Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
May 26
We apologize for the lack of postings over the past few days. Internet access has not been easy to find and our days have been very full. Unfortunately, our current internet connection will not allow for photos to be uploaded so we will add additional photos when we return.
We have reached our final spot - - Jerusalem. We have visited many places in Israel before arriving here. Some of the highlights include Masada, Qumran (the location of the Dead Sea Scrolls) and Jerico on our journey through the desert. We emerged from the desert and spent a couple of days in Galilee. We visited holy sites throughout the area including the location of the Sermon on the Mount, Nazareth, and a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where we shared communion. Yesterday we worshiped at St George’s Episcopal Cathedral on Sunday morning before visiting the sites around Jerusalem including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Today we toured Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity. Our stops included a meeting the Pastor Mitri Raheb of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church. We learned about the ministries of the church including a K-12 school and college as well as social programs to help the Palestinians build hope in their difficult environment.
We have one full day left before the journey ends. Once we return, we will post more detailed entries and reflections including photos. Thanks for following our spiritual journey and continue to monitor for more information.
We have reached our final spot - - Jerusalem. We have visited many places in Israel before arriving here. Some of the highlights include Masada, Qumran (the location of the Dead Sea Scrolls) and Jerico on our journey through the desert. We emerged from the desert and spent a couple of days in Galilee. We visited holy sites throughout the area including the location of the Sermon on the Mount, Nazareth, and a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where we shared communion. Yesterday we worshiped at St George’s Episcopal Cathedral on Sunday morning before visiting the sites around Jerusalem including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Today we toured Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity. Our stops included a meeting the Pastor Mitri Raheb of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church. We learned about the ministries of the church including a K-12 school and college as well as social programs to help the Palestinians build hope in their difficult environment.
We have one full day left before the journey ends. Once we return, we will post more detailed entries and reflections including photos. Thanks for following our spiritual journey and continue to monitor for more information.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Israel
After a full day of travel, our group has arrived in Israel! We are in a hotel near the dead sea, and will journey up the coast tomorrow on our way to Tiberius. During this trip we will get to swim in the sea, and see Jericho among other sites.
Thus far, our group has seen immense wonders. We have been blown away by experiencing the remains of cultures long since past and how evidences of two or more cultures are found in one location. Yesterday, we wandered through the ancient city of Petra, gazing in wonder at the tombs that had been carved out. We also witnessed Roman roads and ruins among the city of ancient tombs. In case you aren't familiar with Petra, the 'treasury' of Petra, a carved out tomb near the entrance of the city, is featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Again, I apologize we haven't been able to write much. We've been busy enough only to really contact family and friends with general information, even less to write long reflections on our trip. I imagine these will come in time, especially when we've been able to relax and reflect on our experiences.
God has been keeping us safe and continually in wonder in our trip thus far. I know you will all hear plenty of stories of how God has worked in this world and continues to work in our group and the cultures we have come into contact with.
Again we appreciate your thoughts and prayers!
Thus far, our group has seen immense wonders. We have been blown away by experiencing the remains of cultures long since past and how evidences of two or more cultures are found in one location. Yesterday, we wandered through the ancient city of Petra, gazing in wonder at the tombs that had been carved out. We also witnessed Roman roads and ruins among the city of ancient tombs. In case you aren't familiar with Petra, the 'treasury' of Petra, a carved out tomb near the entrance of the city, is featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Again, I apologize we haven't been able to write much. We've been busy enough only to really contact family and friends with general information, even less to write long reflections on our trip. I imagine these will come in time, especially when we've been able to relax and reflect on our experiences.
God has been keeping us safe and continually in wonder in our trip thus far. I know you will all hear plenty of stories of how God has worked in this world and continues to work in our group and the cultures we have come into contact with.
Again we appreciate your thoughts and prayers!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The group in Jordan
Our group has been keeping busy over the past couple of days! Yesterday, we flew into Amman, Jordan, for a few days here. We visited some awesome Roman Ruins and met with a couple of people from the Associated Press to talk about Religion and politics in the Middle East for a great panel discussion. Tomorrow we take a bus down to see Petra for a couple days before moving on to Israel!
We have not had much time to post on this site, as we are constantly on the move! Thank you for your patience and prayers! Keep an eye out for more posts in the future.
We have not had much time to post on this site, as we are constantly on the move! Thank you for your patience and prayers! Keep an eye out for more posts in the future.
Friday, May 16, 2008
May 15
We got an early start to the west bank of the Nile River valley. This is the location of the Valley of the Kings, the location of many tombs. The first stop was the temple of Hatshepsut. The Mangos are now getting pretty good at reading hieroglyphics so Amr has us explain what we are seeing. We soon will be Junior Egyptologists.
From here, it was off to see the tombs at the Valley of the Kings. We visited the tombs of several Ramesses (there were 11, but not all the tombs have been found yet). There was a dig going on that is possibly the tomb of Nerfertiti but no one really knows yet because it is a closely guarded secret. The temperature exceeded 100 degrees. We seek shade whenever possible but push on to see as much as possible. Soon we will be sun dried mangos.
Amr has arranged for us to have lunch at a small hotel, El Nakhil, on the west bank. We walked down the dirt road of a small village to reach the hotel. The food was excellent!
When most tour groups retreated from the heat, the Mangos didn’t give up. We pushed on to visit Habu Temple and Ramesseum Temple. Not surprisingly, we didn’t have to compete with crowds. We just kept drinking water and absorbing knowledge.
Our final stop was at alabaster shop where the shop keeper explained the process for turning alabaster into vases, cups and figurines and how to tell fake from real stone. The shop keeper was glad to see us as many gifts were purchased for Mangos’ friends and relatives. Oops – hope we didn’t spoil any surprises!
Two more student presentations were given today. Peter presented Egypt in the New Kingdom and Elizabeth C. explained Israel in Egypt: Traced up to the time of Moses.
The Mangos will take to the air again tomorrow as we head for Alexandria.
From here, it was off to see the tombs at the Valley of the Kings. We visited the tombs of several Ramesses (there were 11, but not all the tombs have been found yet). There was a dig going on that is possibly the tomb of Nerfertiti but no one really knows yet because it is a closely guarded secret. The temperature exceeded 100 degrees. We seek shade whenever possible but push on to see as much as possible. Soon we will be sun dried mangos.
Amr has arranged for us to have lunch at a small hotel, El Nakhil, on the west bank. We walked down the dirt road of a small village to reach the hotel. The food was excellent!
When most tour groups retreated from the heat, the Mangos didn’t give up. We pushed on to visit Habu Temple and Ramesseum Temple. Not surprisingly, we didn’t have to compete with crowds. We just kept drinking water and absorbing knowledge.
Our final stop was at alabaster shop where the shop keeper explained the process for turning alabaster into vases, cups and figurines and how to tell fake from real stone. The shop keeper was glad to see us as many gifts were purchased for Mangos’ friends and relatives. Oops – hope we didn’t spoil any surprises!
Two more student presentations were given today. Peter presented Egypt in the New Kingdom and Elizabeth C. explained Israel in Egypt: Traced up to the time of Moses.
The Mangos will take to the air again tomorrow as we head for Alexandria.
May 14
We moved from Cairo to Luxor today. We rose very, very, very early to catch the very, very early flight (did we mention it was early?). We made it smoothly through the airport and safely arrived in Luxor after the 1 hour flight. Since it was still very early, we began our tour of the east bank directly from the airport.
Luxor is the site of ancient Thebes, the capital of Egypt from 1500-700 BCE. Our first stop was the temple complex of Karnak to see this amazing structure. Amr continues to provide background and history of the ancient culture (we think he would do really well with his own talk show – “Ask Amr” since you can never stump him!) We stopped into the antiquities museum which houses some well preserved sculptures and several mummies.
Michelle provided us with an excellent discussion of the study of Egyptology for her presentation. Then we headed back to the hotel to take a break from the heat which was pushing 100 degrees. We got checked in and relaxed until dinner. After dinner, we went to see another temple, this time at night (which was very cool).
Jeremy has begun to assimilate into his surrounding by wearing local garments. Please refer to the photo gallery for his latest fashion statement.
Luxor is the site of ancient Thebes, the capital of Egypt from 1500-700 BCE. Our first stop was the temple complex of Karnak to see this amazing structure. Amr continues to provide background and history of the ancient culture (we think he would do really well with his own talk show – “Ask Amr” since you can never stump him!) We stopped into the antiquities museum which houses some well preserved sculptures and several mummies.
Michelle provided us with an excellent discussion of the study of Egyptology for her presentation. Then we headed back to the hotel to take a break from the heat which was pushing 100 degrees. We got checked in and relaxed until dinner. After dinner, we went to see another temple, this time at night (which was very cool).
Jeremy has begun to assimilate into his surrounding by wearing local garments. Please refer to the photo gallery for his latest fashion statement.
May 13
Amr has nicknamed our group “Mangos.” We are now conditioned to respond to “Mango, Mango” whenever we he needs to get our attention. We have also learned that “yalobena” (not sure how it is spelled, but that’s how we hear it anyway!) is Arabic for “let’s go.” So, “Mango, Mango, yalobena” is our rally cry.
The Mangos ventured into Islamic Cairo to see the Citadel, Sultan Hussan madrassa and Ibn Tulun mosque. The 12th century Citadel sits atop a hill and is a very impressive mosque that can be seen over a large area of Cairo. During the visit to the Citadel, Martin provided a presentation covering some of the history of Islam. We were then off to see the Sultan Hussan madrassa (an 8th century mosque). While there, Tom provided a presentation on Koran as Scripture and our guide shared some of his personal insights on Islam. Having such open discussions about our faiths has been one of the highlights of our trip and has helped build a lot of understanding.
After a short break for lunch, we headed into the markets of Khan to test our negotiating skills (or lack thereof as the case may be!). It seems all of the shop keepers have just what we are looking for. And, they also all have a special price (just for us, of course). Some of us decided to extend the shopping adventure and return later to the hotel. The remainder of us took the bus back to relax, repack and prepare for our journey to Luxor.
The Mangos ventured into Islamic Cairo to see the Citadel, Sultan Hussan madrassa and Ibn Tulun mosque. The 12th century Citadel sits atop a hill and is a very impressive mosque that can be seen over a large area of Cairo. During the visit to the Citadel, Martin provided a presentation covering some of the history of Islam. We were then off to see the Sultan Hussan madrassa (an 8th century mosque). While there, Tom provided a presentation on Koran as Scripture and our guide shared some of his personal insights on Islam. Having such open discussions about our faiths has been one of the highlights of our trip and has helped build a lot of understanding.
After a short break for lunch, we headed into the markets of Khan to test our negotiating skills (or lack thereof as the case may be!). It seems all of the shop keepers have just what we are looking for. And, they also all have a special price (just for us, of course). Some of us decided to extend the shopping adventure and return later to the hotel. The remainder of us took the bus back to relax, repack and prepare for our journey to Luxor.
May 12
After our day in the sun, we had a change of pace on Monday when we went to visit with CEOSS (Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services - this is an in-country NGO, run by Egyptians, for Egyptians). They presented several short videos regarding some of their projects, such as training farmers in better fertilization methods, job training for women and equal rights for handicapped persons. It was a lively morning since there were many questions – all of which were graciously answered by our hosts. Perhaps most interesting was seeing Egypt through their eyes and seeing the problems that the poorest members of their society are facing. Their methods involve training people to help themselves and sustain themselves with the available resources. It was an engaging morning and gave us all a lot to think and talk about regarding the good work in social services that COESS is providing in Egypt.
Our next stop was to the Evangelical Seminary in Cairo where Stan got a chance to be reunited with some of his old colleagues and friends and we got to meet the seminary president, Dr. Atef Mehanny, and several of the faculty and staff (such as Dusty Ellington and Brice Rogers). The seminary currently has about 200 students and offers some resident housing on their campus. We lunched at the seminary and then participated in a panel discussion with faculty from Union and ETS regarding approaches to theological education. There is no doubt that we have many common bonds between our seminaries and share the same call to service. It was both interesting and enlightening to hear both the challenges and successes of a seminary operating in a country where Christianity is a minority religion.
Our next stop was to the Evangelical Seminary in Cairo where Stan got a chance to be reunited with some of his old colleagues and friends and we got to meet the seminary president, Dr. Atef Mehanny, and several of the faculty and staff (such as Dusty Ellington and Brice Rogers). The seminary currently has about 200 students and offers some resident housing on their campus. We lunched at the seminary and then participated in a panel discussion with faculty from Union and ETS regarding approaches to theological education. There is no doubt that we have many common bonds between our seminaries and share the same call to service. It was both interesting and enlightening to hear both the challenges and successes of a seminary operating in a country where Christianity is a minority religion.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
May 11
After a good night’s rest, we headed out to Giza to see the Sphinx and Great Pyramids. As we crossed out of the fertile Nile River Valley and into the Sahara Desert, our first stop was in Saqarra, home to one of the earliest known pyramids, the Step Pyramids. Luckily for us, we were the first bus to arrive so we had the place all to ourselves – at least for 10 minutes.
The design and construction of the Step Pyramids are credited to Imhotep. Trisha provided a great presentation about Imhotep which included dressing up Sam to play the role. The student reports about ancient history while surrounded by it, is an amazing experience.
After a brief stop in the city of Memphis, it was on to the western plateau of Giza where awaiting the group was of a herd of camels. After interesting negotiations between Amr and the camel owners, we were assigned to our “ships of the desert” for the mile or so ride to the Great Pyramid.
This site includes the fully restored 4,500 year old Solar Boat which is a wooden boat entombed alongside the ruler. It was believed the boat would be used by the deceased to journey to the afterlife.
It was a full day in the sun and lots of walking. All of it well worth it!
The design and construction of the Step Pyramids are credited to Imhotep. Trisha provided a great presentation about Imhotep which included dressing up Sam to play the role. The student reports about ancient history while surrounded by it, is an amazing experience.
After a brief stop in the city of Memphis, it was on to the western plateau of Giza where awaiting the group was of a herd of camels. After interesting negotiations between Amr and the camel owners, we were assigned to our “ships of the desert” for the mile or so ride to the Great Pyramid.
This site includes the fully restored 4,500 year old Solar Boat which is a wooden boat entombed alongside the ruler. It was believed the boat would be used by the deceased to journey to the afterlife.
It was a full day in the sun and lots of walking. All of it well worth it!
May 10
After several flights and not much sleep we arrived at the Nile Hilton to begin our adventure. One look at the window was enough to tell us that we “weren’t in Kansas any more” as the Nile river passed under our balconies and sailboats dotted the horizon. On our first day of activities we met Amr who is our guide for the Egypt portion of the trip. He is a wonderful ambassador for Misr (Egypt) as he has not only a degree in philosophy and is now completing a degree in Egyptology – we are in very good hands! So far, we haven’t been able to stump him.
The first stop was the Egypt Museum to begin learning about ancient Egyptian history. As we move through the museum, Amr provides interpretations of some hieroglyphics explaining ancient Egyptians’ beliefs of regarding the afterlife. We saw the origin of “blind justice” in the form of an Egyptian goddess as the deceased enter the underworld to answer for their activities in life.
For the seminarians, a particular highlight was seeing the Marnepteh Stele – it was like having Old Testament lessons come to life! Other highlights included viewing 10 well preserved mummies – including Ramses the Great, and seeing King Tut’s Treasure room.
After a nice lunch at Le Pasha on the Nile, we took a bus ride to Old Cairo. We visited Ben Ezra Synagogue (location of the famous Cairo Geniza). It is also believed to be the location where Moses was found floating in the basket (unfortunately the area is currently off limits but we tried our best to get a glimpse anyway!)
Union PSCE student Gini Campbell provided our first presentation on Coptic Liturgy while we visited St Sargius Church, the oldest church in Egypt. It is said that it was in the crypt of the church that the Virgin Mary, Joseph and Jesus lived during their flight to Egypt. The Coptic Orthodox Church was founded by St. Mark the Evangelist in Alexandria in 61 AD. The main worship service in the Orthodox Church is the Divine Liturgy. The liturgy is the story of humanity’s redemption. It is told regularly to remind Coptic believers of Christ’s work to reconcile the world with God.
The final stop was the Coptic Museum before returning to the hotel. Great day!
The first stop was the Egypt Museum to begin learning about ancient Egyptian history. As we move through the museum, Amr provides interpretations of some hieroglyphics explaining ancient Egyptians’ beliefs of regarding the afterlife. We saw the origin of “blind justice” in the form of an Egyptian goddess as the deceased enter the underworld to answer for their activities in life.
For the seminarians, a particular highlight was seeing the Marnepteh Stele – it was like having Old Testament lessons come to life! Other highlights included viewing 10 well preserved mummies – including Ramses the Great, and seeing King Tut’s Treasure room.
After a nice lunch at Le Pasha on the Nile, we took a bus ride to Old Cairo. We visited Ben Ezra Synagogue (location of the famous Cairo Geniza). It is also believed to be the location where Moses was found floating in the basket (unfortunately the area is currently off limits but we tried our best to get a glimpse anyway!)
Union PSCE student Gini Campbell provided our first presentation on Coptic Liturgy while we visited St Sargius Church, the oldest church in Egypt. It is said that it was in the crypt of the church that the Virgin Mary, Joseph and Jesus lived during their flight to Egypt. The Coptic Orthodox Church was founded by St. Mark the Evangelist in Alexandria in 61 AD. The main worship service in the Orthodox Church is the Divine Liturgy. The liturgy is the story of humanity’s redemption. It is told regularly to remind Coptic believers of Christ’s work to reconcile the world with God.
The final stop was the Coptic Museum before returning to the hotel. Great day!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
We made it!!!
Around 3pm yesterday afternoon, our group of 38 arrived safely at the Nile Hilton in Cairo, Egpyt! Please keep your eye on this blog as our group will occasionaly be posting thoughts and reflections during our trip. We appreciate all of your prayers as we continue this journey!
Shalom,
Mike Watson
Shalom,
Mike Watson
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Lands of Faith and History
Groups from Union PSCE Richmond and Charlotte campuses are getting set to head out on a 20-day tour of Egypt, Jordan and Israel. The trip begins on May 8. Watch for regular postings to track our progress.
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