1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walkthrough the darkest valley, I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Text: David. Photo: Mikael Good
I met Ali when I went to Mount Sinai in mars 2012. He is the kind of guy who always have a big smile on his face and I made good contact with him even if my arabic was as bad as his english. Ali made his living by filming tourist groups who went to the summit of the mountain. It was a tough climb to the top. Ali who had been their many times moved like a mountain goat even if he was heavily loaded with a big and bulky video camera. Ali's big dream was to work as a cameraman for the Egyptian movie industry.
The area in Egypt where Mount Sinai and Saint Catherine's Monastery is located was safe when I went there. Today the area is controlled by a terrorist organization that has close bonds to the Islamic state (IS) and because of that there have been a drastic drop of tourists in the area since the Egyptian regime can't guarantee for their security. Many egyptians and bedouins was dependent on tourism to get an income but now they have lost that possibility. I hope that Ali lives his dream today and work for Egyptian movie industri.
Text and Photo: Mikael Good
The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.” - Exodus 24:12
Text: God. Photo: Mikael Good
Saint Catherine's Monastery and mount Sinai (Horeb) are located in an area of the Sinai peninsula which is controlled by a terrorist organization that has close bonds with the Islamic state (IS). Today tourists are strongly recommended to stay out of the area since the Egyptian regime can't guarantee for their security. There's a immediate risk of being kidnapped or even worse. There's been a drastic drop of tourist in the area during the last years. Bedouins and native Egyptians that was dependent on tourism to get an income has lost that possibility. They now have to struggle hard to provide for their children.
Text and Photo: Mikael Good
Mount Horeb or Mount Sinai as it also is called is the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God which you can read about in Exodus 20:1-17. Moses is considered to be a important Prophet for all the three Religions and the place is sacred to the three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Tens of thousands of pilgrims visited the summit of mount Horeb to worship God, Allah or Yahweh and to see the marvelous view and sunrise from the top. There is an Greek Orthodox Chapel as well as a small Mosque on the summit of mount Horeb. Thousands of tourists who belong to other religions or are non believers also visited mount Horeb to see the sunrise and to feel the wings of history surrounding the mountain.
Saint Catherine's Monastery and mount Horeb are located in an area of the Sinai peninsula which is controlled by a terrorist organization that has close bonds with the Islamic state (IS). Tourists are strongly recommended to stay out of the area since the Egyptian regime can't guarantee for their security. There's a immediate risk of being kidnapped or even worse There's been a drastic drop of tourist in the area during the last years. Bedouins and native Egyptians that was dependent on tourism to get an income has lost that possibility. They now have to struggle hard to provide for their children.
There are not yet confirmed rumors that the monks at the Monastery are forced to pay the Islamic jizya tax, which is applied to non-Muslims in areas controlled by IS or their collaborators. What is known is that the monks recently asked for financial aid and that is something that is very rare since they live their lifes in seclusion.
Some of Christianities most priceless treasures are kept inside the Monastery. The collection of rare books and manuscripts in Greek, Arabic, Syrian, Georgian and Slavonic can easy compete with the collection in the Vatican. It also contains a unique collection of more than 2000 icons from 1500 years. And what is said to be the burning bush that God used when he spoke with Moses.
Saint Catherine monastery was completed in 557. It has not been without enemies since then, but it has never been conquered. The tradition says that earlier in his career Prophet Muhammed used to stay at the monastery when he travelled with caravans on his way from Egypt to Arabia. In 628 travelled a delegation from Saint Catherine's to Prophet Muhammed and made a request for his protection of the Monastery. Muhammed issued a letter of protection for the monastery and stamped the document with the imprint of his hand, since he couldn't read or write. You can read more about the letter of protection here.
The original letter of protection are kept in an museum in Istanbul, and a copy of it is on display in the monastery's museum. Even if muslims has respected the letter of protection from Muhammed through centuries. The monks don't rely that IS will respect it. They are afraid that IS will eventually attack and plunder the Monastery and destroy or scatter all the priceless books, icons and artifacts.
It's important that we pray for Gods protection for the monks and the people in the area. So that they can continue their important work and be a bridge between religions and cultures. It's also important that we pray for the terrorist that they shall meet the loving and caring Father that God is and start to worship Him. There's only one way to God! Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
Click the following link if you want to see some more photos from Mount Horeb and Saint Catherine: www.flickr.com/photos/chasid68
Text and photo: Mikael Good
