A suspect has been arrested in the death of Southern Baptist representative Cheryll Harvey in Jordan.
Southern Baptist worker Cheryll Harvey, seen teaching young Jordanian students in this file photo, became a beloved and respected teacher and friend to many during her 24 years in Jordan.Harvey, 55, whose body was found Sept. 4 in her apartment in Irbid, Jordan, was stabbed to death. Police reports indicate she was killed by a young Jordanian man. Robbery was the apparent motive, police said. There was no indication the crime was sexual in nature.
Harvey, of Sudan, Texas, worked in Jordan for 24 years, teaching English and other subjects. Ten years ago, she founded the ESL center, where she taught in Irbid, Jordan’s second-largest city. Previously, Harvey taught primary school-age children at the Ajloun (Jordan) Baptist School.
“God has given me the ability to teach,” she once said – and she used that ability to the fullest. But it wasn’t an end in itself. For her, teaching was a way to express the love of Christ to generations of Jordanian students.
“It’s obvious that they love her because they feel her love for them,” a friend observed.
“What was so amazing to me about Cheryll was that she could be the director of the center and teach full-time and make numerous visits every week [to her students’ homes],” said a colleague.
She helped one student struggle through nursing school, even studying medical terms and textbooks to tutor him more effectively.
A colleague asked Southern Baptists to pray for the many people touched by Harvey’s life.
“Cheryll was a gentle person who loved Jesus,” he said. “She showed that love to Jordanians – first to the many children she taught in Ajloun and their families, and then to those in Irbid as she taught English. … She connected with her people at the heart level. We pray that her witness continues to bear much fruit.” – IMB