The "Men's House" was very garish! So ornate and totally out of place in this desolate desert. The chandeliers were ostentatious! It was obviously a restaurant/hotel where the name implied the lack of simplicity and morality. We were led into a very beautifully prepared room with many large round tables decorated elegantly and the faire that was laid out for us was elaborate. As we took part in the buffet that seem to go on forever, we felt guilty being there because of the poverty we had seen so far in Egypt. Upon leaving we stood in the beautifully landscaped parking lot and looked off into the distance behind the restaurant and we could see the peeks of the Pyramids and again, it was hard to believe, we were in Gisa!
We again gathered into the buses and road from Gisa to Cairo by way of "The City of the Dead." We would call it the cemetery. It was about a mile long and 2 city blocks wide. It was filled with above the ground tombs. Some large, some small and some on top of each other. No doors! Black caverns were visible as we tried to peer inside. The truly sad thing is that although it is against the law, the poorest of the poor live there with their families. Can you imagine being a child, playing in and amongst the tombs just like the man of the Gaderines. He was living among the tombs until Jesus sent his demons into the swine that ran into the waters and drown.
The people in Cairo are obnoxious! They are "in your face" and are 2000 years behind the times. Cairo is filthy and something out of a movie! Vendors everywhere which caused it to be so crowded that as Jim bargained for a carved camel from $65.00 down to $20.00, it was standing and elbow to elbow room only. We decided to get some air by sitting in a small park that was fenced off with one gate. To get to the gate we passed a policeman with a German Shepherd Dog. The officer motioned to Jim to come over to him and asked Jim if he wanted to pet his dog. Obeying the law, Jim stooped down to pet the dog. The officer held out his hand and said; "one dolla" please! I couldn't help wonder about these people. I also found it interesting that wherever we went in Egypt the vendors were interested in my flag pin. Do they really love America?
From Bible history to today, I see that Egypt has always had definite distinctions between rich and poor. The affluent and the depressed. We saw the Pharaohs in all their glory and their slaves. "God gives the desolate a home to dwell in; He leads out the prisoners to prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a parched land." Psalms 68:6 Is this scripture saying that God brings hope to those he leads but when they cease to follow they fall into snares of despair?
I realize that third world countries are in a state of desolation and despair because they are not God fearing countries with God fearing people. I realize that many souls have come to know Christ and His Father but continue living in their worldly cultures without assuming a Godly identity. "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2
Growing up in America I have seen and felt God's blessings upon this country. As I have become older I have witnessed despair and desolation within the boundaries of America, because of the position that our Government has taken with politcal correctness and the separation of church and state. At a Bible Study recently; "legal does not mean it is moral", was discussed. God has removed His umbrella of protection! "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he mediates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." Psalms 1:1-3 We live in a new cultural America. We must choose to whom we will follow; I choose Christ! By Jane Ann Crenshaw 9/24/09
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