YOU SHALL NOT GO OVER THERE.

Deuteronomy 34.

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, ² all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, ³ the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. ⁴ And the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” ⁵ So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, ⁶ and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. ⁷ Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. ⁸ And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

⁹ And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. ¹⁰ And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, ¹¹ none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, ¹² and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

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Our time in the country of Jordan was brief and beautiful. My third and final team (!!!) lived in the city of Madaba, Jordan for just four short weeks. Our previous country of Turkey served as a really sweet bridge to what life in a Muslim country looks like. I’m so thankful for all I learned in Turkey and how God prepared my heart for Jordan. As soon as our squad arrived in Jordan, we were met with rules more intense than any we’ve encountered so far.

1. Women should not make extended eye-contact with men.
2. Men and women cannot go out alone.
3. Men and women cannot go out alone together.
4. Men and women cannot go outside with wet hair.
5. All tattoos must be covered.
6. Women are encouraged to wear their hair up.
7. Women should not sit in the front seat of a taxi.
8. Women should never wear shorts or short sleeves in public.
9. Never speak ill of the royal family.
10. Curfew is 9:30 p.m.
11. Men and women cannot shake hands.
12. Men and women are expected to look put together and clean.
13. Proselytization is illegal.
14. Never say the following words (out loud or digitally): evangelism, ministry, missionary, convert, World Race, YWAM, etc.

This new system was vastly different than how we had been approaching ministry in our previous four countries. My team, while initially shocked, jumped headfirst into becoming all things for all people. In Jordan, this meant respecting and honoring the opposite sex in the way that they do, even if it wasn’t normal for us. Adjusting to these new requirements was really tough and I had to remind myself often that:

Meeting Muslims where they are in this way leads to being respected by them,

being respected by them leads to being able to have real conversations with them,

and having real conversations leads to very carefully and after many meetings, gently sharing the gospel.

On our first free day to adventure in Jordan, we visited Mount Nebo! I never imagined I’d be able to stand where Moses did and look at the land God promised to His people. As I stood there, reading this chapter of Deuteronomy out loud to my team, the Lord revealed something to me. In the mornings in Jordan as I got ready for the day, I had such a strong desire to put on shorts or short sleeves or wear my hair down. But I could hear the voice of God saying “You shall not go over there.” When I wanted to talk to my family on the phone and use whatever Christian lingo I wanted to, I could again hear, “You shall not go over there.”

In this season of seemingly harsh restrictions, the Lord was redefining what it meant for me to be bold and unashamed of the Gospel. No longer did it look like street evangelism or massive kids programs telling Bible stories. It looked like slowly becoming friends with women. It looked like saying yes when they inevitably invite you into their home. It looked like eating whatever they put in front of you. It looked like going below the surface and seeing them through the eyes of Christ. Because we were only in Jordan for a month, this also looked like entrusting these budding friendships to the long-term workers living there. This year, I have learned to be okay with not seeing the full fruit of my labor and not getting any earthly recognition for it. Kinda like Moses. The Lord allowed me to see the seeds being planted, but didn’t allow me to enter in. And that’s okay. He is still sovereign, still working, still using other people to water, and He is still good.

Our team had the insane and incredible blessing of being able to adventure with the Lord in the coolest places. Not only did we stand on the top of Mount Nebo, we floated in the Dead Sea, dipped our toes in the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized, explored Petra, rode camels in Wadi Rum, and swam in the Red Sea. The Lord is so kind. Walking in the places I’ve been hearing about in the Bible since I was a child, was a dream come true.

Being immersed in a Muslim culture, and in the Arabic language gave me a new heart for the unreached in the Middle East. God broke my heart for the stereotypes, assumptions, name-calling, and bitterness towards His people, most of which come from the West. I desire to always advocate for His people in the Middle East and do my part in rewriting the narrative for the Jonahs of America, who would rather get swallowed by a fish than go to a people we think are unworthy of hearing the Truth. Muslims in the Middle East are hospitable, brave, and loyal. But more importantly, they are lost. Thank you God for commissioning us to go.

Where in your life is God telling you, “you shall not go over there?” What are you carrying that He already died for? What are you holding onto that you don’t trust Him with? Rest in His sovereignty today. He is so much bigger than us. He doesn’t need us! But He allows us to be a part of the work He is doing. What a good Father.

We made it safely to Thailand! More blogs coming soon.

Your sister in Christ,

Caroline