Valued Friendships...

Again this week we were blessed with dear friends visiting...some of them, however, go back to my elementary school days and Fred's High School days.

 It was such a Joy to have 2 1/2 yr. old 'Jaylyn' visit with her mother 'Darcy' and grandparents, 'Dan and Diana.' These dear ones have been dear friends while our children were growing up in Cairo. 'Papa Murphy's' pizza and a tossed salad was our simple supper together but how great it was to get together  for a few hrs. When we last saw Jaylyn, she wasn't talking yet and she graced us with her lovely vocabulary, care of her baby doll and love of books.

Thank you so very much for coming to visit us 'dear valued friends.'

'Pat and Rakel', also dear friends from Cairo days and now living in Oregon,  stayed one night with us after attending a conf. here in town.  It is so nice that the airport is only about 20 min. from us so Fred shuttled them at 5AM for an early flight home. We enjoyed lunch at a fabulous Italian restaurant in Scottsdale when we picked them up.   Pat and Rakel were life savers when we first arrived in Cairo in 1986. They introduced us to the best stores in the older part of our community, which were less expensive. Their is a whole area that caters to the expat community and is much more expensive...over run with 'coffee' shops now!

 Rakel got me involved in the 'benevolence' branch of our women's ministry at our church. They support about 90 local charities...we would visit many of them and I learned quickly to love the village people of Egypt..what a privilege. I was also a part of  'The baby wash' program...strange name! There is a clinic out
near the Giza Pyramids and this service was begun many years ago by Roman Catholic nuns. Mothers, sometimes very young, bring their babies to be checked by a Dr., weighed and we would show them the hygienic way to wash and care for their little ones. Sometimes if they didn't have milk, they would give their babies 'tea.' They didn't know any better!

I enjoyed those two activities , once a wk., for about 4 yrs. until I accepted the challenge to do a Master's Degree at the Univ. where Fred taught grad stu. I was about 53 when I passed the wirtten comprehensive and oral exams. How thankful I am for that experience and all the dear stu. I shared classes with.

Thank you Pat and Rakel for making our transition to Egypt easier.

Our last visitors were' Rich and Barbara' from Michigan, our home State. I was in elementary school with Barb and Fred dated her in High School! I met Fred soon after graduating and they were no longer an item. They went to a different H.School than me in a close by town. A great surprise when I found out Fred had gone with Barb. Barb and Rich have relatives here in Az. and were here for a family wedding.  We took them to the top of our S. mountain with the lovely view of Phoenix around sunset time. I served them an Iranian meal as it is the beginning of Now Ruz, the Iranian new year and we enjoyed competing in the game of 'Sequence.'  We had so much fun with them and enjoyed getting to know Rich and reminiscing.

Thank you Barb and Rich for visiting us. What a treat! We will meet again in Michigan.

So, other happenings of the week were Fred going to Sedona on his motorcycle and hiking, me meeting a sweet gal from Libya on the ASU campus and enjoying our conversational English class.  Fred also drove a van load of Intl. stu. to Sedona to hike later in the week and hiked 'The National Trail' with a couple stu., 7 hrs., in 95 degree weather! I drove up the mountain and met them half way with pizza and cold water. My husband is so blessed with great stamina at his 'young' age. The stu. love that he takes them hiking and biking.

Thank You Lord, for all these precious friends and for how you sustain us both physically and spiritually
in our golden years.