L i f e o n t h e N i l e... with the Chandlers

Transcription

1 L i f e o n t h e N i l e... with the Chandlers LesChandlers@cs.com Christmas 2011 (Just a reminder that our and the telephone calls we receive are still censored--thanks for your sensitivity to this) Please let us know if your address has changed, as this is our only point of contact with you Hello from Egypt once again! Although we don t have a significant change of seasons at this time of year here in Egypt we do have weather. The other day we had a downpour of rain, noted that it was the first since the Revolution, and it literally rained mud as it passed through Cairo s smoggy atmosphere and our very dusty trees. Autumn also means smoky air because of the burning of rice fields after harvest. Spring means sandy air because of the sandstorms whipped up by the nearby Sahara Desert. But Christmas falls between the two and is a perfect time of year. We even get to wear light jackets! We are very thankful that Britelle and Lynne s parents are coming for Christmas this year and we are eager to have them with us! THE EGYPTIAN SCENE: We are sure that many of you through the media have followed the news of Egypt. We are most grateful to you for all your prayers. So much has happened since we last wrote, that is difficult to know where to begin. Challenges In the last two months we have had all types of highs and lows imaginable. It seems the only constant is change and unpredictability. Egypt is definitely in transition in the fullest sense of that word. Here are some of the lows, just to list a very few. For these reasons, and many others the demonstrators, called for the resignation of the interim government and the withdrawal of the Military Council. The tragic deaths on October 9 of Coptic Christian protesters by the military (over 30 deaths and hundreds injured) Violent clashes in November between pro-democracy demonstrators and the security police in the famous Tahrir Square and other locations all over Egypt (resulting in over 40 people and up to 3000 injured, including people losing their eyesight) The introduction of a document by the interim government that gives more authority to the military, who is currently ruling the country. The fear that the military will not give up its control of the country to a civil government. The complete lack of clarity in what is going on and what is going to happen in the future as the Military Council and the interim governments have not communicated well with the people and there are unacceptable delays in dealing with conflicts and problems. Just recently, the interim government did resign, and a new salvation government has been appointed, albeit seen by most as having little credibility. Also, in response to the current demonstrations, the Military Council consulted with politicians from different parties and responded by providing a clearer timeline for the hand-over of the country to an elected President on the 30th of June Before that time, the election of the Parliament, the Shoura Council (the senate), and the writing of a new constitution would be accomplished.

2 Elections One of the most encouraging highs (and we celebrate any bit of good news that comes our way here at this time!) was the smooth first round of parliamentary elections at the end of November. They took place peacefully and it was quite an exhilarating day to see people lining up for hours to vote for the very first time in a free representational election. There are two more rounds of parliamentary elections to go. One of the polling stations for women was outside of our church and it was quite moving to see thousands of women stand in line, Muslim and Christian, veiled and unveiled, standing together waiting to vote. Below are some photos of this special day in front of our church. Women lining up in front of our church to vote. However, the dramatic surprise of the first round was that the conservative Muslim parties won a significant majority (with the Muslim Brotherhood, the most moderate of the Islamic parties, garnering up to 40%, and the Salafis, a fundamentalist Islamic movement up to 20%). If that same percentage holds true through the next two phases, the Muslim-dominated political parties will have the majority in Parliament and in theory would be responsible for shaping the new constitution. This surprise result could be for a few reasons. Certainly, in times of chaos and instability, people often become more conservative, polarizing to the more extreme. Sociologically, this is seen in all societies around the world. It could also be because the new liberal and secular parties have not had enough time to develop popularity. Already there is tension as to the election results. In the midst of the on-going elections, the ruling military council has just made a controversial statement regarding the new constitution. In remarks to a group of American journalists, the spokesperson, General Mukhtar Mullah stated that the newly elected Parliament would not represent the people and would therefore not be suitable to appoint the constitutional drafting panel. The Muslim Brotherhood s Secretary-General reacted immediately in a press statement saying that they would strongly oppose any attempts by the military council to dictate the composition of the constitution drafting panel. Muslim-Christian Cooperation In the midst of all this there have been some beautiful stories of Muslim and Christians working together, especially around Tahrir Square to help the injured. One of the churches close to Tahrir Square opened its doors to receive the injured and Christian and Muslim doctors were serving the injured side-by-side in that church. 2

3 There is both much to be thankful for and much to continue to pray about. The demonstrations continue even until today. Thankfully, things have not been violent since the first round of elections. We all know that the story is not over, and do not know exactly what the next chapter will be. FAMILY: Lynne This year is going well for Lynne, who continues to enjoy being involved with music, book group, writing and the lives of women here. It is a stressful time for many as they adjust to new rules here without police back in force on the streets yet meaning don t carry a purse as petty crime is skyrocketing and a surprising number fear that they will be evacuated again this year, thus causing much worrying about instability for children, futures etc. The church continues to be an important focal point for support in the life of the community. Paul-Gordon This has probably been Paul- Gordon s busiest fall/autumn season here so far, for all kinds of reasons. Obviously the current political instability has been one reason. However, ever since the revolution just under a year ago now, more doors and opportunities for service have opened on many fronts. This has been most encouraging. Most of the new opportunities relate to inter-religious initiatives, working toward bridge-building between Christians and Muslims. In this regard, various religious freedom/human rights groups visiting Egypt have asked him to speak to them about the recent sectarian tensions and future prospects of Muslim/Christian relations here. In a similar vein Paul-Gordon recently set up speaking engagements in the US for Egypt s most renowned contemporary visual artist, Mohamed Abla, who was also instrumental in last year s revolution, and one of the founding participant artists of our annual interfaith Caravan Festival of the Arts. He was wonderfully received in the US as he sought to share a grassroots balanced perspective on all that is going on here. One of the Paul-Gordon s recent special highlights was the privilege of officiating at the wedding of the daughter (who has been attending our church) of a prominent Egyptian Christian family here that he has known for years, since The church was full of Christian and Muslim friends of the family and it was a marvelous occasion. Another thing Paul-Gordon finds himself doing more and more is helping people find employment due to the economic challenges here. After being here almost nine years, it is a privilege to be able to help others through the relationships that have been established. One quick highlight - if you are looking for a different type of Advent/Christmas book this season, please consider Paul-Gordon s Songs in Waiting Reflections on Christ s Birth:: A Celebration of Middle Eastern Canticles. It is focused on learning from the historic Middle Eastern Christians during this season. It is available on Amazon.com 3

4 Britelle and Treston Britelle transferred to the University of Tulsa this fall and she is having a great year. She has a wonderful group of friends and is very happy in the vocal music education program. Just recently she started volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters and loves the chance to be friends with a young Hispanic girl. She is looking forward to Christmas in Cairo after a stop in Switzerland on the way to visit her two little cousins! -Treston is in his junior year at the American international school here in Cairo and continues to enjoy the saxophone, basketball, youth group and a great group of friends. Sadly his closest friend is moving away this month, not a huge surprise in this transient community, but hard to say goodbye all the same. He revisited virtual school days (online learning) due to potential unrest at the start of parliamentary elections here and there may be more to come as the anniversary of Egypt s revolution draws near in January. ST. JOHN'S CHURCH CAIRO: As we celebrate the 80 th year of St John s Church here, and our 9 th year, during this time of uncertainty in Egypt, two areas are very much at the heart of our outreach focus: a) to seek to be a catalyst for building bridges between Muslims and Christians, and between East and West, b) and compassionate ministry for the needs of the poor that live all around us. Here are a few recent outreach examples of these thrusts. Building Bridges between Muslims and Christians: The Eternal Eye --In the midst of the sectarian conflicts in Egypt, in late October we hosted THE ETERNAL EYE, a contemporary Coptic icon exhibition that reflected the desire to see the establishment of a new Egyptian society that inherently respects and honors religious diversity. The objective of THE ETERNAL EYE exhibition was to encourage a better understanding of Egypt s indigenous Christian community, the historic Coptic Orthodox Church, which constitutes up to 10% of the population and traces its heritage back to the first century. This significant indigenous Christian presence in Egypt plays a critical role in enabling all faiths to coexist in harmony. THE ETERNAL EYE exhibited over sixty commissioned Coptic icons by the renowned Coptic iconographer Magdy William. Mr. William, a student of the late Dr. Isaac Fanous, the founder of the school of modern Coptic painting and the initiator of the modern renaissance in Coptic art, has been one of the world s premier Coptic icon artists for several decades. The icons exhibited ranged in theme from the Biblical stories in Egypt to Coptic saints. 20% of all icon sales went to Egyptian charities serving the poor. The exhibition was officially opened on October 20th by Bishop Daniel, the Bishop of Maadi and Assistant to His Holiness Shenouda III, the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and the successor of St. Mark, the Gospel writer. The result surpassed all our expectations with many Muslim also attending, and all the icons selling, and therefore providing some support to charities working with the poor, both Muslim and Christian, during the economically challenging times here in Egypt. The exhibition received a lot of attention in the local press. Here is a link to an article in the Daily News-Egypt that addresses the interfaith component of the exhibition: The icons are able to be viewed on the exhibition s website at: 4

5 Coptic Bishop Daniel and artist Magdy William opening exhibition Paul-Gordon, Bishop Daniel and Magdy William, artist People viewing icon exhibition Icon of Holy Family on the Nile The Imam-Minister Exchange We are in the midst of planning what is being called The Imam-Minister Exchange--Bringing Christian and Muslim Leaders Together for a New Egypt. The Imam-Minister Exchange is a strategic interfaith initiative working with Muslim and Christian religious leadership in Egypt. The goal is to create better understanding and build genuine relationships between religious leaders from Egypt s two majority historic monotheistic faiths, Christianity and Islam, and in so doing create practical models for co-existence. It is a ground-breaking initiative and truly a pioneering effort in Egypt. The dynamic of Muslim and Christian leaders building relationships with those from the opposite faith, being educated on the other s faith, visiting each other s homes, meeting their families and religious communities, and encouraged to develop practical coexistence models, offers an informal and natural context for the exchange of religious commonalties and addresses a way through potential sensitive differences. One of the primary goals is to provide a more positive and truer picture of the religion and faith of the other, toward each religious leader becoming an ambassador of peace in their local communities. The goal is to coordinate the exchange (including preparatory sessions and follow-up programs) for 40 5

6 imams and 40 priests over the next two years ( ). The emphasis will be on young religious clerics, as they are the future of Egypt s religious leadership. The first phase will entail 20 Muslim imams from Alexandria and Tanta (and perhaps some from Cairo) being selected to spend an exchange weekend at our church. These imams will be hosted by Christian families, attend sessions that educate them on the commonalties that exist between the two faiths, build relationships with Christian leaders, and be educated on the fundamental aspects of worship within the Christian tradition, including attending church services during that weekend. Compassionate Ministry Paul-Gordon with visiting Imams Angel Tree for the children of Sudanese refugees Lynne and Treston have been instrumental in organizing our Christmas outreach to the Sudanese refugees (and there are thousands in Cairo) that is called Angel Tree. The goal is to give the pre-school children of Sudanese refugees a special Christmas. This year we are providing 99 Sudanese pre-school kids with Christmas presents.as families in our church each sponsored a child. All the presents are delivered by our youth group who also host a Christmas party for these kids. Community Development--Boulaq Center Community Development Boulaq Center Community Development Boulaq Center One of the Christian community development centers that we are actively involved with is in a poor area of Cairo called Boulaq. The focus is on improving the lives of needy women, with a special emphasis on widows, who are truly neglected in society here. The activities of Boulaq Center include: Income generating projects for women-sewing and embroidery, providing older women and widows who are unable to work with financial or medical assistance, health education for women - i.e. hygiene, healthcare, pregnancy, family planning, human rights, the use of money, and how to support their children s schooling, helping families to pay school fees and providing extra tutoring classes for children and literacy classes for women. 6

7 Many women in the area suffer greatly, both physically and socially. One beautiful example of transformation is a young Muslim woman named Fatma. As a widow, when Fatma s children grew up and moved away from home she was left alone. In the beginning she was able to take care of herself, but as she became older she lost her eyesight and she found it harder to clean, cook and manage personal hygiene. She was embarrassed and she therefore never left her house, and became lonely and unhappy. When the staff from the Boulaq centre were in the area visiting widows and disadvantaged women they heard about Fatma and started to visit her regularly, helping her with cleaning and cooking and supporting her financially. They encouraged her to sit outside to meet with her neighbors to socialize and make relationships. Fatma s life has changed because of the support from the Boulaq centre. Today when visiting her, the staff from the center are most likely to find her sitting at the doorstep happily chatting with her neighbors. Fatma shares: I might still be blind, but I can see the beauty in the heart of the people who care for others. Like the staff of the Boulaq center. I received a gift from the centre for Mother's Day, a beautiful galabeya (a traditional Egyptian dress) that I can wear for my daughter's wedding. Christmas Pageant---Just as many other churches around the world, part of our celebration of Christmas entails our children s Christmas Pageant, which we just held. It is always a wonderful time to involve the whole community both the church community and the general community (foreigners and Egyptians). This year s pageant was wonderfully received and set the tone for the rest of this season! REFLECTION (by Lynne) An Evening Out on the Town Paul-Gordon and I were recently invited to the opening night of an art exhibition downtown Cairo to see an Egyptian artist in our church unveil his prolific body of work inspired by Egypt s revolution. The vast number of canvases alone was staggering. How on earth had he found time to break away to attend church each week? Inspiration was the only explanation. Bold colors dominated many of his larger pieces. Angels were brushed into revolutionary scenes and white doves of peace into others. Ordinary moments of Egyptian life were captured in time as symbolism wove its painted voice of hope and optimism throughout and life carried on, not as usual, but as a new sort of normal. It is a time when artists of all genres are delving within to express fluid events happening all around them on a grand and historic scale. Yet not just artists are involved in the work of transformation. All facets of society s landscape are irreversibly engaged in the working out of freedom. After brushing shoulders with the VIPs of the evening, listening to European ambassadors wax eloquently on themes of freedom in the Middle East while musing on the art before them, hunger got the best of us and we escaped out a side door to one of Paul-Gordon s favorite greasy shawarma sandwich joints across the street. Although vegetarian cuisine was lacking, the gregarious demeanor of the hardworking owner won me over and I joined him atop faded red vinyl stools with a perfect view of the entrance to the art gallery. We watched pedestrians stream by, 7

8 rushing to and fro, some dodging traffic and others hailing rides in beat-up black and white taxis. The honking backdrop of hustle and bustle seemed perfectly in sync with the rhythm of our revolution themed conversation while we watched Cairo s art enthusiasts come and go. Earlier that afternoon on the way downtown, our pre-arranged driver Musa (Moses) sent along a "relative" instead to drive us at the last minute. The lingering smell of smoke mixed with body odor was so pungent that I rolled down my window, in blistering hot weather, to drink in the rarely preferred air of smog, car exhaust and noise pollution. I muttered my self-comforting mantra of things could be worse with a weak smile in the direction of my husband who was desperately dialing Musa s number to tell him we would not need a ride home from his relative after all. Things progressed from bad to worse and before we knew it we were jammed into a line of traffic at a gas station to fill the taxi s thirsty tank. Glancing at watches was futile, breathing through our mouths was workable and by the end of tactful negotiations no cigarettes were being smoked in our presence and the blaring decibels of the radio was a thing of the past. Our return journey home later that night routed us through the downtown neighborhood of Maspero and past the Ministry of Information building along the Nile River where we had seen armored tanks entrenched during the revolution. No sign of tanks in sight now. I happened to glance up at a second story window and saw a sniper pointing his gun at us (well not exactly at us). At first I thought it was a mannequin because he was so still, but who would dress a mannequin in army fatigues brandishing a giant automatic weapon clamped onto to a professional looking swiveling window ledge stand? Then I saw a small gathering of dozens of protesters being restrained from pouring into traffic by army soldiers with yet more big guns. Although Paul- Gordon assured me the mannequin sniper was not really a sniper but rather a guard, I was not convinced. The significance of the Egypt s revolution is an ongoing process; images explored in paintings, but lived out in lives. What will the future look like? Are the core issues that caused the revolution really being addressed? Fear of the unknown still looms as the economy flails without tourists and new forms of leadership are explored as the corruption of the old is laid bare. The protestors were right, injustice was there, strong and stifling the lives of so many. The motivated voices from all facets of society, young and old, rich and poor, Muslim and Christian are emerging with spirits full of light and hope, yet still running up against walls of despair as minority prejudices wreak havoc. Will life give their dreams a chance? Will the few sabotage the many? Questions loom, unspoken at times, but palpable. Our family has been given a home here in Egypt, the gift of a secure haven, and a refuge in the midst of this city s chaos in which we are raising our own children and living out the dreams we ve been given. As Egypt s revolution plays out its freedom may the gift of home weave its way into the lives of those who have welcomed us so generously. An evening out on the town is an occasion to savor, but a quiet night at home sounds very good to me. DEPTH FROM THE MIDDLE EAST: For in one soul are contained the hopes and feelings of all Mankind. (Kahlil Gibran, early 20 th century Arab writer, poet and artist, of Lebanese Christian background) We wish you all great depth and meaning this end of Advent and during the Christmas season. Thank you again for your generous support and prayers, which enable us to serve in Egypt. We treasure your involvement in our lives. May the joy of the angels, the humility of the shepherds, the perseverance of the wise men, and the peace of the Christ child be among God s gifts to you this Christmas! Warmly, The Chandlers (Paul-Gordon, Lynne, Britelle and Treston) Leschandlers@cs.com Personal Address in the US--mail forwarded to Cairo monthly: The Chandlers / P.O. Box 360 / Winfield, IL / USA 8

9 We treasure your financial support! TO SUPPORT US FINANCIALLY: (tear off below and send to AFM) Yes, I would like to support the Chandlers as they serve in Cairo. Name/Address/ *Please make your checks payable to: (Please note NEW ADDRESS below) Anglican Frontier Missions 1791 Cambridge Drive Suite 200 Richmond, VA IMPORTANT--Write "for Paul-Gordon and Lynne Chandler" on the memo section of your check. Thank you for your support! 9