My Wildlife.....

One of the great things about living here in Venezuela is seeing some of the amazing wildlife that lives in and around our little school. Aside from my two tortoises, the workers found a rare naked tailed armadillo on the school grounds last week. I've decided to call him Dillo (though the school is having a vote on what they want to call him). I've spent the past couple of nights with my flashlight searching for him, but I can't seem to find him. After showing him to the kids, he was released on the school grounds, but it is possible that he got out or was on a different side of campus from where I was searching.

Aside from Dillo, I've also seen some HUGE iguanas running around the campus. One was easily about two feet long (not counting a majority of his tail). We also have a large number of other little geckos and other types of lizards.

Then there are the large number of birds that reside here. I've seen so many colorful birds that it's really amazing. Little yellow and red birds are flying around and sometimes you can even see a humming bird flying near some of the flowers.

Then there is the large ant and insect population. While I'm sure you've heard and read about my battle with the ants, the true battle is with the leaf-cutter ants. These ants literally climb up into the trees, cut off some leaves (which fall to the ground and are picked up by others) and take them back to their nest, where they use it to grow fungus. According to one website, the path that they take to their nest can be as long as 250 meters (think yards). One of our colonies has an extremely long path that they take nightly and it includes climbing over a nine foot cement wall!

When I get a computer, I'll try to post some pics for you, but until then, you can do an Internet search for the pics!! Until then, you'll just have to picture this amazing place in your mind. Until next time....

God Bless

My First Week in Anaco.....

Greetings friends!!!

Yes, despite the rumors circulating on the Internet, I am alive and well here in Venezuela. I have yet to die, although the mosquitoes have banded together and are trying to give me dengue (seriously, there are thousands and they NEVER DIE).

School has begun and we are almost finished with our first week (only 176 days till school is out--yes!!). I have a grand total of 9 students in my two classes and one student is leaving in mid-September, so I will have four 5th graders and four 6th graders. The drawback is that the public schools start in September, so we'll probably pick up a few more students in the next couple weeks.

Life in Anaco is pretty interesting. There is really only one mall type of place, called Unicasa (I swear I've been there almost daily). There is a grocery store, some clothing shops, two Internet cafes and a shwarma place (reminds me of Egypt!). There is also a McDs across the street, which isn't too bad (I know, I broke my boycott after getting sick in Egypt).

I live on campus, which is pretty cool. We have some mango and cashew trees growing around the houses, as well as some banana trees and a coconut palm. You can even find a lime tree, if you look closely.

My class is also the proud caretakers of a tortoise named Jennifer (the boys voted for it). She is a native species that the locals eat as a delicacy around Easter. The director here is looking to save some and start up a little reserve at the school, which would be pretty cool.

Other than that, life isn't too bad. Soccer is on all the time (sweet) and I finally figured out my stove. A brief note though, the president here has said that any foreigner that bad mouths his regime will be expelled from the country. I don't really wish to test that statement, so don't expect too many negative comments coming from here. They own almost every utility and even the Internet provider that we use and I'd prefer to stay out of trouble for a while. Although if you want an interesting read, check out BBC.com and read about his speech to the national assembly yesterday. Awesome.

God Bless

My First Venezuelan Night.....

Well....I´ve made it! I´m currently sitting in a tight little Internet cafe in Anaco. I don´t have a computer yet, so postings will be infrequent until my Mac gets here (sorry about that) and I don´t have a cell phone yet either, so you´ll have to wait to contact me.

The first impressions are interesting. I was greeted by a beautiful storm last night and the lightning was quite impressive. I arrived at my house and the door was left open for waaaay to long, which meant I had to sleep with my sheet over my head to protect myself from all the mosquitos. Then this morning I had a battle with a bunch of ants trying to come in through the opening near one of my ACs. It was a lot of fun.

The people here seem pretty friendly and all the teachers at school are great. I´d love to post more, but we are here to get some supplies before heading back to school.

God Bless!

My Upcoming Departure......

As I'm sitting in Agnes' computer room and trying to make sure all of my bags are within the current weight requirements (so far, so good)....I was trying to think about all the amazing things that have happened over the past month. I went on an amazing road trip. I was able to spend a week with my dad, seeing movies, going out to eat and taking some fun walks around DM (I also got to pick on mom a bit here and there too!). I made brief 23 hour trip to Minneapolis and back with my friend Jennifer to visit our mutual friend Laura (and to get some textbooks that someone is letting me borrow....I owe you big time!!!). I even went out and baled some hay for the first time, in an attempt to get back into my aunt Lola's good graces (although I still have a lot of work to go). And finally, I made some new friends at Ephemra, an awesome little store at the intersection of Grand & 4th St. in the East Village (GO VISIT THEM NOW!!!).

The one thing that I loved the most though is just being here.....home. I had the opportunity to see so many friends and family members (thanks for the bbqs Burgins!), that it truly made one both humble and grateful. I was able to see my grandpa Flinn for the first time in years and I saw Aunt Lola and Uncle Butch too. Lola had mentioned that she followed the blog and it made me recall how many people actually said that they kept up with this thing (I'm still in a state of shock really) and for that I would like to thank all of you. I really had fun hanging out and visiting everyone that I was able to and for those of you that I didn't get to see, I'm sorry and I hope to see you at Christmas.

This all reminds me of when my buddy Dustin used to live in England. I remember that he would come home for around 2 weeks and he would be booked solid for the entire time he was home. I never understood why he had to see everyone, or even how he knew so many people! Now I understand though buddy, and I'm sorry if I was ever a jerk about any of it.

And now I'm about to begin the next adventure. Tomorrow morning I leave for Miami and then on Tuesday afternoon I fly down to Venezuela. I don't know how long it will be before I have Internet access again, but I will try to get online and update you with my contact info as soon as I can. In the meantime, I want to leave you with some lines from a song that has really been hitting me over the past few months. It's from the new Linkin Park album:

When my time comes,

forget the wrong that I've done

help me leave behind some,

reasons to be missed.

And don't resent me,

and when you're feeling empty,

keep me in your memories,

leave out all the rest.

You've all left me with some great memories from this summer, so thanks a ton and I'll see you on the other side!!

God Bless

My Road Trip (Part 2).....

After a short drive to Lexington, KY, I arrived at the home of my friends Mike and Lianne. I arrived early in the morning (only an hour drive) and was able to relax for the afternoon in their beautiful home. It was great to have a chance to just relax for a little while.

Mike in front of the WWI Memorial in Lexington.

That evening, Mike came home and we hit the town! Okay...not really. He showed me around the city a bit and took me to a fantastic pizza place. I was really impressed with the town and it was really beautiful and easy to get around.


The next day I spent reading and watching TV again, as well as trying to figure out the washer/dryer (they were new and I was having some trouble). That night Mike and I went out to eat again and tried to figure out how to build a retaining wall. He had everything measured out, but then we got a little worried that we might hit some type of line, so he called the people to plant the flags and we had to delay the construction project for another time.


The next day we took some pics around the city and had lunch with Lianne before I had to begin my drive to Washington D.C. to see my buddy Dustin and his wife Sara.

It took around 8.5 hours to drive to DC, but luckily I was listening to A Walk in the Woods the entire way. It was really a nice drive, through the mountains and wilderness of West Virginia, a state that I had never been through before.

Sara and Dustin

In DC, I was staying with Dustin and Sara, who were staying with a great family that Dustin knew from his time in England. I won't lie, I had a blast in DC. I was able to see some great sites and Dustin and Sara took a few days off, so we were able to cause a bit of trouble in the area.

We saw a couple of Smithsonian Museums (Natural History and the Air & Space), a ton of memorials, Mount Vernon and we even had a tour of the US Capital Building, where we saw a sweet statue of the first king of Hawaii.

King Kamehameha of Hawaii

Sadly the trip had to start winding down....so on Wednesday night Dustin and I went to a SuperLiga match between DC United and Monarcas Morelia of Mexico (more in the next post). It was a fantastic game with an amazing atmosphere. Whenever I decide to move back to the States, I would love to live in a city with an MLS team. There were 14,000 people at RFK Stadium and we had some great seats to watch an entertaining game. It was a pretty sweet bday gift (even though it's a month away...thanks buddy!!)

The next day I decided to try and drive all the way from DC to Iowa City (the most foolish decision of the trip). After stopping in Pittsburgh to have lunch and chat with my cousin Sarah, I was back on the road and I made it back to Iowa City at 11 pm after a long and exhausting drive. The next day I visited with my friend Megan again and then I drove back to DM the next day.

Overall the trip was a blast!! Thanks to everyone that let me stay with them and for spending a bit of time with me before I have to take off again.

My Road Trip (Part 1)......

While I was in Egypt, many of my friends decided that they were going to travel to different parts of the US to either continue their education or to do an internship for the summer. So, I figured that since I was home for almost a month, I would spend a few weeks driving around and visiting them.

Now I love road trips. I love to drive. I love to put my ipod on the radio and jam out to whatever music I'm loving at the time. If I was able to throw all of these things together and see some great people in the process.....how could that not be fun??

The trip began with a short 90 minute drive to Iowa City. I used to live in IC, so I knew a few people and was able to see a lot of friends in my two days there. I visited the Before and After School Program at Lemme (where I worked for 3 years) and some of my kids that were so small when I started (as kindergartners) are now huge 5th graders (and I subsequently felt really old). I then spent the rest of the day visiting with some friends. I hung out with my friend Kim and her daughters Fiona and Sophie. I was also able to see my friend Kandi and two of her kids and my friend Susie. That night I hung out with my friend Megan before leaving the next day for Elmhurst, IL.

Fiona and I hanging out.

After an eye appointment in Iowa City, I made the foolish decision to begin my drive to Elmhurst, IL with my eyes dilated. Probably not the best decision that I've ever made, but it probably wasn't even the most foolish on the trip......(no, really).

Travis, outside of Portillos

While there I was able to stay and visit with my friend Travis. Travis and I met while he was working in Youth Ministry at a church in England. I was there visiting my buddy Dustin, whom Travis (or Captain Independence, as he prefers) was working with. Travis and I took a day and went into the city to visit the Imperial War Museum and from then on, we've become friends. Travis and I had some wings, then hit the batting cages and go karts before calling it a night. Then next day we went to Portillos, where Travis explained to me how being able to eat at Portillos is the essence of freedom.

After Portillos I left Travis and drove 5 hours to Louisville, KY to see my friend Richard. Richard and I worked at the Blank Park Zoo for a couple of years together. He was the manager and I consider the Zoo as one of the best jobs I ever had. We had a ton of fun at the grill and it had been a few years since I went to Louisville to see him, so I figured this would be a great opportunity.

We had a good dinner and I was able to chat with him and his fiance Sarah (another teacher) as well as Mike and Lianne (more to follow on them). Then Richard and I went back to his place to chat and he gave me the audio book, A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson, a DM native (which is hilarious, I recommend reading it or listening if you get the chance).

In the morning it was off to Lexington!! (see Part 2)

My MLS hopes.....

As some of you may know, this man has just arrived in the US to play soccer for the LA Galaxy. Today was the day that David Beckham was officially welcomed and announced as a player for the Galaxy.

His face has been plastered all over the place in recent weeks. Billboards, the Internet, ESPN and he is even on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Even as I write this, he has an Adidas ad playing on ESPN News. If you didn't know who he was before all of this, it seems almost impossible for anyone to ignore his presence now.

I am not a big fan of Beckham (my buddy Dustin can confirm this). I think that he is a good midfielder. He is well known for his ability to cross the ball, take free kicks, set up his team mates and he is in amazing shape and can defend well. He is also very marketable and I've heard that a few women find him attractive. He has already helped bring unprecedented publicity and exposure to the league and LA has even changed their jersey, logo and team colors (for the first time ever) just before his arrival--and have sold 250,000 jerseys of since.

While all of these positives are great for the league, I still have a few concerns about his arrival. Yes, Beckham will bring people into the stands and will get people to watch MLS on TV. But I hope that people aren't thinking he is going to come in and save the league. Beckham is not a goal-scorer or a highlight machine. Looking back at his stats since 2001, he scored 16 goals that year....and it has fallen since. He had 11 in 2002, four in 2003, four in 2004, four in 2005 (but 13 assists) and three goals and five assists this year at Real Madrid.

I will admit that he has battled some injuries, including some this year and during one or two of the last World Cups. These numbers however are not exactly impressive and he is coming into the league as the highest paid player.....ever (roughly $6.5 million/year not including endorsements which push it to possibly $25 mill). That's a lot of money for a guy that plays wide, defends well, sets up his team mates and takes free kicks.

I am optimistic however that Beckham will improve MLS' standing in America. I've already seen other former stars from Europe and Mexico coming over to play in the States and get a high pay-day while doing it. Juan Pablo Angel is having a great year in NY and Cuauhtenoc Blanco agreed to play in Chicago. There are rumors of other big names coming from Europe in the near future and as long as they are coming over to play (not just to be payed), I welcome the additions, but I don't want MLS turning into a western version of the league in Qatar, where players go for one last pay check to finish their career.

So the attention turns to Beckham. His first game is on July 22, an exhibition against Chelsea oddly enough. Normally this game might get highlights on Sportscenter, but because of Beck's debut, the game will be shown live on ESPN. Beckham as already began to put the wheels of change in motion.....

My Visitors....

For my last few days of Egypt I had my first two visitors coming in from the States. My Mom and my cousin Sarah came over to see what Egypt was all about (and possibly to check out some of the cool sites).

There visit was pretty crazy. The first day we saw a lot of pyramids, including Saqqarra and the pyramids of Giza, as well as the Sphinx. Then we went to the Egyptian Museum for the afternoon (ahhh.....air conditioning). Mom was looking a bit pink and possibly starting to overheat, so we then went back to my place for the night. We had to get up early the next day to start our cruise because we had to fly to Abu Simbel (see picture above).

The cruise was a blast and I would just like to thank my friend Abi for helping me set that up. We were on a nice boat and we were able to see a ton of sites:

The Philae Temple

Kom Ombo

Edfu

Karnak Temple

and the Luxor Temple

After a few days of the ship, we took a flight back to Cairo late one night. This gave us two full days in the city before they had to head back to the States. So we met up with my friend Reham and we took them to experience Khan-al-khalili market one day and then we took a felucca ride the next night as a final good bye.

I hope they enjoyed their time here and I hope that if you are at least interested in seeing these things, go to Egypt and see them. The people are very friendly and willing to help you out with any problems that you may have (if you need it ;-)

His Story

On the eve of the eve of my departure, I could hardly contain the joy I found exuding from my spirit (as evidenced in the look on my face in the above photo). It's been an incredibly difficult year, and my exodus is upon me. But before I go, some wiseacring about the year behind me...

Having come to Egypt almost on a whim (that's too long a story to add here), my time here might have been marked before I even arrived. This fact--that I turned my life upside down in a two week period of time just to come to Egypt to teach--sounded the first note in a sordid and dischordant octave that has been my year here. I become almost physically ill when I think about all the insanity that has befallen my professional life here this year; but I will think of it here for the sake of you readers out there. (Actually, so much craziness went on this year, I'm finding it hard to make a starting point on this point. I think I'll just make a top-ten list for ya!)

10. (admittedly not a professional matter) Our Christian housekeeper greedily begging and pestering for us to give her all manner of items before we leave the country for good (i.e. shoes, clothes, kitchenware, school supplies, electronics, etc.). Topped by the fact that she definitely stole several albeit inconsequential items such as hand soap and an extention chord.

9. Second term of school starting with an impromptu field trip to the Citadel (this one was just dropped in my lap when I got to school that day!)

8. A student poking a hole in the bottom of my water bottle with a compass point without me noticing Of course, he lied about this multiple times later, despite many reliable witnesses. (stupid punk)

7. Having a taxi driver preach and proselitize to us about the necessity of converting to Islam lest we burn for all eternity in a fiery pit.

6. Being accused and blamed for both punching and tripping a student. (police involvement was threatened for one of these.)

5. Having to change a student's grade because the parents called and complained.

4. (a general one) Having my salary used as a threat against me if I didn't do some irrelevant task for the school.

3. Being one game away from winning the softball tournament in the league I played in, and then losing it in a shameful fashion. (The other team had to beat us twice in a row to win the tournament, which they did on one day, each game decided by no more than two points.)

2. Getting a bout of the Pharoah's Curse two days before leaving Egypt for good! (blasted country just won't let me forget about this one)

1. Watching some excellent students (and my best one) get terribly disappointed at not being able to participate in a spelling bee because the bus driver got us there almost two hours late! (This was a result of the transportation manager at the school completely dropping the ball with directions and planning. We drove for over three hours looking for the spelling bee site, wound up way out in the desert by the Darshur pyramid--a trip which should have taken no more than one and a half hours. This experience was the most crushing as an educator, and a prime indicator of the essential problem in this culture, or at least the strata of it that we taught in this year. The problem being, namely, that those who are responsible and hard working tend to get punished for these very virtues.)

And so, it is with little regret that I leave this land for what probably will be the last time. However, the year has not been filled with only non-positive experiences. I'll sum up:

Around September, I became friends with a shop owner in a huge mall here in Cairo, a souvenir shop for oils, papyrus paintings, statues of all kinds, etc. He and all his employees truly welcomed me into their world; I graciously entered. Over the course of the year I have spent many many hours just hanging out in the shop, talking with the employees or Saber, the owner, or with customers, or watching the painter paint, or the metal engraver engrave metal, etc. I became friends with all these guys (and one gal). So when I left the shop for the last time the other night, these folks were genuinely sad that I was leaving not to return. And the biggest hug I got was from the guy who spoke the least amount of English (and consequently with whom I conversed the least this year). He really bear hugged me, and hesitated with letting go. I walked out of there feeling like a part of a family of friends in the truest sense. My heart was touched, and I shall take that with me along with all the other madness touched on above.

It's been a pleasure being a guest in Mr. Flinn's blog here. Hope you enjoyed!

Bill's greatest roommate ever,

Alex

My last entry in Cairo.....

School is finally out (YES!!) and since things are starting to wind-down here, we are beginning to pack and get ready to depart this oven. We will be losing our Internet access today and so this (and the subsequent surprise post) will be the last ones for nearly two weeks.

My mom and cousin are arriving tonight, but before that I will be attending another wedding (my second in two days) and hanging out with my roommate and some local friends for one last time before everyone departs for the summer and to greener pastures.

To be honest, I've enjoyed my time here in Egypt. I had a lot of misconceptions when I arrived and I was scared to death the very first time I stepped outside my flat. I thought I would be harassed, bothered and I didn't think anyone would be able to speak English. I was also worried that I would receive some sort of harassment due to my faith....but this has not been the case. Many Egyptians are amazing and extremely kind. I can't tell you how many people have assisted me in finding a shop, or trying to purchase something or even some people that just wanted to talk. I have been so impressed by their hospitality that I sometimes wish that places in the US were more like this.

Now don't get me wrong, there have been some negative experiences, but overall the positives completely out-weigh the negatives. I was so worried about not finding any Christians here, but I have been pleasantly surprised. There is a small, but strong Christian population here and one great thing is how well the Christians and Muslims get along. Unless you are dating (or about to date), no one gives a second thought about your faith. I was very worried about this when I came over, but now I can see that it was only ignorance, and nothing more.

I will miss my coworkers, my students and the amazing friends that I've made since I've been here. I hope to keep in touch with many of them (thank God for Facebook) and hopefully I'll be able to come back and visit Cairo one day in the future and who knows, maybe one or two will come and visit me......wherever I am.

My Good News.....

May 24th? May 24th? Has it really been an entire month since I've posted anything??

To be honest, I held off posting for a while because I was frustrated looking for a job. I was having some difficulty finding anything and I didn't want to say the exact same thing in two or three consecutive posts, so I held off. But now I'm back.

First off, the good news: School is almost over. It's been extremely hot in Egypt for the last week and today we went to the pool. Imagine how nervous I was that my pale white body was going to come back looking like a lobster, but luckily I seemed to have made it out without a scratch. We only have three more days left and one of those days we are having a 2nd vs 3rd Grade football match, followed by a dish party. Needless to say, I'm excited.

Then comes the other good news.....I finally got a job!! I accepted it last weekend and I know I should have posted sooner, so my apologies. In August I start teaching 5th Grade at Escuela Anaco in Anaco, Venezuela. I'm pretty excited for the opportunity. The pay is better and I get the chance to coach football (soccer) and possibly basketball. I will also be the Model UN sponsor for my school, which is a program that allows students to represent a country in a setting similar to the real UN and try to solve global issues. It's a great program and it should be fun. The best part about my new job though.....I only have 6 kids in my class right now!!!!

Now before I get any silly emails or messages about how scary Venezuela is, I want you to know that I've already researched it and I'm fine. The city I will be in is only 100,000 people and it is pretty far from Caracas (the capital). I'm also only about an hour from the beach (sweet) and the people at the school seem extremely nice.

I will try to post more soon about the school and possibly get their website on the links section so that you can check it out. In the meantime, I only have a few weeks left and my mom (Agnes) and my cousin Sarah are coming to visit in less than a week! I better get cleaning.....

God Bless

My Pictures.....My Old City Streets

This is a shot of one of the streets of the Old City, Jerusalem. It was taken in the Jewish Quarter (a lack of shops and the overall cleanliness of the street is a clue). I loved wandering around on these streets. It was truly like a maze with something new waiting to be discovered around every corner.

My Search.....

My job search for the upcoming school year is in full swing and the answers that I'm receiving are roughly the same:

"Sorry, but we need more experience."

"Actually, we're almost done with the interview process."

"No."

And my personal favorite:

....................... (the no response....awesome)


To be honest, as I said before, it has become a bit frustrating. I know that God has a plan and that what He wants is what will happen, but it's just the waiting that is disheartening. Possibly the spot that He wants me in isn't open yet.....possibly I'm supposed to sub for a year......possibly I'm supposed to end up in Guam, where I'll learn a life-long lesson or meet a life-long friend or have an impact on one specific student. Perhaps I'm supposed to learn the lesson that schools start doing interviews in Jan and Feb for the following school year (learned that the hard way).

I've told Him that I'm prepared to go anywhere (and I mean anywhere) that He wants to send me with this thingy called an Elementary Education Certification. So far it has put me on three continents in the past year and possibly a fourth next year....who knows.

It's times like these that my faith is truly tested. I know that He'll take care of me and that I'll be okay wherever I end up.......but can't I just know now??? : )

Here are the recent results:

Woodward Granger-No, (filled)

5th Grade in WDM--No, (filled)

Waukee------No, (almost done with interview process)

Japan------No, (lack of experience)

5th Grade in KY----No, (filled)

Aruba-----No, (lack of experience)

Venezuela------........

2nd Grade Clive---........

I have recently applied to schools in Quito, Ecuador and Hong Kong and I'm continuing to watch for openings around the DM area (however many schools do not have vacancies). I may have to expand the search to other areas in the States that I would consider moving to, which might not be a bad thing to be honest.

All-in-all, my faith continues to hold strong and knowing that He is in control is what gets me through times like these, especially when the unknown lies ahead.

I hope all is well, wherever you are,
God Bless

My Lengthy Absence.....

Greetings to friends, family and folks that just happen to drop by!

First off, sorry for the long delay in writing. To be honest, it's been a bit busy here in Cairo. The school year is winding down and I'm working with my 3rd graders on our production for the annual show. We have around 4 weeks until we perform, so hopefully all will go well.

I'm also trying to find a job! I applied to a few districts in the Des Moines area (Waukee and West Des Moines). So if anyone out there knows a principal in Waukee or at Clive Elementary or Westridge Elementary in West Des Moines, put in a good word for me!! (Please?)

I've also contacted a few other schools about a teaching post for next year. To be honest, the job hunt is a little frustrating, especially when you are doing it from another continent. It's difficult to get all the paperwork turned in and to have ANYONE actually take notice of you. Good Times.

Other than that, I've just been hanging out here. The weather has become extremely warm (borderline hot if you will). It was so warm today that I had to let the cold water run in the shower for a while before I got in.....it was hot!

Alright, more to come later. I hope all is well. God Bless.

My Pictures (cont).....

This is a picture of The Monastery, a huge structure carved into the rock at Petra. It was pretty impressive. The only drawback is that you have to walk up 850 stairs, cut into the stone to get to the top.

My ANZAC Day (a year removed).....

Happy ANZAC DAY!!

This post goes out to the Aussies, because today is a special day for them, ANZAC Day. Today is the day that Australia celebrates and honors the fallen soldiers of her past. It was on this day, back in 1915, that Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed at Gallipoli in Turkey during the First World War. It was the first major military action fought by the Australian and New Zealand troops. Over 8,000 Aussies were killed at Gallipoli and it's on this day that they remember those who have fought in battle. It is a very important holiday in Australia and I was introduced to it at 4:30 am, one year ago in Brisbane.

The ceremony was incredible. Before dawn, a fire was lit at ANZAC Memorials all over the country. I was at the one in Brisbane with John, the man I was staying with. Truly a special memory for me.

My Pictures......My Five Sided Adventure

Here is a shot from the Pyramids that was taken earlier this year. Yes, that is the Sphinx on the right and the building next to the Pyramid is where a Solar boat is kept.

My photos......My Golgotha......

Since I'm now able to actually upload some photos on this thing, I thought I would share some over the next couple of days/weeks from my travels. I thought of this one first, since it is the one that I wanted to share all along....

This photo is of Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, located just outside the Old City of Jerusalem. It was here, according to my NIV Bible, Matthew (27:33), Mark (15:22), Luke (23:33) and John (19:17) say that Jesus was crucified, here....on this hill that overlooks Jerusalem.

For me, this was a somber, but exciting place. To see where Christ was crucified is something that I will never forget. To be able to sit and look upon this hill, to see what looks like a skull in the hillside (which is truly amazing and how it got it's name) and to think that I am able to stand, to sit and to pray in the place where this all took place......where the Son of God was crucified for me, for us, was incredible. I hope that all who wish too, can experience it one day.

I had feelings here that I have never felt before in my life.....almost as if I finally realized the sacrifice and the significance of that day, so long ago.

.......(the sound of sand being blown through the air).....

Here's a picture from bbc.com of downtown Cairo today during the sandstorm.

My taxi driver in Jordan.....

For some reason, I'm being allowed to upload pictures right now, although I have to do it one at a time. Here is a picture of myself and our taxi driver from Aqaba to Wadi Musa. He's pointing out Petra in the Jordanian countryside.