Report from BHW Egypt Partnership Facilitator Following Visit

On the 6th of November I visited Father A on location in Assiut with John Stanley and Rey Diaz from Chase Oaks Church. We spent an hour with him as he and his team were preparing meals for distribution. It is always inspiring to visit and talk to him.

The team was preparing food for the day, Koftas and rice with stuffed zucchinis. We sampled them to ensure quality. We spent some time watching and interacting with the volunteers in the food preparation area and kitchen. We then went upstairs to see the free hotel he runs. This is for people coming from rural and distant places who must come to the city for various reasons, the majority for medical treatment. They can stay for free and have all their meals provided. There are 16 rooms and they are full almost every night. 

We then spent some time talking as he told us more about how the programme is going and the issues they face. As on previous visits he told us of the provision of God and how they have never run out of something to give people. 

Recent Events

The number of people they make meals for has gone up from 350 to 440 per day. The financial crisis in Egypt is causing more people to lose jobs and for prices to escalate. 

Father A keeps well despite the cancer diagnosis and his unwillingness to have treatment and to trust God for healing

Father A has a Bible Class every Monday evening. More than 1,000 people come every week and he is on his 5th time teaching through the Gospel of Luke

Personal Stories

We are not able to go out to visit the recipients of the meals as that would cause issues in their communities. However, the guys who delivered the meals were just beginning to arrive as we left. 

We met several of the people staying at the hotel and they told us how appreciative they were to have this help. One man we talked to had been there for some weeks as his daughter was undergoing treatment for cancer in the government hospital. He lived in Aswan and had previously had a good job working as a technician with a phone company. However, because he had to come here to be with his daughter he had lost his job and had no means of earning anything. He was in tears as he told us the story. It was touching to hear him and his love for Father A who of course prayed for him and gave him a vial of oil with which to anoint the girl.

Another man came with another story a little similar to the previous one. He too had lost his job and was struggling to feed his family. He had several children back home and had left his wife to look after them with no food or money.  

Partnership's Influence within the Community

It is very obvious that the community is very thankful for this ministry. The number of people in need is increasing which is both a blessing and a curse. The issue being faced is that the needs are so great it is impossible to meet them and no one is addressing the issue of helping these people become self-sustaining. 

Current Issues and Challenges

- The bishop is causing some issues about the use of the funds
- The huge pressure that the average Christian faces in this area to live and feed their families
- The current financial situation in Egypt and rising cost of living
- Helping the poor to become self-sustaining, this is a major challenge 

Prayer and Praise Points

1) That Father A is keeping so well physically 

2) That many people are being helped and encouraged

Comments

Father A is a lovely man, and he has the ability to bring people together. His team of volunteers is amazing and even though he needs many to come every day, he has more volunteers than he needs.