Advent in Egypt

Photo: Zeke Oldham (far left) plays role of son of the “wise family.”

By Ken Oldham

While winter sets in for most of the United States, it is becoming winter here in Cairo, too, though it does not have the same look or feel. The colder temperatures swept into the city this week, dropping us momentarily into the 60-degree range; this came with the first bursts of rainfall this year, then heavy winds and dust storms. The temperatures will get cooler in the next couple months, but it is already cold inside, as homes are built to release heat.

With Orthodox Christmas not until January 7, Christmas decorations are slow to appear in December. Many stores and businesses have adopted the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events, which create a little commercial Christmas buzz. Christmas music will not really begin on the radio until the middle of December.

At the local international church, the annual Christmas pageant gets moved to the beginning of the month before all the international families return to their home countries for the holiday break. The Cairo Christian Fellowship will have their annual candlelight service with the St. Andrew United Church of Cairo on Sunday, December 25, this year.

Christmas is similar and different in the Middle East, bringing unique charms and challenges.

Ken and Keli Oldham serve as pastors to the Middle East. Learn more about Global Strategy at www.chogglobal.org.