My Daughter and I had a Smoke Together on the Way to School this Morning . .

Actually . ..we didn't have much of a  choice since we were in the back seat of a taxi, headed towards Grace's school, and the driver was having his morning     smoke before breakfast!

THIS, is one of the things I WON'T MISS about Egypt.

Yesterday, while sitting to have dinner, Gracie asked,  
"Mommy, what are some of the things you look forward to in the States?" 

We took turns sharing our lists!

We DO have so much to look forward to and to be grateful for

 on the 'other side!'

 Certainly, there are many things we will miss about life in Egypt, as well.

• Our spectacular friends!

• Donkey carts selling veggies

• Occasional herds of goats walking    down our street

• Our cleaning helper and ironing man!!

• Flexibility of life, work, and rules

• Ministry among the poor

• Chatting with precious friends in the    office

• Beanos Cafe!!

 .  .  . to name a few things.

Likewise, I've been reflecting on things that I won't be missing -

The SOUNDS of night time Cairo: 
   noises that come all through the night and JOLT me out of my sleep such as -
   children screaming at the top of their lungs
   taxi drivers angrily shouting at each other
   packs of wild dogs howling
   motorcycles roaring by
   low flying planes
   wedding drums
   fireworks
   rapid gunfire
   gangs of boys fighting
   the incessant honking of car horns
   the call to prayer

I won't miss the frantic feeling experienced as I walk through the streets daily, or as we hop into yet another taxi with an unknown driver and attempt to trust him, or the feeling of constantly being completely out of control in almost every situation!

YET, I am finding that it takes MORE faith for me to trust the Lord in returning 'home,' than it did to trust Him for our move to Egypt.

In both transitions,    He remains faithful.

And, we are grateful for every one of our experiences here, and for God calling us and allowing us to be a part of HIS plan here in Egypt, for a time.
My sister reminded me of the words of one of her favorite authors just today, and I'll close with those 

"Don't be sad because it's

over,

 be happy because it happened." 

(Dr. Seuss)