Treading in His footsteps (in the snow???)

This morning I arrived home following a whistle-stop visit to Amman, Jordan. I've been away for 3 nights but have only slept one night in a bed. I've had enough of trying to get comfy on overnight flights - it will be nice to sleep in my own bed again in just a couple of hours.

It's easy to become a little blase about the blessings of travel when it's something done so often. Many hotels look the same and it's hard to separate one airport departure hall from another. Yet every journey has it's own special memories.

This week's journey included a few 'reality check' moments. As I headed into Amman on Monday afternoon I looked out of the taxi window to the sandstone coloured, square, flat roofed homes - typical of the Middle Eastern countries I have visited in the last few years. I imagine the rural dwellings being little changed over the centuries. Then we passed a road sign you don't see every day - 'The Dead Sea' (turn right). It made me ponder the significne of this country and it's special place in the history of the Christian church. Not only the Dead Sea, but the river Jordan where crowds winesed the baptism of Jesus and God's sealing of his earthly ministry.

The trip went well - we squeezed loads into one day and it was a very worthwhile, if hurried, visit. As we headed back to the airport less than 24 hours after setting foot in the country, we decided to stop and grab something to eat.

Our good friend and companion, Muntajab, spotted an Iraqi restaurant on the main road. We parked up and followed him into the kitchen. There we found a brick built fish tank, with walls about 4 feet high, brimming with large, fat fish, struggling to find room to swim in the tank. Taking a hand net, Muntajab scooped 2 fat fish from the tank and laid them, squirming, onto the weighing scales. A price was agreed for our dinner. The fish were split head to tail, flattened out and laid into a baking basket ready for the oven.

Just a few feet away a small team of bakers were rolling bread dough into small balls and laying them out on a tray. Another took the dough a threw it against the sides of the clay oven. A traditional bread baking method used for centuries.

We made our way into the restaurant and waited for our meal. 30 minutes later it appeared, 5 steaming, freshly baked flat bread loaves and 2 piping hot, roasted fish. We bowed our heads and prayed (2 Muslims and 2 Christians together) gaving thanks to God for blessing us with this food; then ripped and bread and shared it between us, using it to feast on the succulent white fish meat. The word 'delicious' doesn't do it justice and I don't suppose I will taste a finer meal in many years.

As we got back into the taxi and continued on our way I thought about the footsteps of another who walked these same streets 2000 years ago; One who made something much more miraculous happen with his 5 loaves and 2 fishes!

And the biggest surprise - to find the desert town deep in snow. I'm told for the first time in 100 years. Climate change? Global warming? I don't know why, but I do know I'll never sing 'In the bleak mid winter' in quite the same way again!