Spring Blossoms

Spring in Amman means the cold clouds are breaking up like river ice. The wind is warmer and sun breaks are longer. Tempertures are often above 70 degrees. The redbud trees are flowering. The spotty barren brown open areas on the hillsides around us have turned green and look clean and fresh. The mustard is blooming and red poppies are growing in great abundance.

Perhaps most notable as we approach Easter is the sudden increase in the flocks of tourists wandering the streets downtown. We arrived the last day of September last year, just before Ramadan began, and during our stay have seen very few recognizable tourists. We thought the political situation had destroyed the tourist trade. We should have realized we were visiting during the off season. These last two weeks have really been different as we watch so many people passing through. Most of the time they look rather overwhelmed and it reminds us a little of what we felt when we first arrived. It was all so different and confusing. The difference is we were able to stay and begin to know and love the city and the people. These who are passing through only have a few days. They will not be able to really get a feel for what it is like in Amman. Yet we know that we too have only begun to scratch the surface of this fascinating place and cannot even begin to comprehend what awesome things God has in store for those who seek Him.

As I write this I am looking east out our bedroom window. The full moon is shining brightly on the houses crowded on the hill across the way. It looks so quiet and beautiful. In a few hours the prayer call will blast across this valley and echo off these hills. The sun will rise over this ancient hill and we will begin our last day in Amman. And as Spring comes after the cold and the rain and with it comes the new growth and the fruit, we look forward to the promise of things to come. Look to the fig tree, the fruit is not now; it is still a small bud, yet certainly the fruit is coming soon and with it comes the work and joy of the harvest.