Dad and AT's Excellent Adventure, 2.0
Back in Indy again!
What an amazing time at GSI... In the interest of maintaining an interesting blog, I'll refrain from writing about every minute detail, but I would like to tell about one especially interesting time we had last week. (By the way, check out Dad's new blog for some of his thoughts, as well as some great pictures).
So, one of the first places we went to in Cairo was Garbage City. Basically, Garbage City is an inhabited city dump. The people who live there sort the trash in to categories, recycling some, reusing some, then haul it off to certain areas in the city, or to the recycling area.
Obviously, the first thing you notice is the smell. Imagine sealing yourself inside a garbage truck, and you might be able to begin to imagine the assault on your sense of smell. The city itself is situated at the base of a hill, at the top of which sits a Coptic Church, well away from the sights and smells of Garbage City, though close enough to walk to. We walked to the top of the hill, into a cave where service were sometimes held, into the church, and into several other places just outside of the City. Plenty of interesting stories there, but the main thing I want to talk about is Garbage City itself.
After the sun went down, we returned down the hill to attend the evening service at the Garbage City Free Methodist Church.
Tucked away in the middle of piles of every sort of garbage imaginable, was a small building that housed the body of Christ that lived in Garbage City. What a perfect picture of the desire for incarnational ministry our church has, as opposed to the Coptic church tucked up on the hill, somewhat removed from the people.
Our group was welcomed warmly, and regaled with the story of how an elderly member of the church had actually divided his house in half so that the church would have a place to meet. We sang a song, then were treated with bottles of orange pop.
As our group was getting ready to leave, I was given the opportunity to stay, and attend the evening service. I appreciated Dad giving me the chance to stay at what would be an exciting experience.
Most of the service was in Arabic, with the exception of our missionaries sermon, which was translated by a Egyptian brother. My friend David and I were asked to give our testimonies, and then to sing a song (we sang the Doxology).
I am always amazed at how passionate, authentically seeking worship is both refreshing and encouraging, even if I am unable to understand the language. Sensing the presence of the Lord, and being caught up in the praises of His people is an experience you don't soon forget.
After the service, while we were waiting for a taxi, David and I were able to spend some time with a couple of the kids who went to the church. We talked as best we could, and played soccer (football) with a rock.
Once we had left Garbage City, we went to an Arabic restaruant, where Lamb, Hummus, Bread, and drinks were served. I was surprised at how much I liked the Lamb... YUM! :)
From there, our friend took us to the Khan Al Kalili Market, where we had 'Om Ali' (English: Ali's Mom), which is a super-good form of tapioca topped with coconut, almonds, raisins, and whipped cream, and heated in the oven. Oh man... I had some Turkish-style coffee, and was about as content as I have ever been.
I also was able to buy a drum at the market. It looks like a small djembe, and says 'Alexandria' on the head (Evidentally, Alexandria is a center for drum making in Egypt). It came in handy the rest of GSI, and I have enjoyed pinking away here at home.
So, there you have about 120 miutes out of the 24, 480 we had in Egypt. It was an altogether amazing experience, and I thank the Lord for His blessings, and the oppourtunities He has, and continues to give me.
What an amazing time at GSI... In the interest of maintaining an interesting blog, I'll refrain from writing about every minute detail, but I would like to tell about one especially interesting time we had last week. (By the way, check out Dad's new blog for some of his thoughts, as well as some great pictures).
So, one of the first places we went to in Cairo was Garbage City. Basically, Garbage City is an inhabited city dump. The people who live there sort the trash in to categories, recycling some, reusing some, then haul it off to certain areas in the city, or to the recycling area.
Obviously, the first thing you notice is the smell. Imagine sealing yourself inside a garbage truck, and you might be able to begin to imagine the assault on your sense of smell. The city itself is situated at the base of a hill, at the top of which sits a Coptic Church, well away from the sights and smells of Garbage City, though close enough to walk to. We walked to the top of the hill, into a cave where service were sometimes held, into the church, and into several other places just outside of the City. Plenty of interesting stories there, but the main thing I want to talk about is Garbage City itself.
After the sun went down, we returned down the hill to attend the evening service at the Garbage City Free Methodist Church.
Tucked away in the middle of piles of every sort of garbage imaginable, was a small building that housed the body of Christ that lived in Garbage City. What a perfect picture of the desire for incarnational ministry our church has, as opposed to the Coptic church tucked up on the hill, somewhat removed from the people.
Our group was welcomed warmly, and regaled with the story of how an elderly member of the church had actually divided his house in half so that the church would have a place to meet. We sang a song, then were treated with bottles of orange pop.
As our group was getting ready to leave, I was given the opportunity to stay, and attend the evening service. I appreciated Dad giving me the chance to stay at what would be an exciting experience.
Most of the service was in Arabic, with the exception of our missionaries sermon, which was translated by a Egyptian brother. My friend David and I were asked to give our testimonies, and then to sing a song (we sang the Doxology).
I am always amazed at how passionate, authentically seeking worship is both refreshing and encouraging, even if I am unable to understand the language. Sensing the presence of the Lord, and being caught up in the praises of His people is an experience you don't soon forget.
After the service, while we were waiting for a taxi, David and I were able to spend some time with a couple of the kids who went to the church. We talked as best we could, and played soccer (football) with a rock.
Once we had left Garbage City, we went to an Arabic restaruant, where Lamb, Hummus, Bread, and drinks were served. I was surprised at how much I liked the Lamb... YUM! :)
From there, our friend took us to the Khan Al Kalili Market, where we had 'Om Ali' (English: Ali's Mom), which is a super-good form of tapioca topped with coconut, almonds, raisins, and whipped cream, and heated in the oven. Oh man... I had some Turkish-style coffee, and was about as content as I have ever been.
I also was able to buy a drum at the market. It looks like a small djembe, and says 'Alexandria' on the head (Evidentally, Alexandria is a center for drum making in Egypt). It came in handy the rest of GSI, and I have enjoyed pinking away here at home.
So, there you have about 120 miutes out of the 24, 480 we had in Egypt. It was an altogether amazing experience, and I thank the Lord for His blessings, and the oppourtunities He has, and continues to give me.
posted by ATS at
1/15/2006
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