Thursday 26 February 2015

We are in Egypt!

Our day started out with Sarah joining my cousins (and our amazing hosts) Phyllis & Arthur in Arabic class.  This was a great experience for her!  While the language class was going on, the boys and I walked around Cairo.  What did we find? A 7-11 called 7-Mart...


They gave us free samples of frozen yogurt and slurpees!


Our walk...


It's a very different culture here for women and I was thankful I was walking with my two sons (and not my two daughters!) Everyone was kind that we ran into.   We can't help but notice the architecture and culture differences from Nepal to this part of the Middke East.  


Phyllis & Arrhur are amazing!  They have a calendar and schedule planned for our days.  Today we had lunch with their friends...(all Egyptian food and we loved it!). 


Then we went to "garbage village."  Can you imagine there's a place like this?  Phyllis has renamed it "recycling village" and it's where communities have formed around jobs developed from collecting and making items from garbage.  (And then selling them).  So in the morning the men collect the garbage and all afternoon the women make things.  The wonderful piece of this is the jobs and income this provides to sustain families.  The negative piece involves the health hazards these people undergo due to handling this waste.  


This whole part of the city reminds me of the song called "you make beautiful things" with the truth that God creates beauty in the midst of brokenness.  

Here are the scraps of material...


But look at what she's creating...



Then we visited inside this part of the city, the cave church.  They began blasting this in 1974 and are still working on it.  It holds thousands of people during weekly gatherings.  



Luke 19:37-40New International Version (NIV)

37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”[a]

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”




Sunset and dinner at a park created on top of garbage.  (Kinda like garbage hill in wpg but with millions of dollars poured into it!)















2 comments:

  1. I can't speak! Just more adventures to awesome to comprehend!! How amazing to experience all these different cultures around the world! Phyllis & Arthur would be excellent tour guides, as this is just one of their callings!! How fortunate that they are in Egypt during your route home!! Was meant to be!! You all look relaxed & jet lag is behind you! Enjoy your next couple of days! Hugs...Mommy/Grammy/Aunty

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  2. Wow, another amazing experience Jo! you're giving such a gift to your family! the memories made are going to be completely priceless. xoxox

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