Egypt--from craziness to peace

Hello from Luxor! Egypt has proven to be quite a place, with diversity and history. Where I've been since I wrote last:

Cairo--Islamic and Coptic areas, visiting churches. There is a lot of history in them, and we've gotten to sing in some of them.
Alexandria--touched the Mediterranean Sea, visited the famous library
Anaphora--a wonderful retreat center/monestary. It was a great respite from the craziness of the cities, with simple living, evening prayers, candle light, fresh air, myriad stars, and beautiful sunrises and sunsets from rooftops. We were given great things to think about here from Bishop Thomas, and I'm struck with finding ways to take along aspects from Anaphora to allow for space to experience and rest in God, even amidst the busyness of cities.

Experiencing Egypt through senses:
Sights: ancient works of human hand so monumental and elaborate that the mind can hardly grasp or imagine
Sounds: car horns, the call to prayer early in the morning
Touch--old hieroglyphics carved into stone, sand and dirt on the floors
Smell--dank old chambers, smog of crowded cities, incence of the temples
Taste--many tastes of hummus, cucumber and tomatoes at every meal, fresh pita, and fresh oranges and small bananas.

I am understanding more of what this experience will entail, and feeling very good about it. I am excited for the growth I am experiencing already and what there is yet in store. It's also enriching to see ways in which we impact those with whom we come in contact. Music has been a way I connect that way, and we were able to do that at Anaphora. We had a time of sharing music, where they sang a song for us, and we sang for them, and back and forth. By the end of our stay, we left the hymn "Peace before us" for them to learn and continue singing. As we left, they sang a song of peace for us, and we sang for them. It's a beautiful connection of giving peace to each other, and using that blessing to continue to bless others who we encounter.

"Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our feet. Peace within us, peace over us, let all around us be peace."

Greetings from Cairo

Hello all,
We all arrived here in Cairo safe and sound. Our flights went smoothly, and have found our accomodations to be just fine. Thanks for all your prayers already, since all the beginning logistics have gone very smoothly! We have already had a packed day, seeing the pyramids, the sphinx, and various other sites around Cairo. I can tell I will enjoy so many aspects of this trip, from the stimulating sites, to the wonderful food, to the eclectic sounds in language, music, and street sounds, and even to exciting things like crossing the street amidst crazy Cairo traffic.
Well, I wanted to let you know I have arrived and am well under way this cross cultural. More on all that later....
May you all have a blessed week!

Follow to get updates on my trip

Greetings friends and family:

As you may know, I will be studying abroad in the Middle East for my cross cultural through Eastern Mennonite University January-April, 2010. I will use this blog to occasionally give updates on my experiences and thoughts as I richly experience what this trip has to offer.

If you would like to follow these experiences, simply type your email address into the line under email subscription on the left side of the page. If you activate email subscriptions, you will receive an email when I update the blog.

More than anything else, I covet your prayers as I embark on this journey. Feel free to email me, and I will do my best to respond; although, my highest priority will be to fully experience this cross cultural, limiting my time on the Internet.

Blessings,

Benjamin