Another Year Winds Down in Cairo

Cairo sunset

       Okay, okay we know we have fallen hopelessly behind in updating our blog.  We are fine; no protests or riots have swept us away.  Our lives have been extra busy and when we finally get a day off (or a week off after Easter), we lay around like a wet Kleenex® to recover.

      As the news has reported, the NGO (non-government organizations) crisis has tapered off as a tool of xenophobia, however Egypt is still a cauldron of emotions.  Though the foreigners being held were released on bail (ransom?) of $330,000 each, the issue has not been resolved.  The presidential election includes a healthy dose of finding someone who will not be influenced by the West.  The judge that released permission for the NGO workers to leave has been censured due to public outcry.  Some NGO and relief organizations have had licenses refused (including an Egyptian Christian charity for orphans) under the banner of protecting internal stability.  Democracy is taking a hit!

      The runoff election of the next president comes in mid June between what the media is describing as an old regime candidate vs. an Islamist.  Then the Parliament must draft a constitution (the drafting committee being comprised of a majority of Muslim Brotherhood members which is causing no small amount of protest).  A huge question is the degree to which the military will hand over actual power (not just the appearance of power).  For decades, they have had deeply vested monetary and power interests in how Egypt is governed.  So the outcome will take months, or more realistically, years to unfold.  People are naturally fearful of all the uncertainty and there is a palpable withdrawal into emotionally safer places.  Street crime (mostly purse snatchings) and robbery are still up so that Cairo has become a bit more like other big cities in the non-violent crime arena. 

Cairo street in February 201

  Yet these are the times that God is dramatically on the move.  People’s hearts are most open in a time of crisis.  We dare not shrink away and miss the where God is moving!  As 2 Timothy 1:7 says: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

            Our church in Maadi has shared in the anxiety.  We face the reality that the number of expats in Egypt is down and it affects us.  We now have one large service on Friday night and our African worship service on Friday afternoon.  A few of the “old-timers” fondly remember the old days when things were much more carefree and the church had lots of programs and a big buzz they could come to drink in.  As we have focused more on a strategy of equipping and launching missional believers to engage their world, there is less emphasis on “the buzz.”  There has been progress, like when we gathered our small group leaders for the quarterly sharing/training dinners, the group leaders report that their members have experienced significant deepening of relationships with God and one other.  Another “old-timer” remarked this year how much deeper the sharing is at these dinners has been than when we first started four years ago.  We have also increased the percentage of congregational involvement in the ministries of our mission partners (refugee schools, bible school to train African pastors, prison ministry, etc.)  One partner shares about their ministry in worship services each month to promote our missional vision.

Tahrir Square one year later with traffic moving

            We have also continued to grow in our understanding and partnering with sub-Saharan African culture.  Over the last few years, we have raised up and trained African leaders to lead the African congregation, which has involved handing over authority and responsibility to them.  As necessary and helpful as that has been, we have encountered how different our cultural perspectives actually are.  Western vs. African views of leadership are quite different!  Westerns operate with shared leadership model that empowers those under the leaders.  Africans see the pastor as a chief with a great deal of power and honor who is usually not directly challenged.  They do find “other ways” to get what they want.  So we have experienced many indirect and nuanced conversations, and lots of talk around you but not to you.  The African “chief” also has an entourage of sorts who give him loyalty and support in return for him helping with things they need.

Cairo sandstorm (khamseen) March 2012

            Whereas Western culture has a very individualistic mentality of: “provide for yourself and pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” Africans are much more collectivistic.  Resources are shared and so there is expectation that if you have it, you should share it (hence saving for the future is much more difficult).  For instance, at Christmastime our African leaders wanted to give 200-300 bags of food to those attending the African church service (some are well-to-do and others are refugees).  The Western leaders wanted to give food only to the needy and not at a church service (so it wouldn’t be seen as a “bribe” to attend church).  The Africans saw it as a way to “encourage” their people to feel that the church cares for them.  We have had many, many more learning opportunities as we try to meld two leadership systems operating with some different rules.  It has been a growing (and sometimes exhausting) experience, but we are moving forward!

            It has also been a busy year for Karan at school as she had to give up one of her free periods this year due to scheduling challenges.  She has special education classes she teaches as well as being a part of classes where special ed students are integrated into regular classrooms in both 6^th and 7^th grades.  The year also had its challenges with scattered incidents of high demand (and unhappy) people which was a drain on Karan’s emotions.  Next year she will have only 6^th grade special ed because of the larger number of incoming special needs students in that grade.  Her schedule will be somewhat easier, but she will still be short one period for planning and collaboration.  We are trying to figure out how to pace the schedule better next year to lower the stress level (and resulting winter sickness).

Flame tree in May

            We will be back in Texas on June 23 for 9 days, then in Spokane from July 2-July 24 (for Steve) and 29^th (for Karan).  Karan is taking 6 days July 15-20 to attend a professional conference in Chicago on team-teaching (special ed and regular ed sharing a classroom).

            On to Alex ... after applying and being accepted in two private and two Washington state universities for admission, he ended up at Gonzaga University in Spokane.  We didn’t think he had much chance to get enough financial aid to attend, but low and behold he received enough grants so that it was only $1500 more per year than Washington State University.  Alex is elated to be in a smaller university (yet still in Division I athletics) and one located in Spokane near his friends (and brother Travis).  Gonzaga is a Catholic Jesuit school so his intended business major should have a moral and ethical foundation included.  Just this week he also found out he can work half-time at Gonzaga this summer as a part of work study.  So he is very excited about that.

Alex at London tournament in March

            Alex has also had a great year so far in his sports at CAC.  He started on varsity in soccer in the Fall, basketball in the Winter (where he won coaches choice award), and now just finished baseball season.  You might remember that these sports all involve tournaments out of Egypt.  So Alex has been to London (4 times), Belgium, and Qatar.  He just returned from a baseball tournament in London where he won all tournament honors and had a tournament high 10 stolen bases.  He went 4-4 batting in his last game with a double, two singles, and a triple.  He also has a significant case of “senioritis” and can’t wait for school to be over as he takes finals this week.

Brett makes souvlaki (gyros) in Athens

            Brett made his last trip to Egypt at Christmas, so we went to Greece for 6 days.  Travis is no longer able to come now that he is out of college).  Brett will be graduating (finally) this June in graphic design to complement his major in visual journalism that he finished last year.  He discovered his interest and skill is strongest in the production end of graphic design.  He is going to be doing an internship July-September for a firm in Seattle that may lead to a permanent job.  So we pray he can have a good entry level job in the challenging US job market.  Brett’s post-graduation trip will be to Rome and Florence in June.  We cashed in our air miles and will meet him for 11 days in Italy (visiting Rome and Florence mainly) and then take him with us to the Republic of Texas to see grandparents.

Sorry I can't get it to rotate!

            Travis is still working for Verizon as a sales rep at a branch location in Spokane Valley.  He does well as a salesman and won an award for top salesman in the district in February. He still wants to move up into marketing with Verizon.  His former Egyptian internship boss here in Cairo keeps telling us to have him become a sales rep for her organic energy drink in Europe or South America.  He also recently chose and purchased his very first car—a 2005 Subaru Legacy all wheel drive.  He can now get rid of the 1989 Chevy Caprice gas-guzzling car that we forced upon him four years ago.

            Steve was in Romania in May teaching a marriage class at a seminary, plus speaking in two churches on Sunday morning and evening, doing seminars on marriage, small group outreach, and one session with youth from several churches from villages in southwest Romania.  He stopped off in Budapest for a day of bike touring on his way back and wandered the streets for over an hour with his 50 lb. suitcase searching for his hotel.  But all turned out well and he is now recuperating back in Cairo.

            Sorry this was so long in coming!  You can always follow the church blog at www.maadicommunitychurch.com/blog for articles.

Follow Steve on Twitter at "srflora"

Follow Karan on Facebook at “Karan Wooley Flora”