FBC Missions

I have now been here a couple of days and already I have experienced so much. I haven’t managed to do the typical tourist things yet but I have had amazing interactions with people so far.

Today was much hotter than it has been for me. In fact it is almost 1:30 in the morning and it feels hotter than it did earlier in the day. But I am surviving, drinking a lot of water, wearing natural fabrics, etc.

This morning we got up early to go to the Sudanese preschool. It’s about a 45 minute drive away from the house. The preschool is as expected, full of cute kids and hampered by poverty and limited resources. We split up into two classes with Sergio and Mary Carmen with the older kids and Rocio and I with the little ones. They continued to learn the letter B today with butterfly sheets to color, clay to play with, and generally a good time was had by all. Structure leaves a little to be desired with 2-3 year olds but it was a neat opportunity to see a program just being developed and a relationship in its beginning stages with these people. We left around 11:30 and returned home. After a short meeting about how to prepare for next week we broke up and somehow I ended up with KP. I am not really used to cooking for anyone other than myself so that was an experiment. The rest of the afternoon flew by and soon Mary Carmen, Rocio, and myself were off to meet one of their friends to celebrate their birthday.

It was my first time on the metro, so that was exciting. We rode in the all women car downtown and met up with Mary at the evangelical church right off the main city square. We then drove to El Zemalek, an island in the middle of the Nile, and one of the three more affluent neighborhoods in Cairo. I don’t know what I had expected, I even almost didn’t come being rather tired when it was time to leave. But I am glad I did. We had dinner at a membership-only country club, complete with croquet courts and swimming pools. I had typical Egyptian food and sipped cool lemonade all evening. So now you know how I’m suffering for the Lord. Anyway, we had dinner with Mary and her two biological sons, one of their friends, and one of her “adopted” sons, who is also Bolivian and has been based here in Egypt for the last six years. It was very nice to relax and soak up a little of the Egyptian leisure life. It reminded me a bit of the Spanish lifestyle. Sergio also joined us. After we were finished it was already after nine in the evening and they invited us over to their house to watch the World Cup match between Holland and Argentina. Of course, we accepted and sped towards Heliopolis, another nice neighborhood in Cairo. En route, Mary pointed out a lot of Cairo’s sights and charms as the city bustled with crowds out enjoying summer vacation. The Nile glistened and the city lights twinkled and I felt as though the city had officially welcomed me at last.

When we arrived it turned out to be a surprise birthday party for Mary with quite a few of her friends from her church. She has a very nice apartment, well planned for entertaining, complete with a sprawling granite countertop and comfortable sofas for chatting and watching soccer. It was a good time of fellowship and stuffing our faces with filo dough filled with cheese, grape leaves, and cake. It was amazing to be only a couple days into this journey and to already have experienced the warmth of an Egyptian Christian home.

But now I better get to bed if I have any hope of being coherent and able to soak up new experiences tomorrow!

Well, I am settling in and I must admit, I feel more at peace than I expected to feel at this stage. Today was a pretty relaxing day and I am starting to realize that will probably set the tone for the trip.

Being here longer than a few weeks gives me a chance to soak up more of the culture and settle into a kind of lifestyle rather than a whirlwind schedule packed with events to attend and projects to get accomplished. That said, there is a great deal that I want to get done here. I am signed up for a conversational Arabic class which will meet for three days a week for two hours each day. I am considering taking a writing class too, as long as they don’t conflict. I will also be teaching advanced English to four Egyptian men. I am not sure how often or exactly what the material covered will be but apparently they are eager to learn so that presents an exciting opportunity. Tomorrow we will go to the Sudanese hadana and teach the children more of the English alphabet. I am not sure how much I will be able to participate in that when classes begin but I am excited to see the children as much as I can.

Today, Mary Carmen and Rocio let me sleep in. When I awoke we had a simple breakfast and then they worked on their Arabic homework while I showered and did some reading. I have decided to read Ephesians for awhile. Mary came down and we talked for a little bit then we took a walk through Maadi. The neighborhood is quite lively. We went to a stationary shop to make some copies for the hadana tomorrow. Then we had ice cream, mango and strawberry that made me think of gelato. It was delicious. I haven’t quite decided if it was really hot today or just hot, but in any case the ice cream was most appreciated. We made our way back slowly, in no real hurry, window shopping and chatting. One of the unexpected rewards of this trip I think is the ability to get to know my roommates.

Mary Carmen and Rocio are working on both English and Arabic but of course Spanish is their first language. I have been looking for a way to keep my Spanish in practice so it is a good exchange. Communication is easy and we laugh a lot. Also I hope to help them refine their English, it is nice because they can ask me in Spanish what the word is in English. Since we will be spending the next few weeks together hopefully we can make some real progress.

Arriving back home I went upstairs to have a conversation with Gene and Brenda. It is a comfort to have such welcoming hosts who are so glad to have a visitor. They are encouraging me to soak up as much local culture as I can and I hope to serve them well by learning and helping as much as possible. Their kids are a joy too, and we have been playing games until their bedtime. So so far, things have been going great and I have been enjoying adjusting to a new routine and lifestyle.

Just thought I’d write to let you all know I made it safe and sound and am now settling in here in Cairo.

Flight connections were relatively painless with short layovers in O’Hare and Frankfurt. The flight to Frankfurt was way overbooked and so they were offering very tempting rewards in exchange for giving up your seat. They offered a voucher worth 700 euros (almost a thousand US) plus whatever it would cost to put you up for the night and feed you. I wanted to take it, but my connections were tight. So better luck next time. Maybe they’ll offer it on the way back.

I purchased my visa and cleared customs easily, handled my baggage without being harassed and when I came out, it was nice to see friendly faces waiting for me.

Now I’ve finished unpacking, rested, and ate dinner. I’m attempting to stay up tonight in hopes of getting right on schedule and into the routine over here. So more to come later.

I am taking a short break from packing what feels like my entire life in boxes and bags. I have a backpack and large suitcase full of clothes, medical supplies, craft supplies and all of the toiletries I could possibly need for the next three months. There is a small pile of clothes in the center of my room for the “Ireland” suitcase, as well. I can’t believe it is actually here…and I’ll be honest, it is bittersweet for me.

As I type this I can look down on my left hand to see a small (and absolutely beautiful) symbol of my deep love for another and his love for me. Chris proposed on Friday, June 9th and this week has been a whirlwind of excitement and sadness for me. I am so ready to go after months of planning, but so sad to leave the love of my life behind. The Lord has been in this and amidst this entire trip and my entire relationship — I know that for a moment, in His eyes, they must be separate. Still, my heart doesn’t like the idea.

What a big week, huh? Engagement, finals, graduation and a HUGE trip! I don’t know how I even got through all of the celebration and excitement, but in almost 48 hours I will be on a plane headed for Dublin and then on to Maputo. It will be hard to say goodbye to my friends, my fiance and then my family, but I am blessed by the thought that I will be reunited with the “other half” of my team in only two weeks — Ashley!

Please continue to pray for us as we make the transition into another culture far away from everything we know. I love you all and so appreciate all you are to me. Please pass along this blog site to all of your family and friends — the bigger the support team the better!!!

Well, I’m off…

-Brooke

Well I can’t sleep. For a college student in the midst of finals week, I should probably at least try. I don’t even have pressing homework for an excuse. That might have been the case ten minutes ago…but…I’ll never tell. Anyway, just wanted to give a little photo tour of what Egypt looks like. Not that I actually know first-hand yet…

This is a picture of Cairo’s Khan al Khalili market. Doesn’t the pita look good?I hope these images will stay with you and remind you to keep this trip in your thoughts.