Here are a couple of pictures!

The man holding up the peace sign is our translater named Abraham.

Hanna is our driver and he is the picture of the man by himself. He is amazing and i love him.

Then, there is the picture of the streets of Garbage City just to give you an idea.

There is a picture of me at the mosque and then a picture of the mosque inside.

The other two pictures are at the Colleseum.

The last one is at the house of a family at one of the churches we went to.

well. hello. where to start? ive concluded that it is impossible to express everything that happens in my time here. So, Im just going to randomly start typing what comes into my head in this time:
First thing: i have really been learning about walking in the confidence and authority of Christ. Let me explain. So, we do a couple of ministries where we go to churches and give a couple of messages/testimonies, sing, do dramas...pretty much lead a service. I was always a little hesitant to stand up and give a testimony or message to all the people. I was more of a sit in the pews and pray and encourage the ones that were speaking kind of person. Anyway, one night we went to this church and i had no intention of speaking. However, there was a story and verse that kept coming into my mind so strongly. It was the verse about the deer panting for streams of water and thirsting for God. So, i was like, "God, if you really want me to share this...show me where this verse is." I opened my Bible and i was like, "shoot." Because right in front of my face was psalm 42, which is the verse i was thinking about. Long story short...i ended up speaking and it was such a revelation for me because God completely used me to give the message he wanted the people to hear. God can use anyone to speak, its just a matter of stepping out with the right heart and obeying. We have so much more power than we think as a believer in Christ. seriously. "Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God."-2 Cor. 3:4-5. Im still learning and growing in this area for sure, but im discovering the confidence that i do have in Christ and being more challenged to step out in that confidence and be used by Him.
Second story: We have a day set aside where no ministries are planned. On this day we usually spend a lot of time together as a team worshipping and praying. Then, if we feel like God is telling us to go anywhere...we go. So, a couple of us felt like we were supposed to go to the mosque. When we got there we read the story of Joshua and the wall of Jericho. Just how God broke down the walls of Jericho, I really believe that God is going to break down the walls of Isalm in this country. All of us decided to walk around the mosque 7 times like in the Bible and just pray. Then, a couple of us went inside. It was just such a powerful experience.
Third story: We went to Garbage city again for the house cleaning. However, each house that we were supposed to clean ended up falling through. Either they werent home or they didnt want their house to be cleaned. So....instead we walked through the streets of Garbage city and went to different houses of Christian families and prayed with them. We ended up staying for about an hour at one house and just visiting with the family and having tea. I am so glad we were able to do this. I love going to Garbage city because now a lot of the people recognize us and we have formed relationships with the people there.
General: My small team of 8 leaves for the desert on Monday the 5th. We are staying for 6 days but dont really know exactly what we will be doing yet. The other team is there now. Its weird not having 17 people around, but its kind of nice to have more space and less sound. My lice is officially gone..but a little girl was sitting on my lap yesterday and her head was COVERED with lice....so...im just going to keep using that shampoo. yaa.
anyway, its crazy that i have been in Egypt for 6 weeks now. The times is going by so fast. I cant believe that i wont be at home for another 5 months! 9 months is a long time to be away. I know that i wont be the same and neither will everyone else when i return. Its exciting though and i guess thats just the way life goes. i definitely miss you all though! So, i hope you all have a great day!
"For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light." -psalm 36:9

Hello! So, I am going to try my best to recap the past two weeks with general bullet points:
- We had the opportunity to volunteer at a Sudanese medical screening with the church we have been attending. A total of 2,000 kids went through the screening in four days. Our job was to entertain the kids after they had gone through. We taught them worship songs and told them Bible stories. I loved it so much. The L.A. ywam team was also there, so it was nice to get to know them and work with them in those couple of days.
- A couple of us girls went to a girls orphanage. They were all in their pajamas and we were just able to love on them and teach them songs and play games. I really hope to go back there and continue to form relationships with them.
- We have done a couple of different ministries in Garbage City. This is the place where all of the trash in Cairo is placed and where many people call home. We spent a day going into the different homes and visiting with the people. It was difficult because we didnt have a translator but we were able to just worship and pray with them.
-We also did house cleaning in Garbage City. This was probably one of my favorite ministries. It definitely was eye opening to see the places that people live. At one home we had to climb over bags of trash to get to the steps that went up to the room. As we walked up the steps we just saw a whole bunch of pigs down below. For a bed...the older lady had layers of card board, shredded blankets, and random pieces of newspapers. Her whole bed and house had rat poop all over it. Although it was challenging, I loved being able to make their home clean...to some extent...and bless them in this way.
-On Friday night we went to a church which was amazing. we had no idea what to expect and were planning on doing one of our dramas. However, when we walked in the room...it had about the capacity to hold 15 people. There was no space for a drama. But, God totally had other plans in mind and we were just able to worship and pray with these people. They blessed us so much.
- These past couple of days we were able to go to a place called Alexandria on the Mediterranean Sea. We had a time of rest and evaluation. It was so nice and refreshing to spend time encouraging and praying for one another. I had no intention of swimming in the Mediterranean because i didnt have a swim suit...but when i saw the waves a couple of us couldnt resist and just went in with our clothes. it was the best decision i could have made.
- We spent last night at another ywam base in egypt. It was so different. There were only 8 out of the 28 students that spoke english and everything was translated. I have just realized how blessed i am with the group that i have and the fact that i was able to be in switzerland for my lecture phase. God completely had his hand in forming our group and directing me to that base.
- We went to the Mother Theresa Orphanage and i spent the whole morning doing laundry. It is just so crazy that everything has to be hand washed and hung on clothes lines. Its a humbling experience for sure knowing that people do that everyday.

Soooooo.....wow that is a lot of information. I will not be offended if you just completely skimmed that whole segment...i just wanted to update you with specific ministries. I know i forgot a couple of things but that concludes my update.

Random facts:
1. Im convinced that the average driver here uses his horn about 65 times a day. But, seriously, our driver told me that he needs to get a horn change every 3 months.
2. Somehow...i have received head lice. yaaa.....
3. Crossing the street here is a challenge. Cars really dont believe in stopping for people or in lanes.
4. I bought a coffee for 25 cents this morning.
5. There is an insane amount of stray cats here.
6. Im slowly getting better at my Arabic.

"For you, Lord have never forsaken those who seek you." -psalm 9:10. Continue to pray for the unity of our ministry group. I am half way done with my time in Egypt and then we leave for Israel. crazy. Hope you all have a great week!

So i was finally able to upload some pictures! Here is my group at the pyramids of Giza that we were able to see yesterday.
Random facts:
1. Apparently the pollution here is equal to smoking one pack of cigarettes a day.
2. The name "Beth" is said as "Bes" when i introduce myself which in arabic means "enough or be quiet." So, the average person laughs when i tell them my name.
3. The call that the muslim people have 5 times a day is quite loud but it hasnt bothered me yet. Its starting to just become a natural part of my day.

Im really starting to enjoy my time here. It was hard in the beginning to adjust to everything because it is SO different. It really is a whole new world here, but it is starting to feel more like my home.
We have found a really good English church to go to on Fridays. It is just so nice to be able to sing and hear the message in my own language and also to meet people from the United States that have been called to Egypt. Later on Friday, we ran into the other ywam team from L.A. We had a time of worship and prayer with them. I met a girl that went to my university in indiana! it was so random. When i asked her what college she had gone to in the states and she said Anderson...i pretty much completely freaked out at her. she probably thought i was quite weird...but i found it to be a nice connection that we shared.
On Thursday nights we have started to read through the New Testament as a group. I really look forward to these times of just sitting in our cozy area and reading out loud for a couple of hours with each other. I really see our team becoming more unified. It is just so cool to see each person growing.
We went to the Mother Theresa orphanage again this week. I spent the whole morning washing clothes by hand. Its hard not being able to talk a lot with the girls that i am with...but again i am just learning to serve through my actions. We visited the homes of Sudanese Refugees again and i loved it! I had no idea what i was going to say when i got to their home but by the time it was my turn to talk...the words just started to come. It was such a reminder to me that it is really not about what i say but just about allowing God to speak through me and to use me in the way he wants. I was so encouraged by them as well and it was such a different experience for me this time.
Anyway, i have to get going but i want to leave you with the verses that encouraged me yesterday:
" For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to FILL YOU with the KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL through all spiritual WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING. And we pray this in order that you may live a life WORTHY of the Lord and may please him in every way: BEARING FRUIT in every good work, GROWING in the knowledge of God, BEING STRENGTHENED with ALL POWER according to his glorious might so that you may have great ENDURANCE and PATIENCE, and JOYFULLY GIVING THANKS to the Father, who has QUALIFIED you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." -col. 1: 9-12
That has not only been a prayer i have made for myself, but for you as well. i love you all.

"My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God...no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you." -psalm 84:2,11-12
It has been an interesting week. I cant really describe in words what has been going on, but i do know that there is so much more God wants to do in our group. Its been challenging not to get caught up in routine, but remember that we are here for God to use us and love these people. God wants to show our group so much more. He wants us to be a refreshing wind and not just follow in the footsteps of past ywam teams. We are still trying to seek out Gods direction for the ministries we are supposed to do. Im constantly being reminded that i need to die to my own expectations and comfort, that i just need to be willing to do anything, that i need to love others more than myself, and to make the most of each day.
I was really challenged when i read about God being the vine and we are his branches. Ive realized that we need only to remain in God and the fruit will come. We do not need to be focused on the fruit we will produce...but we only need to focus on REMAINING in God. Daily seeking Him and His direction. I know God is growing me up in this time. I know there is so much more he has in store, so much more he wants to do, so much more of his power he wants to show us.
Some random highlights of the week:
1. A Muslim holiday was celebrated last week and there were hundreds of animals that were sacrificed in the streets. i think it was the first time i have seen a live sacrifice...hopefully my last.
2. New years was interesting: I had my first proposal. Didnt really know how to react...he was quite serious about taking me as his wife though. I had to reject the offer even though apparently the man had lots of goats.
3. Our group went to a Mosque yesterday. It was such a heavy spirit that you could feel there. We walked around and prayed for the area. We tried to go inside but it was very busy yesterday, so we are going back another day.
4. We met two other ywam groups when we were sitting in a coffee shop at the mall. It was so random but so good. You can kind of pick out when people are from ywam...they stick out a little bit. It was nice to talk with the other groups though and hear what is going on.
Thats all i can think of right now. Please keep my group in your prayers. This verse encouraged and challenged me to seek God more: "You will seek me and FIND me when you seek me with ALL of your heart."