I think that Shakespeare said it best, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” We love Egypt: the people, the sites, the food, the history, and the diversity. Spending time with two very holy men and having the opportunity to listen to their counsel has been great. We have been spiritually renewed and we are ready to go home.

Being here and meeting so many people really has given us another opportunity to realize that through the love of Jesus Christ we really are one with all other Christians around the world. Truly in Christ there is no east or west. Whether we are singing His praises in English, Arabic, Karen, or Dinka we are all acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

We all have opportunities daily to see the face of Christ in those we meet. Because we were each made in the image and likeness of God, when we meet others we have the opportunity to see a part of God that we might not have seen before. Being in Egypt, we have seen the face of God in many people and we have been blessed by the opportunity.

Now we head home. We are ready. You can’t live on the mountain, you must come down and let the experiences of the mountain guide our daily lives. In returning home, Tom+ and I are reminded of the many freedoms and blessings that we have been given as Americans. We do not ever want to take them for granted because all people do not enjoy such liberty.

Shalom, Beth+

Today we took care of last minute details before leaving. We had made an order from the Boulaq ministry that is to be ready today. Tom+ had pictures that he wanted to print for +Mouneer. We slept in and were fairly lazy getting started.

I packed while Tom+ slept in. He stayed up later last night and I got up earlier this morning. It was probably easier packing one at a time as the flat is small and there is little space to maneuver. +Ghais called to say, “good bye” one last time. He and Fawzia sounded good.

We walked to lunch, bought postcards that we hope to have time to send before leaving, and went to the bank. The heat is really oppressive. Of course, the heat is relative as this is NOTHING compared to last week. 

I had some stoles made for myself. Many of you may not have noticed but I am vertically-challenged. They made a set of four (shorter than the normal template) with Jerusalem crosses on each. After a brief nap, Tom+ and I walked over to give +Mouneer our last gifts: pictures, Tom+ had sketched the cathedral on a rock, and a book for Drew+. We had some laughs with +Mouneer and Drew+. We hated to leave but we still have much to do so we headed back to the flat.

We will walk back over this evening to have one final hug. Only a few details left to take care of before leaving at 6:00 in the morning. In 36 hours we will be back on American soil.

Shalom, Beth+

I was so tired last night that I didn’t even set an alarm. I woke up but with darkened drapes it was hard to determine the time. It was 9:05! Had I set an alarm it would have been for 9:00 so that was GREAT! We showered and got ready for worship. We walked in just in time.

This would be our last chance to worship in Cairo as we head to the states on Tuesday. It was a very nice service and because we did not have breakfast I asked Tom+ if we could cut hospitality short and go eat. He agreed. At one point near the end of the service, Tom+ asked me if it would be acceptable to me if he invited Joseph to eat with us. Joseph is the young man that I mentioned on July 2 who is from Myanmar. I agreed.

When Tom+ approached Joseph about lunch he told him he would like to do that but that there was a service in the home of some other Karen people so his time was short. Tom+ asked him if it would be all right if we attended the service with him. He was eager to have us, to see pictures that Tom+ has of our Karen parishioners. Joseph introduced us to his who were friends who also encouraged us to attend. We ran to eat quickly, grabbed the computer, and headed out with Joseph.

We entered the building where we were to go and we were graciously invited into a beautiful flat! The group of 14 gathered and read scripture, prayed, sang, and heard a reflection on scripture from one of the women present. They sang “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” so I sang along in English. Although we could not understand one word of what was being said, the presence of the Holy Spirit was obvious. They asked Tom+ to give them some words of encouragement, which he did and then we were invited for hospitality.

It was a very enjoyable time together. This community greeted us as if we had known them for years! This is what it is like being brothers and sisters in Christ. They videotaped a greeting to the Karfen parishioners from St. Bartholomew. They were so excited to share.

After a couple of hours, we headed home for a nap. The heat just ZAPS the energy right out of you! We slept for an hour and a half and then got up to answer email, download cameras, and start the blog posting for today. Tonight after dinner we must start packing.

We went to eat with +Mouneer and Nancy at El Omda. We, once again, had a table full of many Egyptian dishes that we ate family-style. We had falafel, eggplant, mombar (Egyptian sausage), tahina, bread, pickled relish, and coushary for appetizers. The meal was okra, marinated chicken, kabab, kofta, with either lemon or mango to drink. Lemon in Egypt is our lime. YUM! Three of us shared one dessert, Om Ali, THE BEST!

As good as the food was it did not compare with the fellowship. +Mouneer and Nancy are very committed Christians and listening to their struggles, their faith during times of adversity, the joy they experience in ministry is wonderful to hear. We will miss them when we leave. They are dear friends!

Well, it is late, it is hot, and I am tired. God has been very gracious to us and we go to bed with very grateful hearts for His many blessings.

Shalom, Beth+

Some of the greatest gifts are the smallest things or gestures. One of those for me is sleeping until I wake up naturally. You know, without an alarm. I love not having a schedule. On those rare occasions, I usually manage to get NOTHING done. Today is such a day for us in Cairo.

We needed to catch up on a lot of sleep. It would be nice if you could “bank” sleep for those times when you need more than you can get. I woke up three hours before Tom+ and still didn’t get anything substantial done.

We are invited to dinner at the home of +Ghais and Fawzia this evening. We are to arrive at 3:00 along with Drew+. Drew+ had never been to their flat so it was a bit of an adventure finding our way. Once there, we were greeted by +Ghais, Fawzia (his wife), Clare (his daughter), and Ehab (his son-in-law). We were served cactus and soda for appetizers. The cactus tasted strange but was good and I can easily see how it would be quite refreshing to eat in the dessert. It really made your mouth feel hydrated.

Tom+ had requested fish for dinner when asked by Fawzia earlier last week. Fawzia has a reputation from Nashotah House (and probably Cairo before that) of being an EXCELLENT cook and being a hostess who is not satisfied unless her guests leave the table absolutely STUFFED! The table was set with grilled fish (grilled whole), fried fish filets, fried whole fish and shrimp grilled with seasoning. You are to eat the whole fish with your hands to take out the bones and remove the inner parts. We were also served bread and tahina, pickled vegetables, and salad.

Fawzia would offer food, we would say, “No, thank you” and she would smile and serve food on our plates anyway. It was REALLY delicious but we were hurting because we had eaten so much. Drew+ was called away to the airport to pick up +Mouneer. We snapped pictures before he left.

After visiting a few minutes in +Ghais’ flat, we moved upstairs to have dessert with Clare and Ehab in their flat. I was worried how I could eat another bite. Ice cream, typical Egyptian pastries, and tea or coffee were served. All was DELICIOUS! After all the food, all I wanted was a cot, hammock, or my bed for the night!

As we said our good-byes to +Ghais, he offered a warm and welcomed blessing as we departed. He told us a special story during our visit that will really give me strength in the months to come. We need people in our lives who have been tested, whose faith has been sustained during difficult times, and who allow us to feel the presence of God when you are in their company. +Ghais is such a person for us.

Clare is known for her ability to “negotiate” with vendors. There is a story of when she was young her brother Awni went to the market for his mother. The vendor told him to come in the future not to allow the “girl” to come. She really drives a HARD bargain. So, of course, who do we want to accompany us to Khan el Khalili (one of the largest bazaars in the world), Clare! We dared not pull out a camera in the bazaar but if you Google Khan el Khalili you can see pictures.

Clare, Fawzia, Tom+, and I headed to the bazaar at 8:30 p.m. I was really too tired to go but Tom+ didn’t want to go at noon tomorrow because of the heat. Our first experience with Clare’s negotiation was with the cab driver. He did not engage the meter and so Clare paid him what she thought was fair for the trip. He yelled, she yelled, he yelled again, she is telling us, “yallah, yallah, yallah” (hurry, hurry, hurry)! She paid him the money she thought was fair and we all walked away from the cab.

We set out in the bazaar with specific items in mind. Clare would negotiate, walk away, come back, walk away, and finally leave the last time. This is NOT my thing! Tom+ was having as much fun as Clare. We were there for two hours. I stopped for my “treasured” incense as the supply from our last two visits is such that I have been very selective with its use.

The last vendor told Clare that she was tough. Tom+ felt so bad for him that he gave him a tip, which is usually not done in Cairo. We each had a well-needed soda before finding a cab. We drove through downtown Cairo at 10:30 at night and you would have thought it was the middle of the day! There were THOUSANDS of people out, stores open, people eating ice cream as a respite from the heat, and just enjoying life!

We came in the door and I collapsed in the bed for the night. We do not leave our a/c on in the bedroom when we are not sleeping so the flat was hot. I didn’t care! I was tired. The heat just allowed me to fall asleep quicker. It was truly a great day!

Shalom, Beth+

When I have an early morning wake-up call, I am always afraid that I will oversleep so I don’t usually sleep very well. Such was the case last night. For some reason, I got up at 1:45. Whew! I will need to sleep on the way to Abu Simbel.

We had box breakfasts prepared for us complete with, banana, juice and water. We were met at the boat by representatives from the travel agency and off we went in the dark of night. The ride to Abu Simbel is three hours. I woke up off and on during the course of our drive through the desert until it was light. Once the sun was up, I stayed up long enough to see that there was virtually nothing to see: a desert, mirages, and occasionally, natural circular-shaped pyramid rock outcroppings. The ride to Abu Simbel was by convoy. Police escort headed and ended the vehicles. There were several police check points along the way.

Once we arrived, we were met by an English-speaking guide. The guides are not allowed in the temples so we sat outside in the shade and he explained what we would see and showed us pictures of the highlights of the temples. Photography was not allowed. Bummer! These temples are amazing for several reasons: they are beautiful, the craftsmanship is superb, the stories are, as the Egyptians say, “very cleaver”, and they have been moved from their original site.

Abu Simbel is in the heart of Nubian territory, almost to the Sudan border. In theory, the temple was dedicated to three gods: Amon-Ra, Harmakes, and Ptah but in reality it was to glorify the constructor, Pharaoh Ramses II the Great. Unlike the other temples that were constructed, Abu Simbel was carved out of the rock like the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. There are actually two temples, one for Ramses II and the smaller one for his favorite wife, Nofretari.

When the high dam was constructed it would have put Abu Simbel underwater so the temples were elevated 64-meters very near the location of their original setting. Reinforced concrete domes were built over the top of the relocated temples which were then covered with natural stone and rock maintaining the natural look of the temples in their original setting. Both temples and the raised and reconstructed temples are tributes to human intellect, vision, and skill.

We were on a tight schedule as the convoy has a prescribed time that it must leave. We felt a bit rushed inside the temples but we also had a plane to catch back to Cairo so we watched our time carefully.

As we exited, our chore was to find our van amid about 100 vans in all and probably 60 busses. Of course, our van was near the end of the line. That is all right! The physical therapist had told me that I should walk two miles each day. This has not been a problem! I am SURE that I have reached at least a two-mile mark each day since we landed in Cairo.

Being in Egypt has given me an opportunity to relate to our parishioners who entered the U. S. as refugees. We are unable to read Arabic, we board planes, busses, and vans and have people talking in front of us and we have no idea what is being said. Occasionally, people try to say something to us and it could take as long as 5 minutes to figure out the message. We have been offered food that looks very strange and we have no means of asking about it. Yesterday while we were docking, on a boat next to ours, two men starting yelling at one another. One rushed toward the other and I got scared. I had no idea what was going on. Nothing DID happen but I didn’t know what was going on. When you don’t speak the language, you are completely vulnerable to those around you. I don’t think that I am the only person in the world (or even in Wisconsin) that does not like being vulnerable. I made the decision to put myself in a situation where I am vulnerable but many of our new parishioners are in vulnerable situations by circumstance rather than choice. I get to return home to the familiar whenever I choose. Our new parishioners don’t have that luxury. I am sure that life is better in the U. S. than in the camps on the border of Thailand but I am also sure that at times life is very challenging.

Our van ride back to Aswan was uneventful, “ilHamdi lillah!” (Thanks be to God!) Tom+ said that he was happy that I was sleeping at one point as apparently a driver from the other direction must have fallen asleep and it was a close call. I, too, am happy that I was sleeping. 

We had a good flight back to Cairo, got to our flat, and settled back into our “home”. Of course, we have left the comfort of really cold a/c but somehow Cairo seems cooler than when we left. A man at the airport told us that it was 31° C which converts to about 88° F.

After washing clothes, checking email, making a few phone calls on Magic Jack, we are ready for bed! “tisbaHū ala khēr” (Good night).

Shalom, Beth+  

As it turns out, we did not miss the belly dancer last night. She was “upstaged” by a match in the World Cup Finals which seemed to have just about everyone’s attention. We have another opportunity this evening. 

After breakfast we boarded a bus and headed to the temple of Philae, the domain of Isis, which is one of the three best preserved temples. We visited one of the other two in Edfu. The temple of Philae is only accessible by boat. The bus dropped us at the docking area and we really had a unique experience! All of the boats have tires around the edges. We now know the reason is that being in one of the boats is like being in a bumper car at the fair or in a car in Cairo. They run into each other, bounce off the side and just keep going, especially as more boats than could possibly fit at the dock are continuously jockeying about to pick up or drop off their groups! You dared not have your arms or hands outside the boat. Once we were able to board and move away from the dock it was a very pleasant ride across the lake to this granite island. Originally this temple was on the east bank of the Nile, in a corner of a small bay at the southern end of the First Cataract which is a vast area of swirling eddying waters between countless rocks and islets. The cult of the goddess Isis dates to extremely ancient times and it was a tradition that at least once a year the Egyptians would make a pilgrimage to the sacred island. Under the reign of Justinian in A. D. 535, the priests of the cult were removed.

A dam 30.5 meters (around 92 ft) in height was erected and completed in 1902 to control flooding which caused the original island to be submerged during much of the year by the artificial lake created by the dam. The temple was accessible only during the months of August and September during the time each year when the lock gates were opened in to relieve the pressure of the flood water. A structure designed and built to survive thousands of years in the desert was equally not built to survive in an underwater environment. UNESCO was called upon to help preserve many ancient sites such as the temple of Philae.

Between 1972 and 1980, the temple complex was carefully dismantled and rebuilt on an islet that was above the dam level allowing for long-term care and preservation of these ancient sites. The islet was too small for the entire complex so the islet was artificially increased in size to accommodate the entire complex. The visit was very pleasant and although it was very hot, the breeze from the lake made the temperatures tolerable. We boarded another “bumper boat” and headed back to the mainland.

Our next stop was the high dam. Not long after the construction of the dam, now known as the Old Dam of Aswan, the dam proved to be inadequate. So in two stages, between 1907 and 1912 and 1929 and 1934 the dam was enlarged to its present size of 41.5 meters high (nearly 125 ft.). This new dam made a sustainable irrigation plan “mumpkin” (Arabic for possible), thereby significantly increasing the amount of farmland while also being converted into a huge hydro-electric plant. Today the dam produces 50% of all the electricity in Egypt. The lake created by the new dam is called Lake Nasser after the president of the Republic during the construction of the dam. The hydro-electric turbines mark the end of the journey for any crocodiles wanting to venture further down the Nile (toward the Mediterranean Sea) making Lake Nasser home to any crocodiles living in Egypt.

Because the High Dam of Aswan and Lake Nasser are tourist sites the road across the dam accommodates a photo “op” for tourists. Visible from the cutout on the dam is the temple of Kalabsha that was also dismantled and reconstructed for preservation purposes by Egypt and UNESCO.

The next site was of the unfinished obelisk. This obelisk was to have been 41 meters high with a base of 4 meters. We stopped at the granite quarry that is on the roadside and there, still in the quarry, is the third obelisk that was intended for the temple of Karnack. In the process of quarrying the stone it cracked, possibly from a tremor, and an obelisk must be of only one piece. The unfinished obelisk was abandoned and has remained there ever since. There were also signs of other pieces that had cracked and were left but the unfinished obelisk was to be the largest had it made it to Karnack.

We headed back to the boat for lunch. I agree with Tom+. We must be acclimating to the heat. It was only a two-bottle of water morning and I didn’t even don my hat or Arabian scarf. However, I had them both close by, just in case they would have been needed.

We had a break from lunch until 5:00 when Refaat arranged an optional tour for a group of us to take a felucca boat ride on the river to a Nubian Village and around the Islands of Elephantine and Ktichener. Elephantine Island is so named because it was the site of ivory trading in ancient times. There are also huge rocks in the shape of elephants on the island.

One of the legends about Elephantine is that this island is the site of Joseph’s reunion with his brothers who sold him into slavery. Once their father died and his possessions divided, the son whose mother was Ethiopian, grabbed the Ark of the Covenant and took it to Elephantine Island where he lived with his cousins. Legend has it that the Ark of the Covenant is either on Elephantine Island or in Ethiopia. There is a bit of a problem with this legend in that the Ark of the Covenant was not missing during the time of King David who is considerably later in history than Joseph and his brothers. It makes a nice story though.

We boarded a felucca on the Nile and moved down river for a while then a boat came up RIGHT beside us. After the “bumper boat” experience this morning I thought it was just another aggressive driver. This was actually intentional so that we could board a motor-powered boat in order to get to a Nubian Village that was on our schedule. They tied the two boats together and as both were moving we moved from the felucca to the motor-powered boat. YIKES! We have HAD some new experiences on this journey!

Once we were safely cruising up river on the motor boat we enjoyed watching a living mural of scenery along the shores of the Nile. Sand and rock dunes washed in the evening sun and colors of the sunset, the tomb of the Aga Khan silhouetted by an almost curtain like back drop of the setting sun behind it. The gentle churning of the outboard motor on our boat generated some interesting story telling as the conversation moved to talking about the African Queen, Humphrey Bogart, and the early Tarzan movies. All this was going on while we made our way through the swirling cataracts that surrounded the boat. At times the cataracts made the surface of the river look like we were traveling over a floor made of large circular tiles.

The sights are quite different from the middle of the Nile River. Everyone waves and yells “yhello” everywhere we go. We arrived on the outskirts of the Nubian Village where those who chose to ride camels got off the boat and headed toward the camel caravan. Those on camels would meet us in the Nubian Village. Tom+ and I have ridden camels twice so we passed on the camel ride. Once in the village, we were taken to the home of a Nubian family where we were served water, tea, and hibiscus. You hate to refuse hospitality but you worry about eating or drinking anything that could make you sick. Tom+ had tea while I had hibiscus. So far so good! They had 6 crocodiles in the small courtyard of their place ranging in size from a little over 5’ to a 1’ baby.

We boarded the boat and headed back to the Nile Cruise boat for our last night of the tour. Tonight is the night we say, “good bye” to the people that we have gotten to know over the last five days. We exchanged emails in order to exchange pictures. We wished everyone safe travel, shared smiles, a hug or two and then off to pack and bed.

Our wake-up call in the morning for Abu Simbel is 2:30 a.m. so no “dilly dallying”! I quickly packed my suitcase and was in bed before 9:00. I think it took me all of 2 minutes to fall asleep. All in all, this adventure proved to be just that, an adventure, and one that we will remember for a lifetime.

Shalom, Beth+   

This morning we headed to the temple of Edfu on the west bank of the Nile at 7:30 where we docked last night. This temple was built by the Greeks in 327 B.C. under the rule of Ptolemy III. This is the best preserved temple that we have visited. It was really quite amazing!

As you know, Christianity (and therefore our worship) was birthed from Judaism. It is astounding to see the evolution of worship from these ancient temples. The temples are walled just as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is walled. Inside the gates there is an open courtyard area where animals were brought for sacrifice by the priests of the temple. There was a pipe under the courtyard area that carried the blood of the animals out of the temple into the Nile. The courtyard area is an area lined with columns and resembles the cloister area of a monastery.

The area where the presiding priest served was an inner sanctum not accessible to anyone other than priests. In that area there was a “vesting” room and a library. The library consisted of papyrus scrolls.

Further in the area reserved for priests was the holy of holies. The priest would go in daily to offer sacrifices to their god, Horas. After the food and libations were offered, they were returned to the people for consumption. Their belief was that by eating and drinking the sacrificed items, the people received the blessing of the gods.

The god, Horas, was assigned the figure of a falcon. Inside the holy of holies was a solid gold falcon that the priest would take outside daily on the top of the wall of the area of priests. There were statues of falcons made of black granite outside the temple and outside the area reserved for the priests.

Stories were told in picture for many centuries. Only the most learned people read or wrote. By telling stories and depicting those stories in picture, all people could recall their stories of life. The pictures on the wall of the temple depicted the struggle between good and evil. The pictures showed the belief that good always triumphs over evil. How this is depicted and understood is unique and a story in and of itself.

As we drove through Edfu returning to the boat, I snapped some photos. As an alternative to the air conditioned tour busses that carry the passengers from the boats to the temple sites, there are an abundance of horse drawn buggies. Our group ventured out on one of the buses weaving our way through narrow streets with a seemingly unending parade of horse drawn carriages.

Once all were back on board, we sailed for Kom Ombo. The view from the middle of the Nile is beautiful. The greenery on the banks is lush while just behind is rock hills and mountains. The rock is the color of sand and there appears to be a thin layer of dust covering the rock. The Nile looks like the site of tour boat races during the day. Boats similar to the one we are on form a chain of sorts as they make their way up the river. This is good for the docking areas as it brings people in to buy their wares. Tourism is the major industry of Luxor.

We sat up on the deck and enjoyed the sights along the Nile. As we passed people on the banks they would yell out in English, “hello!” We saw many men swimming. Women along the Nile were doing laundry. We passed an island in the river that had quite a bit of agriculture and cattle. Occasionally, we would see a straw “cabana” of sorts at the edge of the river.

Tom+ commented that we MUST be acclimating to the heat as three days ago we would NEVER have spent an hour and a half on the deck with temps above 120°. I am not sure that I am going to call it “acclimating” but maybe tolerating. It is still VERY hot! We are told that Aswan and Abu Simbel are the hottest places along this tour. We are there Thursday and Friday. Oh boy!

At 4:30 we headed, on foot, to Kom Ombo. The walk was only about 3 blocks but the temperature made it a LONG walk. The shady spots in the temple were sparse but Refaat, our guide, was great at finding the smallest bit of shade in which we would all fit.

The temple in this small village is unusual in that it is the result of two temples set side by side. The left side is dedicated to the falcon god, Horas, the Elder and the right side is consecrated to the crocodile god, Sobek. The stories associated with the carvings on the walls were interesting. After being with the guide in the temple about 45 minutes we had free time for thirty minutes. Tom+ and I decided that with the heat, we had seen enough so we walked back to our boat.

Dinner was an Egyptian party. All the food was traditional Egyptian dishes and we were all to wear Egypt garb. The food was delicious and we had eaten many of them before. Two people in the tour had birthdays so the kitchen staff came out beating a drum, carrying a cake, and everyone “in the know” started clapping a distinctive rhythm. The entire room was clapping as the crew wound their way to find the two “victims”. A foreign (to us at least) version of “Happy Birthday” broke out. Tom+ and I happen to know “Happy Birthday” in Arabic so we know that the language was NOT Arabic. Then the head chief took the birthday person (one refused) to her feet and started dancing. The moves got more and more advanced until he finally squatted as if he were about to start a Russian dance to which the birthday person stopped dancing. All applauded for the head cook as well as the birthday person. It was great fun, as long as it was NOT YOUR birthday! Whew!

The party moved up the lounge after dinner for dancing and the highlight is a belly dancer. Tom+ and I know the drill. The belly dancer comes out and gets some shy-looking person out on the dance floor. Call us “fuddy duds” but we would rather go back to our room and download our cameras. The heat zaps us both and Refaat informed us at our table this evening that there is going to be an add-on tour tomorrow afternoon so there will be NO NAP tomorrow. The add-on is QUITE exciting to me as it includes a trip around Elephantine Island that I mentioned July 1. Should be an exciting day!

Shalom, Beth+

 

After a great night’s sleep in really cold air conditioning we got up at 5:00 in order to dress and eat breakfast in time to leave for 6:30. We boarded a small, motor-powered boat to cross the Nile to the west bank. The breeze felt wonderful as we motored a short distance.

We boarded a van headed to our first stop which was Valley of the Kings. This is an amazing complex but an even more amazing thing that it was discovered! No cameras were allowed throughout the undulating valley of rock and stone. We entered five tombs including King Tutankhamen and a very elaborately detailed one built over 27 years for Ramses VI. The ancient Egyptian people were advanced in their level of craftsmanship, art and architecture. It was unbelievably hot (although we understand there has been quite a heat wave at home as well) . Just about the time we thought we could not go another step, it was time to leave. We saw everything that we intended to see. They are still excavating (of course, in the winter only) so in ten years it would be interesting to see what else is open for public view.

Our air conditioned van has cold water available. We had each drank a bottle of water before leaving at 6:30. It was an “8-bottle” morning as we toured the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens.

The next stop was the Temple of the first woman to reign in Egypt, Hatshepsut – which we were introduced to pronounce as “hot chicken soup”. Hatshepsut believed that she was the rightful heir to her father’s throne and even justified her claim saying that she was conceived immaculately by the god, Ra. When functioning as the king in public she donned a fake beard and dressed as a man. In the privacy of her palace she was a woman who was in love with the architect for her temple, Senmut.

There was NO shade at the Temple of Hatshepsut! Our guide usually assembles us in a shady spot and talks about the site and then leaves us to go on our own for photos and more detailed observation. He is usually close by for questions. There was not a SPOT of shade to be had! After we walked around, we headed back to the air conditioned visitor center where we saw a Discovery Channel clip about identifying the mummy of Hatshepsut. It was fascinating!

Back to the van and another bottle of water. It is really hard to explain how hot 125° Fahrenheit feels! We were told in Cairo that it would be hot and I thought it was hot in Cairo. 

Our next stop was an alabaster “factory”. We saw some craftsmen working on pieces. The “head man” showed us the difference in alabaster, granite, limestone, and onyx. We were then invited into the shop where we would hopefully buy things. Many things for sale, however we were able to resist and moved on to our next destination!

Our last stop of the morning was the Valley of the Queens. Again, no cameras were allowed. I was beginning to believe that I could not make it to the site. Tom+ told me to take the pace I needed and we would do what we could do regardless of what the group was doing. It was so incredibly hot that it was difficult to breath. We made it to the group before they entered the two tombs. The fetus of a child lost during one of the queen’s pregnancies had been mummified and was on display in the tomb. It seems the love of a mother for her child is just a part of our nature whether 4,000 years ago or today, and the loss of a child something that we carry until the day we die.

We emerged from the tombs and headed to the van and grabbed yet another bottle of water. We had each had four bottles of water and no need to find a bathroom! The van made its way back to the boat which delivered us back to the east bank of the Nile.

I found our room as soon as I could and collapsed on the bed. We cleaned all the dust from our bodies, feet, and shoes before we headed to lunch. The minute lunch was completed, we went back to the room for a well-needed nap.

Tom and I spent some time on the open air top deck several times during the afternoon pacing our time on deck with the heat, returning to the inside to cool off and then back out for a little more. Tea was served in the lounge at 4:00 and there was a cocktail party at 7:30 before dinner. We are getting to know the other English speakers who make up our group. The Americans with us are from Delaware, Colorado, and New Jersey. They are all very nice people. It has been fun getting to know them and hear their stories.

The ship passed through the lochs this evening and that was interesting. After dinner, we were too tired to stay up any longer. We returned to the room for hopefully “sweet dreams”. We were surprised and pleased to see that our steward had made a crocodile of towels and things in the room and left it on our bed. Pretty cute!

Shalom, Beth+  

It seemed like our heads had just hit the pillow when the alarm rang! I hate to be rushed in the morning but with less than 5 hours sleep I decided that being rushed beat any less sleep. I thought that I had it timed to be ready just at 4:30 when the driver arrived. At 4:00 the cell rang and our driver was outside waiting. He was early! That put us in very high gear! It was frustrating trying to remember all the last minute things that you never seem to remember as well under pressure.

We were out the door and in the car at 4:20. The Cairo streets were virtually empty as we made our way to the airport. We got through security, got a cup of tea/coffee, and a roll. As we sat there rather amazed that we had made it, Tom+ remembered that he left his hat! OH, NO! He had hung the hat on the back of the front door to be SURE that he didn’t forget it. In the rush, he never gave it a thought and when he opened the door, the hat hung behind it rather than in his face as a reminder.

We boarded the plane and had a nice, one-hour flight on Egyptian Air to Luxor. A guide met us at the airport holding a sign bearing the name of the travel agency and our name. He was a very nice, young man named Ibraham. His wife had just given birth to their first child, a boy. We gathered the bags and walked to the car which drove us to the docking area for all the boats that sail up and down the Nile. We walked through a boat to board our boat. We checked in napped until lunch at 12:30.

We were assigned a table next to an American family from Delaware. It was nice to have conversation with them. After lunch we braved the heat to find another hat. After haggling with the shopkeeper Tom+ left wearing another “prized” hat.

We met our guide for the temples in Luxor at 4:00. When you visit Luxor and Aswan by boat in the summer, you get up quite early and go to a few sites, return to the boat for lunch, nap, swimming, etc. and then around 4:30 leave again for more sites. This allows you to be out of the sun in the hottest part of the day (can be as hot as 120° to 125°f). At 4:30 in the afternoon or 6:30 in the morning it is still PLENTY hot.

At 4:30 we headed by bus to Karnak Temple. It was very impressive. Clearly, people have been searching to find God and meaning in life since the beginnings of recorded history. Archeologists continue to discover temples and artifacts that supply facts about how the early Egyptians lived and died.

After Karnak Temple, we headed to Luxor Temple. It is much smaller but impressive for different reasons. On the grounds of the temple is a mosque that is still used today that has been there since the 14^th century and the remains of a 4^th or 5^th century church. Some of the materials were torn down and reused. You may ask how they know that. One of the pictures should give you a clue. 

We returned to the boat around 7:30. We were dripping wet with sweat, tired, and hungry. I think that the most uncomfortable thing at that point was my feet. They were tired, dusty, and dirty! As I cleaned my feet and got some relief I thought of the story when Mary wiped Jesus’ feet with her tears. Although Jesus did not walk around Egypt in his adult lifetime, dusty, dirty feet in any country can let you know how it must have felt physically, not to mention spiritually, for Mary to wash Jesus feet. It was such a caring gesture on her part to let the Lord know that she loved him. Jesus’ last act with the disciples was to wash their feet. I believe this act of love is a great metaphor for us as Christians. Washing someone’s feet is not a chore that most of us look forward to doing or even think of offering but such a simple gesture provides so much comfort. When we humble ourselves before others and become, like Jesus, a servant, we are humbling ourselves to allow the love of Jesus Christ to be present to them. I know that it has been the simple gestures of others toward me, particularly in times of need that let me see the face of Christ in some of the most beautiful and unlikely ways.

Shalom, Beth+

It doesn’t seem like the 4^th of July. I suppose if we were to be here on the 26^th of July we might have more a sense of our 4^th of July. The street on which we walk the most is named, July 26, the date on which a military coup ousted King Farouk. King Farouk’s former palace is the Marriot Zamalek that stands between All Saints Cathedral and the Nile River. This is the third cathedral building that has existed. The second, built in 1938, had a prominent place on the Nile and had great visibility. It was destroyed in 1970 in order to construct a bridge across the Nile. The current building was completed in 1977 and it is symbolic of the exile experience in Egypt when the people wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. It also symbolizes the fact that the Church is always on the move doing God’s work. This is certainly true of this diocese.

Egypt is rich in Biblical history. Moses was spared his life by the Pharoah’s daughter and then later led the Hebrew people out of bondage through the Red (actually Reed) Sea, Jacob’s son, Joseph was sold into slavery and became a man of importance in the Egyptian government, later during a famine when his brothers came to Egypt for grain, the family was reunited in Egypt. If you recall, an angel told Joseph after the birth of Jesus to take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. In the book of the Prophet, Hosea, it reads, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my Son.” Hosea 11:1. A stone with Hosea 11:1 sits proudly outside the diocesan offices across the walk from All Saints Cathedral.

Worship this morning was another cosmopolitan experience with people from Egypt, France, Great Britain, Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, New Zealand, Jordan, Burma, Korea, and the United States and perhaps even others that were not identified. Trying to find stories and analogies that could speak to all of those people at the same time was a challenge for Tom+ but one that I believe that he met quite nicely.

After visiting on the terrace with tea and cookies, Tom+, Drew, and I went for lunch at a very nice Egyptian restaurant. The food covered the table so if you couldn’t find something you liked then you were the one with the problem! Hummus, tahina, babaganoush, dolmades (wrapped grape leaves), coushary (a dish of pasta, rice, onions, chick peas, tomato sauce, lentils, and a hot sauce on top), kofta (the lamb meat loaves), pita bread, mumbar (the intestines of sheep prepared with rice and spices), and umm Ali (a puffed pastry with coconut, almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, and raisins) for dessert. Okay! God has a sense of humor! Send the finicky eater to Egypt and see how she fares.  The food has really been spectacular!

Back to the flat for Tom+ to put last minute touches on his picture presentation for the deaf congregation this evening. We are packing for our trip to Luxor and Aswan that begins at 4:30 a.m. I’ve been told that Cairo is not hot compared to Luxor, Aswan, and Abu Simbel. Oh boy! It should be worth it to see that area.

The service begins at 7:00 p.m. Egyptian time is more relaxed than American time so that means that the service starts somewhere around 7:00. Tom+ called Drew+ who was to give us a ride and Drew’s clock was off by an hour. He thought that it was 5:30 when Tom+ rang him at 6:30. It seems like we are going to be late. Drew+ came right over in his rather tattered, unairconditioned car. Traffic is Cairo is like no other experience I have ever had. (IlHamdu Lillah! Which means “Thanks be to God) Most cars do not use the headlights at night. Everyone honks either because you did something another driver did not like or because you are about to do something and you are sort of giving notice that it is about to occur. None of the drivers observe the traffic lanes so it is rather a free for all. It reminds me of the bumper car rink at the fair when I was a child. At one point Drew+ took a very sharp left turn and then giggled as he told us that he should have warned us in advance that he was going to go the wrong way down a street. Three cars screeched as they almost T-boned us! Oh my goodness! Amazingly, we arrived safely at the church service only 2 minutes late. The service didn’t start for another 20 minutes so it was fine.

Fr. Faraj greeted the three of us. Tom+ asked me to adjust the last few pictures while they went off to vest. Although I cannot read sign language or understand Arabic, I must say that this worship service was very spiritually uplifting. Fr. Faraj speaks Arabic as he signs to the congregation. He is a young and very charismatic priest. His passion for the Lord is very evident! He is very animated as he preaches and he used a story of Moses projected on the wall to enhance his story. His sign gestures were beautiful and his facial expression told the story without knowing either language.

After the lesson, Tom+ gave his presentation. We learned about a cultural norm the hard way. The presentation was about the different ministries at St. Bartholomew. Included were pictures for the Feast of St. Francis with the Blessing of the Animals. One of the women in the congregation started making sounds directed at Clare, Bishop Ghais’ daughter. The people around her joined in expressing agitation. Fr. Faraj’s wife had been interpreting for me so she was next to me. The people thought that the animals were in the church receiving communion! Animals are not allowed in the Coptic Church at all so this was very upsetting to the people. I told Tom+ what the commotion was about so he explained to Fr. Faraj about the feast and that the animals are simply blessed as being creations of God. The people seemed to understand and calmed down. WOW! We learned an important lesson.

After the deaf pray and when they are happy they lift their arms and shake their hands. It is a beautiful sight to see God praised in such a beautiful way. Each time that Tom+ gave an example of ministry where the poor or disadvantaged are served the people would raise their arms and shake their hands. Those who can utter sounds would also utter sounds.

Fellowship followed the service. There had been a conference over the weekend for those around Egypt who serve the deaf. We met a man, Victor, and his wife, who serve in Luxor. He expressed to Tom+ how spiritually his presentation was to him. He thanked us both for coming to Egypt and sharing the story of St. Bartholomew.

We boarded the car and headed home. It was nearly 10:00 and the driver was coming for us at 4:30. Yicks! Good thing we had already packed.

It was the end of another, exciting day with our fellow Christians in Egypt. These kinds of experiences really drive home the fact that we really are one Body in Jesus Christ and we have some awesome brothers and sisters in Christ.

Shalom, Beth+   

We slept right through the alarm this morning.  Tom+ heard the phone ringing and jumped up to answer.  We were to be at the Boulaq ministry office for 9:00 a.m. to visit with Madame Ansef, a friend we met back in 2001.  We quickly dressed and ran across the street.  Madam Ansef had not come to work today because she is feeling ill but we met the women with whom she works.  The woman who we dealt with mostly is named Marvat.  She told us about what is being done today in that ministry and her staff served us tea and cookies. 

It is really amazing how much this diocese does in terms of outreach to people from all backgrounds.  Boulaq is the most impoverished area of Cairo.  We visited that area with Madame Ansef in 2001 and we were astounded at the living conditions!  The ministry which Madame Ansef began has evolved to the point that they are teaching women about hygiene, nutrition, preparation of children’s school papers, healthcare, marital relationships, pregnancy, and many other practical lessons that many of the poor have not had the opportunity to learn.  The diocese provides no interest loans to widows who want to start their own businesses.  The women come to the cathedral compound on the first and third Wednesdays of each month (about 100 in numbers) and gather for instruction, prayer, fellowship, and refreshments.  There is a separate program offered for the children in order to provide enrichment for them and give the mothers the opportunity to visit with one another.  There is assistance for children’s school fees for those who cannot afford the fees and literacy classes for those who desire them.

Home visits are made to determine if there is anything that the center can do to improve living conditions for the women and their neighbors.  Often several families will have only one bathroom between them.  We saw pictures of a project that provided DRASTIC sanitation improvements for several families in the Boulaq.

The Boulaq trains and employs women to complete needlework.  They distribute the work and the women return the completed project for the Boulaq shop.  There are worship opportunities for Christian women during these Wednesday gatherings but it is not compulsory since many of the women are Muslim.  Egypt has no social service network so the ministry of the Church is paramount in serving people who are at some disadvantage.  There is no provision for people with special needs so, again, the Church provides ministry.  They particularly reach out to the deaf.  There is a boarding school for deaf children where they are taught to read, write, sign, and function in society.  The Church has served so many families with deaf members that a new church was recently established particularly for the deaf.  Faraj, whom I mentioned yesterday, is their priest.  Tom+ was invited to present to the deaf church during their community gathering tomorrow night and will share a picture presentation that will highlight many elements of the refugee ministry at St. Bartholomew and the recent mission trip to Guatemala.  We realize more than ever that there is no shortage of people in true need throughout this world and an infinite number of opportunities to reach out to those less fortunate than ourselves always seem to exist. 

After our visit to the Boulaq, we headed out on the streets to the grocery, laundry, and to find a video card for the camera.  We walked several miles before finding the particular grocery that we remembered from 2001.  It was HOT (I know that you are surprised) so after the grocery we stopped at McDonald’s for a Coke.  It was interesting to see McDonald hats over head scarves.  The young women behind the counter were so friendly that I asked if I could take their picture.  Tom+ decided that I should be in the picture.  UGH!  They invited me behind the counter and we all posed.  They were tickled particularly when Tom+ showed them the photo.  When we left on our way after the stop, they greeted us farewell as if we had been friends for years!  The people in Egypt are VERY friendly.    

We walked to a café for lunch before returning home.  On the way to the flat we picked up some dry cleaning that we dropped off yesterday.  The attendant was so accommodating and appreciated our attempts to thank him in Arabic.

Tom+ is preaching in the morning is working on his next newsletter article based on Luke 10:1-24, the sermon he will be giving, and the “God-incidence” of how this trip is tying all this together for us.  

At the end of the day, we recounted all the blessings in our lives.  The people here in Egypt are a blessing to us, the people of St. Bartholomew are a blessing to us, our families are a blessing to us and we thank God for them all. 

Shalom, Beth+

After a wonderful night’s sleep in the air conditioned room, I walked out of the bedroom and was sure that I had walked into an oven!  Oh my goodness!  It was hot already and it was only 7:30 in the morning.  Today is the Muslim Sabbath.  Many businesses are closed at least until the afternoon.  There is an English service at the Cathedral in the St. Mark Chapel on Friday morning.  The Apostolic Succession, unlike that to Peter in the Roman Church, goes back to St. Mark who, tradition has it, brought Christianity to Egypt.  Tom+ preached for the, smaller than usual congregation due to summer holidays and the fact that the acting dean is out of town.  I suppose Episcopalians are the same around the world.  The main pastor leaves town and many people stay home from worship.  L  One really neat thing about that service is that there are people from all over the world who attend.  In a group of about 70-80, there were at least 10 different countries represented and perhaps even more.  Did I mention that it was hot?  After the service, Tom+ was dripping wet but pleased to have been asked to preach.  It is hot enough without wearing vestments. 

At the service was a young man whose English name is Joseph.  He offered beautiful violin music along with the piano.  In greeting him after the service, Tom+ learned that he was a refugee from Burma and he is of Karen descent.  Tom+ told him of the ministry of St. Bartholomew to refugees to the United States of the same descent.  He wrote down his name and Tom+ plans to forward photos to the Diocese of Egypt email to see if he knows any of the people who live in our community.  Wouldn’t that be something!

Being here in Egypt on the heels of being in Guatemala has given me a chance to realize that we really are one in Christ. There were four hymns/songs and I knew three of them.  One of them was actually a song that we sang in Guatemala simultaneously in English and in Spanish.  Think of the trio we could have had singing in English, Spanish, and Arabic!  It was the English service so we sang in English.  Good thing!

Tom+ and I were discussing what we might do for lunch when the Chaplain to the Bishop walked up and told us that a couple from India had brought lunch for the acting dean and his wife, not knowing that they were out of town.  Their loss was our gain.  Drew took the meal to the guest house and invited us to join the group who would benefit from the acting dean’s absence.   I was in a bit of a bind!  While I was grateful for being included, I can be a rather finicky eater.  To make matters worse today’s gospel said, “eat what is set before you”.  YICKS!  Everyone having lunch heard the same gospel!   I was in luck.  The dish was biriyani which I had never eaten before but it was DELICIOUS. Drew and Helbees, the guest house manager, made a quick salad, toasted pita bread, sliced Egyptian feta cheese, and served a plate of olives.  Voila!  We had a feast.  We met a couple from New Zealand who were on holiday.  They live in Sadat City where he works on the grounds of the new hospital as a welder.   The six of us had a very pleasant meal together. 

After lunch, we walked next door to confirm plans for our trip to Luxor and Aswan on Monday.  Did I mention that it was hot?  It took us longer than we expected and Tom+ had to return to the guest house to get something.  When he returned, he mentioned how hot it was.  It is SO hot that he is not even sweating!  After the arrangements were secure, we found a table to sit and do a little work. 

After about an hour, we walked back to the guest house.  Tom+ is giving a leadership presentation this afternoon to a group at the diocesan office while I begin my daily log and walk to the dry cleaner.  Did I mention that it is hot?

After the leadership presentation we caught a ride with a priest named Faraj who serves the new church for the deaf.  What a blessing to meet this man!  We asked this man how he came to work, as he says WITH the deaf, not FOR the deaf.  In the short ten minute ride, he told us how God had put the deaf on his heart and some of the trials that he had endured.  Email is not a good means to tell the specifics of the story but suffice it to say that he has endured more suffering than most of us will ever experience in a lifetime.  At the end of his story he said that he was blessed to have the opportunity to suffer and how the experience had blessed his life. 

We met Bishop Ghais, his wife, Fawzia, and their daughter, Clare for dinner on a felucca.   A felucca is “a narrow, swift, triangular fore-and-aft rigged sailing vessel, such as that used on the Nile”.  Clare had picked up “to go” food from a nice restaurant and we enjoyed dinner as we sailed up and down the Nile.  Being on the felucca was particularly nice because, did I tell you that it was hot?  The breeze felt wonderful and being out in the middle of the Nile you could see Cairo from a totally different perspective. Tom+ brought his hat to give it a try before we head to Upper Egypt on Monday.  We all had another good laugh about the hat with everyone trying it on.

While riding, Clare told us about her experience right out of college in 1982.  She was actually in Lebanon when Israel invaded.  She was teaching and living at a residential facility that serves the deaf.  She could see the bombs dropping, hear the explosions, and she and the other teachers were terrified.   Although the children were deaf and could not hear the explosions, they could feel the buildings shake as the aircraft flew overhead and they could see the explosions once they occurred.  She told about sitting in the dining hall with the children having a meal when the shaking caused all the windows to crash to the floor.  All telephone lines were knocked out and she was unable to communicate with her parents in Egypt.  The details of her story and hearing how God’s hand was over her during them all is an amazing story. 

There are times when we wonder about God’s plan for our lives.  Hearing stories from the Christian community can often give us the strength that we need to endure whatever hardship we are experiencing.  Both Fr. Faraj and Clare expressed how God had given them the strength that they needed at just the time that they really needed it leading them both to exactly where they believe that God intended them to be.  What a powerful witness to us all!

After we docked, Tom+ and I decided to walk “home”.  We thought we knew the way. J  The physical therapist said that I should walk two miles each day.  That has not been a problem so far.  Bishop Ghais and Fawzia reluctantly agreed.  We headed out very sure that we knew where we were going.  After all, we were right around the corner from the Cairo tower which could be seen all over Cairo.  After many wrong turns and walking down toward the water rather than up toward the bridge and crossing the first bridge rather than the second and a few other mistakes we decided that we needed a ride.  We had WELL walked two miles.  We hopped in a horse-drawn buggy thinking that we had made a very wise decision.   We hopped in a horse-drawn buggy and had a leisure evening-ride back as we traversed some VERY busy Cairo streets.  It was a day full of many blessings and we gave thanks for them all when we walked in the door and turned on our air conditioner.  Did I mention that it was hot?

Shalom, Beth+

Well, we certainly hit the pavement running this morning!  We were to meet Bishop Ghais (many of you may know him as Bishop Malik) in Bishop Mouneer’s office at the cathedral.  In Egypt, there are no surnames.  A person carries his/her given name, followed by the name of the father, followed by the name of the grandfather.  The Retired Bishop’s name is Ghais Abdel Malik.  These are all first names.  In the states people kept asking the Surname so it became “Malik” to accommodate our cultural norm.  

Our internal clocks are still on Central Standard Time so we were awake until 5:00 am and had to be up by 8:00 am to get ready to go to the cathedral.  Tom+ had seen Bishop Ghais yesterday but I was sleeping.  It was GREAT to see him again.  What a holy man he is! 

Bishop Mouneer’s Chaplain, Drew, showed us a new video about the Diocese of Egypt and North Africa.  They are really doing some AMAZING work in the name of Jesus Christ in this diocese!  The video was quite impressive and Tom+ hopes to show it when we return to St. Bartholomew.

After the video, Tom+, +Ghais, and I walked next door for lunch at the Marriot.  We all had a kofta sandwich which is minced lamb kabob grilled over charcoal served in pita bread with hummus and Mediterranean vegetables.  YUM! After lunch, +Ghais took us to the travel office to book our trip to Luxor, Aswan, Elephantine, and Abu Simbel.  This is very exciting to me as Elephantine is actually the site of King Akhenaten, father of King Tutankhamen.  Akhenaten, also known as Aten, was the first person to recognize one god (monotheism) but after his death his subjects reverted back to their polytheistic (many gods) belief.  It is because of this reverting that Abraham is recognized as the Father of Monotheism as the belief began with Abraham and continues to this day.  Beginning Monday, we will visit these ancient temples that give us a glimpse of the development of worship in Judaism from which Christianity was born.    

After we booked our trip, +Ghais insisted that Tom+ get a hat.  He tried to bring one with him but, frankly, I could not look at it without laughing (At my suggestion and with her concurrence the hat was confiscated by Barb Lentz at the airport and is available for a VERY good price before our return).   +Ghais sent a cathedral employee to accompany us through the neighborhoods around the cathedral looking for a hat to purchase.  The temperatures in Upper Egypt this time of year will be around 115° and without a hat, one could have sun stroke, so we set out on a mission to find a hat.  This could not be just any hat.  It had to cover ears as well as head and face.  We walked for about a mile and a half without finding anything that would do.  In that entire area we only saw two baseball caps in the same shop.  Hardly anyone one wears hats or shorts in Zamalek, Cairo!  We returned to the cathedral and our companion apologized profusely.  We told him not to worry that we would find a hat on Saturday.

Bishop Mouneer has a custom of bringing together the Diocesan staff once or twice a year to thank them for all they do and just spend some relaxing time together. He invited us to join them and so we had a very nice dinner at a casual restaurant along the Nile River followed by a pleasant evening of sitting as a group alongside the Nile following dinner.  The whole group broke into what seemed to be a spontaneous and joyful singing of Happy Birthday to one of the long time staff members in English and Arabic .  It was a great time to interact with people we had met previously and see what fun the staff (nearly 50 people were there and some were unable to attend) had being together.  The staff may seem large but there were guards for the cathedral compound gates, drivers, teachers, administrative assistants, those involved in planning and supervision of building projects, priests, maintenance crew, and a few family members.  It is amazing the amount of missional ministry and outreach this group is able to support against such an overwhelming need with such limited resources. We had a wonderful time as we saw the hand of God at work and in the faces of His people.

We returned to the cathedral compound with Bishop Mouneer and his wife, Nancy.  On arrival, we were greeted by our “hat hunting crew” with a hat Bishop Mouneer had asked them to pick-up for Tom+    while we were driving back to the cathedral.  There was a great deal of laughter as we  photographed Bishop Mouneer wearing the prized hat, which was then presented to Tom+ who will be very grateful to have while walking in the hot desert sun.

In the car back to the cathedral, Tom+ had invited Bishop Mouneer and Nancy to be our guest at Beano’s, a European coffee shop outside the gates of the cathedral.  We had been there MANY times before on the two previous visits.  As we were standing around making jokes about the hat, I noticed a car that I had seen back in 2001.  I asked the Bishop if the car was his son’s car, as I had seen him driving in back in 2005.  The Bishop replied that it was his car, not his son’s car.  I remarked that it looked like a neat car.  Bishop Mouneer then insisted that we drive to Beano’s which is only two blocks from the cathedral.  The four of us piled in the car.  The guards and drivers of the cathedral staff roared with laughter as they saw that we were taking that car to Beano’s!  The car is a 1960 Morris Minor that is apparently not driven very often.  It was like walking back in time!  The four of us laughed all the way to Beano’s.  It was great fun and we heard all about the history of the car. 

We had some meaningful dialogue at Beano’s, hopped back in the classic car, and headed home to bed.  It was an AMAZING day and we are grateful for all of God’s blessings throughout the day. 

Shalom, Beth+

 

 

After one cancelled flight, three delayed flights, and one “regular” flight, we arrived in Cairo, behind schedule, at 12:45 a.m.  We were greeted by Artif, the driver from 9 years ago whose English has improved DRASTICALLY, and Bishop Mouneer’s new Chaplain, The Rev. Drew Schmotzer  (It turns out that Fr. Drew has a brother doing distant learning at Nashotah House, which just continues to show us how small the world really is). We were both weary from travel with swollen legs and ankles from being up more than 35 hours.

We were taken to the Clergy Guest House and brought to the exact same flat in which we stayed 9 years ago.  I should not say the “exact same flat” as now the bedroom has air conditioning.  YIPPEE!  There are also two ceiling fans that were not there previously.  Our refrigerator had been stocked with fruit, water, soda, and sandwich materials.

Nine years ago when we were here, we were waked before dawn by the sounds of the minarets which were so loud that it sounded as if the “caller” was standing right beside our bed!  Tom+ had come prepared with ear plugs however, they seemed to be unnecessary as somewhere between the exhaustion, closed French doors and shutters, the air conditioning, and the ceiling fan neither of us heard a thing as we were able to get a much appreciated good night’s sleep.

Tom+ showered and dressed about noon and walked across the street to meet with Bishop Mouneer, the President Bishop of Egypt, North Africa, and the Middle East while I stayed “home” to unpack and wait for a hair dryer.  J  A public debut without access to a hair dryer would not have been appreciated!

While we are here as ‘friends’ and not in any official capacity as clergy of The Episcopal Church (TEC), Tom+ was warmly received this morning and invited to preach at the English speaking services this Friday and Sunday at the Diocesan Cathedral.  God has a way, as Tom+ has referenced the scheduled Gospel reading several times over the past week and it stands as one of not only his favorite Gospel readings, but was one that has been profoundly influential upon his understanding of good and evil and the nature of our call to serve as God has equipped and called us.

When we came in 2001, we were one Church in relative harmony but now we are splintered over issues which I experience with great sadness.  In some ways this is nothing new as Bishop Mouneer reminded Tom+ that this is the place where Bishop Athanasius stood alone for seventeen of his forty-six years as bishop.  Athanasius was Bishop of Alexandria; born c. 296; died 2 May, 373. Athanasius is remembered by both the Roman catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions as the greatest champion of Catholic belief on the subject of the Incarnation that the Church has ever known and in his lifetime earned the characteristic title of "Father of Orthodoxy", by which he has been distinguished ever since.

After borrowing a transformer and adapter for the hair dryer, Tom+ and I went to eat and walked to the grocery.  It appears that this neighborhood has improved a bit since we were here last.  Some shops have been upgraded, new shops have appeared, and some things are exactly the same.  Of course, we seek shops with air conditioning since the temperature was well over 100°.  We lost our way getting to the grocery, or as they call it, the market.  We found one that we had visited before, stopped for a late afternoon ‘cold latte’ and are winding down to settle in for the night. 

Tom+ and I find Egypt to be a place of spiritual renewal.  Being here on the heels of the trip to Guatemala, which was VERY spiritually uplifting, we are primed for another spiritual experience.  We will be praying for the people of St. Bartholomew and thank you for your continuing prays. 

Shalom, Beth+