I first heard the stories about the Bible lands as a little girl. Because we were Seventh Day Adventists Saturday was a very special day, a day dedicated to God. We always went to church in the morning. My Sabbath school teachers taught the Bible stories with tiny figures in sandboxes, igniting a love for the Bible into my heart. Teacher taught us songs and we sang about Jesus in a little boat on the Sea of Galilee. Nearly 40 years later I rode in a boat, bowed my head in prayer and listened to a sermon in a boat on that same blue Galilee. I would like to invite you to join me as I relive a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Holy Lands over 20 years ago, to experience the wonder of the birth, life and death of Jesus.

Our trip with Aurora First Assembly of God church with Pastor Howard Cummings and his wife Margie began at Stapleton Airport where a tour group of 15 excited people flew to New York. After a five-hour layover we boarded a 747 airplane at 9:00 p.m. to fly to Italy. Our stop in the Rome airport was frightening for policemen paraded throughout the airport with guns and it took a long time to pass through the stiff security.

We finally arrived in Cairo, Egypt at 8:00 p.m. where a van met us and took us to the Jollie Villa motel. There were eight million people who lived in that city and it seemed that at least seven million of them were in the streets that night walking, in cars or on bicycles. It took our van two hours to wind through the slow traffic and get to the motel in Giza. We were tired, but excited when we reached the lovely place we would stay. Giza is on the west bank of the Nile River and is a prosperous suburb of Cairo.

It is hard to describe my astonishment as I walked out of the motel that next morning and looking toward the south saw the high peaks of the pyramids I had studied in school. They seemed almost as tall as our Rocky Mountains and were a fascinating sight in this hot dry country.

We were warned not to drink the water as it was contaminated, but we could drink coffee or any hot drink as long as the water had been boiled. Going to the motel dining room, delicious fruit was stacked on the breakfast buffet, but Pastor Cummings warned us that the fruit had been washed in the water and we might get sick if we ate it. After casting a longing look at that exquisite food I passed it by and ate a breakfast of lunchmeat, rolls, jelly and cheese.

It was winter in Denver but spring was dressed in royal colors with green palm trees and a kaleidoscope of picturesque flowers. A sky blue swimming pool beckoned us, but alas I hadn't thought to take my swimming suit.

The pyramids were five miles southwest of our motel so after breakfast our van took us to visit them and the giant Sphinx. There we saw the three pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, built between 2613 and 2494 BC. The pyramids are monuments built for the pharaohs and their relatives. We saw the oldest pyramid known, the Step Pyramid of King Zoser consisting of six terraces of smaller sizes one built upon the other. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, these huge pyramids were built by the Jewish people in Bible times. Exodus 1:13 says "And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor." I could imagine how hard those poor souls had to work to build those enormous structures. Little children now climbed and played on them.

Close to the pyramids was the huge Great Sphinx. The Sphinx combined the body of a lion with the head of a man. Its face, which is now badly damaged from vandalism, was believed to have represented King Khafre. Sixty-nine feet high and 243 feet long and originally built to guard the pyramid, the Great Sphinx was later worshipped as a god.

Even though it was early morning it was very hot out there on those flat dry lands and a man was selling soft drinks. "Great," I thought and I headed towards him to get a coke, but I was stopped.

"The cokes are made with their water," Pastor Cummings warned. He explained that we could get Montezuma's revenge, another name for a bad case of dysentery. One older lady didn't listen to Pastor Cummings, she ate and drank whatever she wanted on the entire trip and never got sick, but I didn't want to take a chance on ruining my once-in-a-lifetime vacation so I forgot my thirst.

I was fascinated as I saw an Arab riding on a camel so I took his picture. He immediately hurried over to collect money from me for the privilege. Somehow Pastor Cummings handled that and I can't remember now if I paid the man or not.

We took a bus ride to the Egyptian Museum and there we saw the tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amon and wondered at his many treasures. That afternoon we went to Memphis, 16 miles south of Cairo. Memphis was once the capital city of ancient Egypt. We passed the river and saw shabby mud huts where the peasants live. The people drink the river water, wash in it and wash their clothes. Not fit for human consumption, the water ruins their livers and they die young. A man has more than one wife so he can have many children to beg for him. The peasants traveled in wagons and carts pulled by donkeys.

As we pulled into Memphis our bus was surrounded by little dirty beggar kids. It was a sad sight and my heart broke for them.

A museum at the site contains objects found at Memphis, an alabaster sphinx dating from the 18th dynasty and a colossal statue of the Pharaoh Ramses II.

A visit to the City of Cairo showed people living and cooking their meals on the sidewalks. Street merchants sold fruits, vegetables and baked goods uncovered in the hot sun. I bought some jewelry from a street peddler. It was not a wise thing to do; the other vendors came running over as they saw my money. The odors of burning fires, cooking on the sidewalks of Cairo and spoiling vegetables and fruits were nauseating.

As we walked through the streets a bell rang from the prayer tower and Moslems knelt, foreheads pressed to the sidewalk to pray.

We saw the Nile River and the place where people think that Moses might have been discovered and raised by Pharaoh's daughter.

It was a fascinating and unforgettable start to our ten-day trip. It was a never-to-be-forgotten adventure and as I look back on that visit to Cairo this Thanksgiving I am truly thankful for our great country of America and for the things God has given me. I have never had many worldly goods but by Egyptian standards I am wealthy.