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United Youth Corps: Elders Visit Project in Jordan

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Elders Visit Project in Jordan

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Before the Feast in Jordan, Cory Erickson, United Youth Corps Jordan project liaison and Jordan Feast coordinator, and I met with the four Jordan volunteers and officials at the schools in Jordan where the volunteers serve.

The four volunteers for the 2010 to 2011 academic year are Darren and Amber Henke, from the Seattle, Washington, area; Stella Helterbrand, from Cincinnati, Ohio; and Amanda Hendee, from Dallas, Texas. All four are ABC alumni and were selected for this 10-month project from a dozen applicants.

Darren and Amber serve at the Young Muslim Women's Association (YMWA) School for the Mentally Challenged, while Stella and Amanda serve at the Amman Baccalaureate School (ABS). Darren teaches classes in woodworking shop, and Amber teaches art classes. They have also begun to teach English classes to mentally challenged students at the YMWA.

Stella and Amanda work in the administrative office and serve as coaches for the volleyball team at ABS. They also serve as English instructors for refugees, as part of the ABS's community outreach and service project.

We shared the Day of Atonement with the volunteers, and everyone broke the fast at a traditional Jordanian restaurant in Amman. The following day we visited with officials at ABS and toured the school. The principal of ABS, Bryan Stuart, was very enthusiastic about our volunteers and said they have made significant contributions to ABS and the students at the private school over the past four years. He also mentioned the fine examples our volunteers provide for the students and faculty at ABS.

The next day we visited the YMWA and met with officials and teachers from the school and the Jordanian royal family. The royal family has been a sponsor of both schools for over 25 years. Princess Sarvath El Hassan requested volunteers from the United Youth Corps in 2007 because of the long relationship the Church has had with the projects in Jordan.

The princess has now turned over the board responsibilities at YMWA to her daughter, Princess Rahma bint El Hassan. We had a very cordial visit with the princess, YMWA board members and Rasha Nasrallah, director of the YMWA. Princess Rahma, board members and the director all expressed appreciation for our volunteers and hope we can continue our involvement with the YMWA.

We feel that God has opened a door for us to serve and set an example of Christian service in Jordan. We reiterated with all the officials at the schools that we have many young adults who are enthusiastic about serving abroad and that we are committed to long-term involvement with our project in Jordan.

If you are interested in serving on one of our Youth Corps projects, please check our Web site, www.ucgyouthcorps.org, for more information and an application.

David Register is the coordinator for General Education.