Egypt Trip Update 2 - June 27

We had another great meeting last night with the Egypt team. Mostly we were helping to hold each other accountable with writing our support letters and applying for passports (that's a whole other story in itself) but we did cover some more particulars which I will share with you now. For starters we went into greater detail about what we would be doing with our church partner there in Cairo. We will be holding nightly prayer and worship meetings for the church and community from 7-9 pm and that's Sunday through Thursday. Friday in Egypt is like our Saturday here and thus Saturday is like Sunday and so on. So, Friday we will be organizing an event for the youth in the area. I'm not exactly sure what that looks like yet but it will most likely be music and soccer and loving on them and listening to them. One of the really cool things we, well the women in particular, will be doing is offering women's groups everyday. As you have probably seen on TV or read about somewhere women in the Middle East are mostly marginalized and not always treated with the most respect. This gives the women on our team a unique opportunity to invest time and encouragement and education into their lives.

We will also be spending time at an orphanage, a hospital, and with sick or elderly members of the church there. I am particularly excited about this aspect of our service because the love of Christ shines most brightly in the darkness of those places. All cultural differences aside people who inhabit those locations just want to be touched and loved and reassured regardless of skin color or nationality. I visited an orphanage when I was on a mission trip in Romania and I'll never forget it. That was 17 years ago and the images of the dirty children pouring out of every opening in their tattered and shabby accommodations with huge smiles on their faces. Its such a small sacrifice of time and comfort for us and yet it brings such lasting joy to them. Its impossible in those moments not to gain a new appreciation for people like Mother Theresa of Calcutta who lived in those places and gave everything to serve those people.

As I was leaving last night I was pulled aside by the leader of our team Colin. I mentioned in my last update that I would be preaching one night or more while in Cairo so Colin wanted to give me some more specifics about that. I will be speaking with a translator for 30 + minutes on the topic of God's leading. I'm so nervous I can't even tell you. It helps a little that I will have the translator there with me polishing up the things I am saying as he relays them to the audience but ultimately I am responsible for the content and the delivery. This is truly an act of faith for me as public speaking is not my forte. My father, who was a pastor, even struggled with it to the point of getting diahrea sometimes when he'd have to speak. So, pray for me as I prepare my sermon (that's weird but awesome to say) that God will give me the right words, the right tone, and the right heart. God is always increasing my skill set and more often than not I find myself utilizing my new tools so I am anxious to see what He does with this one.

In closing, if you are visiting my blog because you received my support letter or email thank you. Thank you for investing your precious time and your precious prayers. If you are considering giving I would urge you to do so. You are not just enabling me to go and do this marvelous and much needed work but you will be equipping the small but bold church in Cairo to be a beacon of hope in a place where the people are oppressed religiously. Our liason in Egypt, who is a high ranking government official whose name we are not able to disclose, has said to us that for every one Christian Egyptian you minister to 50 to 100 muslims are ministered to as well. I am praying for the gospel to spread across the middle east like the wildfire Paul described in the book of Acts and I pray that you will give whatever you can to ensure that I can be a part of that. Thanks again and please check back often.

P.S. My next meeting will be August 18 and I am supposed to bring $800 of my $2700. I wrote in my letter that the deadline for funds is Sept. 30 and if I have all the money by then that would be ideal but as I said if you can't get it to me by then send it anyway because whatever I am not able to raise I will have to pay back to the church after I return. Also remember that I am not just asking for your financial support. I want you to be a partner with me in this incredible mission. I will keep you posted on this blog as things develop further and I look forward to posting pictures and stories from the trip when I get back. So, please be prayerful and please be obedient to whatever you are feeling and know that I will squeeze every penny and prayer for the service of others.

Egypt Trip Udate 1 - June 15 2007

This past Monday night the team of people who will be going to Egypt from our church met for the first time. There is about 16-18 of us who are committed and there are a couple of openings if anyone else wants to join. I was informed that being too specific about the trip details had the potential to jeopardize the people we were going to minister to so for now I'll have to be kind of vague. I can tell you that the main purpose of our trip is to assist a local church, with whom we have created a partnership, with a variety of things like computer labs and painting and other items.
Another aspect of the trip will be nightly ministry meetings where we will share music and the message of Christ with believers and non-believers from the Cairo community. For some insane reason the leader of our expedition has asked me to preach one night. I agreed but hesitantly. I have such a passion for communication but because of an underdeveloped sense of self worth it has been relegated to writing and blogging. However, because I am working diligently on becoming a full time writer and I know that public speaking comes with the gig I have been praying that God would present opportunities to hone this unpolished skill. Standing on a stage for forty five minutes sharing my heart and, hopefully, God's heart in front of almost 200 Egyptians is what I take to be the first response to that prayer.
We have been told by our liason in Cairo that the gospel is being received like never before in Egypt specifically and the Middle East specifically. What a powerful tool we can utilize in the diffusing of religious and ethnic hatred, particularly in that area of the world which has historically been a hothouse for such animosity towards the gospel and us. I remember in 1999 when I was in Jericho, which is about an hour outside Jerusalem, a conversation I had with a man of Muslim faith. He was the owner of the market in which our tour group was shopping. We were sitting in front of the market sharing a water pipe (they use tobacco soaked in molasses) and he began to tell me of his intense hatred of America and Americans. He said that we had robbed his people of their land and their legacy and any war against us and the Jews was holy and justified. And yet as he was talking to me, a pasty white suburbanite from Atlanta Georgia, he was always kind and softspoken and always maintained eye contact in which I never detected any disdain directed towards me. He even offered me some free fruit and told me jokes. It was surreal. The most amazing thing element of that discourse was the absence of all tensions. We had a wonderful time just chewing the fat for a half hour. I knew where he stood and he knew where I stood but it never affected how we related to each other. I feel confident that this will be the type of thing I will run into in Cairo and I am really looking forward to it.
The part of all of this that is most difficult is the asking for funds. No one likes doing it and I certainly wouldn't be but I believe that there is a great work going on in the Middle East and I desperately want to be involved in it. The cost of the trip is $2700 dollars and the total is due by October 6th. If God leads you to give I would be so grateful to Him for the leading and you for your obedience. We have five or six more meetings and we will be given more details each one. I will try and keep you as informed as I am. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for investing in my writing and my life. Sincerest thanks.

josh

what's UPS with that...dang it...who slipped me an anti-funny pill?!?!

A friend of mine sent this to me today. If you can't laugh at this you probably need to get yourself to the emergency room...

“After every flight UPS pilots fill out a form, called a "gripe
sheet," which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight. Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.
By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never, ever, had an
accident.”

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.

P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to: straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget
pounding on something with a hammer.S: Took hammer away from midget

If you like piña colada's and watching Children of Men...

Sorry for that but they can't all be zingers. So, I've been doing a lot of drinking from the well over at stevebrownetc where he talks about the scandalous freedom of God's grace and I think its starting to take. Exhibit A - Getting wonky with the wife (by that I mean buzzed...you perverts) midweek. I know that buzzing it up on a Wednesday night when work awaits in the morning would normally qualify me for the next AA meeting but in this case I think we can let it slide. My wife works nights at Outback and I work days schlepping parts for copy repair technicians so our paths seldom cross. When they do we also have two boys Elisha 2 1/2 and Phoenix 6 months to factor in to the equation. Needless to say it doesn't allow much time for frivolity.

So, last night Josalyne and I decided to eschew the standard operating procedures and manufacture an impromptu date night. She took off for the liquor store, I threw some Bubba Burgers on the skillet, we put the kids to bed at 8, and we curled up in bed with our Piña Colada's to watch Children of Men. It was marvelous.

This all goes back to grace because up until a few months ago a night like last night would not have happened. I grew up in an environment that was not legalistic to the point of Burkas and Beanies but it certainly wasn't Cheese and Wine Night with the Pastor either. I was not allowed to listen to any "secular" music which pretty much mean what I did listen to was either Stryper (I actually had to fight for that one) or Petra. I wasn't allowed to watch films that contained anything that would reveal how pagans lived or communicated or that were rated R. And so on and so forth. I'm certainly not trying to demonize my parents because they were just trying to protect me but it did have an impact that I still feel today. Looking back on their lives, my father passed at 50 due in large part to stress, I see how burnt out they were trying to tow the line. I've blisters on my own fingers from attempting the same.
Steve Brown describes in his Scandalous Freedom how some of us view God as a child abuser. He pushes us and tests us and punishes us when we fail and is never happy with our best. Throughout all of that there is a unifying thread that is woven; God is pissed and we're the reason. I've lived that for as long as I can remember and its been like a snake shedding its skin trying to get free. I can taste the new air of grace and I want to fill my lungs with it but those old habits are hard to shake and they press in on every side and constrict my chest. At times it literally feels as though I'm suffocating. Here is a good example; I struggle with an anxiety disorder that I presently don't take medication for. If I believe that Jesus really loves me and He is all powerful and He is capable of great miracles then I just need to stay un-medicated and pray harder right? Well, of course not but up until recently I didn't think so. That is the type of thinking that I am emerging from.
But God is not pissed at me and He actually likes and loves me. I can handle that and I can see more clearly in the light of that truth. Its not going to be easy or instantaneous making the transition in my thinking or how I live my life but I sense Him walking beside me now and encouraging me so I believe that I can do it. Pray with me and for me and rejoice that I was able to drink Piña Coladas and snog my wife in the middle of the week without feeling any guilt. If there is hope for this recovering legalist there's hope for everyone.

shhhhhhhhhhh....

Psst. Don't spread it around but here is my email address (shoot me an email and I'll reply with my home address) in case you would like to send me any money for the trip, free tickets to a broadway show, or a mail balm (Tiger Balm is my preference). Thanks.

sonofsanders@gmail.com

So you wanna go back to Egypt?

For those few Keith Green fans that remain the above reference will be appreciated. For everyone else, what I am referring to is a trip that I hope to take to Egypt in the fall. It is of the missional variety and will involve setting up computers, painting and light construction on a church, and spending time investing in orphans and the community in general. Our liason will be a native Egyptian who is a follower of Jesus and a passionate one at that. We will be leaving Oct. 25 and returning on the 3rd of November. The cost is $2700 dollars and that will cover air fare, meals, and other travel expenses. The remainder will go towards computers for the church's community center. Please check back often as I will be posting more information and photos. God is at work in the Middle East and though we in America have become very polarized in our views of it our Father created its people in His image and desires that they should know Him. Beyond that, what better way to create peace between us than to worship the same God and look forward to the same eternity together? Thanks in advance for your prayers and your support.