Christian Voluntourism in Jordan

AQABA, Jordan and McLEAN, Va. (March, 2011) – A group of Christian media from North America, including Brandon Crouch, JCTV co-founder, and the producers of “Travel with Spirit,” are mixing ‘volun-tourism’ along with ancient holy sites and modern adventures in a Lenten-timed press tour of Jordan hosted by the Jordan Tourism Board. The group reached Aqaba today on the seventh of nine days in this biblical “Land of Refuge.”

A highlight of the trip was a March 14 “volun-tourism” experience at the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf in historic Salt. Several of the journalists joined students at the school to make traditional handicrafts such as mosaics, rugs and belts. The center offers a wide range of vocational training courses, including ceramics, metallurgy, weaving, cooking and computer skills, to ensure the boys and girls have employable skills once they leave. Volunteers who visit the school can join in the activities to encourage and interact with the students.

Chuck Chalfant, web producer of CBN.com, blogged about the experience saying:

“I had no idea what to expect, but was excited to serve and meet the kids. What I learned about love and servanthood and my own shortcomings was priceless, … Brother Andrew A.L. de Carpentier is the executive director and a very wise yet humble man. One of the things he said that stuck out was that the deaf communicate not with their mouths, but their hands. To say something, they have to do something. That pretty much sums up the whole place – show your love and communication through action.”

Malia Asfour, director of the Jordan Tourism Board North America adds:

“We have worked hand in hand with our suppliers and religious travel planners about how to build volun-tourism into some of their Holy Land travel programs, … Now we are giving Christian media a glimpse of how volun-tourism, unlike longer one-week or two-week mission trips, can be built into any type of trip to Jordan.”

Asfour views faith-based travel as one of the primary niches for Jordan tourism. She has been working since 1997 to promote the destination of Jordan to the North American travel market, and decided early on that Jordan needed a re-branding in the religious sector in order to educate and re-introduce the kingdom’s biblical sites and experiences to prospective travelers. A passionate advocate for volun-tourism, Asfour sees it as a natural element of any faith-based tour to Jordan.

The Jordan Tourism Board North America, in cooperation with “Travel with Spirit,” is producing promotional videos and public service announcements (PSA’s) about volun-tourism. “Travel with Spirit” is a half-hour television program that features destinations that appeal to Christian travelers seeking spiritual enrichment as a part of their travel experience. The show airs on several networks, including FamilyNet, Sky Angel and NRB Network.

The crew filmed one PSA segment featuring Brandon Crouch at the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf.

Crouch, a Christian evangelist, inspirational speaker, television broadcaster, and co-founder of JCTV (Jesus Christ Television),  summed up his support for volunteering on vacation in this way:

“Volunteering for as little as one hour can turn a vacation into a life-changing experience. Jordan has opened up my eyes to the rest of the biblical sites that I had always wondered about from the other side, … Aaron’s tomb, Mount Nebo, the Red Sea and so much more are combined with a rich culture, loving people and delicious food. You can’t go wrong with Jordan!”

Biblical Background of Jordan:

Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan – where the Bible says Jesus came to be baptized by his cousin John – is part of the wilderness area associated with John the Baptist and also contains the traditional spot where the Bible says Elijah the prophet ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire. Today, the holy site is a rustic, eco-protected park that welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

While Jordan is home to hundreds of biblical locations, some of the most pivotal biblical events occurred at these sites:

• Mount Nebo, where Moses saw the land he would never enter and, according to the Bible, is buried nearby in an unknown location;
• Mukawir, a mountaintop fortress not far from the Dead Sea where John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded;
• Tel Mar Elias, the birthplace of the prophet Elijah (also known as Elijah the Tishbite), located among the ancient Hills of Gilead;
• Umm Qais, a Roman Decapolis town overlooking the Sea of Galilee where the miracle of the Gadarene swine took place;
• Jabbok River, where Jacob wrested with “the Angel,” and his name was changed to Israel, meaning “He who wrestles with God.”

For more information, please visit the Jordan Tourism Board North America website and the Blog Jordan Wiki.

One of the most frustrating disadvantages to group travel is that when there are 20+ people traveling in a group, it means that there are 20+ egos, temper tantrums, ignorant outbursts, and selfish behavioral characteristics to take into consideration…

…There were those who were notoriously late for group gatherings, those who constantly made special requests … and also those who clearly needed a lesson (or many) on respecting all aspects of a foreign culture …

… In my opinion, the worst offenders were those who were ignorant enough to make certain assumptions about Egypt and Jordan, and especially the people of these countries … I guess my expectations were too high for some participants and they often reminded me of my inaccuracy.

If you’re like me, the above ‘Post-Vacation Thoughts‘ offered by Brett Mickelson beg the question “are any other similar acts of bloggery detailing the disadvantages of group travel in Jordan and in general?”

I’m glad I asked …

Dean 'negotiating' with some of his more 'emotional' travel mates in Jerash.

… funny photo aside, along with managing well-optimized egos are those members of a group whom grate on others. For example, in this kvetch-a-thon we read of some nerves rubbed somewhat raw:

Dinner time arriving, Faisel took us for an orientation walk of the town. Nerves growing thin, I wasn’t the only one wanting to bite the head off of one of the two “louder” members of our group …

Goodbyes MERCIFULLY done, the group went back up into the main town and found a “Mystic Pizza” (safe enough). A glare that possibly scorched her eyebrows later, one of the girls swapped me away from the louder member of the group who had been slowly plucking my every last remaining nerve…

Following one of the other Australians (who also confessed a desire to break every piece of furniture in the place), we made our way back to the hotel while trying to stay in close enough proximity to the girls so they wouldn’t be hassled.

Here’s another example from TravelBlog where a couple of younger tourists were grouped with mostly older ladies – the latter of from which a few could be classified as Olympic-class shoppers. Not a problem until the poor tour guide finds themselves engaged in ‘cat herding‘ before they can get everyone on the bus and go somewhere else.

At Madaba we first discovered that some members of our tour liked to shop. In particular two ladies called Patti and Allie. Patti and Allie had come on the trip with another friend

Caroline and these three ladies were exactly like the ladies from Ab Fab. Allie was Patsy, Caroline was Eddie and Patti was Saffy. We ended up having many good laughs with these ladies, but at this stage of the journey we were most dismayed to discover that Patti and Allie could spend in excess of 20 minutes shopping while the rest of us waited for them. It reminded me very much of my darling mother.

Of course, sometimes it’s not the other travelers, but the travel agency or tour guide that turns the group into a mob, as we read in this ‘tense’ account:

Our last day in Jordan was spent driving northward, with some stops, towards our overnight stay in the town called Madaba which was Moab in the bible. It was an overall tense day in our group. Khaleid was not happy with us that we questioned him to the agency and we were not happy with him that we had to do it in the first place. The tension mixed with the fact that the trip was winding down really made for a quiet day. I think that almost everyone was looking forward to wrapping up the trip or moving onward to their next destination. Despite all of this, I enjoyed the day.

Perhaps one solution is to go it alone with compatible friends, and a competent taxi driver.

Then there’s always the temptation of striking out on one’s own:

Not that life here is all that demanding or stressful: all I really do is Arabic; but being part of the group, along with all its little rules and requirements, can be a bit taxing and at times frustrating – like this past week: I had a little run-in with a lady from BYU who had come to evaluate the program here – it was like talking to a wall; but at least I think I made her feel uncomfortable. And so… the thought of striking out on my own again proved too tempting.

I just happened to have a pamphlet of Jerash and its Roman ruins at the house …

Though sometimes getting away from the group is more the fault of a careless tour guide than the intentions of the individual … especially when that individual is a female who stumbles into a male only area:

We walked down a staircase past a small group of men, and I followed Hilda through an archway before quickly realizing that I had just walked into a section of the complex that was restricted to women. I apologized to the two muhajabaat sitting there and backed out, to find that Waleed and our guide had disappeared, and that I was left alone with the group of strange men.

Another alternative is to trade one set of problems for another, traveling with family. Here’s one such blogger whom along with making it through Jordan with 25 family members – did so while feeding their Scrapping or Scrap book hobby.

Here is group shot of our tour group while in Egypt. There were a bunch of us. And what was really cool was that over 25 of us were FAMILY!! I love scrapping and reliving the memories of this trip. I’m so thankful to have experienced it–not just the tours and the history, but being with my familiy to experience it.

…Then we went to Jordan. It was really amusing seeing Jordan’s name everywhere. I totally got a kick out it!! He was so proud! These were taken at the airport. Joey wanted to pull Jordan’s bag..LOL..what a silly!

Of course, some times you’re group is just fine … it’s the other groups touring Jordan that may offer one or more interesting events, such as this nearly unfortunate incident detailed in Jordan Journals by someone whom forgot the ‘safety in numbers‘ rule:

When we approached the deck above the Jordan River and the Baptism font, our eyes were treated to the rather full body of a young woman clad in the briefest of white bikinis, thong and all! A group of women were to the side, in various stages of undress, having just climbed out of the river. And, the crowning glory, a woman of probably 55-60 years of age still in the water, clothed, or rather unclothed, in a soaking wet black negligee-style dress, which left nothing to the imagination.

The majority of our group were truly offended, particularly an Arab nun accompanied by younger relatives; and a couple of German ladies, one resident in Jordan, and one visiting. They verbally attacked our guide, who explained that this was a recent occurrence amongst Russian tourists, and when he had expressed his reservations on previous occasions, had been told by the “bathers” that to submerge themselves in the holy waters was part of their culture. The independent guide, i.e. not of the Baptism Site, said that the tourists were entitled to behave as they wished.

That last account reminds me of my first trip Jordan, when enjoying some ice cream at the adjoining Mövenpick Resort, we were beset first by a belly dancer, then a gaggle of drunk Russian women whom compelled us on stage to join them (at the risk of pulling our arms clean out of their sockets mind you).

Chuck Holton and Dean Peters boogie like its 1999

The next day, we spotted the same group solemly visiting the banks of the Baptismal site. That said, I found the time spent with my own group that day spiritually moving and motivating as expressed in my post “Walking in the steps of Jesus along the banks of Bethany Beyond the Jordan.”

Oh I could go on, just as I’m sure those who’ve traveled with me could do likewise. The point being, when it comes to travel mates and tour groups, the aphororism “your mileage may vary” most certainly applies.

Put another way via some recent Jordanian blog posts regarding human interaction, please take “No offense …” to the question “Are You a Highly Sensitive Person?” … as it is all part of the travel package.

So it is no surprise when I read in the Jordan Times that the place where John Baptized Jesus is increasingly becoming global pilgrimage destination as – officials in Amman state:

Officials at the Baptism Site said on Tuesday major headway is being made on several projects set to transform the area into a global pilgrimage destination.

“The infrastructure work for the Russian Pilgrimage House, the Roman Catholic Church on the east bank of the Jordan River as well as the Greek Orthodox monastery have been completed and others are on track as planned,” Baptism Site Commission (BSC) Director Dia Madani told The Jordan Times yesterday.

Myself, I was excited to see the progress on the Greek Orthodox monastery last year as compared to 2004 – though I wish I could have gone inside for a look.

Personal account aside (for the moment) the Jordan Times article goes onto describe the long-term plan accommodate religious pilgrimages by offering places of worship and praise; stating:

Once the churches are built and monks and priests settle in, the entire concept of the site will be transformed from a historically important site to a leading destination for Christian pilgrimage,” Madani said, adding that the site will be open 20 hours a day and offer facilities for pilgrims who choose to spend the night.

The Roman Catholic Church, to be erected in a pyramid shape using old stones used in biblical times, will be located in a 5,000-square-metre complex including a monastery and an indoor baptismal pool.

The Russian Pilgrimage House, being built on 30 dunums of land donated by His Majesty King Abdullah, will be managed by the Russian Orthodox Church.

The article also discusses a convention center … I’m not so sure I like that idea … but that depends on where said structure would be geolocated and what it would do to the visual impact of the existing site where not only Jesus was Baptized, but John the Baptist Roamed and Elijah ascended.

All that said, here’s a link to the rest of the Jordan Times story: Bethany Beyond the Jordan becoming global pilgrimage destination.

And if the JT article isn’t enough, no sweat, I’ve provided below a few more links on the topic:

• The Identification of Bethany Beyond the Jordan (BiblePlaces.com) A detailed examination of various possible locations, from the doctoral dissertation of J. Carl Laney. PDF format.
• Bethany Beyond Jordan: John the Baptist: In the Decapolis (Dabar.org) A survey of the various positions by W. W. Winter of Cincinnati Bible Seminary, with good footnotes and the correct conclusion, in our opinion.
• Bethany: Sunrise of Faith (Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities) Offers several pages of information about the Baptism Site in Wadi Al-Kharrar with some photos of the area.
• Baptism Site – Bethany (The Baptism Site) Describes the archaeological survey of Wadi El-Kharrar and presents the historical data of early pilgrims relating to the baptism site of Jesus. A description of the excavations in the area, including Elijah’s Hill, the prayer hall, the cistern, the pools, and the churches, is located here. Also, a detailed discussion of the water system is found here.
• Bethany Beyond the Jordan (ASOR) Lengthy article describing the archaeological findings in Wadi Kharrar.
• Holy Sites (Jordan Tourism Board) Provides a discussion of the site and its history as well as some pictures.
• Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Walking in Their Sandals) Thoroughly discusses the issues involved in identifying Bethany Beyond the Jordan. Also briefly discusses its historical and biblical significance.
• Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Catholic Encyclopedia) Presents the evidence for preferring the reading “Bethabara” over “Bethany,” but in the end settles on “Bethany.

Oh yeah, add to that my account from 2004 simply entitled “Where John Baptized Jesus” – I think it’ll minister many of you struggling to find some form of contact with the Christ.

Leading off some photos of this historic locale presented by a Malaysian expat living in Thailand visiting Jordan this past May:

The Baptism Site (Arabic: el-Maghtas) on the Jordan side of the Jordan River is one of the most important recent discoveries in biblical archeology. Excavations only began here in 1996, following Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel in 1994, but have already uncovered more than 20 churches, caves and baptismal pools dating from the Roman and Byzantine periods …

… Note: This Bethany should not be confused with Bethany in Jerusalem, where Mary Magdalene lived and Lazarus was raised from the dead.

Not done with the Biblical / historic portion of this post Leslie Dieterle on her blog appropriately named “Journeys in the Holy Land” reminds us of a bit of Old Testament history happening at this spot when she writes:

We arrived in Bethany where Elijah was taken up to heaven. This part of our journey was very hot as we walked out to a spot on the Jordan River where, our Saviour, Jesus Christ was baptized by his cousin John the Baptist.

BTW, nice perspective photo of one of the many archaeological digs! And speaking of great graphics of the various findings at this location, MISHKAN ED – or “the exotic melon” not only offers some crisp, well-lit photographs of the site, but also this cool Palestine survey map which she annotates:

This map shows the area of the southern end of the Jordan River in the 1880s, as recorded by the Palestine Exploration Fund. This map is included in high resolution in the Survey of Western Palestine: The Maps CD. For a careful discussion of the correct location of Bethany beyond the Jordan, see this article (pdf) by J. Carl Laney.

Of course I had to snicker about another blogger who in anticipation of a visit to the site wrote “The Jordan valley is a dry wilderness, with many place names we would recognize from the Bible …” as Bethany Beyond the Jordan is anything but dry and arid – but more like a lush, verdant glade – explaining why John the Baptist was able to engage so easily in his diet of locusts and honey.

A dietary account corroborated by yet another post by those traveling scientists whom make up the not-so-notorious “Jordan Soils Gang” who add these “geo-political” descriptions of the place where Jesus was Baptized:

… then we headed west to Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the site of Jesus’s baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. We walked down right to the river, and most of us leaned in and touched the water. Sean even brought back a water bottle full of it. The water was very greenish. We could see Israel only 10 feet away from us, there was a flag flying and some guards and construction workers. The Jordanian side had guards too, actually they took pictures with me, not sure what that was about!

We ran into one of the architects behind the rebuilding of the site, and he was very enthusiastic and said that he is hoping for a million people to visit the site per year. Then we left and on the way out saw “Elijah’s hill,” where the bible says that the prophet Elijah was taken into heaven.

In fact we find out from a recent post on the “On Not Being a Sausage” blog, that Bethany beyond the Jordan and the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusale where professor of New Testament at General Theological Seminary in New York Deirdre Good writes:

The Christian Century reports that King Abdullah of Jordan has given a 2 and a half acre site at the traditional location of Bethany beyond the Jordan to the Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Jerusalem. A church and a retreat center are to be built there. The Baptismal Site (Bethany beyond the Jordan) is already a proposed World Heritage Site.

She then offers some pictures and links, as do Donna and Dale Finch on their blogspot address that’s probably better named “News from East [of] Jerusalem” in their post bearing the strangely catchy title “On the Road Again!”

I could certainly continue writing about this must-see site for all Christian pilgrims, but for now, I’ll leave you with these other links on the topic:

• The Identification of Bethany Beyond the Jordan (BiblePlaces.com) A detailed examination of various possible locations, from the doctoral dissertation of J. Carl Laney. PDF format.
• Bethany Beyond Jordan: John the Baptist: In the Decapolis (Dabar.org) A survey of the various positions by W. W. Winter of Cincinnati Bible Seminary, with good footnotes and the correct conclusion, in our opinion.
• Bethany: Sunrise of Faith (Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities) Offers several pages of information about the Baptism Site in Wadi Al-Kharrar with some photos of the area.
• Baptism Site – Bethany (The Baptism Site) Describes the archaeological survey of Wadi El-Kharrar and presents the historical data of early pilgrims relating to the baptism site of Jesus. A description of the excavations in the area, including Elijah’s Hill, the prayer hall, the cistern, the pools, and the churches, is located here. Also, a detailed discussion of the water system is found here.
• Bethany Beyond the Jordan (ASOR) Lengthy article describing the archaeological findings in Wadi Kharrar.
• Holy Sites (Jordan Tourism Board) Provides a discussion of the site and its history as well as some pictures.
• Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Walking in Their Sandals) Thoroughly discusses the issues involved in identifying Bethany Beyond the Jordan. Also briefly discusses its historical and biblical significance.
• Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Catholic Encyclopedia) Presents the evidence for preferring the reading “Bethabara” over “Bethany,” but in the end settles on “Bethany.

Oh yeah, add to that my account from 2004 simply entitled “Where John Baptized Jesus” – I think it’ll minister many of you struggling to find some form of contact with the Christ.

Now located on the border of Jordan and Israel, we lost quite a bit of daylight before being allowed down by the river because the soldiers whose job it was to escort us did not have a direct command from their lieutenant, even though the general in charge of the area had already given the green light. It sounds dicey, but actually it is how peace and harmony are ensured.

Geopolitics aside, in the background of the following video, one can see the green glade that surrounds this river – which in 2007 – is more like an oily stream as you’ll see:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejd0N0SRqug&autoplay=0 425 350]

Even in it’s diminished state, one is still humbled by the significant history of the location – an emotional state that is nudged along that way by the numerous Byzantine churches whose remnants are currently under various states excavation. In fact, he Jordanian Department of Antiquities has now identified nearly 20 related sites within an area stretching some 3 km east of the Jordan River.

The site of Bethany beyond the Jordan has also been known by other names over the past 2000 years, including Beth-Abara of Bethabara, Beit el-Obour (`house of the crossing` in Arabic), Beit `Anya, Bethania , Bethennabris,`Ainon where now Saphsaphas`( on the sixth century Byzantine Madaba mosaic map of Holy Land), Saphsas or Sapsas, and perhaps also Beth-Barah (Judges 7:24-25)^[1].

The Byzantine writers Jerome and Eusebius mentioned `Bethabara beyond the Jordan` in the fourth century as a pilgrimage destination where people went to be baptized. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, is to have crossed the Jordan River and visited the cave where John the Baptist lived, and built a church there to commemorate him.

Helena also visited the nearby (adjacent) Elijah’s hill – which for anyone who remembers the prophet’s encounter with God in 1 Kings 19:9-15, or for that matter my March 2004 recollections of this site – reminds one that God does not always speak to us in the tumult of fire or wind, but in those quiet moments in the glade where quiet waters flow:

God is my shepherd,
I want for nothing.
My rest is in the pleasant meadows.
He leadeth me where quiet waters flow.
My fainting soul doth He restore
and guideth me in the ways of peace,
to glorify His name.
And though in death’s dark valley
my steps must wander,
my spirit shall not fear
for Thou are by me still.
Thy rod and staff are with me,
and they shall comfort me.

Text of Psalm 23 from Antonín Dvorák 10 Biblical Songs