October 5, 2003

Worshiping at Saray Presbyterian Church of Alexandria, Egypt.

We made our way to the Saray Presbyterian Church in Alexandria to share in worship with Pastor Rizk and the rest of the community there. It is a joy to get to share in Presbyterian worship again. The sermon was in both English and Arabic for everyone's benefit.

Following worship and a reception at the church, it was off to a quick visit at the nearby Presbyterian school for disabled children. Its ministry has been a blessing to that community, which faces a lot of prejudice and misunderstanding in Egypt. The parents of the children have been particularly grateful for being able to show all how much they love their kids.

The modern Library of Alexandria, Egypt.

We then went to visit the new Library of Alexandria, which opened only 3 years ago. Architecturally, it is quite interesting, in the shape of a circle dipped towards the sea, partly submerged in a pool of water which surrounds the library. The exterior is decorated with calligraphy and inscriptions from the world's civilizations. The project honors Alexandria's famous ancient library, the largest in all antiquity with more than 500,000 volumes, which were lost to the world in a series of disasters between 48 BC and 640 AD.

Relaxing along the Corniche.

We retired for a walk along the Corniche, pausing to drink tea and "sip" on argile while peddlers came by with wares from peanuts to rugs. Many of us bought rugs, and many got their shoes shined before heading back to Agamy.

We stopped to get an English newspaper - a suicide bombing yesterday in an Arab-owned Haifa restaurant killed nineteen. It has been a relief to be sheltered from the onslaught of depressing and distressing news for a few days, but of course that cannot go on forever.

We headed back to the Center feeling dark, frustrated, sad, and worried about how this atrocity will push the region further into its pit of despair. In the evening, we walked around the Retreat Center in order to get down to the sea. We didn't go far in the water, but rather walked along the beach, letting the surf nip at our feet and feeling the sand between our toes. It's not something we get to do often in Zababdeh.