Pacing the ground.

Today is a day of firsts.

First morning in Cairo. First breakfast. First time meeting the staff. And first time venturing out into the wider city.

As expected, the staff in the Cathedral complex are lovely. They are typically Egyptian. Patient, respectful, easy to smile, and most helpful. 

Breakfast was light and lovely, with that staple of theological colleges, retreat centres, and army barracks everywhere - the boiled egg. Very welcome indeed. But much more so, the coffee!

Archbishop Samy was busy today, as one would expect from a man who has an enormous area of responsibility; although I will get to catch up with him tomorrow.

It was nice to meet Karim, Tim, Rev. Samir, and the staff of the Diocesan Office in person, and they seem delighted to have another pair of hands to get involved with the pastoral and liturgical work of the Diocese.

There is a very nice cafe attached to the Cathedral, with a rather nice outdoor area, which has just the right amount of shade to guarantee one doesn't quite broil. Assisted by a frantic fan whose sole purpose seems to amount to violently stirring the oven-hot air without the least cooling effect. But it is a perfect place to journal!

The highlight of today, though, was the Cathedral itself.

The construction of All Saints was first begun in 1977 with the laying of a foundation stone and completed in its current form in 1988 (or so I read!)

It is a striking building, both from the inside, with its majestic organically shaped roof and vaulted ceiling which hangs rather like a drape supporting a magnificent candelabra at its apex. There are some imaginative panels depicting the life of Jesus on the inside, augmented by some lovely Icons and stained glass.

As I sat there in the solitude, I was treated to a rather lovely organ practice rendition of Beethoven's Ode to Joy by an anoymous soul. Thank you, whoever you are! (I should have recorded it!)

At the entry to the complex are the words from Hosea 11, 'Out of Egypt I called my Son', which are most appropriate for this land which is steeped in history.

In fact when I opened my Bible this morning I was met with the words of Jeremiah 2:2, 'Go and proclaim in the land of Jerusalem, says the Lord.' So, although I'm staying firmly here, I guess I know what's expected of me in these five weeks!

One thing that did strike me, which reminded me in a way of Jordan many years ago, are the islands of wealth that sit in a rather larger sea of relative poverty. The wealth is, of course, centred on hotels and private, gated and guarded complexes, which makes me a little sad; but I guess therein lies the rub - it's rather up to me to do my bit to bring some cheer while I'm here!

Tomorrow promises more clarity and focus. I'm delighted to be able to help out in the Diocese in any way I can. So, I continue to smile, to say hello, and to engage with whomever I can.

As a much-loved barman/friend once told me in my teens during my summer job, 'It's nice to be nice.'