God's way is better than my way!

Finally sitting on the plane, ready to fly to Paris.  After a cancellation yesterday and an hour delay today I am thankful to be leaving.  This has been an amazing trip but there is nothing like returning home.

My anxiety level has been a bit elevated since yesterday's flight cancellations. 

Lord, please give me your peace as I fly and make my connections.  Bless each leg of this trip above and beyond what I could ask or imagine.  Thank you for such an amazing trip... for new friends... for great adventures... and ultimately more of You!

This trip has been all about trust...

• will I trust you in a new land
• will I trust you when my bank card is not working
• will I trust you when things are not going according to my plan
• will I trust you to be my rest and peace

God took care of each detail all the way back to Molokai including letting me spend the night with friends in LA and in Honolulu!

Change of plans

Alarm went off at 3:15am, got dressed and everything packed and moved to the front door.  Joe checked flight schedule only to find that my flight had been cancelled and rescheduled for Saturday.  Had to call Air France to verify and then Island Air to change my flight.  Island Air didn't have any flights available on Sunday so I am getting back to Molokai on Monday morning.  Argh!

Tried to go back to sleep but had so many things racing through my head with the changes that it took awhile.  Got up about 10:30am and checked email.  Talked to Adele so that I have a ride home from the airport... she eased my mind that the kitties are ok and reminded me that there is one constant in like and that is CHANGE!

Ended up spending the extra day cooking in the kitchen with Joe and Lori.  We made brownies and potato soup and lots of other fun dishes!

Last day in Egypt

Went with Joe and Lori to the dr's office.  The doctor determined that since Lori's arm was broken she needed a cast for the next 6 weeks... so she chose a green fiberglass cast.  After the doctor's we walked home to wait for Negaib.  Had Swarmma for lunch - chicken with a sauce on a hoggie type roll.  Another Egyptian food that was super yummy!

Negaib then drove us to Khan market to finish souvenir shopping.  Due to being with US diplomats we were able to park inside instead of on the street. 

While walking through the stalls I found it very comical as the shop owners call out.... "let me take your money... let me show you ways to spend your money".  Negaib knew several of the shop keepers so we got  some really good deals.  After Khan market we went to Coptic Cairo so that Lori could show me the Babylon gate and the hanging church.  Too bad I didn't have my camera as this was really interesting.  It is a church built above Roman ruins.  There are certain places where you can look down through the floor and see the ruins.

We got back to the house and walked over to Seavin to get a movie and some treats for the flight.  After showering and packing, we watched Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  Went to bed at 9:30pm knowing that 3am was going to come quickly.

Relaxin'!!!

A day to sleep in and catch up.  Lori and Joe both had to go to work, so I stayed at the apartment and did laundry and packed.  I expected them back around noon but since work and the doctor's took longer... they got home at 3ish only to turn around and need to get Lori's arm x-rayed.  It was determined that Lori broke her arm.  After the trip to Nile Scan we headed to Road 9 to look at a stone shop and silver shop.  Picked up a few items then went to the bookshop where we found a couple of children's books.  Lori and I ended up getting Auntie Annes pretzels and then headed home. 

Nothing like a day to do a whole lot of nothing!  It is also nice not to have to take home a bag of dirty clothes!

It all hurts!

Woke up early this morning because I needed to use the bathroom and find pain meds.  Once I took prescription strength ibuprofen, I went back to sleep for a couple of hours. Finally got up about 9:15 and went to breakfast with Lori and Negaib then went back to the room to pack.  We decided to send our bags back with Reda (our driver) instead of carrying them around with us for the rest of the day.

We drove the 2+ hours back to Sharm el Sheikh and Reda dropped us off at Naama Bay.  Reda had to drive back to Cairo before dark.  Due to security reasons we had to fly instead of drive back to Cairo. 

At  Naama Bay, we ate lunch at Hard Rock Cafe... picked up a couple of souvenirs. 

Then we walked around while Negaib sat.  We did not need to be back to the airport until 6:15 so we enjoyed tea until catching a cab back to the airport.  Once we got there the people at Egypt Air told us we would have to wait an hour before checking in.  We were just about to sit down to wait when one of the Egypt Air guys came rushing over to see if we wanted to catch an earlier flight.  Absolutely!!!

It left at 6:50pm... two hours ahead of our plans... putting us back in Cairo at 8pm... instead of 10pm.  Joe came to pick us up.  Drove back to the apartment where we ordered McDonald's.  Yes... McDonald's delivers!!!  We had a lovely dinner and then headed to bed!

Mt. Sinai

As I am writing this my entire body aches over the events of the day and poor Lori ended her day with arm in a hard cast and two shots in the rear.

The day started with sleeping in and an elegant buffet breakfast followed by laying out at the pool and going for a dip in the water.  After a relaxing morning we got cleaned up and checked out of the hotel.  We loaded up the van and headed to St. Catherines and Mt. Sinai.




The landscape was breathtaking... a mixture between garden of the gods (Colorado) and desert.  To think that Moses and the Israelite people crossed the Red Sea and then wandered in the wilderness much like this for 40 years was astounding.

After driving about halfway, we stopped on the side of the road for a fish break.  Using leftovers from the night befores dinner, I took half a pita, filled it with rice and fish and it made a very satisfying lunch.


 Finished the 2 and a half hour drive, very quickly checked in our hotel and then headed to St. Catherine's to begin our journey up the mountain.  For 110 Egyptian pounds we hired our bedouin guide, Ahmed. 







After climbing for 2 and a half hours then 750 very narrow rock steps, we made it to the top... just as the sun was setting.  The views and colors were stunning.  The temperature at the top, even with all the hiking required a long sleeve shirt and hoodie.  The hike makes the Kalaupapa trail seem like a stroll in the park... the height... the ledges... the incline...

The way up was slow and steady... the way down was treacherous.  We hiked down by cell phone light!  On more than one occasion sliding on lose rocks with the padding of my dearrie air to break my fall.  After the first slip... I held on to Reda the rest of the way down. 

Which brings me to why Lori's arm is in a cast?  On her way down, gravity took its course and pulled her to it... while falling a rock jumped out and she hit her hand on it.  This caused what is more than likely a hairline fracture.  Immediately it started swelling and by the time we got down the mountain, we were in need of a doctor.




The doctor from St. Catherine's came and put a cast on it and gave Lori some pain meds.  While he was doing this, I took a shower and laid down.  My body aches and my head is feeling warm... I am TIRED!

Next time, I am joining this guy up the mountain!

I'll fly away

Woke up early to catch a flight to Sharm el Sheik.  Negaib, our translator and security, came over for/with breakfast and then we flew down to Sinai (about an hour flight).  Such an amazing view from the air... desert... mountians... the Red Sea...







Checked in at the Savoy resort-  felt like royalty!....

laid out by the pool...










went swimming...













had fish and salad for dinner/late lunch....



























walked on the beach taking pictures of the purple jellyfish...












and black starfish...













then went right outside of our hotel to see the fountain show and did some window shopping. 















Sat with Lori, Negaib and Reda for tea while Reda smoked shisha (a water pipe).












What a day!

The Conference

Today is the day we have been planning for... the TEAM conference.  In partnership with Petrescue Bible Institute and Maadi Community Church, this is the first ever teaching conference.  The goal was to encourage and strengthen the teachers at the Christian schools in the area.






So how did the day go... registration started at 9:30am.  We had roughly 142 registrants from Egypt and Sudan.  The morning started off with a time of worship and then I got up to speak on "Doing ministry as a TEAM", "God's TEAM plan" and "Ideas: Give one/Get One" ... the sessions went well.  Everyone enjoyed the morning greeting in Hawaiian. 





Martin translated everything into Arabic for me and all went very smoothly.  The first general session covered three of the topics.  Then in the break out sessions I did TEAM strength building.  The first one had 38 people in it and one man who wanted to argue about community involvement in your team.  He later came back and apologized for the miscommunication.  The other odd discussion came about healthy food and that cheese with worms is not healthy???  It was interesting!  Oh the joys of having to translate when you speak.

Finished out the conference with a time of worship, prayer, and an object lesson using puzzle pieces entitled  "It's a PUZZLE".

I also found it very interesting that several people have asked if I am Egyptian and one asked if I was Brazilian.  I guess I am the chameleon that changes with her environment.

After the conference we packed up all of the stuff and headed home to crash on the couch!  A long but good day!

Saqqara Pyramids

Thankfully Lori was feeling better today and went with Ali and I to the pyramids at Saqqara (the step pyramids).  We went through some of the tombs- the tomb of Tetti... loved the stars on the ceiling.

Interesting facts for the day:

• The palm trees are date trees instead of coconuts.
• someone tried to buy my hand in marriage for a horse... Lori decided I was worth more than 2 camels... so no deal!
• Camera got dropped and put out of commission
• The stone structures at the base of the pyramid were made like the temple mentioned in the Old Testament.
• These dig sites are amazingly big
• Did you know that Joseph and Jacob (old testament) were mummified?

Tried to go to Hard Rock Cafe in Cairo for lunch but realized it was closed... ended up going to an Egyptian restaurant for kabobs.  Very yummy!  Then went shopping for food for the conference.  Went to Sally's Sweets and picked up lots of cookies for the conference.  Headed home to drop off everything and turned right around and headed off to church.





Yes... church on Friday evening... weekends in Egypt are Friday and Saturday.  Their work week goes Sunday through Thursday.

Coptic Cairo and Fish Night

After the trip to the Egyptian Museum, Ali took me to the Citadel showing me the aquaducts that took water from the Nile River up to the Citadel.  While at the Citadel, I went in a couple of the mosques.  Very interesting!  Women had to be covered but absolutely no shoes on the rug!







On to Coptic Cairo- the Christian area of Egypt.  Explored the churches and cemeteries.  This is the area known to be the stopping spot for Joseph, Mary and Jesus while they were escaping from King Herod.














Ended up heading back to Maadi in time to help Lori get ready for fish night.  John, the Scottish guy with the fish, dropped off a rather large sea bass (not from the Nile!).  Came home to find a giant fish in the sink.  Soon John came by to prepare the fish. 







There were about 15 people, from all different backgrounds, that came up for fish night.  Rene, the Texan, catered the meal.  The majority of the people in attendance were Muslim.  It is a very cool outreach that Lori and Joe have.  There were groups playing Wii, a group out on the porch talking story, and a group stuffing folders for the conference.

It was a fabulous evening!

Eulogy

Do I really want to be know as obese with bad teeth???

As I was walking through the Egyptian Museum, in the Royal Mummies Hall, this is what was written about Queen Hatsheput!  I find it very interesting that this is all she is known by.

One of the queens (Queen Henettawy) wanted to look good even after death... her face was packed with soda and fat during the mummification process to give the appearance of life.  However it caused her cheeks to burst!

The Egyptians loved life and believed that it continued in a different form after death.  They had a desire to live forever in the Fields of the Blessed.

Oh the things you'll see

Today I spent exploring with Ali, the taxi driver.  As we were driving through Maadi and Cairo, I am still amazed at the driving skills of Egyptians (or lack there of)... a three lane road hosting 5 lanes of traffic... people running across a major thouroughfare.

Saw one lady driving with her cell phone stuck in her head covering... truly a hands free device.

Also saw some men transporting a PINK water buffalo in a horse drawn cart. 

Oh, the things you'll see!!!

First stop today was the Egypt Museum... Before I had left the house, Lori had prepped me on certain words to say and things to look for.  The word for the day was la' shokran (no thank you!). 

The first thing to find was the Israel Stela (1213-1203 BC).  At the end of the text is a list of some of Egypts enemies which includes the name Israel.  This is the first occurrence of this name known from the ancient world.

Next thing to find:  the most expensive thing in King Tut's collection???  It is not the gold masks or sarcophogus but the iron daggers.  King Tutankhamun- boy king was 19 when he died... found on November 4th, 1922 by british archeologist, Howard Carter.  King Tut lived from 1336-1327BC.

The Sudanese Pastor

The plan for the day was to go to the Egyptian museum but due to a meeting at 11am... that was postponed.  We walked down to the church where we met with a local pastor and a Sudanese pastor that is wanting to work in partnership with Petrescue Bible Institute to get the Sudanese pastors trained.

The meeting went very well and it looks like they will send pastors up starting in January.  I was blown away by the fact that tuition for the 2 year program is only 400 Egyptian Pounds (roughly $65).  Definitely need to pray and see if I should support a couple of these pastor's as training these guys affects the entire community.  These pastor's are community leaders... they are the ones that start programs for women and children... educate...etc.

It is really cool to see how God intertwines his children to work together for His ultimate glory.

The trip to Giza

The day started catching a ride to the embassy with Joe where Lori introduced me to some friends.  We had tea with them and then propositioned a driver to take us to Giza. 

The trip down was very funny... at one point our driver, misses the exit... cuts four lanes of traffic and then proceeds to reverse down the interstate.  Of what I hear this is common practice.

Once we got to the pyramids there was the hustle and bustle of tour buses, horses, and camels.... as  the guide book puts it... "the tourist scene at the Pyramids is intense."

Lori gave me the complete rundown of how the pyramids were made.  It was interesting to me that slave labor was not used but that the hired workers had their own quarters and were taken care of.  The pyramids are made out of granite and limestone.  The blocks were raised into place by ramps.  They are absolutely massive.

Once we got back to Maadi, we walked over to Maadi Community Church where the conference will be held on Saturday.  I was amazed when Lori said that their church was so big that they had to move outside and hold two services.

When we got home I laid down to do some reading and ended up falling asleep for an hour.  When I got up we went and ate Mexican food.  Renee, a guy from Texas, owns a mexican restaurant, that serves handmade mexican food!  It was so good!!

After dinner we had a planning meeting for the conference to get all of the paperwork in order.

A different view of marriage

An interesting conversation arose today while waiting in the car for Lori to finish a meeting with a dignitaries wife.  Magdi, our driver, was asking questions about what I did for a living, where I lived, and asked about my husband.  When I told him I was not married, he then asked how old I was.  After looking at me with what is wrong with you... he made the comment of me making the choice to be single.  However much I wanted to argue, it wasn't by choice, I thought it best to keep quiet as trying to explain the meaning would be difficult.

Once we got home, I shared with Lori the conversation between Magdi and I... at first she laughed and then apologized for leaving me in the car with him that long.  Then she explained that most marriages are arranged here and a woman in their 20's/30's that is still single is in one of two categories...

1.) something is majorly wrong with her
2.) she made the choice not to follow the arranged marriage

Lori explained Magdi's reaction as he could plainly see there was nothing majorly  wrong with me so I must have made the choice.  She also said that I could have explained it as God hasn't provided the right one yet and see what conversation happened after that.

This topic of conversation came up a couple of other times with other Egyptian men so after this I knew how to respond and was not caught by surprise!

It is the cry of my heart

It is 5am and I am fully awake and hungry.  I think with all the sleep yesterday, I might be reaching a normal schedule.  So I decided to grab a granola bar and water and sit here and journal.  As I sit here I have music in.... "it is the cry of my heart to follow You... it is the cray of my heart to be close to you all of the days of my life."

That is the cry of my heart so when I woke up a little bit ago I started praying for family, friends, and the upcoming conference.

I desire that this trip be all about Him and what He desires to teach me.

"The weakness of God's children do not strain the strength of God."

Much needed sleep!

After sleeping for more than 14 hours, I am feeling a little more alive and alert.  It is now Monday evening and I have spent the day in bed after arriving at the Lawson's at 4am this morning.

So lets recap Amsterdam and then arrival into Egypt...

after the Anne Frank house we had lunch at the cafe there and then did a little souvenir shopping.  This is when I realized that my VISA card was not working... hmm?  Anyway I was blessed as Marjon and Gerbin took care of it.  We then walked and talked to one of the canals where we took an hour long canal tour all the way to the North Sea.  Very cool view of the city from the water.  After the canal tour, we did a bit more walking past the palace and then we sat and enjoyed mint tea and snacks for afternoon tea before getting back on the trolly to takes us back to Olympic park to get the car and return to the airport.

Check in went really smoothly. Ended up getting a few little souvenirs for friends and did some more walking until I sat down to write and kept nodding off.  At Schipol airport you don't get your carry on bags scanned until you are at the gate ready to board.  Interesting!

Made it to Egypt in 5 hours.  Joe and Lori had a guy waiting for me so security and everything went super fast.  It was so helpful in getting the visa I needed and of what they said super cheap!

On the drive back to their house,  there were very few people on the road and those that were... very few had lights on.  The reason:  They find it offensive to shine their headlights at others.  LOL!