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Friday, May 1, 2009

We all had a great night’s sleep, after an early return yesterday and felt much better for it. Breakfast was great, as usual; they do great omelets here at this hotel.

Our day began at the Citidel of Salah Al-Din, built for Mohammed Ali (not the same one). The Mosque is enormous and centuries old. The grounds are very expansive and contain several smaller mosques and various other buildings. The whole complex is surrounded by a very large wall, complete with watch towers.

The next thing we did was to travel to the Nile River and take a wonderful relaxing boat ride on a replica of the ancient sailing vessels that have plied the river for centuries. It was particularly interesting to see Cairo from the River and to watch the ferries as they carried people to and fro, passing fishermen using nets, much as they did in ancient times and still do today.

The boat ride ended, but not our time on the River, as we travelled a short way to a restaurant right on the banks of the Nile and had another great meal as we continued to watch the busy traffic, fishermen, recreational boaters and such. We were joined at lunch, as has almost always been the case, by a number of seemingly very hungry cats and their little families as they expertly begged for food.

The afternoon found us first at a Coptic Orthodox Church which was built over the traditional site of the residence of the Holy Family, when they fled Israel to protect Jesus’ life. They reportedly lived there for 2 ½ years and had a small home business while they were here. The church is still active today (I don’t know what that means), and was full of people there seemingly worshipping in various parts of the building.

We then walked down the street a very short way to the only synagogue, (Ben Ezra Synagogue) in Egypt that was recently restored and is beautiful inside. Unlike the Church, it is never used but is maintained by the “Ministry of Tourism,” in Egypt, because of its historical significance.
We left the Church and the Synagogue and drove to a shop where many of us paid for gifts we had ordered a couple of days ago, made out of Egyptian cotton, famous for its high quality and durability. They did have beautiful things and the “shoppers” in our midst once again rose to the occasion and bolstered the local economy.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at an upscale gift store, where several of our group had ordered gold Jewelry, including cartouches and picked up their loot.

Our touring day ended early, so we could nap and pack for the long trip home tomorrow at “O Dark Thirty.” We will be leaving the hotel at 11:30 this evening to catch a flight to Istanbul at 3:30 a.m., where we should meet up with Pastor Graig.

We’ve had a spectacular trip, salted with much learning, lots of humor, experiences that have matured us spiritually, new insights into God’s Word, and hopefully a renewed passion to read and study it, some exhaustion, and new friendships that will last the rest of our lives. God has been incredibly good to us and we can only praise Him and give Him the glory. All will return safe and uninjured, full of countless stories and the genuine hope that you will act interested as we regale with our multitude of stories and experiences.

Thank you for praying for us and following us as we’ve travelled the Holy Land and seen things most of us had only dreamed of but are anxious to see again one day.

This will be our last BLOG from the Mideast, as we will hopefully see you tomorrow night, tired and loaded down with our luggage and the multitude of gifts and remembrances of an unforgettable time. See ya soon.

~ Clergy Comments ~

As I woke up this morning a verse came to mind which I shared with our group in our morning devotion and prayer. The last words of Jesus to His disciples in the Gospel of Matthew are, “All authority in heaven and on earth as been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20). This seems to be a fitting conclusion to our pilgrimage; and a challenge to us as we return home to pray for the “nations” of the Middle East, and to be disciple-makers wherever the Lord calls us. Thank you for your prayers along the way. We all have stories and memories to share. - Bruce