Wamileleh/Yesu , Jesus,المسيح

An oasis of refuge and renewal....

Welcome to Maadi Community Church!

What a breath of fresh air it is when you walk down the streets of Maadi, into a tent filled with people worshiping the God of this place. From over 40 denominations people come for renewal. The church consists of every race, ethnicity, culture, language...you name it! There are people here working for American oil companies to africans seeking refuge. Did you know there are 4 million Sudanese refugees in Cairo?

For two weeks Ben and I have been attending the Africa Live service. Partly because I truly believe I am african at heart. And we have never seen people worship like these people.

We have both been plugged right in to the needs of MCC and are thanking God everyday for where he has placed us, and for this place. I am working some with the children's ministry and we both are kind of "go to" people if the youth needs anything. Ben has actually had the opportunity of playing for the first youth night, which was wonderful, and he will probably play for a small group we might join. He truly has a gift.

This church is extremely rich in character, and I hope some of you have the opportunity to come see us and see the one place we feel at home in God's kingdom.

Wamileleh Wamileleh mubah barakahni Yesu weh!!!

Grace,

SL

Romans 12:2

Today as I sat in the back of a cab feeling so degraded I attempted to tell the driver where to go, in my best broken arabic. As I am looking out the window ( I cannot watch the driving anymore or I will have a heart attack) watching the trash, stray cats and dogs and the hungry go by, while listening to the sound of honking horns and screeching brakes, the weight of this place begins to sink in to me. After I did not get our internet fixed for the 3rd week in a row, I got back in another taxi. I came home to listen to Chandler, but prayer came on and I could not hear him. I love Cairo and everything about it. It is diverse and rich in culture, but that doesn't mean it isn't hard seeing the perfect suburb life and then this.

Did you know that just a few hundred miles south of us a women in Sudan will take 40 lashes for wearing trousers. nytimes.com

With all we have, we have come so far to lift Your name on high. It's all about You. Sleep, peace, understanding and rest are only found in You. He is our only refuge from the daily pain we see. Our time here is not to impart wisdom upon ourselves but to serve Christ. And we will submit. Eventually Chandler lead me to Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

On a side note, here are a few pictures of my sweet, sweet preschoolers I see in the mornings.

A little blurry, but he is too precious not to post.

And I have saved the best for last....Egyptians begin dancing lessons young.....

You said...

ask and you will receive, whatever you need.

You said....

pray and I'll hear from heaven, and I'll heal your land.

As most of you know, Ben and I have a longing in our hearts. We are here for Ben to get his Masters. We desperately want to speak Arabic, successfully. There is a third reason. Africa and what lies beneath. Darfur. This brings me to African Hope.

We were called here, and right now it is for me to serve at a Sudanese refugee school. It is a low budget (if you can even call it that) school that is an opportunity for these people who have been deeply wounded to get an education. They have fled from Sudan, with no land, and without any sort of education they cannot get jobs here in Cairo. I will be taking over the position of the English teacher who is there now, but only in the afternoons. There is no funding, so I will work in a preschool in the mornings (by the way my kids rock!). This means that the students who go in the mornings will not get the tutoring they need to advance to the next grade in English. African Hope is in desperate need of anyone that can help....i'm just saying...we have an extra room :)

The African Hope Learning Center cares for over 600 students annually (from KG to Grade 11) as well as a growing number of adults attending evening classes. The children receive an education far superior to any available in Sudan

http://www.ahlc.info/

Most of you have been asking me what exactly you can pray for. I want these Sudanese refugees to seek purpose, education, guidance, love and above all else, hope.

oh Lord, that's the cry of my heart.

A day at the Beach

It was beginning to look like ground hog day at our apartment in Cairo. So we decided to head east, about an hour down the road to the Red Sea. It was fun. A good place to relax and get away from the city (honking horns, 4:30 a.m. prayers, stray cats, and the sound of screeching tires as you sit and wait for the crash, but are actually a little disappointed when you don't hear it.) Oh did I mention traffic is crazy, its an adventure every time you enter a cab. Anyways, we went to Ain Sukna, and had a great time.

Me and my beautiful wife! We had the whole beach to ourselves. I guess its to late in the year for tourists, and the locals were still asleep. BL

I thought I saw someone drowning. This is just displaying my killer instincts as I sprint through the water, quick like a cat. There was nobody drowning, but if there was, I would have been there. BL

Just sarah trying to part the waters. It kinda looks like she did, but its just the low tide that morning. BL

Just enjoying God's beautiful and creative creations as the day comes to an end.

This actually has nothing to do with the Red Sea, just a quick look at Cairo at night.