Thanks and Service

Thanksgiving was different here in some ways, but not really in others. We had the traditional foods(thanks to the military grocery store!!), we celebrated with good friends and we all tried hard not to overeat:) We skyped with my parents and my brother Aaron, who just got home from his mission on Wednesday, and we got to skype with Andy/Heather and kids too (who are moving to Boston in February---yeah for the new job Andy!) We all feel so very thankful for family and friends and we are so glad that even though we are far away, we are able to connect....and that we have made some great friends here in Egypt who take some of the homesickness away.

On another note: Thanksgiving for us is Eid for the Muslims. It is when they believe Abraham was going to sacrifice Ishmael (NOT Isaac, even though that is what my Bible says). They slaughter an animal in honor of Abraham not having to sacrifice his son. Last night we could hear an animal making a terrible sound all night---some sort of braying or something. Today, as we walked to church, we saw a pile of fresh bones, stripped of their meat, laying in the rubbish pile on the road. I guess that is also when I noticied I hadn't heard the sound all morning.

Brent and Josh were not with us on Thanksgiving. Brent got home from DC area late Wednesday night and he and Josh left very early Thursday morning to go camping with the Boy Scouts. They are backpacking for 4 days and climbing Egypt's highest peak, Mt. Saint Catherine. We haven't heard from them, but I am sure they are having fun. I just hope Brent doesn't collapse from lack of sleep. He flew for 24 hours and then only slept for about 4 hours before heading out. It was great to see him, even if just for a bit. Thanks so much to all of you who took care of him in the US while he was there. We missed him, but it was great knowing he was seeing family and friends and sharing some time with you.

Another reason I am thankful is because of our little church branch here in Cairo. Last Saturday our primary (about 15 kids and a few adults) met and cleaned up trash and painted a mural over some graffiti. It was such a great experience. Mostly it was great because the people who live behind the wall came out and helped, they welcomed us and they even fed Jill Smith (she is one of my counselors in the primary presidency) and I an Egyptian breakfast. They sleep on a dirty mattress in the courtyard of a large, unoccupied villa. They care-take the garden and grounds, but don't have the luxury of living inside. The breakfast was fuul (a kind of bean), bread and tamaya (like falafal). They also gave us a green onion stalk, some spiced, pickled eggplant and carrots and we got to drink water out of 1 cup, all together. That may sound kind of gross, or at least at risk for some food poisioning, but really it was so generous and kind. These people had so little, but they offered their best to us. The women and children all stood around watching us eat, while me and Jill sat with the men and ate the food. I tried to offer a child some food and was told "NO!" I don't understand it all, but I am grateful for their generosity. It was a good experience and it made me realize again that we are all children of God and we can and should help and serve one another while we are on this earth.

Here are some pictures: