Dear Family and Friends,

Time continues to move quickly. I’ve passed my two-year anniversary in Cairo and with the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEOSS). I’m grateful for the warm sense of well being I have here at CEOSS—the result of friendships and fulfilling work that overcome the occasional moments of frustration and boredom. It’s a very rewarding experience.

Charles has begun the second half of first grade. He did great in all his English-based classes the first term and managed to pass Arabic, although narrowly. I have learned that the formal, written Arabic is a major challenge for Egyptian children and that many first-grade students study one or two hours a night to master the assignments. So I suppose it’s a minor miracle that Charles passed at all. I cannot help him and the Sudanese tutor/coach/child care person who stays with him after school and who speaks Arabic is often unable to motivate him to study. It’s not too surprising that sitting is hard after he has been in school for seven hours. I have just completed the application form for the British International School, where several friends send their children. I like having Charles in a school of the Synod of the Nile, with Egyptian children, speaking Arabic and learning the culture here, but the Arabic is a real stressor for me, and it’s a struggle for him (He was in tears before his mid-term exam). I’m concerned about his English in a school where the teachers are not native English speakers.

November 10-13 we were blessed by a visit from Rita Gehrenbeck, a friend from our home church in Providence, Rhode Island. It was wonderful to have a witness to our work and life here. During our whirlwind four days together, we visited the pyramids, the CEOSS building, one of the CEOSS communities, a garbage village, New Ramses College, and Heliopolis Community Church. But mostly it was just nice to see Rita, catch up on life, spend time together. Charles was thrilled to see his "Rhode Island grandmother."

Two weeks later I visited Amman, Jordan, for a meeting of the Focolare, a movement within the Catholic church that emphasizes building unity between Christian denominations and with other world religions. It does this by loving very concretely, listening to the others, recognizing the things people and religions have in common, respecting the differences, listening to the Holy Spirit.

Altogether there were about 1200 participants at the conference, coming from all countries of the Middle East: Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jerusalem, Turkey and Greece. There were participants from all the different Middle Eastern churches as well as some Muslims who are also living this spirituality. I felt I was witnessing a historic moment.

In the fourth quarter, 1999, I worked on a proposal that gave me special pleasure—a proposal to build a new church and community center in the little village of El Kom El Akhdar in Upper Egypt, where the existing buildings were badly damaged by earthquake. Dusty, narrow, maze-like streets. Mud brick buildings with straw roofs. Chickens scratching, donkeys braying. The voices of primary-age children reciting their lessons. Friendly smiles of greeting. The occasional glimpses of surrounding green farmland a counterpoint to the monotonous brown-ness of the village. This is El Kom El Akhdar.

Today the Evangelical Church of El Kom El Akhdar, located in this agricultural village of 12,000 people 180 kilometers south of Cairo, is a vital, thriving church with 2,000 people. This was not always the case. When the Reverend Marzouk Habib arrived in 1982, the church had been without leadership for nearly 20 years, and it had dwindled to a handful of members. After an initial six-month observation period, Habib met with elders of the church and encouraged them to think about a program that would address the problems of the poverty-stricken farmers in the community. The result was a loan fund for agricultural and economic needs—seed, care for animals, land rent, and so on. The community raised LE 3000 for the fund and the amount was matched by an Egyptian non-governmental organization. This was the nucleus of the social programs spearheaded by the church today.

Of course, social programs were not the only concern of the church. Habib set about identifying and educating the leaders in the church and evangelizing the community and nearby villages. These efforts have born fruit. The church now has a very active congregation, and through various seminars and conferences, the leaders have been trained in spirituality, in education, in social responsibility, and in religion and science. For many years, Habib also pastored a second village. Three years ago, the second village had grown to the point that it called its own pastor.

Now El Kom El Akhdar is responsible for evangelizing three nearby locations where there are Christians but no established church. Evangelistic activities are carried out by teams that include pastor, elders, young people, and evangelists visiting from Evangelical churches in Cairo. The teams arrange home visits and revival meetings, and invite people to Sunday services and weekly Christian Education programs in El Kom El Akhdar.

In addition, the church now houses and spearheads several programs critical to the growth and well being of community residents. These programs give hope and dignity to the residents and enhance and expand the skills and capacities of the local community. They are a children’s club, a nursery, a medical clinic, a library, secondary and university scholarships, a revolving fund program for clean water hook-ups and latrines, and a welfare assistance program.

Through these programs the church puts into practice the biblical injunction to serve the poor. Community residents and people from the surrounding villages are aware of this. They can see that this church reaches out in love to people very concretely. This is a powerful Christian witness in the neighborhood.

Please pray for the church of El Kom El Akhdar in its daily life and for this special building project.

I am considering another three-year term with CEOSS. Please pray for me in this regard. And please continue to pray for Charles in his schooling and life here. (He just celebrated his seventh birthday with an Egyptian McDonald’s birthday party!)

May God bless you all richly.

Nancy and Charles Collins

The 1999 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, page 135