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Des Moines with Egypt
By Nancy Lister-Settle
Reprinted from Broken
Bread, Winter 2005
We arrived in Cairo on the weekend of Eide,
the celebration at the end of Ramadan. Our plane landed around midnight and
by the time we got downtown it was after 2 am. Still the streets were full
of revelers spilling out of cafés, coffee shops, movie theaters. Car horns
blared, firecrackers popped, young people sang and chanted. Even six stories
up in my hotel room I could hear the sounds of celebration. It matched my
excitement at being back in Egypt.
We were a group of eight—four of us were members of Des Moines Presbytery’s
Joining Hands Against Hunger (JHAH) coordinating team (Denise England, David
Best, Margaret Magill and me). Another was from a partner congregation, but
a newcomer to the program (Maria Zagar, Perry). One was an interested member
of a Des Moines congregation (Elizabeth Smith, Central). And a mother and
daughter from California and Minnesota were former missionaries in Egypt in
the 1950s and 60s (Dorothy Turnbull and Ann Turnbull, relatives of the
Magills). We came with varying levels of understanding and our individual
perspectives. As for me, I was eager to see how this new model of mutual
mission was taking shape in this place so different from home.
By nature I am a shy person. But I am also one who prefers to experience
things first hand. In my shyness, I tend to be a good observer. My more
adventurous side puts me in places where there is much to learn. I think
these two aspects of my personality have been a real asset during the
formative years of this JHAH partnership.
JHAH is not a one-size-fits-all initiative. The fact that we work with
church groups, NGOs, and community based organizations already established
in the partner country means that no two networks are alike — they each
function in the context of their own culture. For the network in Egypt the
context is a country which is 90% Muslim and 90% desert; where there is
government oversight for every organization; where there was a
multi-candidate presidential election for the first time this year; and
where the foundation of Arab tradition—hospitality—makes the word “hunger”
an affront. It was helpful for me to spend some time as an observer while
the Egyptian network came together.
This was my third visit to Egypt since 2002, and I’ve hosted Egyptians here
in Iowa twice. I’ve learned a lot—even though I know only two or three words
in Arabic—about Islam and interfaith relations, about the music and cuisine,
about farming practices and city life, about globalization and its effects
on those at the bottom. I’ve been more tuned in to the news out of the
Middle East, and have sought an Egyptian perspective on world events. And I
have friends, real friends, in this very different place. There is no
substitute for getting to know each other—face to face, where we live.
My friends are Christian—Coptic Orthodox and Egyptian Presbyterians—and
Muslim. Some work in Cairo, a city of 18 million, and some work in Ga’afar
and El Fashn, rural communities where farming is still done by hand. They
are a wonderfully diverse group of men and women who have agreed to try this
new thing together with each other and with us. And I have come to love them
very much.
Our itinerary included visits to member organizations in the communities
where they work. There was a bit of sightseeing. We shared a few meals in
the homes of our friends. We were entertained with music and dancing. We
were honored guests at the commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the
Coptic Evangelical (Presbyterian) Church of Egypt. And we got to participate
in the advocacy training workshop for the Egyptian network of JHAH, the
highlight of my trip.
The network has decided that the focus of their advocacy will be people,
primarily children, with disabilities. They have been working for the past
several months to identify the skills necessary to undertake this task. They
have been researching the many facets of this issue where advocacy is
needed. With the help of Nancy Collins, the PC(USA) companion to the
network, and Dr. Alaa Sebeh of Save the Children UK, they have been
discovering what they might accomplish and what an impact that might make in
all of Egypt. After spending the day with everyone, I came away even more
excited for them.
Seeing the network in action was exhilarating, but it also made me see that
our Egyptian partners have left us in the dust when it comes to advocacy. In
spite of the political risk and the experimental nature of trying to change
policy in their country, they are willing and able to try. The challenge for
us here in Des Moines Presbytery is to catch up to the network in Egypt—to
learn to become more effective advocates, and to believe in our ability to
make a difference.
On our last evening in Egypt, after taking the train back to Cairo from
Alexandria, we spent a few hours at Nancy Collins’ home waiting for our 3 am
flight. Just down the road there was another celebration going on. The Cairo
football (soccer) team had just won their Africa Cup match over Tunis. The
van owner arrived to load our luggage and we learned that he had lost his
voice cheering the team to victory. He was laughing and sharing his joy with
us all the way to the airport. As we got in line for the long journey home I
looked back and saw him still standing at the window waiving goodbye with a
huge smile on his face. What a blessing to be heading home in the same
spirit of excitement!
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