Author: Dave Miers

After meeting with Matta, our first full day continued with an introduction to Bishoi*. Bishoi is our tour guide for the week. He’s a trained archaeologist, brilliant storyteller, and lover of Jesus. Our first trip out from the hotel is to Old Islamic Cairo to learn more about when Islam first came to Egypt.

The highlight of the ancient buildings and bazaars we visited was spending time in the beautiful eleventh-century Al-Hakim mosque. While seated in the inner courtyard of the mosque, Bishoi quietly told us the story of how Al-Hakim became Caliph. He was a brutal leader known by some as the “mad Caliph” or “Nero of Islam”. Al-Hakim was fixated on destroying Christianity.

Continue reading “// AND YET HERE WE ARE // Egypt Travel Blog 04”

Waking up to our first full day in Cairo, the smog was out, our hearts were open, and we were ready to hit the ground running. When Gabe and Mike (CEO of Open Doors Australia) prepared our itinerary, they try to squeeze in as much as possible while we are on the ground in Egypt. It is a privilege to be here, and we want to maximise the time meeting with persecuted believers from the moment we touch down until the moment we take off.

Following a hotel breakfast by the Nile and a brief time in God’s word and prayer, we were ready for our first meeting. Straight away, there was an element of secrecy and danger involved as we met with Matta*. Our group split up into two’s, and we arrived at staggered times at the hotel room. This was to avoid the constant surveillance of authorities (and nosey hotel housekeepers!). While there was a slight risk for our team, there was a significant risk for Matta in associating with us. He later told us that government officials would have interrogated him if they knew the nature of our meetings.

Continue reading “// WE’RE NOT HERE TO SELL PERSECUTION // Egypt Travel Blog 03”