SAU Jordan Semester

Fall or Spring semester

Open to all majors by application. Ideal for Global Studies, Biblical Studies, Arabic minors, Pastoral Ministry and Children and Youth Ministry majors.

Projected Costs

SAU tuition, SAU standard room and board, $150 study away fee, plus cost of the program (TBD).

Activities

Spend Fall or spring semester in Amman, Jordan, a fascinating city of contrasts. You will travel throughout Jordan, visiting the ancient rock-cut city of Petra, Aqaba on the northern tip of the Red Sea, and Mt. Nebo, from which Moses saw the Promised Land. Experience the Bedouin culture of Wadi Rum. Visit the Jordan River, site of Jesus’ baptism, experience Orthodox mosques such as the King Abdullah I Mosque in Amman. Interact with Christian and Muslim young people and learn about their life experiences in Jordan. Walk inside the hippodrome at Jerash, where Roman chariots raced. Explore the treasures of Madaba, the Byzantine “city of mosaics.”

Curriculum

Students will take COR 374 by tutorial the semester prior to departure and 375 during the semester by tutorial with an SAU professor. Students will apply directly to Kelsey Arabic Program to take 12 credits of Arabic language, including “spoken” Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic, which are used simultaneously in Middle Eastern societies. Work alongside local pastors in ministry in your language labs, including ministry to children, teens and refugees. Arabic minors will need a year abroad program at Kelsey.

Accommodations

While in Amman, students will live in apartments near Kelsey Arabic Program. Apartments have Wi-Fi and a kitchen for meal preparation. All students will be provided a local cell phone for use during the program.

Reading to be completed the semester prior to studying in Jordan:

Required reading:

Our Last best Chance: A Story of War and Peace by King Abdullah II of Jordan ISBN: 1-101-18959-2

Cross Cultural Connections by Duane Elmer ISBN: 0-8308-2309-3

Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour ISBN: 0-8007-9321-8

Waging Peace on Islam by Christine A. Mallouhi ISBN: 0-8308-2304-2

Pilgrims of Christ on the Muslim Road by Paul-Gordon Chandler ISBN-13: 978-1-56101-317-3 ISBN-10: 1-56101-317-X

Collateral reading:

Married to a Bedouin by Marguerite van Geldermalsen ISBN: 978-1-84408-219-3

Leap of Faith by Queen Noor ISBN: 1-58724-466-7 (hard cover) ISBN: 1-59413-070-1 (soft cover)

Spending a semester in Jordan was the best possible thing I could have done for my faith as well as my education. Learning Arabic is not easy by any means, but it is an incredibly fun language to learn. Going to class everyday was a great joy rather than a burden. I had many amazing opportunities. I got to teach English as a second language for 7 weeks. I was able to visit the place where our Savior was baptized. I was able to visit one of the 7 wonders of the world. I also had the privilege to go to the Holy Land for fall break. But the best part was that I spent 2 evenings of the week with Iraqi refugees and I got to worship the Father with them. I found there is beautiful unity within the body of Christ and no language barrier can overpower the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Taylor Dagenais

Jordan was one of the most amazing experiences in my life. Apart from the language concentration classes in Arabic, I was also able to volunteer at the Philadelphia Nazarene Church with their Jordanian children’s church and Syrian and Iraqi refugee programs. Spending an extensive amount of time in another country allowed me to understand different cultures on another level as well as experience some of the real life issues of the refugee crisis first hand. I heard stories of refugees; listened to why they fled from their country, learned of their hopes and dreams and what they have planned for the future. It helped me realize that they are people just like anyone else, they have just gone through the unimaginable and survived to tell their story.

Abygail Wells

My time in Jordan has been about trying to understand how I love my neighbor in a different cultural context. In a country with many different nationalities and facing some major obstacles in the region, there have been many opportunities to show Christ’s love and learn from the amazing people I’ve met.

Christopher Conrad

My semester in the Middle East was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life, and it changed me in so many ways. Visiting places that have Biblical history and being able to walk on the old Roman roads where Jesus may have walked gives you a whole new perspective and appreciation of the Bible. Visiting and ministering to refugees in the country and seeing the smiles on their faces, knowing you have impacted them in some way, gives whole new meaning to loving my neighbor. Learning and struggling with the Arabic language made me realize how diverse our world truly is but that there are people just like me, with the same passion, all over the world. I highly recommend traveling to the Middle East.

Faith Gunderson

Travel Information

Health & Safety

This experience, like all CCS experiences, is subject to political and safety realities at the time of departure. CCS options can be physically and emotionally intense and stretching. Before enrolling, all participants should consult the disclosures on Physical Hardships of CCS.

Covid shots are not required by Jordan as of December 2022. For more details on required immunizations consult the immunizations chart.

Trip Costs

Your financial aid package applies to this program. Also, any university subsidy for which a student is eligible can be applied to the cost of the airfare and direct program costs.

NOTE: Students who are Pell Grant recipients and U.S. citizens may apply for the Gilman Scholarship (up to $8,000). Attend a Gilman workshop with the CCS Director to learn how to apply for the scholarship.

To learn your next steps toward participating in this program, get an application from the CCS office and attend an SAU Semester workshop for important details in your planning.

Passport and immunizations required (both at additional cost); visa required.

CCS program costs do not include: tuition, passport, immunizations, or the $150 study away fee.

CCS trips are not guaranteed and are subject to change.