Let’s just say it is a good thing we aren’t rich men on this trip because I’ve seen a camel, and it is not fitting through!
We are back in Cairo after about 10 days down in the heart of Egypt doing ministry. We worked with the Coptic Orthodox Church and had the privaledge of staying in the Bishop’s house. Our first full day we were taken to a monastary and given a free tour around the places where the holy family lived a majority of their time in Egypt. Things couldn’t get any better than when the monk giving us the tour hooked us up with free icecream and sodas at the end. Can you beat that?
The next week or so was spent in different areas of ministry. We all broke up into different groups. Some people taught English, some worked with orphans, some helped Evelyn (our contact from South Africa living in Egypt) get her classroom ready, and then there was my group. Sisson, Friske, Clara, Leisl and I signed up for helping with an art project the church was working on. The way it was described to us was that we would be doing collages based on the book of Revelations. I was thinking, “Cool, cutting and pasting things in fun patterns, I can do that.” Little did we know what we were in for. This project was a full walk through scene with life size depictions of Revelations, intended on being open in 3 days for the public to tour through.
We spent the next couple days helping out painting thrones for the 24 elders, coloring angels, and making trees for the New Jerusalem. My favorite part was making friends while working, exchanging songs in English and Egyptian, and seeing the heart of the people for God. They are so dedicated to their church and fellowship within it.
There were so many different things we did during the time at the Coptic Church it’s hard to explain them all. We talked and played games at youth groups, performed many dramas, joined in on the library (English) club, played with kids, and even cleaned all the bird poop off the roof of the Bishop’s house…finally the skills I got from cleaning up after my baby chicks came in handy.
Also while staying at the Bishop’s house, we appropriately went through a study of Joseph and his times in Egypt. I was again reminded of how God is so much more concerned with our character than our circumstances. Joseph spent years in prison while God prepared him for what glory was to come. God spoke to my heart about the trials we all must go through before we can see the reward at the other end.
God is alive and at work in the heart of Egypt. The Christians here are persecuted for their faith daily. In a country dominated by Muslim culture, sometimes the Christians have to wait extra long for supplies. They are not allowed to build churches or even do repairs without government permission. Yet the ones I met are completely dedicated to their faith and have joy only found in the Lord.
Today we had the opportunity to see the pryamids, the only remaining wonder of the anceint world! Not only that but we had some camel riding fun as well. Tonight and the next couple days will be spent debriefing our time in Egypt. Friday night we will take an overnight flight to Kenya. As this race is getting closer to the end, I am so thankful to have experienced so much of God’s grace, love, and provision. Yet, I am still so excited to see what God has in store for the next leg. Please pray for us as money is getting tight with unexpected travel expenses. I ask that you especially pray for those who do not have the full amount of money raised to finish the race. By faith we know that God will provide for them to not only run the race but to finish it as well. That’s about it my friends…God bless and thanks for the prayers and support!
Here are a few more pictures of Egypt and our time here:
