Everyone is home

Thanks for for watching the blog and praying for the team!

In NYC the team got separated again and only 1/2 of the group made the flight. The next group made the next flight two hours later, but they arrived into Chattanooga at 4:30am! None of the luggage made the first flight, so Katherine & Marshall stayed in the airport and waited for the next group. Unfortunately, several of the bags were lost and they had to report all the missing bags. On the drive home traffic had stopped because of an accident, so rumor has it Len & Marshall "pulled an Egypt" by winding their way around the parked cars and exiting the entrance ramp to find another route home. Sorry about all the rough travels:(

But the trip sounded awesome......Cathy

Day 9

A home visit in the Garbage Village

Mama Maggie washing a child

Tony assissting washing a child's feet

Our team with Mama Maggie, children, and staff members in the school in the Garbage Area

We spent a profound day with Mama Maggie in the Garbage Village and were able to participate in home visits as well as tour the school that has been started there. Mama Maggie's ministry is staffed with 1,500 devoted and passionate men and women. They all possess an incredible vision for sharing the love of Jesus with these people who rarely receive any sort of love in their lives--but instead are the dejected people of Cairo--not even given citizenship at birth!

The garbage collectors were forced to move to the "Garbage Villages" in the 1950's, and since then, most children born into these families are stuck in the cycle of receiving no rights at birth. The job of most men is to collect the garbage of the city, and then the women sort through the "fresh" trash (often in the homes). These families (usually numbering around 10 members) live in approximately a 10x10 room and share a toilet with at least two other families. The smell of the trash permeates the entire village, and oftentimes, if there is only enough money for a small amount of food, the donkey will be fed before the family, for the donkey is more valuable for the next day's work. These are only a few of the realities of the lives of these people. Mama Maggie and her ministry though has been able to bring the hope and love of Jesus to this community. Through home visits (where staff members commit to regularly visiting families--spending at least 2 hours each time praying for them, studying with the kids, sharing God's word, and giving practical help), they reach over 300,000 people! Also, 67 Kindergarten programs have been started, which is a child's only hope to break the cycle and life they were born into.

We were able to participate in home visits, touring the school, sharing with the children, and playing with them. Some of our team members were also able to assist Mama Maggie in washing the children's feet and shoes. Each child who comes into the camp has their feet are washed. The staff has an incredible vision of considering each child they interact with as if he or she is Jesus. They believe in starting ministry as Jesus did, in humble service to these children, serving from the feet up--and seeking to care for the needs of the entire child. We were all humbled by the passion Mama Maggie and her staff members possessed and the love of Jesus that is pour out.

For our final evening in Cairo, we ate one more Lebanese meal, and then met as a team to share how the Lord has been working in our hearts. We are still processing much, but praise the Lord for the work He is doing through His grace!

Day 8

looking confident before the jump off the 60ft tower zip line

the next gen teacher for Precept

Len making rain in the desert

Egyptian love

We are in the home stretch but the team still put in a full day as we loaded the bus at 8:30AM and returned at 9:00 PM for a late dinner.
Today we got to play at two sports camps, the first one, was a day-camp for sixty five kids from the garbage village that we visited on Thursday.
We started the program off with some music and then Len did several of his family camp specialties: like making rain, not the easiest thing to sell to some kids who rarely see the stuff! Annie and Kelly were able to share with the group.The group then split off with boys going to the 'Futbol' pitch ( that's soccer for us Americans) and the girls going to dance and play games. We then had the opportunity to serve them lunch.
Off to the bus for a two-hour ride to the Wadi (valley) outside Cairo, lots of sand and desolation except for where they are able to irrigate. Add a lot of water and up pops some huge farms, groves and vineyards; the tangerines are incredible this time of the year.
We made it to the second camp which is owned by our host church and is the largest Christian camp. It is also the only Christian training center in the Middle East. It' s beautiful and really well done. Kanakuk Kamps out of Branson, Mo. has consulted with them and they have taken many good ideas and made them great. It must be a thrill for every camper to drive in and see where they will be camping for 10 days!
It can sleep 550 kids and has a new soccer stadium, pools, zip line, climbing walls, basketball, squash, equestrian, skateboarding park, dodge ball courts and two high ropes courses. Len has been to many camps in the USA and was really impressed as we were too. We met with the leader, Maged Fawzy, of the Sports mininstry for our host church and were given a tour. He invited us to experience the camp. It didn't take long for David Arthur and the other kids to strap on the harnesses for the climbing walls and zip line. We ended our time with a long battle on the soccer pitch with the young ones taking on the amateur ones on the trip. Not a surprise that the youth won, but they did have a lot of help from their Egyptian friends, who scored the winning goal. All the Dads are a little sore. One more day and we are all looking forward to being with Mamma Maggie.

Day 6

Anne Miller with a girl in the Sunday school

This is what the girls deal with....

Celebrating Cha's 17th Birthday! (which is actually tomorrow but we don't have time tomorrow...)


Friday is the official day off for citizens of Egypt, so church services are held both Fridays and Sundays. Our team was invited to help in two churches with Sunday school classes. So, after an extended time of prayer together in the hotel, five of us went to a smaller church in Cairo, and the rest of us served in our host church in various children Sunday School classes. We had the opportunity to sing, interact with the kids, as well as share many of our testimonies. Mid-afternoon, we all came back together for lunch and then went to the Cairo History Museum. We were all impressed by many of the artifacts dating as far back as 2500 B.C., as well as the collection of mummies we were able to view up close. Our evening concluded with a return to the church for an opportunity to interact with older youth, and then we went to a Korean restaurant in order to celebrate Jason Cha’s 17th birthday. Daryl and Frances had the opportunity to go with Fawzy to the City of the Dead (miles of cemetery where an entire group of people live), after we left the church. They were able to sit and have tea with the only believer, an older woman who goes by Um Ahassan, in the entire community. During conversation she said that she does not fear death at all. When asked why, it was not because of living her entire life within tombs, but because of the grace and love of the Lord. Fawzy had never been in this area at night, which lent to slight apprehension at first, but the visit was incredibly blessed by the Lord as it ended with Frances praying for their new friend.