While in Egypt in January for an SA workshop, the members took me to see some special sights. One day, three young men wanted me to see a couple of special mosques.

One mosque had a magnificent dome, the largest in Egypt. That area was locked, but one of the guys went and borrowed a key. The mosque was beautiful inside. A group from the Philippines came in and one man sang the call to prayer. Then a group from Korea came in, followed by the police. They said that my friend had stolen the key and arrested all four of us.

Their captain at the station was a bully, yelling questions repeatedly, making accusations, and generally terrorizing us. He seemed to be playing to the others in the office. I felt a strange peace and calmness. When he asked if I didn’t hear him because of the hearing aids, I said I heard him very well and had already answered his question.

Repeatedly he asked why I was there. I said that I was a spiritual leader and met them on the internet and was there to help them connect to God. He asked, “Whose God?” I answered, “There is only one true God.” He responded, “What about Jesus?” I replied, “I believe in Him, but I am here to teach about God.” That seemed to satisfy him.

The captain asked if I was paying the three men to guide me. I said that they were doing it because they were so hospitable, as I know it is illegal to take money to be an unlicensed guide.

After many questions of all of us, he handed me my passport and said that I could go, but, they were going to jail. I quietly said that I did not think that would work. I did not know how to get back to my hostel. These were my friends, and they loved their country and mosques and wanted to share them with me. I then handed him back my passport, and said that I will just have to stay with them. It got very quiet. He threw their identity cards out on the floor and gave me back my passport. “All right, you may all go.” The guys scrambled for their cards, thanked him, and we left. Without breaking anonymity, I had talked about why I was there, stayed calm, was honest and vulnerable.

I spent a wonderful week in Cairo in fellowship and working the literature. Those two and a half hours in police custody taught me and my fellows more about trusting, staying in the moment, and working this program in all our affairs than any other single event during that week. The promises do come true in such amazing ways. Trust the program.