Bathing water buffaloes and Caleb helping in sorting the dates for market.

Mokkatam Cave Church

It has been a while since I last posted and so I have some catching up to do. I have been something of a tourist again with having Nancy and Caleb here and enjoy sharing some of the unique sights of this ancient land. The traditional sights such as the Pyramids I have "allowed" them to experience solo but the wandering around the backstreets and countryside I love.
I took them to the garbage city on the outskirts of town where as the name indicates all the garbage is taken and is sorted for recycling. You can imagine the sights and smells of garbage sitting in 100 degree heat! Yet in the midst of this stench operates one of the most active and vibrant churches in this land. The Mokkatam Cave Church is what we call it although it is really an amphitheater (the original church which sat 5000 was in a cave near by).

The Never Ending Birthday Celebration

I have just returned from yet another birthday celebration dinner! I must be honest I am enjoying it! I have had all you can eat sushi, amazing Chinese and tonight it was Japanese Tepanyaki and I still have a few more outstanding dinner invites to go! For some reason this years birthday came with a bit more ease than last years, maybe because I was mistaken about my age for most of last year and hence relieved to learn that I was turning 42 not 43. Either way I am OK with this growing older thing, well that is until someone asks if Caleb is my grandson then I am a bit bitter. I decided I don't feel 42 so I'm not! I must say it is weird though to be with my peers whose kids are in college whilst mine is turning 2 :)

Travis,my old intern who is now the youth pastor for the year, took me out along with his 2 new interns and it felt like old times again as they hissed and gasped as we drove through downtown traffic and stared in amazement at the sheep in the road and the overflowing minivans. I always loved seeing Cairo through the eyes of a new intern!

August in Cairo is first of all HOT, secondly it is hopping morning,noon and night especially night! All the Egyptians flock to the Med. coast and the Saudi's move in for the month. They come here and do everything they can't do there... and the money absolutely oozes through the town. September is around the corner and school will begin for everyone (although the big American school has started already) and life will return to normal for a short time until Ramadan begins in mid Sept. Which is like summer holiday all over again for a month. Yet another reason I am loving living outside of town and not so affected by the noise and traffic.

I have begun tutoring a bit but won't return to my regular schedule until Sept. as well. I seem to have plenty to do to keep me busy and lots of visitors to fill my social calendar so no complaining for my corner of the world.

Dahab Revisited

This last week I traveled back to Dahab with a Cairo friend as well as Nancy and Caleb who are visiting and my Caleb. The town seemed to have recovered fairly well since the bombing that took place on my last visit. It was a bit eerie though. Caleb loved the water and the rush of the tide. He is turning into quite the independent little boy! He is happy to head off on his own and makes friends with everyone he meets. He spent an entire morning hanging out with these little Bedouin girls who make bracelets to sell to the tourists, and waiters at every restaurant were eager to feed him banana's and candy and take him on tours of the kitchen. Quite the charmer he is!

We did a bit of snorkeling, hiking and 4 wheeling which I love. Between the beauty of the undersea life and the mountains that hug the shoreline, I am always in amazement of God's creativity and goodness.

I have the rest of August off to finish organizing my life and house. I am loving the quality of time with Caleb and get a bit sad thinking about going back to the daily grind. Not sure how much effort to put into settling here in my plush accomodations as it seems unlikely that we will be here beyond Dec. I am going to look around in the area for something similar although not so palatial. I am hoping to find something small with a yard. In Maadi, flats with a garden are a prized commodity and usually priced out of my range. In the meantime I am going to soak up the luxury!

Under the table trying to love (or from their perspective terrorize) the cats.

Under the table trying to love (or from their perspective terrorize) the cats.

Caleb's independent spirit on display at a bedouin camp

Hangin with the bedouin girls

Shouting taunts to Saudia Arabia across the bay.

Visiting a friends Shetland Pony. He, normally, is quite comfortable around animals but he wasn't budging on this one.

Behind the wheel is where he wants
to be

Nancy and her Caleb dining on Kosheri.

I have had a fun walk down memory lane tonight as one of my old youth group kids is here visiting for a few weeks with her husband. We spent the evening looking through old pixs and reminiscing about
times I yelled at her, or all her attempts at pulling one over on me on a retreat or the very funny conversations we used to have (which I suspect she deeply regrets now :) ). In search of pictures from her era I found tons of pictures from many era's. Hideous hairdo's, the ridiculoulsy huge red glasses ala Sally Jessy Raphael, and a way chubbier face! Man, not missing those days! But regretful fashion aside what a great life I have lived!!! I have had amazing jobs and gotten to work with amazing kids and how cool is it that so many of these people are still a part of my life. It sounds so cheesy to say that I am "blessed" but what other word describes it? To love what you do and to love the people who have worked and walked along side of you all the way isn't by any means a guarantee but rather an added benefit from God ...a blessing! So to all of you (high school buds, mentors, youth group kids, interns and friends of all ages) a reminder that I count myself privileged to have had each of you to have walked with me at some point in my journey.

OK enough sentimentality... yeah Nancy is here with her husband Caleb (whoo hoo!) and we have been doing the semi tourist thing, a little looking around and a lot of layin around...by the pool of course. Enjoying lots of great conversation and catching a glimpse of the person she has become. I always looked forward to the time that kids would no longer be "my kids" and would be just my friends. It is satisfying.

Like I said I have been blessed!