May 23, 2001

Our journey has almost come to an end. We gathered bottled water for the ride, worrying a bit about the peeling labels and cracked safety seals. Our driver "reassured" us that this was because they had been in the freezer, causing the labels to get wet and the seals to expand. Uh huh...

As we prepared to pull out of Baghdad, we had one more reminder of the gripping poverty here. A young boy, no older than eight, maybe, tried to sell bananas to us. We said no thanks, and as we pulled away, he threw the bananas in to us and grabbed onto the side of the car, so that he came with us as we tried to drive off. This happened several times before one of the bananas came unpeeled. We bought one and drove away as he pleaded with tears in his eyes. Anyone who lives in cities sees such things, no doubt, but to become immune to such a scene is a disturbing thought.

The long drive from Baghdad back to Amman.

We passed through the same volcanic desert scenery that brought us here a mere ten days ago. A bathroom break gave us some indication that our driver's story about the water wasn’t exactly scientifically accurate (Saddam's Revenge?). As we arrived in Amman (only a ten-hour return journey thanks to renting GMCs), we did a quick calculation of how many miles we had gone since we left Amman - 2700 miles altogether in ten days.

As we sat down for dinner that night, the waiter brought us a bottle of water - never has the cracking of a plastic seal sounded so good. We talked a lot about our experience in Iraq, trying to find the kernels of wisdom about the trip. One conversation with a new Iraqi friend summed it up best. His observation was that the sanctions had left Saddam more unpopular than ever, but more powerful than ever - a frightening combination. And, not surprisingly, it was clear that it was the people - in particular, the children - who are suffering. But it was also clear, for whatever reasons, that the church is thriving in its faithful witness there, free to worship and serve.