Egypt

I just got back from Egypt. I went to Cairo, Giza, Luxor, Sharm Al-Sheik, and Mt. Sinai. Giza is a suburb of Cairo, so I got to see the pyramids. Luxor is the modern name for the ancient capital Thebes and is where all the tombs are (Like King Tuts tomb) and the capital temple, the temple of Karnak (the major Egyptian temple complex). Sharm Al-Sheik is just a tourist town on the bottom tip of the Sinai Peninsula known for its scuba diving. I just passed through there on my way to Mt. Sinai.

While I was in Cairo I got to see 11 mummies including the Pharoah who was most likely reigning during the exodus. Isn't that crazy? I saw the same guy Moses saw. Despite the poor pharoahs best efforts though, he was very much dead. I guess his soul never really came back to get him. Oh well, maybe next time right?

I thought it was kind of weird how in a couple ways these pagan Egyptian temples were similar to some of the Orthodox churches in Jerusalem. They both have a bunch of different little chapels that venerate some spirit like the chapel of Adam in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or the Chapel of Osiris in the Temple Karnak. Both specified what the believer had to do in each room to bestow some sort of grace or godly blessing from the deity. The orthodox christians light a candle at this bench, recite a prayer at this wall, chant at this stone, wave incense at this altar. The Egyptians did a lot the same plus some sacrifices. I don't really know what to make of that observation, so do what you will with it. I just thought it was interesting.

Egypt has been one of the best parts of my trip so far. I have so many incredible stories from every part of the trip. So many people were so kind and hospitable to me. I talked to my friend Maged who is from the town of Zagazig which is near Cairo and told him my stories of Egypt. He said people someone could go to Egypt 10 times and not come back with the experiences I did.

The Lord gave me opportunity to learn the beliefs of Islam from and share the gospel with several devout Muslims and even some native Bedouins. This has been better than any class on Islam or world religions I could be taking right now. I can't wait to tell more of the stories, but I have to go for now. It's dinner time!