Today is my final day in Egypt. I'll be headed back to the States tomorrow, back to orderly roads and regular, municipality-ordered pick-up of rubbish, potable water in kitchen and bathroom faucets, and emissions standards. What a contrast. I'll miss Egypt and am looking forward to returning soon. I pray, very soon.

I went with a small group to Alexandria today. We were able to visit the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater and other facilities, the catacombs, and the Library of Alexandria. We were not allowed to take a camera into the catacombs, so I don't have any pictures to share. I have a few of the other places we visited. I was pretty captivated by the everyday life happening around us as we zipped through the city, and many of my pictures reflect that.

I immediately noticed better air quality in this city of 5 million, compared to the sprawling congestion of Cairo. It may not be a scientific fact, but the sky is distinctly bluer and clearer in Alexandria. The second thing I noticed is how colorful buildings are. Vibrant gold, coral, and turquoise dot the roads and break up the monotony of the desert. Here are a few pictures from the day:One of the many colorful buildingsWe passed through many neighborhoods with different industries; just before this lumberyard area we passed through an area heavy with auto maintenance shops and spare parts, right after this lumberyard area we passed by a number of blocks with electrical shops.



Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Guarded by two Egyptian Marines.



Boy running along the boardwalk.

The Pepsi truck and the boy were politely waiting a mere inches away from us as we crossed the intersection...
The Alexandria Library with the Museum of Ancient Documents. The museum itself is in the shape of the sun disk that is so important to ancient pagan religions in Egypt.

Thursday a group of us went to see the Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Here are a few highlights:

Our first glimpse of the Pyramids was from the side of the road. This is on the edge of Cairo. I was surprised to find cultivated fields of produce between apartment buildings on the outskirts of the city.

The Tourism Police had a significant presence at the Pyramids site and many of them were on camels!This is part of my group on the Great Pyramid. I'm in the white, second from left. We're about as high as you can go on the pyramid.
Our smooth talking bus driver managed to negotiate horses for us at a reasonable rate which allowed us to tour the pyramid site via horseback rather than walking. It worked out well and it was so hot that we were thankful to not be walking.


In front of the Great Pyramid!
Walk like an Egyptian!

A-Salaam a-Leekum! Kayf al-haal?

Greetings from Cairo, Egypt. I'm getting settled in, and will spend the next few weeks working here in Cairo. I arrived today and had quite an adventure getting from the airport (on the eastern edge of the city) to our hotel near the center of the city. The entire trip took well over an hour and transferred us through run-down industrial areas and crumbling shanty apartments to tree-lined and police-lined boulevards that guided us through immaculate and opulent architecture.

Cairo is such a city of contrasts! There are men in traditional clothes with turbins walking with men in stylish western suits and shiny shoes. Many women coordinated their hijabs with brightly colored western clothing. Women were walking and driving by themselves in all areas of the city, and some went without any head coverings at all. I also noticed lots of rosaries hanging from the rearview mirrors of cars on the road. Centuries-old mosques and Coptic churches dot a skyline riddled with skycrapers and cranes and satellite dishes. The pollution and dust is so thick that the sun burned a hazy bright red in mid-afternoon, and no stars or moonlight are visible after dark.

I absolutely loved seeing all the neighborhoods -the contrasts, the ability to see people doing life in such a different way, and the history. While it would be easy to focus on the dirt, the rubble, the tight quarters, noise or seeming lack of amenities; it is also easy to see the fingerprints of God in these people. I felt myself wanting to know if anyone knew Jesus, if muslims and Christians mixed, and if they shared their faith with each other. This is a land that has been in the heart of so much history and change. I can't help but be amazed at the Nile River when I remember this was once turned entirely to blood, yet how many here in this city know? This land of Pharoahs and grand empires, has also been at the heart of so many of God's works.

I recently learned that the International House of Prayer (based in Kansas City, MO) launched a House of Prayer - Egypt (HOPE in Cairo), and next week (15-17 Oct) it will be hosting a young adult conference to exhort, encourage, and teach Christian men and women in Cairo. IHOP's 24-hr prayer ministry has had a huge impact on my life, and continues to be a great source of teaching for me. I'm excited to see this ministry growing in Cairo as well. While I'd love to attend the conf, I don't think it will be logistically possible, but I'll be lifting it up in prayer just the same. Would you join me in praying for the Christians in Cairo and the bold meeting that will happen next week? Pray for the Holy Spirit to move men and women to boldly step out in faith and attend the conference, for the Lord to call new missionaries and prayer warriors from among them, and for the teaching at the conference to be used to build new ministries throughout the city.


Here's a few pictures from my trip so far:

Traffic, miles and miles of traffic!

Hazy skyline under the late-afternoon sun


Coptic Church

First glimpse of the Nile River...the shores are lined with riverboat docks, casinos, and hotels


Apartments along the highway, lots of satellite dishes on the roofs and clothes drying on the balconies. This was a common sight along the road - old dilapidated buildings, rubble, trash, and lots of satellite dishes.

Jess

Focus

I(Mike) just returned from driving across the country with my cousin where we spent a week chasing elk with our bows. We packed in all the food we ate and all the gear we needed on our backs. We covered a lot of hard miles, all by foot. The nights were cold, and a few of the days were rainy. By the end, we were as beat tired as we’ve ever been and had pretty bad chest colds. Driving us was the hope of getting a change to fill our tags. That wasn’t all that pushed me. I had to go and see if I had what it takes. Before the trip, some folks I talked with thought we must crazy, others understood what we were doing and why. What do you guys think?

During the hunt, I was a bit surprised by how focused I was able to stay. In the midst of the discomfort and exhaustion, all I could do was focus on the essentials: must get water, have to keep hiking, gotta go up over that mountain, don’t give up. Most everything else faded away in light of that which was more pressing. Being that focused is a blessing in hard times like that. Most of the time, I’m not nearly that on track. When I ask myself, “How focused are you in your Christian walk?” I’m usually a bit saddened.

More often than I care to admit, I let my priorities cloud the vision God has for my life. I want to go here, do this, spend my time there… How can I enjoy His perfect plan, when I’m always buggering it up with my own plan??? I don’t have to work harder, I need to remember His promises, and in faith surrender my will. It’s also not about feeling guilty. It’s about focusing on truth, and choosing the better. God promises many more, and far greater blessings when we obey Him. When I find myself doing what I want, it’s either because I don’t believe God, or because I don’t care. Both pretty well stink.

Paul reminds us all through Galatians 5 of the great rewards of living freely for Christ. When I choose to obey Christ, when I surrender my will and walk in His Spirit, life rocks! I’ve found that for me to stay focused, like during the hunt, I need to remind myself of the basics. God’s ways are better, more fulfilling, more blessed than my ways. If I choose His way, even when I can’t understand it from my view, I will have more joy and life.

Would you choose with me to surrender to His Spirit, and enjoy His abundant blessings??

PS, I got my bull. It was worth it. I had what it took, because God gave it to me.