God working in Egypt
By Ruth Schenk | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
News of unrest filled headlines as Dr. Magdy Khalil prayed about co-leading Southeast’s first short-term mission trip to Egypt Oct. 21 through 29. He followed
news stories and heard firsthand accounts from family members living in Egypt.
Protests escalated through January and February as citizens called for President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster. His resignation on Feb. 11 ended 30 years of rule.
Life in Abundance, Southeast’s partner in Africa, also kept careful watch on events in Egypt. Its leaders have been praying about how to begin outreach there.
While the country is famous for pyramids, pharaohs and its place in biblical history, it has needs. Since Egypt is one of the most progressive nations in Africa, it
also is a haven for refugees from Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, who seek better living conditions. About 20 percent of the citizens live below the poverty line and
a large group of Coptic Christians live in “garbage villages” among the trash and recyclables that they gather, sort and resell. In the refugee camps, many suffer
from disease, unstable housing and unemployment. Christians, who make up 10 percent of a population of 84 million, often face persecution.
As the team gathered in mid-October to pack supplies for clinics, they talked about risk in reaching out in the midst of political unrest.
Khalil, who was raised in Egypt and speaks fluent Arabic, was uneasy.
“Two weeks before we left, I had cold feet,” Khalil said. “If it had been up to me, I would have said we should cancel. But when we met, our devotional pointed to
the fact that God would be with us, and we should go so His name would be glorified.”
Team member Sandra Moore, who works in missions ministry at Bates Memorial Baptist Church, prayed about going to Egypt before signing up for the trip.
“God gave me an answer before the unrest,” she said. “I prayed again as political unrest unfolded, and God let me know that He hadn’t changed His mind. I
knew then that I was supposed to be in Egypt.”
Southeast member Linda Saling, who led the trip with Khalil, said attending Global Missions Health Conferences at Southeast fortified her resolve to go,
regardless of events.
“The truth is that missions isn’t always safe,” she said. “Southeast is committed to going into dark areas where many have never heard the Gospel. We pray for
our safety and for traveling mercies. We are not heroes for going. Egyptians we met there are the heroes. They put their lives on the line every day. We were
there to encourage and serve them.”
The team visited Christian churches that were already working with refugees who have massive needs and few resources. They worshiped in a Sudanese
Christian Church and visited Coptic Christians who live at the foot of the Moqattam Mountains in a village widely known as “Garbage City.”
The team also put on four medical clinics where they worked with Somalians, Egyptians, Ethiopians and Sudanese.
Many of those who came to the medical clinics wore veils.
Khalil’s fluent Arabic came in handy during the trip.
Pediatrician David Brough, a longtime Southeast member, said the trip was a reminder that it’s never about the clinics or the “doing.”
“When we got to one clinic, it was all adults,” Brough said. “That is challenging stuff for a pediatrician. All I could do was pray. God was letting me know that he
didn’t need my skills as a pediatrician for anything. He wanted me to pray.”
The group saw many sites referenced in the Bible. Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus fled to Egypt after Joseph was warned by an angel in a dream to leave
Bethlehem. According to early church records, the disciple Mark went to Egypt as a missionary. Alexandria was the center of early Christianity. Everything
changed in the fourth century with the Islamic conquest of the country in 640 A.D.
Moore said life has looked different since going to Egypt.
“I think about the trip every day since I went,” she said. “I know the Lord has a purpose for my life. I have taken the first step, the second step. Now it’s time to go
to the next level. I would go again tomorrow.”
University of Louisville medical student Daniel Bachman said what he learned in Egypt is that God can use anyone, anywhere, anytime.
“Egypt came at a really important time in the midst of school,” he said. “It reminded me that God makes our burdens light if we let Him work through us. God’s
focus and mission is unchanging, but sometimes He asks us to be on a plane or in a van ready to serve before we see it as clearly as He does. Through the
trip, God revealed that Egypt is not nearly the ends of the earth, but was a special place of refuge for Jesus, and continues to be that for many people from many
nations. This land provides an opportunity to minister to these people, to send them out to the corners of the globe and to impact some of the toughest areas to
reach in the 10/40 window (the area from 10 degrees to 40 degrees north of the equator in the Eastern Hemisphere) and beyond.”
Khalil said prayer made a difference for the trip and the team.
“When you have hundreds of people praying, it changes everything,” he said.
Bachman said prayer must be the foundation of further outreach in Egypt.
“Please pray for new leaders the people will elect,” he said. “Pray that if they are not currently Christ-followers that they will respect the Christians in Egypt and
come to know Christ soon. Also pray for Life in Abundance as they map out a plan to strengthen and empower churches in Egypt to reach out in their own
communities.”