“In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the Lord at its border. It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the Lord because of oppressors, He will send a Savior and a defender and deliver them. And the Lord will make Himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering and they will make vows to the Lord and perform them.” – Isaiah 19:19-21
It has been an amazing week in Egypt! All the women we met and had fellowship with have a common bond; they love the Lord and their people. Not only do they work with Egyptians, but also refugees from other countries, and even do short-term trips to neighboring areas for ministry.
There were so many inspiring stories that it is difficult to pick one or two to put into words, and words do not do them justice. At the end of our workshop we asked them to tell us how they thought they might use the health material presented. We were overwhelmed by their responses!
- M will concentrate on a woman’s worth and value, one to one, even with non-believers.
- J is a single woman who sees her friends trying to act more like men than women, and prays that God will bring to mind our teaching and verses to help them see themselves as God sees them.
- N is doing cross-cultural ministry in another area and will use basic health and hygiene lessons with the local women.
- J has a weekly women’s meeting. She is encouraged by our examples of women from the Bible and will use with oral learners.
- R plans to teach engaged young women about the health of their physical bodies before marriage.
- N has had a dream to teach teenage girls about their bodies. She sees that they do not value themselves and make very poor choices. Our class refreshed her vision and she is determined to carry it out. She declared, “I can save the next generation.”
That simple, heartfelt statement from this young woman summarizes the overall attitude and commitment in this whole group of women. They beautifully illustrate that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, and they press on in a land that has been torn by turmoil and upheaval in recent years. They have no doubt that they will succeed, and in support of them we claim Egypt for the Lord as the prophet Isaiah cried out centuries ago.
Personal Reflections from Janet
For me the highlights of our time here were the divine connections I was able to make with individual women. Four women in particular stood out as God gave me special words for them. I have gained new sisters and daughters. I also met a very special little girl who lives in the garbage village and attends the special school there. She cannot speak but is a bundle of joy. My vision for the future is to develop the lessons on godly beauty and value so that women can have a fresh, deep, and intimate experience of how much God loves them as daughters. Such a deep deposit of God’s love would then become their well flowing out into all the other relationships we talk about: marriage, children, neighbors, and community.
Personal Reflections from Ila
There is great faith here and great strength. I long to return and continue what has begun this week. Lord willing I will be able to return many times over to see these beautiful daughters of the King use the health training to encourage others and to blossom even further, beyond anything I can imagine or think. The relationships made here this week will help make that vision possible.
Final Prayer Requests
- Travel mercies for Ila as she leaves tonight for Europe and then the US
- Janet as she leaves Saturday afternoon for the UK
- Wisdom and discernment for next steps in Egypt
- Strong partnerships and collaborative efforts in the future with the ministries we met and worked with this week
- Continued growth of the health team to include other women from the US and abroad who are interested in serving with WiW
- That the seeds we’ve sown this week will bear fruit, and the women will take practical steps to integrate them into their ministries
Thank you for your loving support and prayers!
Abiding in Him,
Ila and Janet