About the happenings in Egypt!

10 May 2011 2 Comments

by rebecca7 in Uncategorized

Many of you have sent me PM’s on FB wondering how we are dealing with the things happening in Egypt.
I just wanted to let you know that while we aren’t afraid for our lives we are having to be a bit more careful. Violence is increasing. The fitness studio that I teach at was robbed. The factory of one of my best friends here was burned (as in arson) to the ground. Because there is no government the police aren’t really doing anything. No investigation, no real interest. In fact, it was the employees of the factory that stood guard at night to prohibt looters…not police.

As far as safety goes….well….we are only ever as safe as the Lord allows, no matter where we live in the world. But we are being a bit more careful. Choosing only to go to areas that are heavily populated and not being out at night. But daily life is fine for us here in our area of town.

Persecution: I need to touch on this a bit because I need to tell you that it is real and happening everyday here. Often christian women are harrassed, many are losing thier jobs or dealing with malicious gossip and isolation, in certain areas of town they aren’t given the privilege of riding a micro bus. Some women feel that they aren’t given priority when they are at the butcher or grocery store. It’s tough for them. I am not sure what the christian men are experiencing but I know that jobs and such are being affected. Certainly the burden for their families have increased and many fear for the future of thier children.
The reality is that I can’t phathom this. While I am a Christian, I am also foreign and therefore not subjected to most of what they experience. Occassionally, I will have a women “tsk” me but I have many many muslim women in my life who I love and adore who are embarrassed and angered by those kinds of reactions. I personally still feel safe although Trevis will be leaving the country in a few weeks and I am battling anxiety at being here alone and his traveling.

One of the biggest issues I have right now is that I feel like Iwant to go back to a time where I didn’t know of the pressures and struggles of people in the world. Where I sat with no worries in my nice cushy home with my coffee and wondered about paint colors. Because now that I see it. I see the tears and the fears. I hear the worry of mothers for their children I feel heavier and even my lightest moment are laced with a sort of awareness that a few miles away there is suffering. I am ashamed that I am so shallow…I am ashamed that I am so weak that I have no idea what to do. I am ashamed that I can only teach fitness and encourage just a few. I am not enough…..and I am reminded that there is beauty in “not being enough:” because it pulls me to my knees where I am left naked and bare emotionally and spiritually and all I can do is cry “Please OH Savior come. Come release the pain of your people. Bring comfort to those trapped in fear and despair. Please do not tarry one more day for the pain is so very great!! Please with your merciful love make all things new.”

I need to say that when we moved here, I was excited about what God was going to do in my husbands life. I knew He would do something in all our lives but I really thought it was mostly about Trevis. But here, I think GOd has shown me the importance of really suffering. I am not talking about suffering for the sake of suffering. I am talking about the kind that is thrust upon you whether you feel ready or not. You see, suffering is meant to bring us to a point of exhaustion. It’s meant to bring us to a point where nothing makes sense and we are left with NO option but bust out and scream for help, understanding and the will to persever. The absolute beauty of suffering…the absolute amazing design of suffering…is not that it breaks us or isolates us, the beauty is that it designed to make us see the great great need for divine help…it’s to create in us a discontentment for this world and therefore breed in us a desire for heaven…suffering is about seeing why we need God.

Anyway, as usual this has turned into a bit of a sermon. Sorry…it’s my heart today. Thank you for the prayers, emails, FB pm’s. You all are a gift. If you want to get our quarterly updates shoot me your email.
Blessings to you all
BEC