Today, we started working with the Sudanese refugee children, doing a VBS for a kindergarten.

But it was our evening trip to the Cave Church that God spoke to me the most. The Cave Church is literally a church in the cave. It was used many years ago, when early Christians were persecuted and had to worship in secret. The Cave Church is located near an area appropriately dubbed Rubbish Cairo or Garbage City. This is where most of the garbage and trash from the city ends up. Decomposing and recycling all happens here. Passing through it, the smell is almost overwhelming. The sewers are broken, there are children covered in dirt playing outside on the even dirtier streets. Not coincidentally, Christians are the ones who end up living here.

In Egypt, there is 'religious freedom', but this law does not stop Muslims from discriminating against Christians. For the Christians, it is much more difficult to have connections and find jobs. As a result, this unofficial refuse industry is left for the Christians. It was humbling to know that Christians chose to stay in this area despite the opportunity to convert to Muslim and have a better living environment in the city. For them, carrying the cross in their lifestyle was a lower cost than to renounce their faith.

What a privilege it is to be able to worship freely, to be able to unashamed of what we believe in. But do we make good use of this privilege?

The Cave Church itself was grand. We were told that it catered 20,000 worshipers and it still holds services to this day. There are grand stories sculpted into the cliffs, told through prose, bible verses, or images.

There was one image sculpted into the rock that branded itself into my heart. It was of Jesus returning to earth at the world's end. In caption was Mark 13:26 'At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory'. I thought to myself, what a glorious day that will be. The world needs Christ now more than ever. It is so corrupted and so broken, that we all yearn for His coming. But another part of my heart cried out and said 'Not yet.' Even though on that day, we will enter into the kingdom of heaven, that day will also mark the day where all those who chose to not believe will perish.

The importance of M and sharing the Gospel has become such a burden to me. I want to see Christ return, to see Him reign on high. But there are still so many people to be reached, to know Christ's love and salvation and to be saved, that I do not want the world to end like this. Cry with me and pray with me for all those who've yet to know Christ, and rejoice with me for all those who have acknowledged the grace of God.

See Mark 13