Day One: Amman and Jerusalem

Friday, June 26th

Ally and I left Friday morning, June 26th for Amman, Jordan. While in the airport in Cairo we saw about 30 Arab men wearing bathtowel ensembles. Here is a picture of one of the men's backs. Ally and I are trying to figure out who these bathtowel wearing men are...so, if you know...let me know!


Our travels started well...flight to Amman was fine and the taxi ride to the Jordanian/Israeli border was lovely. BUT...when we got to the Israeli border, we came across our first speed bump... The last bus across the border left at 11:30, and we arrived at 12:00. So, we were forced to take a $92 per person VIP shuttle across. OH NO! This was Ally and my complete food budget for the trip in Jerusalem.


The good news though was this $92 VIP access got Ally and I through the 4-5 hour border crossing in less than 2 hours!

When we got to the other side, a connection Ally had from a friend in Cairo was there to pick us up. His name is Dan, and he is a high energy, spunky 75 year old man. We had a blast with him!

We got to Jerusalem around 3:00pm, and the adventures quickly began.

Jerusalem is an incredible city. We ushered in Shabbat at the Western Wall with all of the Jews. It was such a powerful experience. I love the liveliness of the city. The city is just brimming with life. Every corner...every street...evey nook in the city just breathes life. The history is amazing to see here.

While wandering around Jerusalem, I ran into a friend from Valley High School! Crazy! He is in Jerusalem working on his masters thesis about Jewish culture. What a small world! I feel that the more I travel, the smaller the world seems to be. And, the more types of people I meet, the more I see how connected and similar we all are.

One really interesting thing about Israel is that if you are an Israeli soldier, whether in or out of uniform, you must carry your gun. So, wandering the city are men and women carry huge army guns. It was crazy seeing a guy in street clothes with an AK 47 strapped to his side. Oh my!

Dan took us all around the Old City in Jerusalem. We walked on the rooftops as Dan explained the many wonderful sights around the city. I am so excited for Day Two of our Israeli adventure!

Lyrics I'm Humming:

"Picture of Jesus" by Ben Harper

Deeper Than My View of Grace

(A golden lamp inside the Greek Orthodox Church in Coptic Cairo)

Your love is deep.

Your love is high.
Your love is long.

Your love is wide.

Your love is deeper than my view of grace...

Higher than this worldly place...

Longer than the road I've traveled...

Wider than the gap You fill...

(The view from inside a church in Coptic Cairo of the neighborhood)

I am so grateful that God has allowed me to live this life. The song by Jami Smith "Your Love is Deep" has been in my head the past few weeks as I've been basking in God's overwhelming love and grace.

Matt Chandler of The Village Church has some great sermons on the church's website. I just listened to "Ask How." It was wonderful.

(This is a statue of St. George stabbing the devil disguised as a snake on the exterior of the Greek Orthodox Church)

Lyrics I'm Humming:

Your Love is Deep

Dahab

After climbing Mt. Sinai, we treked down to Dahab to lay out on the beach and snorkel in the Red Sea. We stayed at a fabulously peaceful hotel called the Daniella.

Across the Red Sea was Saudi Arabia! Amazing how a body of water separates Egypt from Saudi.

While enjoying the sun and the beach, fleets/herds/caravans of camels would pass by. It was pretty funny! Sometimes it seemed like they were running loose without any direction...then you would see a man on a camel herding them from the back.

It was a great weekend of being outside at the Sinai Penninsula!

Lyrics I'm Humming:

"I Need Love" by Enter the Worship Circle

Following in Moses' Footsteps...maybe...

Exodus 34:2

Be ready in the morning,

and then come up on Mount Sinai.

Present yourself to me there

on top of the mountain.

We just got back from a fabulous three day adventure in the Sinai Peninsula! After crossing the Suez Canal, we traveled across the vast mountains and deserts of the Sinai until we got to Mt. Sinai. Biblical scholars think there may be three possible sights of Moses' Mt Sinai: the Mt Sinai in the Sinai Peninsula, a mountain in Saudi Arabia, and a mountain in Israel.

We arrived at Mt. Sinai about 8:30pm on Thursday evening. We began our climb at 9:00pm, and after 5 long hours of hiking, we arrived at the peak of the mountain at 2:00am. Only three hours of sleep until the sunrise! The hike was partially a winding dirt path and partially steep, rocky stairs. It was pretty difficult hiking in the pitch black! We shared the light of a few flashlights and made it to the top alive.


On the hike, we stopped at a Bedouin man's tea/coffee stand for some chai tea and a little break. There were lots of wonderful homes to stop at along the way. I loved seeing the Bedouin homes and people on our way up.

The top of the mountain was incredibly cold! We rented blankets from some of the Bedouins and snuggled together on top of the mountain. Brrrrr!!!

Around 5:00am the sun began to rise.

It was incredibly beautiful seeing the sunrise on top of Mt. Sinai.

God was in the moment.

Around 6:00 we headed down the moutain. It took us 2.5 hours to get to the bottom. It was crazy seeing everything that we had just hiked in the pitch black! Wow. We were definitely being looked after that night before!

The entire hike up and down we had an incredibly patient, kind Bedouin man guiding us through the winding path. He was a wonderful guide. He always stayed with the person in the back, and ended up carrying the backpack of one of the girls in our group. She was getting altitude sickness, so around the time that we hit the steep stairs, he physically helped her finish the climb. We gave him a tip at the top of the mountain and told him that we could get down on our own the next morning. He gratefully thanked us and parted.

Well, that next morning, he was there waiting to be our loyal guide. He patiently took us all the way back down the mountain. At the end, some of us wanted to tip him again, but he had disappeared. He clearly did not want any payment for helping us. It was very humbling to see him be so kind to our group.

I love Bedouin mountain people who reside on Mt. Sinai.

While hiking up and down the moutain, there were lots of Bedouin men with camels offering "comfortable camel transportation" up or down the mountain. I was terrified that I would fall of the camel on one of the steep steps! One of the girls in our group took a camel for the very end of the journey. She looked super cute and Egyptian!

After climbing the mountain, we all piled back into the van around 9:30am and headed to Dahab for a relaxing afternoon of laying out and snorkeling at the Red Sea!

Lyrics I'm Humming:
Over the Mountains and the Seas...Your River Runs with Love for Me

Coptic Cairo

Maggie, one of Ally's Egyptian friends, gave us a tour yesterday of Coptic Cairo. Coptic Christians in Cairo have an interesting history, and Maggie (a Coptic) showed us around the neighborhood with churches and winding streets.

Coptic Christians have had a history of persecution, living as a religious minority. I loved seeing the hidden passageways and rooms in the Coptic churches. When persecutors would come to the church doors, the priest and the people would hide in secret chambers within the church.

I liked being in the Hanging Church, and thinking about all of the Christian believers who worshipped God in the building. The Hanging Church is dedicated to Jesus' mother, Mary. I loved the beautiful icons and images in the church. There is so much meaning in every decoration in that wall. Even the detailed ebony, ivory, and cedarwood carved walls have symbolism. The ten points of a repeated star represent the Ten Commandments. Each icon in the church was thougtfully and purposefully placed and is a way to worship God.

It is beautiful to me to think of all the different people groups and cultural traditions that praise the name of the same God. Every person views worship differently, and I love seeing the various ways men and women seek to praise and honor Him.

After we explored the streets of Coptic Cairo, we went to the British Cemetary and sat underneath a mayflower tree and talked. It was the first time in Cairo that I sat in lush grass, which was a treat. The peaceful cementary was a calming oasis from the bustle of Cairo. We talked about life, families, dreams, struggles, and joys. It's been nice getting to know Ally's friends, Rachael (American) and Maggie (Egyptian) here.

Lyrics I'm Humming:

"Claire du Lune" by Debu