(Well as I said, I'm back from the Middle East.  Had a great time and it is great to be so more informed.  Would love to return there and see more and meet more people.)

>I tried to expand this log a month ago but lost it.  At last here is an extension to it.  Just feel I haven't done those three months of my outreach justice. 

So its early July, Philipp and myself are living in the poorer East Amman, Jordan.  It is late evening on the day of our arrival.  After a minute of walking down the street from our lodging, the first people that we approach offer us into their shop for coffee and tea!  The Jordanian hospitality is truly astounding.  "Welcome to Jordan!"  is said to us constantly (principally in Amman), though when you have been within the country for 2 months, you really feel you are definitely not a tourist anymore. 

The focal point of our outreach was teaching English in Azraq for six weeks (a town 2 hours East of Amman) teaching English is not my natural gifting let alone with Arabic children!  - especially when they are not so keen to be taught as we found in Safawi (a smaller town a further half-hour East of Azraq).  The highlight of the trip for me was the fun, laughter and company of eight men of my age at a small farm eating many kebabs.  They were all cousins, infact they said they had about 200 cousins!  The largest family in north Azraq.  Philipp and I taught them English in the evenings which I enjoyed.  I feel I'm more of a lecturer with English than a teacher. 

The lowlight of the trip for us two blokes was clearing out a house that had become a rubbish dump in a Palestinian refugee area of Amman.   I have never felt so at one with bugs before, with maggots, mice and cockroaches all running around and at the same time smelling the most pungent and ugly smells.   Whilst we did this the girls had a far more recreational time painting a playground. 

I never knew however, that we would have the priveledge of a good chunk of excellent tourism such as seeing an amazing coral reef in the Red Sea.  At first sight of the reef, I could not but feel awe at my Creator's vast creativity.  The Bible was brought to life whilst reading it in such a country that the Israelites journeyed across and a country that is in the heart of the Middle East.  Toured round Petra, the beautiful city of old rock shrines and temples - the region of Edom.  As well as Jerash (Gilead) and floated like a cork in the Dead Sea. Indeed having met the friendly easy-going people of this country my curiosity has been pushed to also visit the people and places of Syria and Lebanon.  The holy land would also be great.

From living in a country that is 55% Palestinian as well as being geographically next to the ensuing conflicts in that area, my views and thoughts of the crisis situation have certainly been influenced and its great to have had more of an insiders perspective.  I have recently been reading 'Leap of Faith', the autobiography of Queen Noor (wife of the late King Hussein) who preceded the present King Abdullah II.  It is a very interesting read and gives a fascinating insight into the history of the region.  Speaking to Iraqis on holiday from Baghdad now brings the whole conflict so much closer to home for me. 

Having been in desert and heat for two and a half months, what better country to return to than Switzerland.  Suddenly seeing lakes, mountains and vast landscapes of forests and greenery was just so gorgeous.  Zermatt was the best place I visited in Switzerland.  Though its interesting to think that just a month later I would be up a mountain higher even than Klein Matterhorn...