Dear Friends,

The celebration of the New Year and the new millennium made the great pyramids of Giza again the focus of Egypt and much of the world. Most of the PC(USA) volunteers opted for a quiet evening at home at Ramses College for Girls in Cairo or the American Mission Hospital in Tanta. We had been warned by the U.S. embassy to stay away from crowds. The moment of joy at midnight was when we realized the lights were not flickering, the water was still flowing from the faucet, and the computer was not giving us even one blink! There was a great chorus of el Hamdulilah (Thanks be to God)!

When I first arrived in Egypt in late August of 1993, I was taken the very next day to the pyramids. The temperature was well over 110 F with no shade or breeze, and furthermore, I was jet-lagged with a major earache. I truly thought I would either melt or pass out from misery. I vowed never again to visit the pyramids. Two years later I had no choice but to return since I had become volunteer coordinator and had seven new volunteers who wanted a trek out to the pyramids as one of their first activities. Again, it was very hot with no relief. Moreover, we were constantly bothered by requests for bakshish (tips) since that year there were not many tourists. Once more I hoped (unrealistically) that I would never again go back out to the pyramids. Fortunately, I have since had enjoyable visits and I can now smile when I greet the sphinx. Part of this change in attitude began when I went through the solar boat exhibit next to the middle pyramid. This exhibit helped me to fathom the magnitude and complexity of the monuments and realize the whole as a funerary temple with each pyramid a burial site. Real understanding comes slowly when living and working in a foreign country. The joy is when one does grasp the meaning underneath a custom or tradition. The new understanding can change perspective and lead to a better sharing of experience and feelings.

In late October as part of the in-country orientation, the volunteers took a two-day trip to the Coptic Orthodox monasteries of St. Antony and St. Paul in the Red Sea mountains that follow the coast of the Gulf of Suez. St. Antony is considered the founder of Christian monasticism. Kathleen Norris, the well-known Presbyterian spiritual writer, often refers to stories about St. Antony and the other Desert Fathers. St. Antony, born in 251 CE, sought the spiritual life in a mountain cave for 20 years before coming down to start the first community of Christian monks. His best friend was St. Paul who also lived in a cave. Legend has it that a black crow would bring one loaf of bread each day to St. Paul—except when St. Antony was to visit, and then the crow would bring two loaves of bread. Both St. Antony and St. Paul monasteries seem infused with a spirituality that is old and deep, as well as newly invigorated. Much restoration and preservation work had occurred since I first visited these monasteries in the fall of 1993. Also the number of monks had increased, as had their level of education. A highlight of the trip was attending the dawn chanting and mass at St. Paul’s—the smaller and more rustic of the two monasteries. The chanting started at 4:00 a.m. and continued for two hours. The purpose of the chanting is to invite the Holy Spirit to be present for the Eucharist. The chanting is in the Coptic language, which is a blend of the ancient Egyptian language that was written by hieroglyphics and the Greek language of the Ptolemies. Around sunrise the two-hour mass began. By the way, there are no seats so you are either standing or sitting on a stone floor this whole time. Jennifer Stadtmiller, a volunteer music teacher at New Ramses College, had brought along a copy of the Coptic Mass with a paragraph-by-paragraph English translation. Helen Bachman and Jack Banton were able to get close to the presiding monk to observe the worship form.

I had the honor of visiting with Mrs. Samia Nimr, principal of Ramses College for Girls, and her extended family at the family farm in El Kom El Akhdar, a village in Upper Egypt. I arrived with colleagues on January 8th, the day of feasting after Eastern Christmas. The atmosphere of happy chaos was exactly the same as my family Thanksgivings in Northern Virginia. The uncles and aunts, cousins and more cousins kept arriving all during the day. The huge dining room table was covered with aromatic, homemade delicacies from each mother, aunt, and sister. We waited on the rooftop as people arrived and joined us to enjoy the winter sun. Mrs. Samia’s brother, Nader, was the official host and took us walking through the family farmlands along an irrigation canal coming from the Nile. We passed new-born sheep bouncing straight up and down in their excitement of life, huge water buffalo gazing back at us in boredom, and many villagers standing proudly along the dirt pathway to watch the foreign visitors admire the green fields. As we left, I had the same feeling of contentment and strengthened family and Christian bonds as if I had been "back home" with family.

Now the winter school break is over and all classes have resumed. Kindergarten started four days late this semester because it has been quite cold. Since there is no heat and buildings are designed to keep people cool in the hot summers, we feel as if we are freezing. The temperature only drops down into the 40s F during the coldest periods, but with no heat, high ceilings, ceramic or marble floors, and cement walls, the outside is quite often warmer than the inside of the buildings. Spring comes early, usually by mid-February—again: el Hamdulilah!

Please join in the prayers for the Grace of God as the countries of the Middle East struggle still for the Blessing of Peace.

Carole Landess

The 2000 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 132