It's been A While...

     People told me that homesickness is inevitable when you live in a foreign country. Apparently it has a tendency to hit people after about 6 weeks and then again at 6 months... Needless to say, I came down with a case of 'home sickness' about a week ago. At first, I didn't want to admit to it... cause I felt like a wimp. But then I realized that there is something rich about being homesick. It was God's way of reminding me just how blessed I am to have suc incredibly supportive family and friends, and to have the love and support of a community of believers.

     The Lord also used my getting home sick as a teaching opportunity- to continue to break me of my fleshly tendencies; namely, my tendency to run to what is comfortable and safe. Because I am thousands of miles away from my family and my earthly home, I no longer have that 'safe place' to run to when the troubles of the world get overwhelming. God has removed those things in order that I may see and know that He alone is my comfort and it is only in Him that I will find refuge from this world. It is never an easy lesson to learn- it usually involves brokenness and tears- but what a rich blessing to be able to experience God in such a real and tangible way- to be able to pray "God, take me through this trial, that I might be refined for Your name's sake"- to see in the midst of everything going wrong, that He is making things right. And that despite my best efforts to make things happen a certain way- I will fail every time if He is not in it. 

     

     On a totally different note- Here's an update of what all we've been doing the past couple of weeks... We just got home yesterday from our Middle School retreat. It was such a great weekend- we took about 40 middle school students to Sakaara Country Club, about 30 minutes outside of Cairo, and stayed there for 2 nights. The theme for the weekend was "Identity"- talking about finding our Identity in Christ. It was such a powerful message, and something that really resonated with the hearts of the Middle School students. We will be going back to the same place this coming weekend for our High School retreat- which I am SO excited about!

     I cannot tell you how much I cherish your prayers! Oh, and if yall ever have any questions or something that you'd like me to write about, feel free to post a comment- and ask away! 

    Here are a couple of pictures from the retreat:

These are the girls who got up with me at 5 a.m. to hike up the sand dunes for a sunrise-devo:

This is my first look at the Pyramids (we still haven't gone yet)... this was on the way back from the retreat:

Oh The Joys...

Living in Cairo is great because there's never a dull moment... recently Brenna and I ventured over to the Carrefour (the French version of Wal-Mart). We were going to pick up a few things, like coat hangers, some cereal and a trash can for my room... little did we know that we would find the greatest trash can ever! Unfotunately, the Egyptians haven't quite discovered spell-check yet, so they mass produce these items with little sayings on them without ever realizing what they are actually printing... hence, my new trash can...

*In case you are wondering... it does actually say "Happy Beer".

A Lesson Learned

      I've now been in my new home for about a week. The transition from my first home (the Holbrooks) to this one (the Brewer's) has been somewhat challenging. I felt settled and comfortable at the Holbrooks; it became a refuge from the shock of being in such a different culture. So to be taken out of that and forced to start all over again with another family was emotionally draining. But the Lord was at work in the midst of it all (as He always is). He used this situation to teach me a huge lesson:

     It was definitely a trying yet joyful few days. Moving from a place where I felt comfortable and at home, in a foreign city that is not my home, was hard, to say the least. My stubborn nature wanted so much to rebel and find a way to stay at the Holbrooks. But God was faithful to soften my heart and teach me in the midst of this uneasy transition.
    What I realized, as I was unpacking in my new room at the Brewer's, is my tendency to run towards what is comfortable and familiar. I long for that feeling of belonging and security. Even as I unpacked, I thought "alright Lord, I've learned my lesson, now can I go back to the Holbrooks?". I still didn't get it. God called me to Egypt with a purpose; He called me away from the comfort and safety of friends and family to a place that is not my home. Not so that I could settle in and once again find complacency, but so that I could effectively minister to the people here. The whole point is that while on this earth, comfort should not be my goal, for I was not made for this world, but rather for a heavenly one, a lasting one, where I will find eternal comfort and rest in Christ Jesus. What an incredible blessing He has lavished upon me; to bring me to this amazing place where I am completely uncomfortable, only to teach me to find my comfort in Himself! Living with the Brewer's has already been such a wonderful blessing. God is using this family to minister to me during my time here in Cairo, and hopefully I will be able to minister to them as well.

     Needless to say, God has already been moving and teaching me more than I could've hoped or asked for! I can't wait to see what else He has in store. 

    On a completely different note... today is officially the beginning of Ramadan (the Islamic month of fasting). I'll be sure to report on what it's like and post pictures of the vast amount of Ramadan lamps that are hanging around town! Also coming up... My top ten reasons why I love living in Cairo! 

    Thanks again for all of your prayers and support!

My New Home!

I have officially moved in to my new home in Cairo! I am living with the Brewer's. They just moved to Cairo from Springfield, Missouri... and they are amazing! It has been such a blessing to see the Lord working in their lives and for them to so generously offer to house me for the next year. 

This is a picture of my new sister Courtney!! (She's in 10th grade...and is totally awesome!)

So it has definitely been a long week, just trying to get settled in my new room and get things organized and unpacked. We also have a lot going on with youth stuff at Church. We're pretty much in full-swing right now. We'll be starting our cell groups this week... I'm leading a group of high school girls, and couldn't be more excited about all that the Lord has in store for us this year. I've been thinking a lot lately just about being intentional with the time I have here, and not wasting the opportunities I've been given to get to know these incredible girls. So that is a major prayer request as we really get things going here. 

     On a totally different note, I am still in good health... the food has been great (though we haven't been allowed to eat any real Egyptian food yet- thanks Trav). Last night Mrs. Brewer made Spaghetti and it was delicious!

    Mr. Doug was definitely right about allergies here. The pollution is terrible, and so it is definitely harder to breathe and I get out of breath a lot quicker than in Birmingham. Well, we're off to Lunch, then I'm going to play golf with Mrs. Rogers! Thanks for all of your prayers! They are definitely much needed and much appreciated! 

Photo Shoot and the Magama

On Sunday (which is like Monday in America) Kelly, Brenna, Gordon, and I hopped on the Metro to go downtown to get our visas. We were accompanied by a native Egyptian man, who was our saving Grace. Apparently in years past, it has taken around 7 hours in a crowded, non-air conditioned building to go through the process of getting a visa. It took us approximately 25 minutes.

     Being downtown definitely brought into reality the fact that I am living in a third world country... Sometimes it seems like the people here are actually trying to make things as difficult as possible. Very few things are d

one efficiently (and it's worse if you don't speak Arabic). So going to the "Magama" (gov't building where they process all of the Visa's) was definitely an adventure. Although 

we didn't actually have to do anything but sit there and then sign a couple of forms. Our precious Egyptian friend took care of all of it for us...saving us an untold amount of time and frustration.

     After getting our visa's taken care of, we went in search of the "Apple" store to see about getting my computer fixed... I should've known better. Once we got to the right street, we asked someone where the store was, and they pointed down a dimly lit, shady, alley-way. We then proceeded up the stairs to the 5th floor where we found the 'repair shop' (a small room with some partitions). We almost immediately noticed the irony that the Apple store didn't actually have any Mac computers...they were all P.C.'s. Needless to say, they didn't have a clue what was going on, though they said they would charge me $328 to 'fix' it. I graciously declined. Then we got to go eat Lunch at the US Embassy with Andrea! It was great to be 'on American soil' for an hour!

     We're finally starting to get into the swing of things as far as our schedule goes. We've had our kick-off events for Middle School and High School. It has been great getting to know the girls! It is so funny to observe the incredible similarities between the students here and the one's back home. I sure do miss MBCC! But what an amazing opportunity to get a whole new perspective on youth ministry! 

    

During the weekend, we decided to go on a 'photo shoot' so that we could show everyone back home where we lived. Here are a few pictures:

This is Brenna and I (A.K.A. "Team Intern") in front of our house... at least that's what we told our Moms. 

This is Kelly, Brenna and I in front of our favorite tree (there are actually a lot more trees and greenery than I thought there'd be).

Our Make-shift pyramids... since we haven't been to the real ones yet.

Hopefully there will be many more pictures to come! Thanks again for your prayers and support! 

My Computer Broke :(

Some of you may be wondering why I haven't blogged in a while... and the answer is that sadly, my brand new MacBook is sick. The other day I pushed the button to turn it on, and was greeted with a black screen and a continuous sequence of 3 deafening beeps. I called Apple Support and apparently it is a problem with the RAM. Luckily, Apple actually has an authorized Apple store here in Cairo, so I am going to try to take it in on Sunday and let the guy look at it... I just pray that he speaks/understands English!

Well, other than the computer catastrophe, everything has been going great! I finally feel a little more acclimated with the city and the culture (though I still don't know my way around too well). This was our first week of work, and I absolutely love it! I thought it would be super difficult to be in a new place and have to come in to a community where everyone knows everyone, but it is not like that at all. This is such a warm and accepting community, where I feel so at ease and welcomed. I have been constantly reminded of God's incredible provision. As hard as it was to leave my amazing family and friends behind, God has brought me here for a purpose. I can already feel Him at work in me; molding me and breaking me and making me into a more effective servant of His Kingdom. One thing I have cherished the most in the week that I have been here, is the way that the people love each other. What an incredible blessing to be apart of a community that is constantly seeking to uplift and encourage its members! And I feel challenged to cultivate the gifts that God has placed within me in order to better serve those around me. Needless to say, I cannot wait to see what He has in store for this year!

I MADE IT!

So we're sitting at the house where I'm staying right now...the Holbrooks. They have a 2 story flat, and so they are letting me stay in one of their extra bedrooms. Andrea, an intern from 2 years ago who works at the embassy now, is living here too! I'm not going to be staying here permanently, though. Hopefully we'll have it all worked out in the next week or so...

So after I got on the plane, I tried to pull myself together. My seat was great! I sat next to a guy from Kuwait...he was nice, though we didn't really talk too much. I started feeling nauseous about an hour into the flight. I ate some crackers, but it really didn't help, so I figured I should take something for it before it got too bad. I couldn't tell if it was from nerves or something else. So I took half of a phenagrin, and fell asleep. I ended up sleeping for about 5 hours, which was amazing! When I woke up, I felt much better. We finally landed, and I was worried about missing my next flight, but they had a guy waiting for me and the other people going to cairo, who took us on a bus right to the plane. So we hopped on and took off.

The second flight was a piece of cake. They gave us lunch, and then I just read the rest of the time. After we landed, I went through immigration easily and then went on to get my bags...only the red duffel made it. Filing a lost bag report was kinda difficult. I had to give my passport to this random guy so he could make a copy of it for customs (that made me really nervous). And I had to give them the combination to the lock on my bag, so they can 'go through it'...but thankfully they dropped the bag off yesterday, and everything was still there!

Going through customs was super easy. I just showed him my passport, and he waved me through. And travis was waiting right when I went through the door. He took me to the Holbrooks to meet Kelly...she is AMAZING! So warm and accepting... I feel so at home! I didn't get to change or wash my face or do anything to my hair before the church service ( I felt like a big grease monkey!). After church, we went to this family's house that has been living in Cairo for 10 years! We just had a big game night. The kids are all super cool. They definitely remind me of some of the MBCC kids. One thing I love the most is just the incredible amount of diversity. There are kids from all over the world!

I was definitely tired after such a long day! I slept so well last night! And a lot of the places in Maadi are air conditioned, which definitely helps. This morning, we went to church, and they made me get up on the stage, and kelly introduced me...I was a little embarrassed. But she said something about me running track at Samford, and after the service, this guy came up and told me that he's a P.E. coach at the American school, and that the track coach there could definitely use some help! They don't start practice until about January, though, which will give me time to get settled in! But I think it would be so much fun to help out!

We went to Chili's for lunch (it was great!). Now we're sitting here at the holbrooks, and travis, kelly and andrea are watching Alias. We're going to go to the pool in a little while! I already love it. I know yall will too!

It is a little intimidating coming in to such a close knit community, but they are so welcoming and open. And Maadi is SO safe! There are a lot of trees here too, which makes it feel less like the desert.

There is so much more to tell, so I will try to write about the rest of it later! Can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me here! I know that He is already working in a big way! Thanks again for all of your prayers!