Dear Family and Friends,

The spring and summer of 2001 have been busy and rewarding. The last week in April I traveled to New Mexico for my first attendance at a discernment event for Young Adult Volunteers. I was instantly delighted with the southwest area. I had been told that an American returning from Egypt feels at home in northern New Mexico. That was certainly the case with me. Also, it was great to visit with Jim and Anne Smith before the conference started. They were volunteers at Tanta Salaam School in 1995-96. Now they live north of Sante Fe and work as volunteers at the McCurdy School for Native Americans.

The YAV site coordinators’ conference and discernment event was held at Ghost Ranch. The interviews with young Christian leaders eager to experience their faith in a different locality was rejuvenating. The experience became a time of personal rededication. I really look forward to next April’s conference when hopefully there will be interviews for young adults to come to Egypt.

The summer training conferences for the Synod of the Nile kindergarten and subject matter specialist teachers were even better this year. The conference center at El Arish was operating for the second summer and had many good improvements. The session presenters were excellent. One young teacher commented, "This conference was perfect. It’s been the best week of my life." That a week of training could have such an impact on a young teacher was gratifying and indicative of the great need for this training.

The two new PC(USA) international volunteers, Shirley Birth and Emily Schornstein, arrived August 23. They are both assigned to medical facilities. Emily will be at the Center for Geriatric Services located in a Cairo suburb. She will start her service by helping set standards to maintain high-quality nursing care. Shirley is returning to Tanta Hospital after 50 years! She will be assisting the hospital director, Dr. Mamdoah, in project proposal writing and any other way that her experience and skills can be used beneficially.

Having two volunteers in the medical fields is great; however teachers of English are also truly needed. The Evangelical Schools of the Synod of the Nile built their reputation on academic excellence, including the high-level English skills of the students. Native speaker teachers and aids are really wanted at all grade levels—kindergarten through high school.

I started this letter before September 11 and was waiting for the conference pictures to be developed. Now the ending paragraphs will be quite different. This past weekend, September 21 and 22, I visited with the volunteers who live outside of Cairo—Shirley Birth and Jack and Ella Banton—for us to have a time to pray together and to talk about feelings. The overwhelming desire is to be back in the States right now. Everyone wants to feel in solidarity with family and country. However, living in Egypt has given us the opportunity to know personally that most Egyptian people also grieve over what has happened. It all still seems unbelievable to everyone. My Egyptian neighbors are also waiting to know what is next.

At present the most uncomfortable incidents have been in taxis when a driver’s comments are very anti-American. This makes me sad and uncomfortable, but I haven’t felt in physical danger. We should know soon whether or not the Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding conference will still be held in Lebanon and Syria at the end October. If it is decided that security is too uncertain, of course the conference should be cancelled. Personally I hope that the conference can be held. Now is definitely a time for listening to the reasonable and caring people of the Middle East who are scheduled to speak during the meetings in Beirut. The last 50 years of turmoil and pain of this area has created remarkable people who can voice their insights and express the deep longings of the majority for peace.

Many of the Egyptian churches and other organizations are having special prayer and fasting vigils for remembrance and peace. From October 3 to 6, I’ll be with the Egyptian Women’s World Day of Prayer fall retreat for special prayers and Bible study. This is an Egyptian ecumenical group that draws women from both Coptic Orthodox and the Protestant Churches. They plan for the international Women’s World Day of Prayer held each March. I know this fall we’ll be joining women around the world in hope for reason and wisdom to prevail in the decisions of our national leaders.

During the talk of war, the daily struggle everywhere for equality and justice for all people must continue. Only when all people of the world feel they are being treated fairly can there be hope for a true peace in God’s world.

Salaam,

Carole Landess

The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 139