The Exodus

Egypt

Well I’ve come out of Egypt and am in Jericho now. It seems Egyptian computers don’t speak Aileen. I could not access my website the whole time I was there. Oh well, I’m in Jericho for a moment or so and thought I’d sent a quick update.

We arrived in Cairo safe, sound and sleepy. We spent three nights there and two full days exploring Cairo and Memphis. The great pyramids of Egypt are something to see, but the venders who lurk there are something to avoid. The Egyptian museum offered lots of treasures, including the artifacts from King Tuts tomb. Here’s something I learned: King Tut was so young and such a minor king that his treasures were really pocket change compared to what a great and older king would have had. Amazing. I actually saw the coffin mask–the coffin mask that is in all the text books. Hard to believe I was standing there looking at it.

Yesterday we visited a carpet factory where they make Egyptian rugs. They were so beautiful, so artistic. Children go to school at this factory to learn to make the rugs so that they can graduate with a skill. I took video there so you could see how fast their fingers move. You wouldn’t be able to imagine it if I tried to tell you.

We also went to a papyrus institute. Paper was invented by Egyptians; did you know that? Indeed the word paper comes from Papyrus. The art there was captivating.

Today we spent travelling. Tonight we sleep and get up tomorrow to tour Jericho. As we travelled from Egypt to Jericho, I thought about the children of Israel. It is such a barren wasteland and I can’t imagine what those people must have been experiencing. Egypt, even then, would have been so bustling and alive. The desert–the wilderness–so void, so dead. How bewildered they must have been once the running game stopped and they looked around to see where they’d landed. It is no wonder it took them 40 years to get their bearings straight.

As we were coming through the desert, at first we hit miles and miles of emptiness. Next, we approached mountains–and they looked nothing like the Blue Ridge. These mountains are jagged, red earth, with no place to even grab a foot hold, much less for a plant to take root. It must have been so scary for the Israelites. It’s a wonder they didn’t turn back. They must have been walking towards a promise. . .

Walking with the Children of Israel,
Aileen

By Aileen MItchell Lawrimore

Aileen Mitchell Lawrimore is a mother x 3, wife x 35 (years not men), minister, speaker, writer, retreat leader, and lover of beagles and books. She has a lot to say.