Patience and Patients

The last while I just started reading a book on re entering your home country, and about how it can be really hard to re adjust if don't prepare yourself.

So I 've been thinking about what sort of things I've learned here, and how I may have changed. I've learned alot about myself while being in Egypt, like how I react in many situations, and the immediate attitude I take on. I've been learning alot about patience in everyday sidtuations, and with people. Being patient is more than just waiting quietly, it's the whole mindset, and attitude you choose to have towards the person or situation. An attitude of Love. Colossians 3: 12-14 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy, and dearly loved clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity."

I've also been learning about making relaionships. Even though we haven't settled down in one place for very long and been able to develop deep relationships I've been able to observe the people here in this culture. It is very relational based and a key difference between our societies is time. Egyptian people view the person as more valuable than time. In North America, we give people a time not our time. We do respect and honor a person by being on time, but once there slot of time is up we're onto our next scheduled thing. I've really had to learn to be content with slowing down here, and not worrying about always having to be doing something. This has really given me the opportunity to observe how giving people your time is important to good relationships. People here in Egypt are really good friends, and they love to help, and be hospitable. Last week while we were down in Aswan we went with a Doctor to an eye clinic in a small town just outside of Aswan. It was an incredible experience. We were able to see her in action with the patients. She let us look at some eye cases through here equipment, and even watch her do some surguries. It was very very interesting. Anyways it was neat watching her with the patients, she wasn't rushed and in a hurry to get her work done. She was interested in the here and now, how this patient was doing physically, but also emotionally and most important spiritually. In the waiting room of her clinic she had the Jesus film playing, and every eye was glued to it until it was there turn. This doctor saw what was important, the person, not so much the job, even though she did still take great care of the patient. God really is teaching me about relationship, and how important it is, and how important love is in relationships. Love is the greatest testimony!
So anyway we are living in a little basement flat in the bottom of a pastors house in Cairo for the next five weeks. It's going to be tight. One of our bedrooms just has sheet walls which can make quiet times hard. But we are excited about these next to months. We are just staying in one place for once and are going to be able to have somewhat of a routine. We plan on visiting a place called garbage city which is really just a huge garbage dump where people live, and sort garbage for a living. We hope to be able to interact with some of the workers there and just experience a speck of what there life is like. Also on the agenda is visiting mount Sinai. Which is going to be incredible being in a place where God was!!! So that's what's going on. I'll write again soon.