Book Board Chat

The world is small, even without the internet. A woman in Egypt wants to attend a faith conference in the US, specifically Lancaster, PA, but can't find an affordable place to stay after paying for the plane tickets and conference fees. She regretfully cancels her plans. Her brother grew up with a friend who now lives in Chicago. This Egyptian friend is married to an American. This American just happens to know someone from Lancaster, PA, but this person is now in Papua New Guinea as a missionary. The missionary emails her small support team to ask if they know anyone with a room. The coordinator of the support team is one of my daughter's best friends, and has celebrated holidays with us for years. She knows I have a spare room, and that its open for ministry use. So, four days before the conference is to start, the woman in Egypt is on Skype with me at 2 a.m. their time, and rebooks her tickets. She is 38 years old and just delightful to have around, in the spare moments when I get to see her. Tonight, we introduce her to real American ice cream, full-fat Ben & Jerry's... tomorrow, it's pumpkin pie. I'm trying to eat an Egyptian pastry covered in assorted nuts, very thin, and super-rich and sweet. Needless to say, out of respect for house guests, my low-carb diet is out the window. Sounds like a reasonable excuse, doesn't it? 🙂