Hello from Egypt!

I thought it was about time to update everyone. My time here in Egypt has been absolutely wonderful. Please keep the prayers coming...we can feel them! Next stop: climbing mnt. Sinai!!!

I wrote this journal entry to post on the emu website, so I thought I would share with you all.
Enjoy :)

I think I can speak for most of the group when I say this past week has been a whirl-wind of once in a lifetime experiences, delicious foods, and the start of some great friendships. Since arriving in Egypt, my time here has been what I hoped it would be and more. I have seen wonders of the world, eaten fresh fish while overlooking the Mediterranean, and have encountered some beautiful people both inside our group and outside it. When I reflect over this past week, I cannot help but feel blessed by this amazing opportunity to learn and grow in a culture very different from my own.

A highlight that I wish to share with you all is stemmed from a fear of mine and is placed in a gorgeous Coptic church retreat, Anafora. Anafora was founded by bishop Thomas, a famous, outspoken bishop of upper Egypt, whom we had the opportunity to talk with about the Jewish, Christian, Muslim conflict and why they clash. A fear of mine going into this trip was that I would not be ready or prepared to encounter the hurt of the people or the land. However, bishop Thomas shared that we all have the responsibility to love everyone. He said that "love can change the world". The kind of love that is from God and is never-ending. After hearing from the bishop, it hit me that love needs to be my focus and from that love comes healing. To me, bishop Thomas's words were a simple, yet beautiful, preparation-not only for the rest of cross-cultural but for the rest of my life.

Another highlight has been experiencing the beauty of symbolism found everywhere in Egypt. Symbolism that ranges from hieroglyphics in the pyramids to symbols in the Coptic churches. Everything has meaning and it is always so interesting to learn about it. I'm thankful for our tour guides and awesome leaders who tell us the meaning behind everything we encounter.

To end, I want to share with you an example of this symbolsim that has touched me. All throughout Anafora there are beautiful rugs of many colors, all made from recycled scraps. When we learned about these rugs, they told us they are to symbolize all of Gods people coming together. All of us different but forming something beautiful. To me, this is what cross-cultural is all about. Meeting different people, learning from and loving them, all the while forming something beautiful.