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.

Egypt Presidential Election 2.0

Has it really been over five months since our last blog??  What can we say?  We are sorry!  It's been sometimes overwhelming and we feel like we are crawling to make it to our home leave.

Freedom is complicated!

     First with the Egypt news that CNN and FOX don't report.  The city is not burning.  We are not hiding in our homes (except when tired).  Security is slowly returning.  All journalists are not in jail (but unfortunately for freedom of the press, a notable few are).  The freedom of speech cherished and celebrated in the US are there because the country is stable and it's a core value of our Constitution.  Conditions and attitudes are not the same in other parts of the world, so be careful in applying western mindsets and values to Middle Eastern cultures--they don't always translate!  Most Egyptians here are not wringing their hands about what happened on June 30 and August 14, 2014.  They just want their country back.  And we just want the expats to come back because church and school numbers are way down!  It is difficult to watch expats who have lived here for 20 years have to suddenly pack up and leave because their company's contract was ended by the US foreign policy linked with aid to Egypt.  The Russians and other Gulf countries are more than happy to make up that 3 billion in US aid in order to attach their own set of strings.
   

The red inked finger means you voted.

The voting for president ended yesterday, and as expected former general Sisi who oversaw sweeping the Mu_slim brothers from power has been elected.  Yes, the turnout was low, and leaders are worried about Egypt's image before the world.  But what Egypt most needs is competent, honest, just, and courageous government that will tackle the real issues; then the image will take care of itself.  We are hopeful about Egypt's future, but there are huge problems to address.  One issue we feel personally is the power cuts.  It is expected that in the 100º+ daily heat of summer, we will see 3-4 power cuts per day lasting an hour each.  It may be the summer of sweating in the dark!  Now if we could only turn that into a weight loss program ...
     After our snowy weekend in December, the winter turned out relatively warm.  We never turned on our heat after that.  The most notable and challenging thing Steve encountered at church was merging the African worship service on Friday afternoons into the main International Service on Fridays at 5 pm.  We haven't had this much fun since the worship wars of the mid 1980s when some dared to start contemporary worship services in traditional churches.  It seems some dynamics transcend culture!  There was outcry, a petition, maneuvering, resistance, and weeping.  But in the end we are now one worship service with many nations--no ethnic group has their own segregated service (but talk about irony when coming from a country where "segregation" is akin to racism!).  Steve is emotionally exhausted and learning about placing all things in God's hands from the last five months.  Those grieving the loss of African style worship will only have to wait a few months for our daughter church plant to hopefully move into that Friday afternoon time slot to provide an African-led and African-resourced church experience.

Egypt traffic is sometimes a free for all!

     Karan has also had a challenging year in middle school.  After surviving the reduction in force (that will start in August), she has experienced the dynamics of lower morale among staff, while planning for fewer teachers to cover redistributed classes this coming year.  Her special education student load this year has been especially demanding with more high-need students requiring higher levels of support.  Her special ed colleague for the last five years will be moving to a speech pathologist position in the elementary division, so next year Karan will have a new co-worker in special ed.  Her stress found its way into her back and neck which has limited some of her recreational activities.  In times past, a Canadian chiropractor was able to keep things in alignment, but he left last summer.  Finally earlier this month, she found a US-trained Egyptian chiropractor-osteopath-MD (three separate doctoral degrees if you are keeping count) who has realigned her back and neck to a much improved state.  All for only $120 USD per session (three times the going rate in Maadi for an office visit, so we figure he charges once for each doctoral degree per office visit)!  We pray it is covered by insurance.
   

Travis at the driving range

Travis is still in Yakima, WA with Verizon as an assistant manager.  He has done very well and they want to move him back to Spokane in August for experience in a larger store on his way to perhaps becoming a store manager.  He seems to have found his niche, but has missed his social network in Spokane.  Living alone has not helped.  He started going to a gym and informed us that exercise actually has reduced his stress, helped him lose weight, and made him feel better.  Oh, and the gym has some really good looking girls, but that is not his real motivation for going ...
     Brett started a job in January at the Museum of Flight in south Seattle.  He does design work in production for their advertising, but also has a little bit of opportunity to rework their website--his preferred area of design along with user interface apps.  In December Brett bought a nice used Honda and then a woman ran into him while they were attempting a left turn and totaled his car.  Worse than that was that he injured his toe.  He was dazed and they took him to the emergency room, but the toe was the main issue.  He is still receiving treatment, but has almost full activity again.  Naturally there was a battle over responsibility.  Since Brett only had liability insurance (and no personal injury protection), his insurance company did not get involved.  This meant that Brett had to hire a personal injury lawyer to get representation.  The police issued the lady a ticket which was upheld in a court challenge.  So the lady's insurance has assumed responsibility and we guess the lawyer is waiting for Brett to complete medical treatment since his big toe is still a bit crooked.  Brett's living situation was also less than desirable, so he moved in with some guys from Mars Hill branch church hear the University of Washington campus.  (We have a Spokane friend who went to Washington State who would say that Brett now lives next door to hell.)

While Alex was in Spokane ...

     Alex has completed his second year at Gonzaga and now has been admitted into the Business School where he will major in Marketing and International Business with a minor in Sports Management.  He also worked 20+ hours per week at Kimmel (a sports retail store),
took 15 credits (which included accounting, business law, business information systems, and economics),

and made the Dean's List this past semester.  Alex came to see us at Christmas and we went to Switzerland where the balmy temperatures made the snow less than ideal for snow boarding.  We tried snow shoeing, but carried the shoes more than wore them.  We will try again next year.  Alex will spend a second summer as camp counselor at Redwood camp (for elementary-age) at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center outside Santa Cruz, CA.
   

Golden Temple Sri Lanka

Our other trip outside Egypt was at spring break to Sri Lanka.  We experienced a whole new culture and roads even more crowded and slower than Egypt!  Still we loved the trip and got a taste of Buddhist culture and archeology.  We also had a few days at a beach and a one day safari.  Remember you can keep up with us on Facebook at Karan Wooley Flora or srflora on Twitter.

Cheers!
Steve and Karan
  


     

Snowy December in Cairo

first snow in 112 years

Merry Christmas from chilly Cairo!  Egypt was in the news again last week … but this time not for another revolution!  Outlying suburbs of Cairo received snow (for the first time in 112 years).  We saw three days of rain, and not the usually get the streets kind of wet a few times each year, but actually steady soaking rain.  What makes it really fun is the complete lack of any sewers or storm drains.  We wait for the standing water to evaporate and watch new batches of mosquitoes hatch!  A week later there is still mud along the edges of the street since the high temperatures have been in the upper 50s and lower 60s F (15-17º C), and lows have been in the lower to mid 40s (6-7º C).  So power outages have started back up as people run their heaters non-stop.  For the first time in anyone’s memory, we could not have church under our tent canopy last Friday night (December 13) due to standing water.  Instead we had to cram in a room inside with people standing in the entryway—don’t tell the fire marshal (not that Egypt has any of those)!

            So what has happened since early autumn?  Waiting!  First we waited for the state of emergency with its Friday curfew at 7 pm to lift (other days had a midnight curfew).  This forced us to meet at 8:30 am on Friday mornings until mid November when the curfew ended.  Now we are back to our 5 pm time and people are happier and less sleepy.  The streets have become noticeably calmer since summer.

a few protests still continue

There are fewer protests as the military backed government has marginalized the opposition.  Most Egyptians are quite happy with the return to better security and are not crying out about some loss of freedom of speech.  The streets also are seeing fewer crimes like purse-snatchings and robbery.  Now we wait for the elections that will start in January with a referendum on yet another new constitution.  There will be a parliamentary election in Spring, then the presidential election in June.  We hope for a government that will represent all of Egypt and not make a power grab to take care of only their followers.

Karan at Red Sea in El Gouna

            The numbers of expats is still definitely much smaller even though the US embassy has sent many people back.  Karan’s school still has a significantly lower attendance, as well as church.  The budget and staff reductions continue, but Karan still has a job next year as far as we know.  However, it has made for a fairly low morale.  People are still reluctant to come to live or even visit until they feel things have settled.  So this is yet another year of transition!  We work to relieve the underlying stress by getting away, but we are both feeling really tired and worn out.  In October we went to the Red Sea for 6 days for a warm and wonderful time away.  In early January, we are planning to go to Switzerland with Alex (the only son coming for Christmas).  We will mostly go cross-country skiing, and are not sure what Alex will do aside from a few days of snow-boarding (provided they get snow between now and then!).  Maybe he will learn to like cross-country skiing!?

             

Nelson Mandela

Our church had the privilege to host a memorial service for Nelson Mandela on December 10.  It was attended by many ambassadors and some who worked personally with Nelson Mandela in his early years.  It was fascinating and enlightening to hear their stories!  His life was transformed in prison and when he emerged 27 years later, he used the principles of forgiveness and "love your enemies" that Jesus spoke of in the Sermon on the Mount.  He became a man who helped transform a deeply divided country, a continent, and a world.  Many of us talk about living these principles of blessing and praying for those who persecute us, but few of us actually live it out!  I was inspired and humbled by the memorial service! 

            Travis has moved to Yakima with a job promotion into assistant manager for Verizon.  He is liking his new job and feels he is doing quite well in it.  He misses his friends in Spokane and has felt fairly alone in a new city living by himself.

snow in outlying Cairo suburb

Brett has been job searching all Fall without success until last week.  He will be working for the Museum of Flight in Seattle starting in early January.  He was in a major car accident when a woman made an unprotected left turn into his left front fender/bumper.  It totaled the 1996 Honda he had just bought a few weeks earlier (and had just put in $1300 of repairs), plus he broke his right big toe.  So he had his first ambulance ride and visit to an emergency room.  We believe the hand of God was in it since this Honda had air bags that deployed to shield him from more serious injury (there was lots of broken glass).  Had he been in our 1990 Camry that he had only a few weeks earlier, he would not have been protected by air bags!  Since he had only liability insurance and the other insurance isn’t interested in helping him because the other driver is claiming she had an arrow, he has had to hire a personal injury lawyer.  She was issued a ticket, but says she will fight it because she has witnesses.  Brett really needs a favorable settlement since this has cost him $4000 so far, plus not being able to start his job until after his toe hopefully “sets.”  There is still the possibility of surgery if the bone does not form together.

           

muddy street in Cairo--yuck!

Alex has finished his challenging semester at Gonzaga University in pre-business classes like accounting, statistics, business law, and economics, all while working 20 hours per week.  He arrives here Sunday night, December 21 to see all his Egyptian friends.

            We would love to hear from you!  Remember Karan is on Facebook at “karan wooley flora” and Steve is on Twitter at “srflora”.  Have a worship filled Christmas!

Steve and Karan

Living in Egypt Revolution 2.0

Tahrir June 2013

Every summer we explain to people back home that each year in Egypt has been vastly different.  This year is shaping up to be no exception!  We remember thinking in 2010 how it seemed inconceivable for any other group to replace the Mubarak regime, yet it happened.  Before we left for summer home-leave, it seemed just as inconceivable that the next president would be taken from power after only a year in office.  We have refrained from recording our opinions about the politics in Egypt or America, but this summer and Fall has been particularly frustrating.
   

Delga church

So we need to get a couple of things off our chests (you can skip this paragraph if you want).  First, when a new form of "democracy" has been started, but it has then ceased to be a democracy, is it wrong to unseat that government before any future elections will no longer be free?  (Too bad we can't ask the leaders of Germany's Weimar Republic that question now!)  Second, you cannot impose an advanced American template of democracy (with 200+ years to be established in a now literate populace) on nascent democracies in the Middle East (people used to authoritarian

worship in burned out Egypt church

government and religious leaders telling them how to think) and expect Western outcomes!  Half of Egypt is estimated to be illiterate and vote however their village chieftain tells them.  The actions of the deposed president's supporters revealed their true motives with widespread violence and destruction.  Third, when you don't have much of the Western world in support and little Middle East coalition support, why would you almost launch a military strike into a civil war where most sides are without morals?  Especially if this military strike

burned out interior of Egypt church

will likely spill over into a conflict that ignites the whole region and pits international superpowers against each other?  Why would you take that risk in the name of "accountability" when you have selectively ignored past violators?  We are waiting for the four riders of the Apocalypse to appear on the horizon!  (End of political comments!)

      Turmoil and uncertainty have been the "new normal" for nearly three years, and that has a stress and wearing all its own.  So we keep learning newer and deeper ways that life is not about us controlling everything to our desired outcomes.  We keep talking about how God works most dramatically during times of transition, so we are learning to look for His fingerprints all around us.  Many from other religions are asking questions and we want our followers of Jesus to be ready to engage them in loving and wise relationships and responses!  We also pray a lot as a church.  These are our roles for now in this land!
   

In a burned out church, the signs say: "My
terrorist brother, I came today to pray for you.”

We have been absolutely amazed at the spiritual response of many in the persecuted Egyptian churches.  Their love and forgiveness humble me and provide a standard of living out Jesus' kingdom principles in Matthew 5!  It must also be stressed that most Muslims in Egypt in no way support the violence against Christians and churches.  In some cases, they have risked their lives to help their Christian neighbors!

     We also press forward on initiatives to support the indigenous church of Egypt.  Over 85 churches were burned, as well as monasteries and Christian shops and businesses.  One of our church members went to visit Delga (one of the hardest attacked Christian villages).

Child's drawing shows mosque giving comfort to church.

He saw the aftermath of the atrocities and is now raising support to help the Christian families rebuild their lives.  (To go to our church website to link to his report "MCC eyewitness", click on: www.maadicommunitychurch.com.  If you want more detailed story about the situation, click on the links to two news articles:  http://bigstory.ap.org/article/south-egypt-islamists-take-over-town
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/16/egyptian-police-recapture-islamist-town-delga
     Meanwhile, our boys back home have life transitions of their own.  Travis was promoted to assistant manager with Verizon and has moved to Yakima, Washington.  He has been very successful in his career path with Verizon.  It's been nice to be able to see that our words to him during school: "Just get through it and jump through the hoops, then the world will be your oyster!" have come true.  Travis' people skills have really paid off for him.  Brett finished his internship with Mount Hermon in Santa Cruz, California.  He is now back in Seattle looking to take some online training to work on web design and web user interface development.  His graphic production emphasis is harder to find jobs as print continues to decline as a media.  Alex is back at Gonzaga in Spokane and starting his business classes in earnest now.  This semester includes accounting, statistics, and business law--yikes!  He is also working part-time at an athletic store near campus.  He doesn't have much free time these days!  Karan finds out this week if she will have a job next year.  The church is about half of what it was last Fall, so it's a new world in many respects!
     Please keep praying for us!  You can follow Steve on Twitter at srflora and Karan on Facebook at Karan Wooley Flora for more up-to-date personal reports than this sporadic blog!

Safely in His Hand,

Steve & Karan Flora