We're baaack! Egypt Days 1-2

Hello again from Jerusalem! We know you missed us and we missed blogging! But we hardly had time to think we have been so busy for the last week! We have decided to split up the last week among the three of us so you get every day outlined. However there might also be some overlap as we all had our personal experiences in Egypt that we want to make sure and share. And one more thing, as much as you like hearing from us, we like to hear back from you too! Otherwise this becomes a very long one-way conversation and WE NEED CONTACT with the outside world. SO, please comment on our blog!!!
So we got up and left early Sunday morning (5/11), following the way of the Patriarchs as we drove all the way to the Israel/Egypt border with four stops on the way. The buses were small and we tried to sleep as much as we could but we were tired at the end of the day!
Stop One was the Beer Sheba ruins. This is the traditional site of where Abraham dug a well and swore an oath with the local chieftan. Sheba or Sheva means oath and hence the name of the place. We were at the southern most border of ancient Israel land as it was often referred to as "from Dan to Beersheba." It was also here that Abraham received the commandment to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:1-3) and begin the journey up to the land of Moriah to fulfill that command. There was a huge cistern we went into here. One of many we continue to encounter here in the holy land! It was also here they first uncovered a horned alter in Israel. It still just blows my mind sometimes to think that I am where the Patriarchs have walked!
Stop Two was the Ben-Gurion Memorial and an overlook of the Wilderness of Zin and Kadesh Barnea one of the seven deserts in which the children of Israel wondered for 40 years. It was also here that after three days travel, Lehi and his family stopped to offer thanks. It was from here he sent his sons back to Jerusalem to first obtain the plates and then invite the family of Ishmael to join them. It was a long hard, hot, journey and I begin to understand just how Laman and Lemuel might have felt!
Stop Three was the ruins of Avdat and by far the coolest ruins we have seen yet. It was founded by the desert people (Nabataeans) who were also based in Petra. They knew the secrets of the desert and were able to cross where no one else lasted a day in the hot sun. They had hidden cisterns, directions, and secrets to the desert that were guarded fiercely by their people. But once they set up the city of Avdat they settled down and begin drinking wine where before any drinking was strictly forbidden. Well as soon as they started drinking, their secrets got out and they were conquered. There's a lesson to learn from that! The ruins included two temples and an early baptistery. It was pretty amazing to be there with Brother Ostler and Brother Draper who can tell us so much about these places. The picture below is of these two great men at the veil of the temple.
Stop Four was a Jewish Kibbutz. We got a tour of the place and had an amazing dinner there including real ice cream! We were all happy for that! They had a horse farm as well and I was so happy to see and play with some of the horses. I could still get one to give me kisses--Elana will appreciate that. I am determined to find a barn to ride at this summer!
We finished the day at yet another Kibbutz (Eilot) where we slept incredibly well. Before we slept Brother Draper and Ostler took some time to talk about the things we were going to see in Egypt and the story surrounding the book of Abraham and the Facsimiles. It is so amazing to understand these things a little better now. The Egyptians had a lot of truth but it was corrupted over the ages and they still seemed to be seeking for a missing key or a missing person. It is interesting that in so many of their stories they have the echoes of a Christ figure. I am once again so grateful for the truths I know and hold dear.
Day two we got up early to be the first buses at the border only five minutes away. It was a pretty uneventful crossing into Egypt but we were there in Africa! Pretty cool! We spent the whole day crossing the Sinai Wilderness and getting into Cairo where we checked into the Oasis Hotel and had dinner. After dinner we went to a Cartouche shop where there was a lot of jewelry and we all got ripped off royally for the Cartouches we bought. It was a great welcome to Egypt and their economic bartering system! After being in Egypt for a few days we all begin to realize just how bad a deal it was. But we had to order them and get them made and in the end I got a silver chain and Cartouche for $30. Oh well, one of those lessons we learn. On Friday when we got them back, both Mitchell and Deborah were really disappointed with the end product and had new ones made that night. So in the end we were all happy. So, that is our entrance into Egypt! Stay tuned for an eventful week and make sure and read the blogs in order!