Ammon News - By Gaelle Sundelin/ Jordan Times

MAFRAQ — Friday mornings are eagerly awaited by a small community of Christians from across Asia, which gets together for prayers and songs in a familiar commto celebrate their Lord in a Mafraq church.

“We are from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and we gather here every Friday. The songs are sung in Nepali and Hindi, [while] some songs are also translated in Sinhala [Sri Lanka’s official language],” a 46-year-old audience member noted after the band and the audience had finished their traditional lunch.

The community of Asians gathering for the service has increased over time, something that pleases Pastor Nour, who has been running the church since 1967 and offered it as a venue for the weekly meetings about three years ago.

“They are always welcome; anyone is welcome. They gather here every Friday morning and share time for meeting, praying and fellowship,” he noted.

He is one of the many fans who gather around the six-member Nepali tribal gospel band “Nepali Chautari”, which has been playing every week at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church.

“Nine years ago, when I was in Malaysia, I got turned around by religion; I became a better man and started learning to play the guitar,” an Indian member of the band told The Jordan Times, preferring to remain unnamed.

For one member of the audience, who is in Jordan for the first time and works at a textile factory, the Friday gatherings are a way to connect with fellow Indians and stay in touch with his culture.

“From the first time, I enjoyed coming here, and I will continue to come every time. It gives me… joy, and we are all like a family here,” noted the Indian, who hails from Kerala in South India.

Assembling in Mafraq, some 80km northeast of Amman, members of the small community also share a meal, with dishes from their respective countries. In addition, the meeting is a chance to share common memories and experiences.

“It is really too hard for us to be away from our families like this, but we have to, for the money,” another Indian noted.

All participants initially met through their respective prayer groups or in their workplace, as all of them are employed in the garment industry.

“Mafraq is a good place for us to meet, because it is at the junction between the two [industrial] zones so it is easier for us to gather,” one of the participants said.

He cited better work conditions and financial incentives as the main reasons why his colleagues chose to live and work in Jordan in spite of the distance from their homeland.

“I had worked in Jordan before, but I left in 2009 and just returned four months ago. It pays better and we don’t have to pay as much taxes as we do in India,” he said.

Depending on their type of contract and position in the factory, some of the workers are entitled to a yearly paid leave but others — like the band’s Indian guitar player — can only visit their family every three years.