Greetings from the Middle East

Note: I meant to post this the day before yesterday, but had some issues getting the pictures in! So this was when I first arrived. I'm headed to the mountains to stay in a Maronite convent now, and will send another update when I'm able!

I'm overseas right now for a youth workers conference for ministers in the middle east. It's been a great time so far, connecting with new friends as  well as old.

It has been a fun trip so far. I was picked up by two friends at the airport, who immediately got in a long argument about the best place to take me for dinner. They finally agreed on a great place where we had some excellent chicken and hummus and various other great things.

I slept well my first night, other than the normal jet lag induced dehydration and the subsequent constant need to use the bathroom after super hydrating every once in a while.

This morning I went to hang out with some new friends at their office and was asked to share some thoughts about the Bible. We talked about the parable that Jesus tells in Matthew 13 about the different types of soil, all of which respond to the good news about God's kingdom in different ways. It was an interesting conversation.

After that I went to lunch with some of my friends. They wanted to try a new place and I said that was fine with me. We caught a cab and it pulled over... at the same place I ate last night!

The food here is awesome, people.

Here are a few pictures from my first 24 hours here:

The view off the balcony at the apartment where I'm staying.

Here's a car for a company that will teach you to drive... IN FRENCH!

In the airport in Germany... where the bakeries are still amazing.

I walked through this hallway maybe ten times in Frankfurt.
Delirious with jet lag, I decided to take a picture so I could always remember it.

It's very rude to turn down drinks or snacks offered by your hosts.
So I have a new morning habit: super strong coffee.

p.s. Right now I'm using the wi-fi at a Starbucks. There's a stray cat who keeps trying to sneak in, but there's a Starbucks security guard who keeps picking him up by his front legs and kicking him out again. It's like a sitcom almost.

The tiny building in the foreground is a Maronite church right next to my apartment.
They hold services every weekend. It might have room for twenty people in it.