February 12, 2007
Dear Friends,
Last weekend we hit the two-year mark of our family’s time
in Egypt. On the plane two years ago, our hearts were filled with
excitement, anticipation, and dreams. We would soon be living
in one of the world’s biggest, most fascinating cities.
We would be learning what it’s really like to be witnesses
of Christ and encouragers of the church’s mission in the
Middle East. I would join a seminary in the cultural and educational
center of the Muslim world, and be privileged to train Christian
leaders in a place where they were sorely needed.
Exactly two years later, last weekend, I was on a train. While
talking with my student David Magdy, I could not keep from being
distracted by the rich shades of green outside my window. Accustomed
to Cairo, packed as it is with monochrome concrete and dust, my
starved eyes saw the color green like a long-awaited meal. We
were on our way to David’s city, Mallawi, where I was to
offer a training event for leaders of churches in that part of
Egypt. David asked me how I felt about living in Egypt. My reply
was more mixed than it would have been two years before. I said
that my family and I are happy here, that we’re thankful
to be part of the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, and
that we’d like to be here for quite a few years to come.
But I also said we had learned it was hard to live as foreigners
and that Cairo’s overcrowding and pollution weren’t
easy for us.
It helped to hear his response. My feelings about the congestion
and pollution were more than matched by my student’s feelings,
as a transplant from a smaller, greener city in Egypt. Listening
to David helped me remember that while living in Cairo can be
hard for our family, in many ways it’s harder for Egyptians.
They also have to deal with the anxiety and fear caused by low
wages (often 50 dollars a month for recent university graduates)
and the scarcity of jobs.
Dustin and Samuel enjoying a lighter moment of their lay-leader
training event.
When I arrived at the church in Mallawi, 8 pastors and 70 or
so others greeted me warmly. I had come to talk about principles
and methods of reading and interpreting the Bible. I’ve
found that this is a particularly relevant topic for Egyptian
Christians because they love the Bible, but schools in Egypt emphasize
memorization instead of training people to think about and understand
what they read. This makes understanding what they read in Scripture
extra difficult. They responded to the topic with eagerness and
with many thoughtful questions and comments. Egyptian believers
don’t take events like this for granted. One reason for
their enthusiasm last weekend is that the local presbytery has
60 churches but only 18 pastors. So training of lay leaders is
of vital importance. Another reason for their eagerness is that,
given the growth of Islamic extremism, Christians aren’t
sure they will always be allowed to hold such events.
Lay leaders in Mallawi gathered to learn more about interpreting
the Bible. Women and men sit on opposite sides of the sanctuary.
The presence of so many women in this gathering is significant
for the culture.
That night on the ride back to Cairo, I found myself feeling
grateful to be in Egypt. I felt thankful to be part of a seminary
that really cares about people like the ones I had spent the day
with. My colleague Samuel, professor of pastoral care, sat beside
me. It was a joy to sit with an Egyptian partner whom I admire
and respect. Besides his regular teaching load at the seminary,
Samuel does training events at churches two weekends per month,
reaching about 3,000 people every year. I asked him, “I
know all this traveling makes you tired and cannot be easy for
your family. What keeps you doing it?” His reply: “I
see people grow in knowledge. I see it makes a difference in their
lives.” As I often do, I finished that day feeling encouraged
in my faith because of Egyptian believers. And on some level I
knew I had made a difference in the lives of a few of them who,
in turn, can make a bigger difference in the lives of others.
The following day our family celebrated our two-year mark in
Egypt. We wanted to find a place without crowds and where we could
take deep breaths of fresh air. That took us two hours away, to
a new Chili’s (yes, Chili’s is in Egypt) with a playground
overlooking the Red Sea, a place we had found on our last escape
from the city. When Mohammed, the manager, heard it was our two-year
anniversary in Egypt, he decided to have his staff sing us “Happy
Birthday” in both English and Arabic. He also gave us a
giant, complimentary brownie sundae. We were surprised and a bit
embarrassed, but we appreciated Mohammed honoring us. And all
this came from a Muslim who knows I’m in Egypt to train
leaders for churches.
As our family looks back on the past two years, we feel many
things. We are a lot more realistic about living as foreigners
in a poor, polluted, severely overcrowded city. At the same time,
we also feel gratitude. Each of us has grown. We’re surrounded
by friends. God has kept us safe. And we’re in a place where
our lives can be useful. So perhaps we have less exhilaration
than when we first arrived, but we also have grateful hearts.
And our convictions about the need and potential for ministry
here are strong as ever.
June to December in the United States
These days our thoughts are also turning to another trip. We
will be in America from late June to early December. We want to
renew relationships with as many of you as possible and share
in as many of your churches as we can. Please be in touch so that
we can plan times to visit with you.
Yours in Christ,
Dustin, Sherri, Clayton, and Christopher
The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
158 |
