After concluding a combined Israel/Jordan tour with Anne Graham Lotz and saying goodbye to our passengers, a few of our team members—along with Anne and Inspiration’s president, Steve—stayed for a series of meetings in Amman, Jordan. We caught up with a few of our tour suppliers in hopes of getting a street-level view of the places our guests experience during their vacations with us. A highlight of this time in Amman was a visit to the evangelical Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA) Church, where Anne had been asked to share a message. 

One of our area suppliers is the Hashweh Corporation, which specializes in travel and tourism in the Middle East. Hashweh’s president, Hanna Hashweh—along with his son, Albert—are heavily involved with ministry and outreach at C&MA Church and were thrilled to introduce us to the church’s programs and ministries. Despite the increased persecution faced by evangelical churches in Jordan, C&MA has experienced remarkable growth. In fact, there are a total of nine C&MA churches in the nation, including two in the West Bank. 

Hanna introduced our team to his brother, Yosef, who oversees all nine C&MA churches. He led us through the church’s central location in Amman, which includes a community center. This was an impressive multi-level facility, complete with a first-floor coffee shop, a medical clinic on the second floor, and church offices and a recording studio on the upper floors. Yosef shared that the medical clinic assists people of every religious and socio-economic status throughout the surrounding neighborhoods, including Iraqi refugees and Muslims. 

It’s always encouraging to see churches that display a genuine heart for outreach through love and community service—and it’s especially inspiring to see our tour suppliers so directly involved in ministry! How wonderful that not only are they guiding passengers to historical places where Christ ministered to His people, but in their personal lives they provide us an example of how Christ loved. 

After the church service, during which Anne Graham Lotz shared about the recent tour and her passion for the Holy Land, Albert treated Anne and Steve to coffee at the big Starbucks in Amman. (Yet another tradition we share with our friends in the Middle East!) This wasn’t just any regular Starbucks, either, but a two-story location with a fireplace—supposedly the second largest Starbucks in the world. 

Coffee, church, community ministry: what an amazing opportunity for our staff members to get to know our partners and providers on a deeper spiritual level beyond our business relationship. We so enjoyed our time with Anne Graham Lotz, the Hashweh family, their inspiring church, and the wonderful people of Jordan. We look forward to visiting them again.