Francine (RE fundraiser) asked us to speak at church for the prison ministry so we found ourselves up front again. We both told the stories about the individuals we'd met in prison & then asked the church members to personally support with their time and/or money.
Right after church, we went to a Thai restaurant with Monica (RE education director) & Steve, her husband and their two little ones. They've been in Egypt for 6 years and as I wrote in an earlier update, they run a Sudanese community center & live in their settlement. It was nice to be "out with friends."
Then we took an Uber till we got to the Main Street in front of Mokattam....better known as Garbage City.. From there we had to take a Tuk Tuk into the bosom of the area. As you can guess, this is where the garbage collectors live & recycle the garbage of Cairo. There actually was a documentary recently made about them that claimed they recycle close to 90% of what they collect.
How do you describe the scenes?? Small rooms with piles of sorted trash being stuffed in grain bags or metal being pounded flat or welded together or cardboard bundled...kids of all ages, dogs, cats, chickens all dodging between Tuk Tuks, trucks with a mile high loads of trash & carts bringing in more loot.
When we got to the top of the rather steep hill, we were in front of the Coptic Cave Church...a local priest's mission to provide a church & also a hospital for the people who live in this "city." In an actual cave, the church seats up to 10,000 & the walls have impressive carvings of bible scenes.
On our walk down, we turned into an alley way, walked behind a trash pile & knocked on the door of Monica's friend. Inside was a small room with a bench coved with a slightly worn blanket, a bed, an old frig covered with stickers, rusty wash machine, table covered with a sheet & a pile of who knows what...and a woman delighted to visit with us & offering us sodas & treats. Her daughter & small grandson joined us. With Monica to translate, she shared pictures of her birthday party and her daughter's wedding (really how'd they pull that off???). She was as proud as any Mother of the Bride.
When it was time to leave, she invited to dinner anytime. I knew we wouldn't chance eating there which made me feel snobby.
Being able to get into the guts of places we visit happens because we get to know and be trusted by locals. It's what makes our trips deep & real.
Cherif (our Dexter friend, Jo's family) had asked us to stop in so we swung by his house on our way home. We showed him some pictures ...he looked at them and said, "He is my patient, Steve Mehaffey!" He even had his number so immediately called Steve to tell him that we were at his home.
In this city of 20 million+ where Monica and Steve live far from Cherif who's related to our Dexter friend..What are the chances???
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