06 Feb Photographing for ministries in Amman Jordan that assist orphans, refugees and vulnerable children

Capturing Grace around the world on a 34 day, 8 country, 3 continent trip, photographing for organizations in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Israel and Jordan.

This week I have accompanied Nisreen, the Orphan Sunday coordinator for Jordan, to visit ministries in Amman with which she has established relationships. Through this work, Nisreen is engaging her church and community to share the love of Christ tangibly, with food, education and love for children who have experienced loss and trauma.

What has touched me the most as we enter refugee shelters, schools and orphanages is Nisreen’s heart to just sit with children and love on them with her presence.

One very practical way that God is using Nisreen to engage people and bring awareness to children in need is by handing out little magnets she has created. Each magnet has a name of a child that they commit to pray for. She passes them out everywhere she goes.

These photographs are from our time at Saint Mary’s School where Father Khalil uses the facilities after hours to educate a large refugee community from Iraq.

I will be explaining more about what the refugee situation looks like here in Jordan in future posts but for now, I hope that these faces communicate some of the love I am experiencing here in Amman Jordan.

There are so many stories but I am going to share this one that touched me today. Nisreen shared one of here first experiences working with father Khalil and the refugee children at St Mary’s.
“There was a little girl 10 years of age who was in deep sorrow, she was crying, her family had just been expelled from their country of Iraq by Isis for being followers of Christ.”

Like many of the refugees from Iraq that are living temporarily in Jordan, her family had great wealth back in Iraq, professionals with villa’s and cars. Once identified as Christians, their bank accounts were closed and possessions were taken. They were given a short time to exit the country, fearing for their lives. Here in Jordan they are now homeless and penniless, amnesty seekers, living in a temporary safe haven. These refugees are at the mercy of organizations who are assisting them in gaining entry into Australia, the US and other countries that will grant them citizenship.

The story continued …. “it was one of the first children that father Khalil had taken in and his heart was broken by the little girls sorrow as he searched for words to comfort her.
Father Khalil told her that Jesus left everything, all of his kingdom, he left it all to come to this earth. Through the little girls tears and father Khalil’s comforting words, you could see the countenance change on the little girls face as she made the connection, Jesus did this for her, he loved her that much. Through her tears she looked up at father Khalil and said “I want to be brave like Jesus.”