordan, I did not know it was a mission trip. I just thought it would be a fun time to travel to Jordan. Now that I went, the theology I am studying came alive. I can sense that God is truly working in my life and in me.
The people we met on this trip affected me the most. When we entered the houses of the refugees, the men would come hugging and kissing us. Even though it is against the culture for women to sit with the men, even the women and the children sat with us and welcomed us into their homes.
I remember the story of Mohammad. Mohammad, his wife, and his two children lived in a one room stable. For the first two months, they didn’t even have a bathroom. Although their situation was the worst we saw, Mohammad and his wife were incredibly humble. They chose to be content with their life and even try to change it for the better by building a room adjacent to the stable for their kids. When the church helped Mohammad build a bathroom, he and his wife were overflowing with happiness. Mohammad’s huge smile and warm welcome, in the midst of deep poverty have stayed in my mind.
This experience has transformed how I think about Christianity and my studies. When I first came to Bethlehem Bible College, I didn’t know anything about Christianity. Although I grew up in a Christian family, we didn’t live a Christian life in a practical way. Coming to BBC changed this for me, but this trip to Jordan revolutionized my outlook on the Christian life.
I don’t know how to describe my feeling. I felt that when I visited these refugees I was ministering for God. I felt as if I was living the verse in Matthew that says:
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” ~Matt. 25:35-36, 40 NIV
My faith and theological studies came alive on this trip in a practical way. I hope that I will be able to do it again soon.
Edward is a 2nd Year Biblical Studies student at Bethlehem Bible College from Beit Sahour.
