"A riot at bottom is the language of the unheard."

"Teach me how to seek you, and show yourself to me when I seek. For I cannot seek you unless you teach me how, and I cannot find you unless you show yourself to me. Let me seek you in desiring you; let me desire you in seeking you. Let me find you in loving you; let me love you in finding you." -Anselm, Proslogion

Egypt

Jesus calls us to love both our friends and our enemies. Here in the Middle East people often put Christians and Muslims on opposite sides, drawing the line between the two. During the 18-day revolution in which demonstrators stood their ground, determined to establish democracy for their country, Egyptians rallied together, inviting their country and the world to join their attempt to overcome their corrup government. The picture below is of Christian Egyptians protecting their Muslim neighbors while they participate in prayers. When Jesus tells us to love, He doesn't want us to only love those who we spend out time with, or who we're related to, or those who share our beliefs and values. He simply calls us to walk as He walked: loving those society tells us we shouldn't love, let alone talk to or interact with or defend.

When the protests broke out all around Egypt on Friday, January 28th I had just missed the boarder crossing to go visit friends in Palestine [the border closes each day pretty early...and on Fridays it's earlier than normal. I had known this when I left Amman after meeting with my MCC boss, but I figured I would try anyways. Nope. Too late]. That day, as I hung around Amman, news started to come in about the increased protests in Egypt, and as we sat glued to the television I was amazed by the Egyptians ability to overcome their fear that President Hosni Mubarak's thirty year corrupt rule had placed in ordinary citizen. Throughout the weeks of unending protests [some violent, most nonviolent] until Mubarak resigned as president I was struck by the people's ability to band together to bring about a change that few thought was possible. There were accounts of true community forming in parts of Egypt, specifically in Tahrir Square where everyone was contributing what they could: young men were helping with crowd control and checking IDs, older women were bring food and cooking dinner for those around them. What started in Tunisia, and inspired Egypt, is now spreading to other countries in the region: it is people coming together, saying that it is time for change...they are demanding their governments work for the people and to rule justly. As Egypt starts to build its future, the world is watching to see if democracy is created and if true political change takes place.

project 52. check it.

Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan

"In those days Jesus came from Nazaeth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open adn the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." - Mark 1:9-11

A few weeks ago I went with the youth group to Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan, where archaeologists believe John the Baptist preached and where Jesus was baptized. Different churches [the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Church] take different Fridays to celebrate the baptism of Jesus. The Orthodox Church held a large service, where thousands of people gathered. The river is almost-stagnant and polluted, and like many pilgrimage sites*, it was hard to take in the meaning of the palace when crowds were pushing at us from all sides and guards were present to prevent people from crossing over into Israel & Palestine, which is almost within arms reach.

All that being said, it was neat to be able to be in such a historically Biblical site. And it was great to spend the day with friends from youth group. Here are some pictures from the day:

Touching the Jordan River.

*When I visited Bethlehem back in November, my roomie and I were at the Church of the Nativity. While in the lower "cave" where the exact location of where Jesus was born is said to be, women were kneeling to pray. The guard standing near by immediately started announcing, quite loudly: "There are thousands of people waiting outside. If every one stopped to pray, do you know how long it would take to get everyone through here? Keep moving! No time to pray in here, pray outside."

Oh goodness.

half marathon time!

I recently signed up for my third 1/2 marathon...and I'm quite excited! I'll be running the Dead Sea Half Marathon with [hopefully] some teachers from the school. Although training will be less convenient then simply hopping onto the Prairie Path, I'm looking forward to the experience of running to the lowest point on earth. The countdown begins: 64 days!