Received this today from a friend who just came back from Egypt and Israel. I offer it as a look into his observation of a place we only watch and listen about. This is his unedited comment on a part of the world far far away and on how it felt from the eyes of a high school teacher who with his wife and senior class traveled and experienced the Holy Land in May 2008.
Dear Friends,
We are home. I am back with this flu that is going around. I had it before we left and got worse in Egypt. I have really been sick, sure is a waste of time.
Our trip was physically very hard, I lost ten pounds. I am glad I went, but will never go back to Egypt. It is a dirty, ungodly country. The smog in Cairo was terrible. Seventeen million people in that city. They just throw their trash in the streets. The Nile River is polluted to the point of disgusting. I don't know how people who built the Pyramids regressed to what they are today. If the Arabs take over America the way they did London, we will be a slum. Noise pollution was unreal. The people chant their Muslim prayers all day, everywhere. There is no respite. Our tour guide was a Christian, a fine young man. The ungodliness of the population is everywhere. It was a real example of the difference of "light" vs "darkness." Jesus truly brought the Light to humanity.
Israel was clean and wonderful. We could eat the food and drink the water. They were kind and we could feel their love and respect. They may not believe in Jesus but you can tell that God is present in that land. It snowed in Jerusalem while we were there, but still we toured. The Sea of Galilee was stormy. We went out on a boat a short distance, but came right back to shore. The Bible is absolutely true about the fact that you cannot be out on the Sea of Galilee in a boat without danger. We were amazed at the big waves and wind on that sea or lake.
The weather cleared in Israel at the end of the week and we went to the Temple Mount on a beautiful morning. It was a time with the Lord. We stood as the Golden Gate where Jesus will return. It is sealed because the Muslims are concerned He will return! They even have one of their graveyards outside the gate because their belief is no King will come through a graveyard. But Jesus is coming! It shows the Muslims are concerned and believe the possibility is real He will come. I stood and stared at the gate and was very moved to think I was standing at the very place where Jesus will return to Bethlehem.
We went to Bethlehem next. We had to let our Jewish guide out of the bus, and our Arab bus driver drove us through the security gate. That high wall you have been hearing about on TV is there dividing Palestine and Israel. We picked up a Christian guide when we got into Bethlehem. I have been there twice before, once in 1980 and again in 1999.
There is a stark difference in Bethlehem since the Arabs have taken over. There were hardly any tourists. We ate in a cafe on the square. The last time I was there it was packed with tourists, now it was empty except for our group. They have killed all tourist trade. The Christians in Bethlehem asked us to pray for them, because they have no income left at all. The Arab men on the manger square glared at us. We didn't feel safe and clung together. I was very uneasy about the safety of my students. The beggar boys are everywhere, showing they despise America and Israel.
There is so much I could say about this trip. It has changed my life in many ways. I look at how lost the Arabs seem. They reek of "darkness." In contrast, I look at Israel; that tiny country amidst such turmoil. If America does not continue to support Israel, I believe God will judge us harshly. The Israelite soldiers were such fine young men and women. They are clean and disciplined and have great love of their land, something missing in America's youth. I rode back to Lubbock from Dallas on the plane with an American Air Force career soldier. He said the Israelite pilots are the best on the planet. They can fly planes like no else!
Lastly, everywhere we were asked about the U. S. Presidential race. There is great interest. The Jews came up to us and asked us many questions. They said they definitely do not want the Clintons again. They warned us that Obama is a Muslim, not a Christian. In Egypt, the Arabs said basically the same thing. They said Obama is a Muslim and they are amazed the Americans would consider electing a Muslim president. Once a Muslim both countries said over and over, always a Muslim.
I came home loving my country even more than when I left! The United States for all its imperfections is a "light on a hill." Our streets are clean. There is no chanting all day. People are kind and wait their turns, not rudely pushing into line. Apparently they have never heard of the Golden Rule. They will stomp all over you to get where they want to be.
I can see now why Jesus' words of loving your neighbor and doing unto others, what you would have them do onto you, are strange words to them. They are clearly lost souls. The Koreans were the worst, walking all over us, or trying to. We take our Christian heritage for granted in my opinion. We have sanctity for human life. In Egypt, the Arabs don't have any hope. I guess that is why they can bomb innocent people and commit suicide so easily.
EVERYONE in Egypt smokes cigarettes! I could not breathe in Egypt and that is probably why I got the flu again. The smog was so bad at the Pyramids. I would gag on the fumes.
We need to pray for a America, we need to pray this election will not go so bad as to destroy our country and our civilization.
God Bless,
Skeet
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