CMS Ireland David and Gillian Maganda

Christmas Greetings

2007-12-03T00:00:01Z

Dear Friends,

It absolutely amazes me how time flies. One week runs into another and before you know it, another year is coming to an end! We’ve been really bad at keeping in touch with people this year – and we apologize that demands of work have kept us from doing the really important things, like keeping in touch with you!

So what has been happening with our mad family over the past few months? This summer found us in Uganda for a well needed break from Refuge Egypt. For the past 10 years we’ve slowly been building a house on the shores of Lake Victoria in Jinja. It’s an absolutely beautiful location and we devoted most of our time to cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. It seems to be a recurring theme in our lives. We also wanted to decorate and furnish the house with local materials and make it into a place that other Christian workers can use. One of our close friends here in Cairo, John (Ugandan) is getting married in December and he and his wife will be moving into our house with the sole purpose of making it into a Christian guesthouse or place of retreat. As we certainly know that frequent breaks from the ministry are vitally important. So if you’re ever in Jinja, you’d be welcome to stay there. We didn’t take any office work with us and despite being really busy with painters; builders and family flowing through our house, we enjoyed our time there. We were able to walk everywhere without the hassle of people asking “What’s your name” and “Welcome to Egypt”. Instead we had small local kids calling after us constantly, “Muzungu; Muzungu”, which started to get on Esther’s nerves. It was a culture shock for Nathan as he screamed at anything that moved. The first night we visited David’s village, was a drama to behold. The house was invested with rats and quite cheeky ones at that. They were jumping on our bed; climbing up the mosquito net poles and ran over our feet. I think that first night we slept about half an hour. One minute we were laughing hysterically and the next screaming at the tops of our voices. We must have been really loud because David’s mum came over to our house to find out what all the noise was about. She thought we were being attacked by thieves! We had our moments when I wondered “Could I really live in this village?” – And secretly begging God, “Please don’t call me here!”

We had good times with David’s mum and one night while sitting in her small house (with big fat me breaking one of her chairs) she told us that David’s father had in fact 4 wives and not 3. The first wife had been barren, so had been chased away because she couldn’t have kids. Even David and his brother were amazed at this revelation; even though they had heard rumors of it as children. We were able to take David’s mum, her sister and David’s father’s second wife, mama Chickovere, with us to our house in Jinja for a week. We had a really nice time with them and they were able to get a break from the rigors of village life. During their stay we had a “House Dedication” service where 2 local pastors came and prayed over the house and we had a meal together with about 40 family and friends in Jinja. So any evil spirits lurking around our property were well and truly evicted! “Serve notice to the enemy, and he won’t hang around”…. The next week we also hosted a group of David’s brothers. Some of their attitudes towards women had me annoyed; but I had to hold my tongue, which for me is no mean task.

September found us back into the throws of work and after one week we felt like we’d never been in Uganda. The staff at Refuge Egypt had a party for David coming back despite us only being away 6 weeks. They must secretly like him! I and Kezia (English volunteer helping me with the Development Work) were back into the throws of reporting to donors and preparing proposals; and poor David had a multitude of staffing and project related problems to deal with. I keep asking myself how our previous coordinators coped with all this responsibility.

The kids enjoyed being back at school and the heat is on for Esther as this is her GCSE year and is very laid back about it. I’m learning that I can’t force her to study – but slowly she is realizing that she needs to work. Her mocks are straight after Christmas. Beth has been doing really well and maturing into a beautiful young woman. Her interaction and renewed motivation to get involved in things again has been very encouraging for us. Nathan is an ever the talking machine and dreaming up very wonderful stories or exaggerating the true ones – for this I can definitely say that he is his father’s son! He brings us a lot of laughs and asks constant questions. I shouldn’t complain because in a very few years he will not want to know us!

Last week we started the process of conducting a review of Refuge Egypt, and seeking to assess which projects are doing well and which aren’t. We’d value prayer; one thing I read this morning from a book about covering kids in prayer said, “WORRY ABOUT NOTHING; PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING”. Easier said than done some times, but I’m still learning. We have been encouraged at what God has been doing in and through the Youth Mentorship Program and it’s fantastic to see the lives of young men and women being turned around, and others accepting Christ. We have a family conference coming up at the beginning of December at which both David and I are speaking; along with facilitating the Freedom in Christ course for the staff; and speaking at the counseling course. So the next few weeks will be busy. Christmas will find us in Cairo this year and we are hoping for a quiet relaxing time with the kids. One main Muslim feast falls right before Christmas where a lot of animals are slaughtered. Of all the Muslim feasts, this is the one I hate the most, because our Savior already shed his blood for their sins; they just don’t know it; or refuse to accept it. How the heart of God must ache for the masses here in the ME to come to know Him in a real and living way.

Next year will be a time of change again for us as a family. We are due home for a break, to N. Ireland; and it seems that we may be home for a while as we figure out what the future holds for Beth. Esther will be starting her A levels; and Nathan going into P7! We are getting old. Pray for us as we consider our future and all that God has for us, in our exciting adventure, with Him steering the direction.

One verse that encouraged me this morning was, “He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for His children, it will be a refuge”. Proverbs 14:26.

Our prayer is that you will know Him as a place of refuge this Christmas.

Love in Him, David, Gillian, Esther, Beth & Nathan

Gang Violence Escalating

2007-12-03T00:00:00Z

This past Thursday evening, my beloved husband arrived home from work tired, hungry and in need of a listening ear. He’d had a hard day at the office. Suddenly he had the urge to visit Refuge Egypt’s pre-school, which is very close to our house, and check up on the Youth English classes. About 5 minutes after he arrived, around 20 gang members descended upon the pre-school and were trying to force their way in the gate. They were looking for a certain rival gang member and started beating one of our staff members who was baracading the door. He was joined by a young single mother, to provide fortification for the gate and from no where, one of the gang members produced a large machette and sliced the hand of the young mum; and started punching the RE staff member even harder. They stole the bag of the young lady, containing her last 50 pounds; along with her house key and mobile phone. Within a few seconds the gang members dispersed and by the time David and other staff members had come out to see what was happening, the trouble makers were well gone. Immediately they had to take the young mother to a local clinic as she was bleeding heavily; and also our staff member in charge of the Youth programme. Arriving at the clinic, they were getting the run-around treatment from Egyptian medical staff in charge of the clinic. David had to raise his voice at them to get them to attend to the lady. Our staff member was lucky in that he only suffered bruised ribs. Because the young single mum’s bag was stolen, and her house key was inside; they then had to go and look for a lock smith who could break down the door of her small apartment and replace the lock. She had left her two young kids inside, unsupervised. (Oh Lord!). In the end, David arrived home at 12:30 totally shaken up and exhausted. All in a days work!!! Continue praying for these young men who are involved daily in acts of violence, mostly against their own community.

Last night (Tuesday 4th December) there was another attack upon the school by the same gang of youths. They must think we are an easy target for their petty theft – pray for one lady who was again slashed with a knife. Pray for wisdom and guidance for the leaders of the youth programme on how they can improve security and know the way forward.

Thursday 6th December: The RE leadership have decided for the time being, that we can’t continue running the evening English classes in Maadi, until we have police in place to provide security. Pray that the actions of these ruthless young men won’t destroy opportunities for others who truly want to learn and develope in their lives.

Knocked Down and Left to Die

2007-11-16T00:00:00Z

One incident that really upset us recently, was that of a Sudanese man, who was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver. He was left lying at the side of the road for 2 full days and nights. His injuries were quite extensive and one passerby even threw a dirty blanket over him because they thought he was dead. Eventually after 2 days of no food; no water; and no good samaritian in sight, one Egyptian man stopped as he suspected the man was still breathing. He was indeed still breathing and the Egyptian man asked the injured man if there was someone he could contact. He whispered to him the name of a person who works with us at Zamalek; and the Egyptian man came and handed a note to the Cathedral security, to be delivered to Mr. Thewart the Cathedral Finance Manager. He in turn acted immediately and called our Medical Director, who sent one of our doctors to the scene and called an Ambulance to take the injured man to hospital. The first Ambulance that came refused to take him, stating it was a criminal case and needed the police involved. Dr. Eman phoned another of our linked hospitals asking them to pick the man from the street. Thankfully they did and the Sudanese hit-and-run victim was able to receive necessary medial treatment and IV fluids, as he was at the point of death. Some of us were able to go and visit him and Refuge Egypt, in conjunction with St. Andrew’s church, paid for his medical bills. He is still in hospital and we’d value your prayers for his continuing recovery. We cried as we wondered how any reasonable human being could walk by an injured person on the street, and ignore his need for help? It beggers belief. Oh God have mercy!

Refuge Egypt: Situation Update September 2007

2007-11-16T00:00:00Z

During the past 3 months, Refuge Egypt has continued to focus upon its 7 core objectives in providing a place where refugees feel welcome; continuing to be the main healthcare provider for refugees in Egypt; Offering emergency assistance and spiritual encouragement; providing opportunities for individuals to become self-sufficient; advocating for the most vulnerable within the refugee community and offering limited education opportunities for children, challenged youth and adult education classes.

Despite a drop in numbers accessing our services during the first 6 months of 2007, this past quarter we have registered a significant increase in refugees, and in particular those coming from Eritrea and Ethiopia. With continued political unrest and insecurity in these regions, more and more refugees are filtering through to register with the UNHCR in Cairo. A significant number of Eritrean refugees are currently being held in a government prison north of Cairo, because they lacked proper documentation when entering the country. Efforts are being made on their behalf to secure their release; so they can register officially with the UNHCR as refugees. Stories of lives and families torn apart by the conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan continue to make front page headlines in the international media. We are still seeing a steady trickle of people from that region and many are traumatized and dishevelled as they try and come to terms with major trauma and loss, along with necessary cultural adjustments in resettling into an alien environment, within Egypt. The Egyptian government have also estimated that over 1 million Iraqi refugees have fled the insecurity of their homeland to temporarily settle in Egypt within the last year. There is the perception that many of these people are wealthy; but for some, their savings are slowly being depleted and the needs among them are becoming apparent. With the coming of Iraqis to Egypt, house rents and food prices in the shops have risen sharply in recent months, causing the most vulnerable within the refugee community to almost collapse under the strain of trying to provide for their families and dependants. The exodus of Sudanese trying to gain asylum in Israel has stopped, as the Israeli government gave refuge to over 2500 individuals, but have refused entry to others in recent months.

During the summer months, Sudanese refugees were deciding to return home, with many of the major NGO’s offering huge salaries to those with professional qualifications. S. Sudan has become a place where investors are flocking to build businesses; helping with the reconstruction of infrastructure and seeking to get a slice of the many untapped natural resources in S. Sudan. This past week (early October) the S. Sudanese government announced that they were pulling out of their power-sharing deal with the Northern government, as promises agreed upon have not been upheld. This has thrown the whole peace process for Sudan into turmoil, and refugees in Cairo are again cautious of returning home. But it would appear that people in Juba (capital of S. Sudan) are moving about their daily business as usual. As part of their current election campaign, the Australian government has also announced that they are no longer providing resettlement opportunities for Sudanese. This has dashed the hopes of many, and made the refugee community feel more isolated and abandoned. As an organization we have realised the need of continuing to offer the same level and quality of services for the next few years to come.

In our previous report we mentioned our plans to carry out an audit of our services to determine the impact our organization is making and how we need to evolve or change, in light of recent developments within the Refugee community. This we have just started in early October, beginning with a feasibility survey and hopefully by the end of the year our audit will be complete, and management in consultation with the governing Site Committee, will be able to determine the way forward for us as an organization, and our continued commitment to serve the many refugees still coming to us for help.

Prayer Requests: November 2007

2007-11-16T00:00:00Z

It’s been a while since I’ve been on my blog – simply because we have been swamped with work. With funding reports to write; proposals to update and many visitors, life is never boring – that’s for sure! Here’s a few prayer requests for us as a family for the coming months.

- Pray for Esther as she has her GCSE mocks after the Christmas break and is trying to organize herself in preparing for those.
- At Refuge Egypt in the coming weeks, we are holding a review of our structures and projects to determine where we want to be as an organization in the years to come? What changes do we need to make to meet our goals and vision? And how can we continue to offer quality services to an ever transcient refugee population? Pray for wisdom for the Management Team and Site Committee as they evaluate all the information and make decisons based upon our findings. Some hard decisons will have to be made.
- Pray for David in his leadership role as Acting Coordinator. Every day is filled with a mountain of challenges and problems to deal with. Pray he will have daily doses of wisdom. Pray that we may find a suitable replacement soon.
- Pray for Kezia and Gillian in the Development Office as we seek to find new sources of funding – it seems to be getting harder and harder. Pray for wisdom and direction as we research and knock doors. - Pray for us as a family. We are due home next year for home assignment and are at a crossroads in terms of our future. Pray for us to know God’s leading and direction in the coming months.
- A new Beginner’s Counselling Course started last week (11th Nov.). This term we have 35 students who are keen to hear from God and open to learning new skills in the whole area of counselling. Pray many lives will be impacted and that students and tutors alike will be motivated to do their best in preparation and delivery of material. - Give thanks that Beth is doing well and coming out of herself a bit more. Pray for wisdom for us as we consider her future needs.
- Nathan is back to baseball soon and loves sport. He is always full of vivid, imaginative stories which sometimes get him into trouble at school – he talks too much. Pray for him to continue to be a blessing to many. - David’s family in Uganda have had alot of deaths in recent months. Pray for them all as they mourn the loss of their loved ones.
- This past few months we have had a large influx of Eritrean refugees into Cairo – as many are experiencing religious persecution or being forced to join the military. Pray for us as we consider how to best meet their needs and be a place of comfort and support.

Refuge Egypt: Situation Update September 2007

2007-09-30T00:00:00Z