Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Peter 1:3
This is our third, and hopefully final, Easter celebrated far from home. Our passing of the holy weekend was rather atypical by North American standards. On Friday we led a school field trip to the local Beni Suef pyramid of Meidum. Then yesterday we joined a good friend for a daytrip to the remote desert monastery of Maqar.
Relaxing with students in a park near the Meidum Pyramid.
We try to aptly appreciate this special time in our lives. From the laughter and home-cooking of our wonderful students to the peaceful solitude of a sweeping desert valley, the great blessing of life is plain to see.
The setting of the Monastery in Wadi El-Rayan
Holidays, however, are often when we feel furthest from home. Easter is not quite the same when it is celebrated in a place where most people are Muslim, and most Christians are Orthodox (thus celebrating the Resurrection on a later date). That said, we have done what we could to recreate a Mennonite Easter, complete with a fresh batch of paska.
Baker Wanda hard at work. The application of icing and sprinkles would follow.
A far more Egyptian dish of beans sits on the stove top.
Tomorrow we reach the two-year point in our term. Time is a funny thing. The milestone elicits much emotion and contemplation, leading us to reflect on our lives here and back home- past, present and future.
I want to end by sharing the good news that we will be home for a visit this summer. Our country reps have selected us to take part Canadian Mennonite University's Canadian School of Peacebuilding, along with 9 Egyptian partners. After that we will swing down for a visit home. So if you are in Southern Ontario during the first three weeks of July, we will hopefully see you there!
We have so much to be thankful for. And on this joyous day we celebrate the greatest victory of all. Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Happy Easter to all.
