Some very important people are coming to Jordan on the 24th of May. We hope you are one of them!
BOOKS & MORE will host its second Grand Opening on May 24, 2014. Our staff finds it hard to believe that our first Grand Opening was only four years ago May 2010. A ship holding a container of books, folding tables, a few pieces of furniture and equipment arrived December 31st 2009. The container was delivered by truck to BOOKS & MORE. Teenagers on Christmas break helped unload everything and they put DVDs and books in categories on tables in what is now our reception area. A factory which manufactures bookshelves made the metal shelves to their engineer’s specifications so that they fit perfectly into the space available.
God sent us Awatef who is an experienced librarian. We hired her in March and carefully but frantically she began to prepare the books to go on the shelves. James had purchased some others from Target which Nancy put together for the children’s room. When people heard there was a library, they came in asking to borrow books whether we were ready or not. We taught Bassam how to check books in and out and it all had to be done by hand. Harvey, Nancy and some willing volunteers started placing items on the shelves. Somehow, believe it or not, with much prayer and holding our breath we were ready for the Grand Opening in May. Looking back we don’t know how we did it. It was the Lord who accomplished it.
We have a little over three months to get ready again. There are bookshelves to be made, furnishings to be purchased (with not enough money just like last time), whole rooms full of books to be moved, lots of prayers to ascend to heaven, invitations to be sent out to folks on two continents in two languages, volunteers to train, a short program to plan, and arrangements to be made that we likely don’t know about yet, but the Lord does.
Overwhelming, yes; discouraging, no; we couldn’t be more excited. Definitely, it sounds like a lot of planning and preparation; but the end result is that we can reach more people than ever before. Each week visitors enter our doors for the first time, most of them become new members and thank us over and over again for providing the first and only public library in Jordan.
Let’s return to the opening thought of this letter. We would be most honored if you could come to our Grand Opening on May 24th. It is God working through your prayers, your encouragement, sacrificial gifts you have given which has made BOOKS & MORE possible. Our hearts would be thrilled if you could see what the Lord has accomplished through you.
Whether or not you can attend, please pray daily for this ministry in the heart of a very troubled Middle East. Until the Prince of Peace reigns in the hearts of those who dwell here there will never be peace in this region.
Grace and Love,
Nancy and Harvey Bacus
P.S. Royal Jordanian Airlines has direct flights from Chicago, but is more expensive. British Airways, Air France and Lufthansa are less expensive but have layovers in Europe.