At the beginning of November we found ourselves back on tour in Egypt. Like last year, we performed at an international arts festival in Beit El-Wadi, Egypt, just outside of Cairo.  Over 30,000 people of all ages and religious backgrounds fought their way into the 3-day event, not to mention the hundreds of thousands around the Middle East that could catch the event via television.  It was the biggest year yet for the 4-year-old festival and our shows alone saw over 6,500 people a day.  Thousands not only heard about Jesus, but gave their lives over to Him.

After the festival, several of the performers packed themselves and their gear into a small van and trekked 10 hours South to Upper Egypt. (For those who don’t know, it’s called that because the mighty Nile River actually flows North towards the Mediterranean Sea)  For the first time in the history of Assiut, the people got to experience the festival that they had watched on television live. Some 9,000 people packed into a 6,000 person venue vying for a glimpse of the table that could float. (Word travels quickly!) The response was beyond what anyone could have predicted, and despite our exhaustion, we watched hundreds ignore the prayer calls of Islam for the Biblical words of the God that created them. Watching that take place brought me to my knees in awe of God’s relentless love and beckoning to our souls.

On our last day, we drove back up to Cairo and went into the heart of Old Cairo to Cave Church.  Cave Church is the Coptic church’s epicenter for worship in Cairo. It sits in the middle of Garbage City where hundreds of thousands of people sort through trash, and there is a 12,000 seat amphitheater carved into the side of the mountain.  Dozens of Bible stories are carved into the side of the mountain alongside the amphitheater as a witness to the people who can see it. For the first time, the Coptic church got alongside the Evangelical church to tell people about Jesus. Not only that, but my husband and I were the first people ever in the history of the church to perform on the stage of the church. One Egyptian translator kept reminding us that we were, “a part of changing the future of Egypt”, that day.  “It’s Egypt’s day” was echoed by every Christian there.  Over 15,000 people flooded into the event, and 12,000 of them were a part of the two shows that we performed. Insanity doesn’t even describe what we experienced standing on that stage.

As I sat on the plane back to the States, I was hit with the overwhelming understanding of what has been taking place in Egypt and the magnitude of what we were a part of during our time. “Today is Egypt’s day.” The people are longing for something, anything, that can give them peace, and they are discovering that Jesus is that thing. To be a part of something that can reach literally hundreds of thousands in a matter of days brings perspective of God’s majesty. Seeing not only thousands stand at the feet of God for the first time, but hear about Him for the first time and to know that you had the opportunity to share it with them is beyond humbling. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the people of Egypt.

Note from Harris:

Do you believe in our ministry, and how God is using it in places like Asia, Africa, and throughout the Middle East?  If so, you’re among the few.  What we do is a little outside the box, and isn’t always embraced by everyone.  If you feel led to support this kind of missions work around the world, please consider partnering with us financially!  A lot of resources are sacrificed in order to make this kind of ministry a reality, and a constant need of additional funding exists.  You can support our international missions work by making a tax-deductible donation.  All of our time is donated for these trips and times of ministry, and we do not profit at all, so your support is needed and appreciated!  Simply mail your donation to:

Ministry Arts for Global Impact
PO Box 3547
Brentwood, TN 37024

Thank you!!

P.S. A highlight video of our trip is coming soon! Stay tuned! (Click here to watch our mini-documentary about our trip to Thailand in 2009.)

Watch the video. Seriously ask yourself, and God, if this is something you should be a part of. I can’t show you pictures of starving children or people in need of clean water, but if you were here, you’d see God changing the hearts and lives of the people in this video.  Check this out…

Harris, III – Master Illusionist :: 2009 Thailand Vision & Highlight Video (Part 1) from Harris, III on Vimeo.

Your donations, large and small, make this project possible. You’re playing a role in the lives of thousands of people, and giving them an opportunity to discover life, joy, and freedom.  Please consider contributing to what God is doing through an online, tax-deductible donation.

We actually got here last night, and have had the last 24 hours to get reacquainted with Thailand.  We basically spent the day rummaging around Bangkok and doing our best to stay awake. It’s our initial effort in allowing our bodies to adjust to the 12 hour time change.

As I re-experienced Thai culture, I was once again reminded of the importance of being here.  There are “Spirit Houses” everywhere. They’re seemingly in every house, restaurant, and public building, in parks, and on street corners, and they’re a small sign of both sorrow and hope.

While a lot of the audiences I perform for in America seem to be running away from anything spiritual, the Thai people thrive on it.  While we’re all desperately trying to make sense of the world, the majority of people in Thailand are doing so through some form of spirituality.  The problem is, they’re just as unfulfilled because the path they’re on is an unending circle of deception.

However, at the same time, there is hope.  Hope found in the fact that the people here haven’t given up on their search for genuine spirituality.  They’re desperate to find it.  There are times in the U.S. that I am overwhelmed by how comfortably numb American audiences have become to the deception all around them. And those few who don’t seem numb, seem to be running from God.  And that doesn’t make any sense either, because they’re chasing after love.  And as Erwin McManus once wrote, “God is love.  To run from God but chase after love is maddening.”

All of our souls are craving something genuine.  The Thai people are neither numb to those cravings, or running away from them.  They’re desperately chasing both God and love.

The problem is, like many Americans, they’re looking in the wrong places. While Americans are usually obsessed with searching for approval from everyone around them, people here in Thailand are doing everything in their power to earn approval from God, (or “gods”, or “spirits”, or whoever/whatever the “powers at be” are).  If only there were enough people here to take the time to show them that they don’t have to earn it, but instead, just accept it…I can’t imagine what would happen through them.  ”Fully devoted followers” would quickly be a phrase that would accurately describe them.  Honestly, it’s something that already describes them.  They’re just following the wrong path.

During this season of Thanksgiving, I find myself increasingly thankful that there is nothing I can do to earn my God’s love, approval, or acceptance.  He is far too massive, holy, and perfect, and I’m far too full of pride, lust, fear, and selfishness.  Yet my God’s affection is far greater than my list of imperfections, and therefore, his desire for and pursuit of me justified sacrifice, his grace was and is perfectly sufficient, and he loves me just as I am.

Through that comes hope and freedom.  I don’t have to pay respects or give money to gold statues with big bellies, or even build little houses for spirits to dwell in.  I have hope and freedom that is only found through a relationship with the one true God, who through grace, accepts me and truly loves me, just for the asking. It wasn’t made possible by what I did or could do for him, but what he did for me.

Over the next 3 weeks, we’ll be sharing that same message of truth, hope, love, and freedom with people all over the country of Thailand.  We’ll be in private international schools, impoverished slums, and everything in-between.  We’ll be utilizing the unique talents and abilities that we’ve been given to share from a platform that few people can develop as quickly as we can in environments like these.  We’ll be using an art form that is truly universal, that crosses all age boundaries, cultural boundaries, and language boundaries, and engages any person from any walk of life!

Thailand is already desperately searching for truth, love, and purpose! We’re just here to show as many who live here as possible that they’ve been cleverly deceived into believing a counterfeit form of spirituality.  Our hope is that they will open the eyes of their hearts, and clearly see that rules and religion always fail, and the unconditional love offered from the one, true God can free them from the unending circle of spiritual performance.  Unlike we often do when performing for and speaking to audiences in America, we aren’t here to ask the people of Thailand to search. That’s something they’re already doing.  We’d just like to help re-direct their journeys, and point them to a love and acceptance that actually lasts.

Many here may believe that acceptance is found in building little “houses” that guard off “bad spirits” – spirits that can wreck your life, or even your chances at love. But we’d like to introduce them to the God who created them, the real love that He offers, and the true Spirit that can satisfy the deepest cravings of their souls.