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!