I hope that many of you did not turn blue while holding your breath for my final blog. Many things have happened since my trip to Egypt, which have prevented me from doing so -- my apologies. Maybe soon I will open a new and non-sabbatical related blog for the masses. If you have ideas for a theme, let me know! Maybe something like, 100 ways to make chocolate chip cookies...or Rubber Ducks for dummies...?
It is nearly 3 months now since Monica and I got on the world's largest plane (or so it seemed) for the world's longest flight (or so it felt) through NY and Paris before arriving in Cairo. The first thing I noticed was how alive the city seemed -- we arrived late in the evening, but one would think it was rush hour -- people, animals, taxis...everywhere. And the driving! I loved it -- driving in Egypt seems to be more about avoiding others than anything else. With a few beeps here and few beeps there -- and excellent directional hearing -- everyone gets where they are going despite the lack of lane markers and traffic laws.
That first night we managed to weave our way over to Manshiet Nassar, the neighborhood of Mokattam, Cairo where we were staying and ministering. As we turned off the main freeway, there was a distinctly different atmosphere. The lanes were narrow, the smells more intense, and lots of fires. (Apparently after all the garbage sorting is done during the day, the villagers burn the garbage they cannot re-use or sell.) Again, there were people everywhere, and donkeys, and sheep, (and rats) and trucks. We passed by homes where garbage was still being sorted, but most people were out and about town enjoying a fresh pastry, drink, or a hookah. It took us a while to wind our way up the mountain to St. Simon's monastery, but we made it. Here is one of the streets during the day -- MUCH less crowded.
In an effort to keep this entry shorter than a novel, let me describe the ministries we worked with as well as the monastery where we stayed. This is a famous carving that greets tens of thousands of visitors a year to St. Simon's:
It all began here, or as I understand it, it all began with InterVarsity in Canada and a woman who fell in love with a handsome Egyptian student. As Rebekkah Atallah began to pursue her heart for the poor in Egypt, she raised money to provide a space for kids to "be kids". During the clearing of the top of the mountain for a soccer field, an accident occurred and a digger broke through rock and exposed a system of caves in the mountain. Some interest was made known by the Coptic church which ended up developing a monastery and a system of cave churches which are extremely popular for tourists. There are many great things occuring at this monastery and in their mission to serve the neighborhood* of Manshiet Nassar -- some of the world's poorest of the poor, living in Cairo's garbage. Here is one of the cave churches: (*neighborhood meaning ~1 million people)
We had really decent housing, with running water, toilets and beds. This was more than I was expecting and so these things felt like real luxuries. Plus, we had a balcony with a great view:
When we awoke our first morning, we were surprised to be greeted by a breakfast of potato chips and Heinz (of Pittsburgh fame) ketchup among other things. I had thought that I was supposed to LOSE weight becase of the heat, but I gained it because of the good food and potato chips!
The rest of the week, Monica and I visited in and participated in the life of the village and the surrounding ministries. The garbage villagers makes their living by taking a donkey cart or truck into the main city every day to pick up Cairenes' garbage. They bring them back in enormous canvas bags stacked high and usually a whole group of kids is riding precariously on the top of the bags. When it arrives at their home, it dumped out to be sorted. Food scraps go to the herds of animals kept in the streets; paper, plastics, and fabrics go to specific recycling homes; and the rest is burned. It seems that every household has a specialty: white paper, blue plastic, red fabrics and so everything has a place to go. After the sorting is done, each household does its recycling prep using machinery that was purchased with help of the monastery and other NGOs. Once the plastic is chipped, it is rebagged in the enormous canvas bags and sold to a middle man recycling center. To give you an idea of how specific the recycling is, the Boys' Recycling Center has a contract with Pert and Head & Shoulders -- that's it. They recycle every bottle of those two shampoos used in Cairo, period. But, much sorting has to be done before they find those "treasures". I think I still have gunk under my fingernails from peeling off labels of the bottles! Here is the Boys' Recycling Center:
The village has, as you can tell, attracted attention from the media which has attracted TO the neighborhood several NGOs and government services. The groups that we partner with during the Global Urban Trek (http://www.urbana.org/feat.trek.2007.cfm?recordid=1259) are the Boys' Recycling Center, Missionaries of Charity, the Association for the Protection of the Environment, the local Mokattam hospital, and the St. Simon's Handicapped Ministry. There are other ministries involved in the neighborhood, not the least of which is the St. Simon's ministries. We did a week-long "children's outreach", which in America might mean a modest event with parental supervision. No. It was not anything like this. We were in one of the cave churches that fit between 2,000 and 4,000 children per night. It was packed and noisy. The number of parents accompanying children? 0. I learned three words for the sake of the Lord that night: "Sit down", "Be quiet", and "Stop that". These Arabic words I will never forget!
The Boys' Recycling Center works with about 30 boys from the village teaching them the trade of the village so that they can work in the family business when they are old enough. But they also receive a traditional education with the help of volunteer teachers. One day a week they recycle (Pert and Head & Shoulders bottles) and the rest of the days they study. We were the welcome recipients of many displays of joyous dancing and joke telling in the outdoor venue as well. :) In Cairo, if a child doesn't go to school from the beginning, they are never allowed to go. This is difficult when one's family depends on a minute amount of income -- often every person is needed for the work. And, if a school child is from Mokattam, they are often beaten and discriminated against, making it difficult to stay in school. Alternative systems of education become more necessary to help these children to learn.
The Association for the Protection of the Environment works with women in the village and teaches them how to recycle paper and fabrics. From the recycled materials they make beautiful quilts, needlework, rugs, bags, Christmas decorations, statinery, pictures, wall hangings, etc. It is beautiful handiwork that is for sale in some 10,000 Villages stores in America.
The Handicapped Ministry is really an all encompassing visitation ministry for anyone who is sick, handicapped, elderly, lonely, etc. I was able to visit homes and see things that I had hoped never to see. Some of the elderly had families and nice apartments, while others lived in their own garbage -- flies, rats, and the whole bit. Others lived only feet away from their herd of pigs and their mess. What grieved me was those who seemed so alone -- those too old to walk the four flights downstairs to where there were others to talk to, too poor to own more than one room open to the elements, and still they care for others such as grandchildren. And yet, even when they are sad about their state in life, they are joyful about their life with Christ. I have a lot to learn from them.
And last but not least, there is the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresas organization) who serve the physically handicapped, elderly, and poor. Babies whose parents cannot afford good nutrition or take care of their child, are left at the "orphanage" for two years to give them a healthy start. Children with cerebral palsy are unwanted by society and are either left at the door or are sometimes found in the garbage. This complex also has a ward for the elderly who appeared to be widows without families, which would be consistent with Mother Teresa's desire to love the unloved and so to create something "beautiful for God". Here is me feeding Marin, one of the newborns:
I really enjoyed the ministries, but mostly I love the people. There was so much joy, hospitality, willingness to be silly and joke around, and an openness to real partnership. One person we spent quite a bit of time with was Christina. She is from Mokattam, 18 and going to college right about now to become an accountant like her uncle. (In Egypt, colleges are free). Her family owns one of the many 10 x 10 shops along the "main road" and her uncle is an accountant for the Egyptian Bible Society begun by InterVarsity's own Ramez Attallah (interim president of the IFES). Mr. Mahrous is also a leader in the church and neigborhood, doing much to organize the community and bring in the needed help for Mokattam. He is also in charge of the new 6-story building for ministry to the handicapped, for which Urbana 2006 provided the foundational gift. Anyhow, Christina became our translator and friend. Here she is with us at the Pyramids and later inside the ichthys that frames the entrance to the monastery parking lot.
Overall, I learned quite a few valuable things during this trip: 1.) I can handle the travel and plane trip, 2.) I can handle the climate, food, and smells without increased migraines or illnesses (these first two are huge!), 3.) I can feel quite at home and happy in a completely foreign culture, and 4.) My faith in the institution of the Church has been significantly impacted through the witness of the these impoverished brothers and sisters. I'm not really sure I ever had much faith in the Church -- I've never truly understood my partcipation, except in terms of my service to "it". I have seen too much infighting, political/power struggles and ugliness to know otherwise.
However, in Mokattam, I have seen how God can literally use 1 person (Rebekah Attalah) to organically move the Church to greater service that impacts a million lives. Through her desire to serve the poor, people came to faith, those people then created NGOs, these NGOs worked beyond denominational (and hostile) lines, these churches came together to provide resources of money, people, and supplies and in the span of 30 years a village that was once illegal and constructed out of tin and cardboard is now a city with a garden, running water (safe to drink for Egyptians), electricity, paved roads, brick housing, sewage systems, groceries and supply stores, access to health care, and increased means of income and education. Even thinking about it now brings me to tears. These people are still poor by any standards, but their ability to live a healthy and long life of service to God has increased dramatically. They also have access to basic luxuries, like television and street lights. And all of this work did not originate in North America per se, but through the leadership of the community. They didn't look to the rich to "save them" from their plight, but they took responsibility for their own and in partnership with people who knew how to work the power systems and had access to money have led and organized their own. It is a beautiful thing to see and gives me much hope for the future.
I don't know what God might have in store for me in the future in terms of Cairo or the Middle East. (I am trying to get back there for the bulk of next summer.) But, the people and the Church have made its impact on my life and heart in a way that extends far beyond the 10 days I was there.
If you would like to hear more (there is much not told here), just drop me an email at chloe.papke@gmail.com. This is my final blog on this account, however. I hope you've enjoyed reading.
