Marka Church began promptly at 11:00. The sanctuary was full and beautiful decorated with palm branches and flowers. A guest musician from Egypt was leading worship together with the youth from the school—all Iraqi refugees in Jordan waiting resettlement other places around the world. 

Worship was enthusiastic!  I translated via an app where I could.  But it didn’t take an app to understand the voices of praise being raised together before the throne of God. People were standing.  Hands were clapping. A full hour went by as we worshipped and no one seemed to mind. 

They asked Curtis to preach and the local pastor translated for him as he turned to the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem from the book of Matthew.  There, Jerusalem, swollen for Passover to ten times its normal size, welcomed the man they thought was a prophet who would save them from their Roman rulers. 

But God had sent Jesus for something far greater than that. He was God come to save us all from our sins. 

Many “hallelujahs!” Came from grateful hearts.  They needed no translation. 

After Curtis preached about 20 minutes, they worshipped again. This time, the kids and youth joined us waiving flowers and branches. I’m fairly certain in the US, the fire marshall would have had something to say about it as they filled the stage and marched through the aisles. 

“Hosanna!  Hosanna!”

What a beautiful sight!  And what an honor to lift our voices with people from Jordan, Iraq, and Syria in praise to God. 

When the service was over, we said our long goodbyes.  It’s only been four days working with these people but they’ve left a lasting impression on our hearts. It’s been a mix of all kinds of experiences—I think we’ve learned more than we’ve taught and grown more than we’ve been watered.   And we’re thankful.

What a good God—spanning continents, centuries, languages, occupations, and age groups. And what a good Savior—coming to earth to save people knowing they would reject and crucify Him.  What a beautiful time of celebration leading up to the climax of Christianity as we celebrate the Messiah. 

Hosanna!