We’ve finished Asia and started the places of the Middle East and Africa. The Middle East holds the great countries of Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and others. The ancient city of Babylon encompassed most of these regions, and the ruins still reside here. Mohammed, the founder of Islam, was born here. Unfortunately, this region is war-torn from the Iraqi government trying to subdue the insurgents. The US hopes to withdraw its troops soon. Egypt and Israel are also in this region. Egypt was a mighty country in its own right, conquering much land and having wealth beyond numbers. It was a dark day when the dynasty fell to the Roman powers. Israel fought many bloody wars to become a nation, and it still fights today against neighbors that would crush it. The Lord promised Abraham a great nation, and He kept His word.

Africa was the other continent we studied. It is a huge portion of the world, with many peoples, tribes, and cultures. It is dominated by the Sahara, the world’s largest desert. Missionaries are needed, as many of the Africans are either Muslims, or spirit worshipers. Witchcraft is rampant, and many people are under its power. The slave rule was a sad thing, with British and French traders giving alcohol to the natives in exchange for slaves. David Livingstone and others did all they could to abolish the trade, and eventually Britain and France ended the slavery. Africa struggles with poverty and disease, as some of its nations have the fewest doctors and the lowest per capita GDP in the world. Some nations are getting better as more of them turn to God.

People have presented their Borders projects, and the knowledge presented astounds. Places like Albania and Israel were some of the places worked on, and I learned some cool stuff! Albania went color crazy when Communist rule collapsed. I guess they were tired of black and white and wanted some Technicolor. The last Hot Topics was life on Mars. We met the little green men and asked them - no, we looked at the Mars expeditions and what governments and scientists spent to find life in space. If there are aliens, they probably look at us and think there’s no intelligence on earth.

So with the school year coming to a close and people studying for final exams, I will leave you all to that. Have a good summer and I hope to see you next year!