Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Now in Israel . . .


Dear Friends:

Our apologies for the relative silence of late. Our circumstances over the next three weeks should allow for a steadier stream of communication. I'll offer just a brief re-cap of events here, and in a few days offer a more substantive reflection.

We concluded our time in Cairo with a delightful dinner with new Egyptian friends named Hanni and Lucy. Hanni is a theology professor at the seminary with which we were associated in Egypt and a very thoughtful and bright light in the Egyptian Protestant community. He and Lucy are moving to Princeton in January for him to begin work toward a Ph.D. in theology. He offered many insights as to the spread of Islam in Egypt and the future role of the Christian church there. More on that later.

In order to accommodate cultural demands, most Christian churches worship on Friday. Our family ventured down to old Cairo and attended an ancient Coptic Orthodox Church. Once we figured out that the women (and children!) were supposed to sit on the other side of the sanctuary from the men, we received fewer stares and were able to enjoy the incense, chants, and were even privileged enough to get doused by the baptismal waters as the priest flung them out across the congregation. It was wonderful.

Saturday brought a reprieve from the noise and heat of Cairo as we joined the Ellingtons on what was to be a brief visit to Taba, Egypt, a resort town in the Sinai on the coast of the Red Sea. The scenery was breathtaking, and we enjoyed it until both Suzanne and I contracted a vicious case of food poisoning which leveled us for two days and from which we're still recovering. Unable to travel, we had to forego Jordan, recover another day in Taba, and today have landed in Israel, and what a day it has been!

We began by walking (yes, all luggage, all backpacks, and all three children) across the Egyptian and Israeli border. A rather grueling way to start the day, it was merely a precursor for what was to come. Next came the effort to get a taxi to take a family of five (still standing on the side of the road with all their luggage) to the bus station where we would find transport to Jerusalem. I won't go into the details, but I'm sure our children will remember several of the encounters!

Yes, we purchased tickets on the Israeli equivalent of Greyhound and traveled through the Negev, past the Dead Sea, and up the long hill to Jerusalem. Curving through winding desert roads, our driver put Jeff Gordon to shame and kept all passengers in a high state of alert. This was good in that there was a confrontation between two passengers on the bus that became quite boisterous and almost violent until another passenger intervened. Gladly it settled quickly only to re-erupt in a more confrontational fashion just a few minutes later. Though I'm not fluent in Hebrew, I'm fairly confident it was over something as serious as pulling down the window shade.

Some of you have taken the long slow climb up the Jericho to Jerusalem road and know the grind it is on large vehicles. Our bus (finally!) slowed to a crawl and then actually came to a complete stop at which time the driver offered an explanation in Hebrew. I leaned forward to the person in front of me requesting a translation which went something like this: "It seems there are some protestors blocking the highway. They don't want Israel to pull out of the Gaza strip. They're everywhere right now." And indeed they are! We couldn't approach the regular bus station because of the protestors and had detoured to a location much closer to our hotel (thank you, God!). After lugging our eight weeks of luggage across several city blocks in Jerusalem and checking in, we ventured out to a modest meal where once again we ran into protesters. Only this time, it wasn't an organized rally; it was more like a mob. We quickly decided it was time to go back to the safety of the hotel where CNN informed us that Israeli security forces are working hard to keep things under control. I can't say that I have ever prayed for Israeli security forces before, but I think I'll start tonight!

Other than that, our day has been uneventful and full of grace. Our children are handling this remarkably well, though they are a little worn by all the confrontation in this culture right now. We're looking forward to the relative serenity of Tantur Ecumenical Institute where we will start our studying tomorrow.

We think of you often and pray for you regularly. We're safe, happy, and relatively healthy. Keep us in your prayers.

Peace,

Bob, Suzanne, Abbie, Will, Hannah

Thursday, June 23, 2005

A busy two days

For the second time in as many weeks, we found ourselves yesterday under the care of armed guards who didn't speak our language!

This time, we were traveling back from the Sinai Peninsula after a 2 a.m. climb to the summit of Mount Sinai, arriving just in time to watch the moon set to the right while the sun rose to the left. (It's standard in Egypt for Americans traveling outside Cairo to be joined by security forces; our van driver had avoided the added rider on the way there by telling the police we were Canadian.)

The climb itself was grueling. By God's grace, we couldn't find the tougher path we'd intended to take (3,700 steps straight up, called the "Staircase of Repentance" by the monks at the monastery below) and instead shared the way with hundreds of pilgrims and perhaps even more locals calling out "Need camel? Want camel?" Suffice it to say we now understand why Moses was pretty unhappy when he had to go and get a second set of tablets.

Our first camel ride came today, when we visited the pyramids and sphinx, perched just outside Cairo. Haggling with the camel owner was an adventure in and of itself, though we were greatly aided by Sherri and her amazing Arabic skills.

Speaking of Sherri, I'd like to share with you a bit about this wonderful family that has hosted us here. Many of you may remember the Ellingtons from their visit to Westminser last year. Dusty and Sherri and their boys (Clayton and Christopher) became good friends while he and I did our doctoral work at Duke. Rather than taking a more conventional, Stateside position, they both sensed a deep call to service here at Evangelical Theological Seminary, a school that trains pastors for the Middle East.

Of the many inspiring traits of this family I could mention, I'm perhaps most overwhelmed by the way in which they've immersed themselves in Egyptian culture, eagerly studying Arabic, living in an Egyptian (rather than expatriate) neighborhood, sending Clayton to school with almost all Arab and mostly Muslim kids. I'm struck by the Christian witness they offer simply by living faithfully, openly embracing the Egyptian culture (which is very different from ours!) on its own terms. I know they'd covet your continued prayers as they adjust to life here and grow in their knowledge of language and culture.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Haunting images

My good friend Maureen Jarrell was also in Haiti earlier this month.

Maureen, a Greensboro gynecologist, was there with Durham-based Family Health Ministries for several days of health clinics in one of Port-au-Prince's poorest slums.

She'd been there before. She'd seen the hopelessness. But during this trip she saw the face of poverty like she never had before. The images still haunt her.

Most of the women Maureen saw had minor, easily treatable conditions. Two, though, stood out.

One was a young mother with a 5-month-old baby. Her husband had left. She had no money, no food. She was so malnourished her breast milk had dried.

"She and her baby will be dead in six months," Jarrell said. "There was nothing I could do."

Another woman had advanced cervical cancer. Even with the best of care she would die. That was hard enough to tell the woman.

But she had another condition that Jarrell would have been able to treat. It would have given the woman significant relief in her dying days.

The tumor pressed against the tube that empties the bladder, shutting it off so that the woman could not urinate. Pressure was building. It was painful and uncomfortable. Jarrell needed an inexpensive catheter. There was none.

"That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do as a doctor, knowing there was nothing I could do to help," Jarrell said.

She and more than a dozen others who made the trip saw more than 700 patients at a clinic set up in a school in the sprawling slum.

Nearby Family Health Ministries is building a medical clinic. Its slow progress offers hope to residents there. Once completed, it will be staffed continually by Haitian doctors and nurses who will have supplies like catheters. But it may take several years for the ministry to complete the clinic.

That will be too late for the young mother, her baby and the woman with cervical cancer. But maybe not for other critically ill patients who need treatment in the future.

"I left Haiti in despair," Jarrell said. "I hope that when the clinic is finished, desperate patients will have better options for care than we could offer."

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

A conversation. An observation.

Dear Friends:

Our rapid learning continues, and I'd love to share with you everything we've discovered about the Christian faith and its expression in a Muslim culture. Suffice it here to say that the Catholic, Coptic Orthodox, and Evangelical (Arab word for Protestant) church is thriving and well here in Egypt. It's inspiring to see people live faithfully in a culture so permeated by Islam.

Today, I'd like to share just one conversation for which I'm grateful and one observation about the work of the Presbyterian Church in the world. First the conversation.

As we drove up to the Evangelical Theological Seminary, Dusty said, "I hope you get to meet some of the students here; they are quite impressive and very kind." We stepped out of the car and moved toward the gate of their two acre compound (for 150 students and 15 faculty, including housing!), when two students greeted us, Waseem and Charles.

"Welcome," said Waseem in a slight Arab accent. "We heard you were coming. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Charles, a more African looking student, extended his greeting with a smile as well.

Waseem is an Iraqi student training to be a minister in his home town, a city of 4 million in the northern section of Iraq -- mostly removed from the war -- called Nineveh. Perhaps you've heard of it!

After exchanging pleasantries I asked him if I remembered correctly that ruins of ancient Jewish settlements were presently being excavated in Ninevah and that there was significant concern that the war was threatening these ancient ruins. He looked a bit surprised and said, "Yes, that's right. Jewish ruins are present because in ancient times there were two exiles to Ninevah. When the Jews were allowed to return to Israel, each time some stayed in Iraq because they had put down roots there. In fact, I have Jewish roots but am now Christian."

This opened many doors for conversation in which I discovered that between 40-60 thousand Christians live in Ninevah and that the Christian church has over 1/2 million adherents in Iraq. I asked him about his church, its life, and his hopes for the future. I was deeply inspired to hear of his trust that God will use him in a powerful way during this time of transition in Iraq, and I was grateful that standing before me was a good reminder that what we see and hear from CNN, Al Jazeera, and our military news sources do not offer a complete picture. There are faithful, committed, and humble Christian people seeking to do God's will in Iraq and other Arab nations, people with whom we would enjoy sharing a meal, welcoming into our home, and having as a part of our church family. I invite you to join me in praying for them.

And that leads me to the second observation. Charles, the other person who greeted us in front of the seminary, is from the Sudan, a country with more needs and challenges than most. One overwhelming impression I've gained from our time here (and Kenya, and I know will be true in Palestine) is the significant work being done throughout the world by our denomination, and specifically our worldwide ministries division. Dusty is one of our missionaries and is doing a great job teaching at a vibrant Arab seminary short on funds and greatly in need of faculty. Charles, the student at the gate, is from the Sudan, where our denomination has just sent two Bible teachers to open the first Protestant Bible School in Khartoum to train Christian leaders. It made me deeply pleased to be a part of our denomination and to realize that our funds are supporting these culturually sensitive, highly educated, and deeply dedicated Christian leaders as they serve some of great needs of the Arab Christian community.

So on behalf of everyone here, let me say thank you for your generosity and support of Westminster and through Westminster the work of the PCUSA throughout the world. It's a great investment, one that is reaping rewards of enormous proportions.

We're off to climb Mt. Sinai this afternoon and are deeply appreciative or your continued prayers. Respond on the blog if you have time. We'd love to hear from you!

Peace,

Bob

Monday, June 20, 2005

Cacophony in Cairo


It's midnight in Egypt's capital, and the streets have come to life. Blaring car horns (which Egyptians prefer to stoplights for traffic control), children squealing (they stay up to all hours here), and the plaintive tones of the Muslim call to prayer, broadcast over the loudspeaker of the closest mosque -- each sound revealing something different about the fascinating Egyptian culture.

We arrived late last Wednesday, greeted at the airport by my friend Dusty Ellington, who has moved here with his wife and two young sons as a Presbyterian missionary serving on faculty at the only Protestant seminary in Cairo. Already, our conversations have given us an intriguing -- and inspiring -- glimpse of the Christian church in Egypt, as well as of its host culture, Islam. I'll share just a few thoughts and observations.

  • Though only 10% of the population here is Christian, the church in its myriad forms (Coptic, Catholic, Protestant) is amazingly vibrant. We attended the church the Ellingtons have visited many times and found a children's program bursting at the seams (sound familiar?). 
  • The Muslim faith runs deep here. It's not uncommon to see men with callouses on their foreheads from their five-times-daily prayer sessions (prostrate, heads to the ground). 
  • Strict moral guidelines mean that the crime rate is very low, and both drinking and sexual promiscuity are virtually unheard of. 
  • Most women cover their heads, and some taxi drivers listen all day long to readings from the Koran. 
  • As Dusty said, "I'd always heard that Muslims don't have a personal relationship with God, but it's clear that stopping to pray five times a day leaves them with a powerful sense of closeness to God." I'm trying to heed the calls to prayer on my own terms, pausing to cultivate my own relationship with God.
  • Once again, the economic disparity is staggering. An annual salary of $500 is considered quite good, and while Egyptian products and services are relatively inexpensive, imported goods are pricey (a Toyota minivan runs $100,000). 
  • Sherri (Dusty's wife) reports that a Christian family she knows stays up all night every Saturday praying for Egypt -- and the economy in particular.
  • Finally, the Egyptians value relationships over anything else. That means a stranger will offer to help with directions, and then invite you over to dinner. It also means that once an Egyptian introduces him/herself by name just once, you're expected to remember it! Dusty and Sherri have both made great progress in Arabic, an effort that endears them to cab drivers, shop keepers, and their peers.

Our touring highlights have included a falucca (traditional sail boat) ride on the Nile and an overnight trip to Alexandria, where we visited the Greco-Roman Museum (as one NT scholar said to another yesterday, "There's a lot of really old stuff in there!")

Tomorrow our family heads to the Sinai Peninsula to follow in Moses' footsteps. We'll begin our ascent at 2am, hopefully reaching the summit in time to greet the sunrise. Pray for our stamina; keeping up with our kids has grown quite challenging!

With continued thanks for your prayers and support,

Suzanne