Des Moines presbytery travel journal from Egypt  

By Nancy Lister-Settle
Hunger Action Enabler and Joining Hands facilitator, Presbytery of Des Moines

And a mother and daughter from California and Minnesota were former missionaries in Egypt in the 1950s and 60s (Dorothy Turnbull and Ann Turnbull, relatives of the Magills). We came with varying levels of understanding and our individual perspectives. As for me, I was eager to see how this new model of mutual mission was taking shape in this place so different from home.

By nature I am a shy person. But I am also one who prefers to experience things first hand. In my shyness, I tend to be a good observer. My more adventurous side puts me in places where there is much to learn. I think these two aspects of my personality have been a real asset during the formative years of this Joining Hands partnership.

This was my third visit to Egypt since 2002, and I've hosted Egyptians here in Iowa twice. I've learned a lot — even though I know only two or three words in Arabic — about Islam and interfaith relations, about the music and cuisine, about farming practices and city life, about globalization and its effects on those at the bottom. I've been more tuned in to the news out of the Middle East, and have sought an Egyptian perspective on world events. And I have friends, real friends, in this very different place. There is no substitute for getting to know each other face to face, where we live.

My friends are Christian Coptic Orthodox and Egyptian Presbyterians and Muslim. Some work in Cairo, a city of 18 million, and some work in Gaafar and El Fashn, rural communities where farming is still done by hand. They are a wonderfully diverse group of men and women who have agreed to try this new thing together with each other and with us. And I have come to love them very much.

The network has decided that the focus of their advocacy will be people, primarily children, with disabilities. They have been working for the past several months to identify the skills necessary to undertake this task. They have been researching the many facets of this issue where advocacy is needed. With the help of Nancy Collins, the PC(USA) companion to the network, and Dr. Alaa Sebeh of Save the Children UK, they have been discovering what they might accomplish and what an impact that might make in all of Egypt. After spending the day with everyone, I came away even more excited for them.

Seeing the network in action was exhilarating, but it also made me see that our Egyptian partners have left us in the dust when it comes to advocacy. In spite of the political risk and the experimental nature of trying to change policy in their country, they are willing and able to try. The challenge for us here in Des Moines Presbytery is to catch up to the network in Egypt to learn to become more effective advocates, and to believe in our ability to make a difference.

On our last evening in Egypt, after taking the train back to Cairo from Alexandria, we spent a few hours at Nancy Collins' home waiting for our 3 a.m. flight. Just down the road there was another celebration going on. The Cairo football (soccer) team had just won their Africa Cup match over Tunis. The van owner arrived to load our luggage and we learned that he had lost his voice cheering the team to victory. He was laughing and sharing his joy with us all the way to the airport. As we got in line for the long journey home I looked back and saw him still standing at the window waiving goodbye with a huge smile on his face. What a blessing to be heading home in the same spirit of excitement!