Charity

     After a wonderful Sacrament Meeting (worship service of the LDS Church) and Sunday School, we had a combined lesson with all the church members in the congregation here in Amman. The lesson was given by our Branch President (name of the a lay minister in the LDS Church over a small congregation) on charity. Charity is a difficult concept to define we read in the Book of Mormon that "charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him" (Moroni 7:47). As we heard that scripture read today in church, Megan leaned over to me and commented about how it is interesting that we have to be "possessed" by charity and not to possess it. 

     As I think about what charity means to me I reflect on the meaning of that word in Arabic. In Arabic the word for charity, or love for our fellow men, is صدقة (Sadaqa) which is closely related to the word for friend or friendship. Building on that, I think that it's appropriate to say that we need to be "possessed" of a feeling of friendship for all of our fellowmen. At times it is difficult to have those feelings when I'm surround by a new culture and people. But I can safely say that overall I feel a greater love and friendship for the people of the Middle East. And that feeling of صدقة is the most valuable thing that I've gained from this study experience in Jordan. I'm grateful for the knowledge of Arabic that I'm gaining, but I'll be forever changed by living among the people of Jordan.