David Register, director of Education Programs, and Cory Erickson, elder and Jordan Festival coordinator, met with Jordanian officials April 13 to 16 to discuss plans for future Feasts, travel education tours and Youth Corps projects in Jordan.

"The meetings were very successful and outcomes surpassed my expectations," reported Mr. Erickson. He worked in Jordan for five years with youth projects during the early 1990s and has many long-standing relationships in the country. Mr. Erickson met with Akel Biltagi, a senator and chairman of the Tourism and Heritage Committee of Jordan, regarding the Feast in Jordan and travel education opportunities.

Mr. Register and Mr. Erickson toured schools and venues including the Young Muslim Women's Association Centre for the Mentally Challenged, American Center for Oriental Research, Al Hussein Society Center for the Physically Challenged and the Amman Baccalaureate School. All of the schools expressed keen interest in Youth Corps involvement in the summer of 2008 and beyond. The elders also met with officials at Le Meridien Hotel to discuss plans for the 2007 Feast of Tabernacles.

During their visit, Princess Sarvath Al Hassan invited both men to visit the Royal Palace and discuss plans for future involvement in Jordanian projects. They had a very warm and cordial visit with the princess and her secretary, Khadijeh Siraj. The princess expressed her excitement about UCG getting involved through United Youth Corps in several potential projects in Amman, Jordan.

We are now making plans for a six-week United Youth Corps project in the summer of 2008, which will include serving at a camp for the mentally challenged, working on an archaeological project and touring biblical sites in Jordan and Israel.