Author: Jerry Waehner
Imagine this:
Having had the opportunity to take part in a life changing Central Christian-led peacemaking trip to Israel/Palestine. In the next year, the opportunity comes up to take part in a Central-led Discovery trip to Egypt. This was too good to pass up! A timely ingredient added to this mix was having just completed Greg Laurie’s excellent study “Tell Someone”. So Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:18-20 were very much alive in my spirit, and my soul.
Our strong travel team included several people who had been to Egypt one or more times. There were others like me who were making our first visit. We bonded well on our pre-trip meetings and meals. Prayer was a vital part of our preparations, and an overarching factor backing our time in Egypt.
You could divide this trip into two distinct parts. The first few days provided a great chance for cultural immersion. The hustle and near constant sounds of Cairo including the incomparable Great Pyramid, the Sphinx, Khan el Khalili Market and Tahrir Square, contrasted with visits to Al Hazr Mosque, the Cave Church(Coptic Christian), and a delightful lunch with a farmer and his family on Golden Island. We also had time to visit Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast.
For the second half of the week, we enjoyed the superb hospitality of new friends in the south of Egypt. Elephantine Island is in the middle of the Nile River, west of the attractive resort town of Aswan. Our hosts and guides there were part of the Nubian Culture. Though they are primarily Muslim and do speak Arabic, the Nubian people have their own distinct culture and history. On their quiet island, most of the people either farm, or are involved in light construction. Most important, we had the chance to befriend some of the residents. Together with them, we enjoyed meals, music, a felucca ride on the Nile, and travel to the amazing ancient architecture on Philae Island. Personally, I will always remember walking from the boat to the village one night with new friend Ahmed. A business owner, guide, and village elder, he and I talked about our families among other things.
A highlight of the trip was a time of reflection and communion that we enjoyed with our primary Egypt guides. They talked of this type of trip being what they called “transformational travel”. Transformational for we travellers, and hopefully to our Egyptian guides and hosts as we interacted, and they got to see Christ’s love at work through us. Next they issued a most interesting challenge. Most people who travel internationally will take souvenirs back home with them. How about if we take one or more “spiritual souvenirs” home with us? These would include new friends that we just made in Egypt, that we commit to praying for on a regular, even daily basis. Challenge accepted!
What a great way to reflect back on the new friends we made while visiting Egypt.