Sorry the captions don't match the pixs but for some reason I can not figure out how to load them in such a way that final page resembles what I see in draft form. Anyhow here are a few pixs from truly the most beautiful place in Egypt, Siwa. I went last year with Skip and Bonnie and my Dad over the Christmas holiday and knew then that I needed to return to experience some desert camping. I can not explain the beauty of its vastness and stillness, such an unbelievable contrast to the rest of this country. CLEAN and FRESH!
I went with a group mostly of my youth staff and a few others. Great group and Caleb, as you can tell, thrived on all the love and attention.
Enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday with my usual Cairo family (minus the Stringfield family) and some new members 'ala Jonathan and Sarah Turlan. It was a first for the Turlan's as they hail from Australia, I think we easily won them over, how can anyone not love a day that is about giving thanks and eating! The turkey was the hugest thing most of us had ever seen 44lbs! Needless to say we will be eating off of that thing for weeks to come.
As always I am grateful for the loving family both near and far that God has blessed me with, and for a job and ministry that I thrive on, and foremost the privilege to be called a child of the Most High God! I have MUCH to be thankful for!

Caleb doing desert yoga with the girls.















Our vehicle getting stuck in the soft sand

Cook Out with the Turlan's and their 4 kids and Carol and Jeff and son Cameron (r). Turlan's work at the African Refugee school here and Carol is a lawyer studying at AUC for the year

More Saturday Adventure

A Saturday out in the Wadi with friends. All the kids chipped in on hunting for firewood while I put my Indian Princess skills to work making the fire.

Saturday Adventure

Working hard at making Saturday a fun day to spend with Caleb. We do lots of fun things in the course of a week but often there are other adults involved who want my attention and Caleb is kind of hanging on the perimeter, but Saturdays are different! It has helped that we have made friends with other families with kids who are the same age. This last Saturday we spent with a family who is here just for the year. The mom is studying at the American University and her husband and 6 year old have joined her for the year long adventure. They are anxious to get out and see not just the usual tourist things but Egypt at its truest level. Saturday was spent in the one and only park in Cairo, it is a beautiful, green haven in the midst of concrete. The boys took their scooters and had a blast. We enjoyed a picnic on soft green grass and only minimal staring. Some places I go I am like an animal in a zoo, constantly being stared at and talked to. Its not the worst thing in the world but grows wearisome year after year. Anyhow this was a great day.

When Will Summer End?

While many of my friends around the world have been posting photos of the fall color changes we here in Cairo welcomed in fall (October) with temps over 100, and still the same hazy brown color that we peer thru the other 11 months of the year.
On the positive side we can still go to the beach in mid October and swim comfortably and maintain our tan so it is not all bad by any means! I promised Caleb a few days of undivided attention so we went with some friends to Ein Suhkna about 2 hrs away and enjoyed just hanging out and breathing fresh air and watching the ships go by in the distance.
Women's Bible Study is in full swing and I am really enjoying the study and learning and experiencing amazing things about the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it feels like it is too much to absorb and put into practice, sometimes I feel as if we are sitting on a keg of dynamite with no clue of the potential power that surges below. How to understand, absorb and practice it all is overwhelming! Am preaching in a week from book of Ecclesiastes this will be a first!
This last month of adjusting to school has proven to be a real challenge for both Caleb and I. We are doing well at finding and following a routine (We have been on time every morning so far!) He is not real happy with the structured time concept and remarks often "When will I be free?" how can I explain to him that the days of carefree living are literally over? He woke up from a bad dream the other night crying and when I asked him what was wrong, he sobbed "I don't want to grow up!" I thought quietly to myself "Me either buddy."

The month's pictorial highlights

He will hate this some day but it is pretty sweet right now.












Middle School Ice Cream Trough

Kick Off Luau! for High School ( I still have no pride)