Still here in Egypt ...

Typical highway check

Egypt is back in the news, so we are long overdue to update our blog.  As you have no doubt seen on the news, regaining that control is proving to be a challenge.  There has been less petty theft on the streets in the last year, so that has been better.  However, driving to the Sinai and western desert is still restricted by the Egyptian government as they step up security operations.  The US embassy and auxiliary organizations like US A.I.D. do not let their families travel outside of Cairo, which affects youth and church retreats.  We still do not feel in danger in day-to-day living here, but I think we will all look forward to improved airport security conditions in the immediate future!  Sort of puts the extra time and hassle of airport security into perspective!  The greater atmosphere of restrictiveness still makes for a somber and less active existence for many expats.  It was also unusually hot in August-October this year, and now things are quickly cooling toward winter temperatures.  So not a very long autumn!

Cairo sunset

     Our church and school numbers are still down.  Both are nearly the same size as last year.  However in the church, it seems our demographic continues to shift to a few less oil workers as declining oil prices translate into layoffs and fewer people coming.  Also, we are in an upward cycle of an increasing nationalization trend in many industries here, so that is also putting downward pressure on the number of expats.  Also, visas are harder to obtain.  Many people have been here for years on a tourist visa to do their compassion and service work for which they receive no salary.  Now almost all these volunteers only receive visa renewals for three months and some have been refused renewal completely.  This has made for many nervous people.  Also many rules for organizations that were previously not enforced are now being enforced.  So it’s a new landscape for us, but just part of the cycle of things here over many decades.  We cling to our conviction that God is still in control and still at work no matter what circumstances we face.

Family of six out for a drive

     At church, though people feel the restrictions and so stay at home more, we have still had to implement changes.  We reduced our senior staff with layoffs and reductions in hours for the first time in our time here.  Most notable was the lay off of our worship pastor as we have transitioned to an all-volunteer model of worship leaders.  God has brought new leaders forward, but it makes for adjustments of workload and changing how we do ministry.  So we feel the stress of change and seek to go where God is sending us.

Pissouri Beach, Cyprus

     Karan is still loving being head of Student Support Services Department K-12 (special education + new English language learners).  She has been able to help implement a more unified approach across the divisions of elementary, middle school, and high school.  She has been able to advocate for inclusion of an additional teacher in some classrooms with LSS & ELL students, which then becomes a team approach in teaching.  This has worked very well for her in the middle school, so it is the opportunity to broaden this “best practice” approach in other classrooms.  The changes are making a difference, though like most changes in life, it comes with some adjustments.

     Then on 29 August 2015, Karan stepped off her mountain bike on a hill in the wadi and slipped and broke her fibula just above her ankle.  She was in a cast for seven weeks, and is now in an air cast for another few weeks.  She has had to use crutches and a wheelchair to go to school and church.  It has obviously made a large impact on our lives as we are not able to do all the things we once did.  Karan is now in physical therapy to heal the ligaments and tendons as the bone is mostly healed.

Travis, Karan, Alex in Spokane

     Our three sons are all doing well.  Travis is now a general manager of his own Verizon store in the Northgate area of Seattle since August 2015.  We were able to stay with Travis for several days while in Spokane in July.  He loves being able to shape the culture of his own store, and has made great improvements in customer service.  Brett is now working in graphic design-web site interface for a cancer support group in Seattle and just moved into an efficiency apartment by himself a few minutes away from Travis.  Alex is in his senior year at Gonzaga in marketing and international business.  It has been an extra busy semester with lots of reading and papers, plus his part-time job in a sporting goods store.  He had an internship with Sherwin Williams paint in Spokane last summer, so we saw him a lot, especially when he vacationed with us in Sunriver, Oregon.  Brett then joined the three of us in our second

Alex + Brett bungee jumping at Mt. Hood

 vacation week on Mount Hood.  We had lots of opportunity to bike and hike during the summer.  This will be Alex’s last year to come to Egypt this Christmas.

     In addition to summer vacation in Oregon, we also used the September holiday to go to Cyprus.  It wasn’t quite the active hiking, biking, and touring vacation we had planned, but we were able to sit on the beach (with crutches) for five days for a last bit of summer!
     That's all for now!  We would love to hear from you!

Poem and Picture about Egyptian Coptic Christians Murdered in Libya

Poem and picture from Bible Society of Egypt:

Two rows of men walked the shore of the sea,

On a day when the world’s tears would run free,
One a row of assassins, who thought they did right,
The other of innocents, true sons of the light,
One holding knives in hands held high,
The other with hands empty, defenseless and tied,
One row of slits to conceal glaring-dead eyes,
The other with living eyes raised to the skies,
One row stood steady, pall-bearers of death,
The other knelt ready, welcoming heaven’s breath,
One row spewed wretched, contemptible threats,
The other spread God-given peace and rest.
A Question...
Who fears the other?
The row in orange, watching paradise open?
Or the row in black, with minds evil and broken?

Executions in Libya Bring Christians and Muslims Together

Ramez Attalah, president of Bible Society of Egypt wrote this blog:

     This is a very sad time in Egypt where we are in seven days of official mourning for the 21 young Christian men who were brutally slaughtered by ISIS in Libya. The gruesome, professionally-produced video of that execution shocked the country and has united Christians and Muslims as never before. As soon as the video was broadcast evening, the President delivered a speech declaring 7 days of mourning for the nation. Shortly afterwards the Egyptian Air Force bombed ISIS targets in Libya.
     As I arrived at the Bible Society office in the morning, feeling sad and depressed, I met a young coworker who told me that she was “very encouraged.” I could not imagine what on earth could encourage her!
“I am encouraged” she said, “because now I know that what we have been taught in history books about Egyptian Christians being martyred for their faith is not just history but that there are Christians today who are brave enough to face death rather than deny their Lord! When I saw these young men praying as they were being prepared for execution and then many of them shouting “O Lord Jesus” as their throats were being slit, I realized that the Gospel message can still help us to hold on to the promises of God even when facing death!”

This same sentiment is being reflected in different ways by people who watched that gruesome video!
     I don’t think I will ever read Chapter 11 of the Epistle to the Hebrews again without seeing in my mind the images of these men dressed in orange jump suits with black-clad, masked executors behind each one of them!  These men were sim  ple, Egyptian laborers who had gone to Libya to make a living. They were captured and executed by ISIS for being - as the video caption charges - “People of the Cross”. Egyptians have been shocked by this news and it is the most talked about event in our country at this time.
     The purpose of the video was to foment sectarian strife in Egypt between Christians and Muslims. Those Islamic extremists clearly intended to provoke the 10 million Christians in Egypt to rise up violently against their Muslim neighbors.  But the loving and caring response of Muslims all over the nation softened the blow which many Christians felt. Up till now the Christians of Egypt have responded with restraint, sorrowfully calling out to God.
     The President and dozens of political leaders personally gave their condolences to the Coptic Pope. The Prime Minister travelled to the small village where most of these men come from, sitting on the floor with their poor relatives to express his concern. All this sends a clear message that Christians are considered an integral part of the fabric of Egyptian society.

1. Pray for comfort for the families of the victims who are in a terrible emotional state.

2. Pray for the effective mass distribution of a Scripture tract we have just produced that God’s Word will comfort and challenge the many who will receive it.
3. As I write, there is news of more Egyptians being kidnapped in Libya. Lord have mercy!

Please pray for Egypt as we pass through this painful period.

With much thanks,

Greetings from Egypt sandstorm!

Cairo sandstorm

Greetings!  Yes, we are still alive in Egypt!  Each February-March in Egypt you don't have to go visit the Sahara Desert because the Sahara Desert comes to visit you.  Today is an extra special "desert viewing" as it is the second day of a sandstorm that has continued blowing without ceasing.  The sky is brown and the is sun blocked while sand/dust filters in through every crack and crevasse to leave a thick layer of brown grit on everything inside and out.  These sandstorms are named "khamseen" (Arabic word for "50") because the season for these periodic windstorms is 50+ days long, however they can pop up through April.  Now you would think a wind off the Sahara would be warm, but no!  Our temperature on Friday was an unseasonably warm 83º (28º C), but today it will only reach a chilly and windy 56º (13º C).  If you were in New England recently, I realize you have little sympathy, but at least your snow is clean!  The upside is that cat mating season has taken a break as they are hiding under buildings instead of walking around wailing for each other night and day.

sunrise over Karan's school

     Things here are less chaotic now than in the past years of two revolutions, but that does not mean they are calm.  The new government has cracked down on those they perceive are trying to disrupt the country and economy, so things have returned to more of a feeling of a police state.  But the difference between this and five years ago (pre-2011 regime) is that the terrorists are fighting back.  We are in a bubble in Maadi, but elsewhere in Egypt there is violence.  We cannot travel to the Sinai nor to the Western Desert as the military works to secure the borders.  However, Egyptians are quite willing to sacrifice some of their freedom for security.  They are frustrated and worn out with all the violence and disruptions.  Psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs ranks safety as a foundational need (only food, water, shelter being more important). Relationships, self-esteem, and pursuing fulfilling activities are less important!
   

village family we help support

More recently over the past few weeks, a group in Egypt who aligns themselves with the radical I.S. movement in the Middle East has issued a warning for all foreigners to leave the country.  No one has left, but it does raise everyone's fear factor.  So tourism to the Red Sea or St. Catherine's monastery to hike Mount Sinai or camping or four-wheeling in the desert (popular expatriate activities) have been off limits.  Many expats have felt caged in and are frustrated and restless.  I have to admit that after four years of uncertainty since the 2011 revolution, it does wear you down.  But as we said when we came, "We came because we are called even if we don't like some things."  A few weeks ago, Apache Oil (a major employer here started to lay-off some of their overseas workers.  We don't feel the "upside" to the slide in oil prices here because it creates economic downturn and unemployment.  So this adds more insecurity.  Still, we don't feel God has released us and as far as we know, so we will return again this coming ministry year in August.

through the gate to our worship service

The numbers of people at Karan's school and at the church are still low.  New people coming to Egypt is still fewer.  Nevertheless, Karan has had a very good year so far.  She is now head of department for special education for primary, middle school, and high school, so she gets to help shape direction and encourage teachers in helping students with learning challenges.  She loves it and feels she is making a difference.  In a few weeks she will travel to Izmir (Smyrna), Turkey with the middle school to go to a "space camp" put on by NASA.  Things at church are ever shifting with no year being like the last.  Our church governing board launched our African worship service into an independent church (with some heel dragging on their part), but we feel strongly that the New Testament pattern is to plant churches rather than leaving people in an immature state of ongoing dependency.  More recently we are negotiating with the owner of the church property who has been wanting to reduce the times and spaces we use in the facility so that they can expand their own activities.  This has driven us as a leadership team to our knees even more to seek God's voice and direction in knowing what He wants us to do.

Prague castle district

   
We were able to do some more traveling (a needed perk to de-stress).  On our way back to the US last summer we did a marriage and family classes in Romania.  Karan did also did a teaching seminar.  We stopped off in Prague and Budapest for a few days in each place.  We were in Whistler, BC with Brett, then on Orcas Island, WA with Travis.  One of our favorite memories was a 3 hour sailing lesson in an ocean bay.  Alex spent the summer at Mount Hermon outside Santa Cruz, CA. He is now in the business school in marketing and international business in his third year at Gonzaga University in Spokane.  He still works part-time at Kimmel, a sporting goods store.

Travis & Karan on Orcas Island

  Travis is still working as an assistant store manager at Verizon and they have moved him from Yakima to a bigger store back in Spokane.  The last few months he has been filling in for the store manager.
     Brett has a new job with an internet design company in Bellevue, WA as of last July.  It has stretched him professionally.  His branch of the company all flew back to New York City in the Fall to interact with the mother ship.  He found New York expensive (something his dad would have said!).
   

Brett & Karan heading for Whistler

Then in October we went to Hermanus, South Africa to whale watch and see Cape Town.  The next part of the 9 day trip was a tent safari in Kruger Preserve to see the various African animals.

Karan & Alex at Swiss ski chalet

   Alex came to us at Christmas and we also spent a week at Davos, Switzerland to cross-country and downhill ski.  So that's our news for now ... and remember that the incidents you see on the news media about Egypt are not taking place all over the country.  We still have greater safety than in many cities in the US.
     Karan is still on Facebook at Karan Wooley Flora and Steve is on Twitter (slightly more often than we blog) at srflora.