Egypt update
April 16, 2005
Earlier this week a suicide bomber in the Khan al Khalili souq killed himself and three others. Two were French tourists and one was an American young man who was on a mission trip here. His brother was also badly injured and almost died this week, but yesterday we heard that he was put on a military transport plane and airlifted to Germany to a trauma unit there. The church had been contacted and asked to pray for the American boy who was so badly injured that the doctors here gave him an hour to live. He had a high fever and was unstable, but he improved with prayer, and had more surgery, and was moved safely. I am glad that his mother didn't lose two sons that week.
Os Guinness has also been in Cairo and we got to hear him speak several times at the university and at church. He is very easy to listen to and a very inspiring person. He mentioned that his great great grandmother had prayed for the next 10-12 generations of their family, and in that family line not one soul has been lost. That is a challenge to me.
He also said that his great great great grandfather, who started the Guinness brewery in Ireland, was a great benefactor and supported many charities anonymously. The largest cathedral in Ireland needed some repairs, and knowing his nature and faith he was approached and asked if he would cover the repairs. He agreed but said he wanted it to be anonymous. As the repairs were being completed they begged him to allow them a small mention of his contribution, and after a lot of pushing he agreed if it were very, very small. When the church was reopened there was found to be a small plaque under a new stained glass window with something like the following notation :'When I was thirsty, you gave me drink." In gratitude to Arthur Guinness.' I guess it still makes people laugh as tour guides point it out as they go through the cathedral.
Robert, Victoria, Laura and I went to the orphanage this afternoon. There were 7 toddlers penned in a twin bed with side rails and nine babies. The toddlers had a sheet on their bed and one of them hid under the sheet and played peek-a-boo and they all laughed and then she led them in making "ba-ba-ba" sounds by bouncing their hands off their open mouths. (She got in trouble from the staff for being noisy.) One baby cried most of the time and seemed ill. The rest were quite content. They had no toys. Those who could sit, sat and watched us, smiling if smiled at, content if not noticed. Those who could crawl or walk did so. The babies lay and didn’t attempt to flit the flies away from their faces. The only toys they had were their own toes and their thumbs. I would like to get them some toys, but maybe they have no toys at home and they would make them discontent to go home? (They all have at least one parent at home and the nuns try to get them home at least once a week. Several are one of twins – the brother staying at home, the sister in the orphanage.) One little boy, Yusef, had a wonderful time trying to walk wearing the flip-flops ( Arabic -shebsheb) of one of the helpers. The children were dressed in almost uniforms today; usually they have a variety of clothes. The room has been improved lately with a carpet on the floor for them to crawl on and now the older toddlers have a table where they can feed themselves in another room. Laura and Victoria thought it was marvelous to have real, live dolls to give bottles to, and to try to get cereal into little mouths despite waving fists and thumbs that wanted to be sucked. To be given a baby and told to carry it around when you are 7 or 9 is quite a feeling of being grown up!
April 15, 2005
[Nathan's] tummy has outgrown some of his shorts and though clothes are inexpensive here, they aren't very good quality and we've had to throw some away after one wearing. (He just designed his own camel t-shirt and then we found it won't go over his head without a struggle. Sigh.)
April 10, 2005
Dad has a test today and then he is finished with Arabic lessons for the foreseeable future. He wants to concentrate on his translating.
March 29, 2005
We are taking Arabic classes again three mornings a week for two hours in hopes of making more sense of the language here. It was a bit frustrating yesterday as we had a new teacher and she taught the whole two hours using flash cards of words (pronouns) and yet we have only been taught two consonants so far, so we couldn't read them very well. (I could do better as I've worked through most of the alphabet on my own, but Chris was almost in tears with frustration.)
March 23, 2005
We went to Luxor where it was warm (hot in the Valleys of the Kings and Nobles!) and saw lots of things one sees in books. Chris and Rob rented bikes and went to the Valley of the Queens on their own. We went a bit crazy with people wanting baksheesh - it's terrible there compared with here! For example, when we went to the Valley of the Nobles we had to pay the government to get in (prices all were at least doubled in November), then we had to negotiate a price with a guy to show us where the tombs were located, for they're scattered amongst homes on the hill. Then the guards at each tomb wanted baksheesh too. We paid three times to see each tomb! The taxi driver who got us there wanted baksheesh on top of his fee......
Earlier this week a suicide bomber in the Khan al Khalili souq killed himself and three others. Two were French tourists and one was an American young man who was on a mission trip here. His brother was also badly injured and almost died this week, but yesterday we heard that he was put on a military transport plane and airlifted to Germany to a trauma unit there. The church had been contacted and asked to pray for the American boy who was so badly injured that the doctors here gave him an hour to live. He had a high fever and was unstable, but he improved with prayer, and had more surgery, and was moved safely. I am glad that his mother didn't lose two sons that week.
Os Guinness has also been in Cairo and we got to hear him speak several times at the university and at church. He is very easy to listen to and a very inspiring person. He mentioned that his great great grandmother had prayed for the next 10-12 generations of their family, and in that family line not one soul has been lost. That is a challenge to me.
He also said that his great great great grandfather, who started the Guinness brewery in Ireland, was a great benefactor and supported many charities anonymously. The largest cathedral in Ireland needed some repairs, and knowing his nature and faith he was approached and asked if he would cover the repairs. He agreed but said he wanted it to be anonymous. As the repairs were being completed they begged him to allow them a small mention of his contribution, and after a lot of pushing he agreed if it were very, very small. When the church was reopened there was found to be a small plaque under a new stained glass window with something like the following notation :'When I was thirsty, you gave me drink." In gratitude to Arthur Guinness.' I guess it still makes people laugh as tour guides point it out as they go through the cathedral.
Robert, Victoria, Laura and I went to the orphanage this afternoon. There were 7 toddlers penned in a twin bed with side rails and nine babies. The toddlers had a sheet on their bed and one of them hid under the sheet and played peek-a-boo and they all laughed and then she led them in making "ba-ba-ba" sounds by bouncing their hands off their open mouths. (She got in trouble from the staff for being noisy.) One baby cried most of the time and seemed ill. The rest were quite content. They had no toys. Those who could sit, sat and watched us, smiling if smiled at, content if not noticed. Those who could crawl or walk did so. The babies lay and didn’t attempt to flit the flies away from their faces. The only toys they had were their own toes and their thumbs. I would like to get them some toys, but maybe they have no toys at home and they would make them discontent to go home? (They all have at least one parent at home and the nuns try to get them home at least once a week. Several are one of twins – the brother staying at home, the sister in the orphanage.) One little boy, Yusef, had a wonderful time trying to walk wearing the flip-flops ( Arabic -shebsheb) of one of the helpers. The children were dressed in almost uniforms today; usually they have a variety of clothes. The room has been improved lately with a carpet on the floor for them to crawl on and now the older toddlers have a table where they can feed themselves in another room. Laura and Victoria thought it was marvelous to have real, live dolls to give bottles to, and to try to get cereal into little mouths despite waving fists and thumbs that wanted to be sucked. To be given a baby and told to carry it around when you are 7 or 9 is quite a feeling of being grown up!
April 15, 2005
[Nathan's] tummy has outgrown some of his shorts and though clothes are inexpensive here, they aren't very good quality and we've had to throw some away after one wearing. (He just designed his own camel t-shirt and then we found it won't go over his head without a struggle. Sigh.)
April 10, 2005
Dad has a test today and then he is finished with Arabic lessons for the foreseeable future. He wants to concentrate on his translating.
March 29, 2005
We are taking Arabic classes again three mornings a week for two hours in hopes of making more sense of the language here. It was a bit frustrating yesterday as we had a new teacher and she taught the whole two hours using flash cards of words (pronouns) and yet we have only been taught two consonants so far, so we couldn't read them very well. (I could do better as I've worked through most of the alphabet on my own, but Chris was almost in tears with frustration.)
March 23, 2005
We went to Luxor where it was warm (hot in the Valleys of the Kings and Nobles!) and saw lots of things one sees in books. Chris and Rob rented bikes and went to the Valley of the Queens on their own. We went a bit crazy with people wanting baksheesh - it's terrible there compared with here! For example, when we went to the Valley of the Nobles we had to pay the government to get in (prices all were at least doubled in November), then we had to negotiate a price with a guy to show us where the tombs were located, for they're scattered amongst homes on the hill. Then the guards at each tomb wanted baksheesh too. We paid three times to see each tomb! The taxi driver who got us there wanted baksheesh on top of his fee......
posted by Steph at 4:03 PM
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