When donkeys really get going “hawing” they sound more bird than beast. After the first night (falling asleep to hoof beats walking down the street), my romantic thoughts about life in a rural village dissipated rather quickly. About 10 minutes after my head hit the pillow, I began to hear a rooster crow. Then at 5 a.m. the next morning, the street market – located JUST outside my window – woke me up to greet the day; a bit earlier than I would have hoped!

During the day, Ezabelle, Farouk, and I had the opportunity to walk through the market of Mallawy.

I spent the day yesterday working with a church located in the heart of Mallawy. The city has a population of about 250,000 people and is considered to be a major center of commerce in Upper Egypt. The statistics of poverty in this region are extreme and are the worst in all of Egypt. More than 45% of the people living in Upper Egypt live below the Egyptian poverty line. Women and children are the ones who fair the worst. There are high statistics of sexual and domestic abuse. Basic needs of adequate water supplies, nutritional food sources, health and hygiene are very lacking in the extended community. Nonetheless as I spoke with many of the poor women in this community, I was encouraged by their deep faith and great hope. Every week, the church where I have been serving distributes food to several hundred women and families. I had the opportunity to share a message with them. I told them about the things I was learning about Mallawy and then introduced them to my life in Jerusalem. We spent some time talking about the Mt. of Olives and the significance in Jesus’ life and ministry of that mountain which overlooks the city of Jerusalem – Dominus Flevit (where Jesus wept); Garden of Gethsemane; the Golden Gate. It was encouraging to my soul to be reminded of the significance of these places as we prepare in a few short weeks for the celebration of Easter.

Speaking to the women in Mallawy who gather at the church every week for fellowship and to receive distributions of food and basic needs.

Spending time with the people of Mallawy, I am reminded of God’s amazing heart for the poor. Although this place lacks material wealth, there is a richness of spirit found in the people of Mallawy. Yesterday during the day, I spent some time with the young people of the church. They have been actively involved in the January 25th Revolution and they shared with me challenges about living in a country where Christians are so significantly the minority. For many youth, they are facing challenges of a counter-revolution and have struggled to have hope that things in Egypt can really change. I am inspired by their passion and energy for change… and attempted to encourage them that they have already, and can continue, to make a difference – not only in Egypt, but around the world.

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