Winter 2023: NORTH AFRICA

EGYPT AND TUNISIA TRIP

We had the amazing opportunity to travel to Egypt and Tunisia from February 15 through March 1.  We were able to witness the current ministry of one of our team members, and to introduce a new team member to his new work.

EGYPT

Egypt maintains the largest Christian population of any Arab nation. The Egyptian people have had an impact on Christianity from the earliest days of the church, tracing their first contact to the Apostle Mark shortly after the resurrection. By the third century, Alexandria served as a major center of Christian education and influence. Today the Coptic church makes up about 10% of the total population of the nation, and protestant churches of various denominations. While Christianity is officially recognized, believers face varying degrees of discrimination and restrictive government policies. Opportunities for education, jobs, and advancement are limited. As a result, many Christians are counted among the poorest and most underserved in the country. 

Our visit started with a special treat. We were able to visit Joanna, a young woman who attended our church in Darmstadt, Germany! We met them at their church in Cairo, then later had a chance to visit her and her parents at their home. What a wonderful beginning it was to our time there!

 

  

Ashraf, who serves with us in Egypt, was born and raised in Minya, about 3.5 hours south of Cairo. He has an extensive network of local ministry and movement leaders across the country. We were able to visit and speak at worship services for the poor, in Cairo, at a ministry center located at "Garbage Mountain." The folks there live in the land fill, and do what they can to find resources to repurpose so that they can use it or sell it. In Minya, we visited a ministry center that served very sick people facing cancers and kidney failure. The center also was holding a youth rally, with nearly 2000 young people. The young girls were fascinated by Carol, and she had her photo taken with many of them. There was also a seminar for pastors and wives, where both Carol and I got to share.  Below are some photos from our Egypt experience:

 

   

  

 

TUNISIA

We were blessed to have a chance to visit the beautiful nation of Tunisia, and see God at work there. Tunisia is a vastly Islamic country, but there is a movement of church multiplication taking place among local leaders. We were able to meet and worship at a local church called God's Family Church. Their logo is shown below. Bob had the privilege to speak at their worship service.  Because of the sensitive nature of the situation, we are not posting many photos of people in the church or their leaders, and are protecting the identity of those we do show.

 

The gentleman in the center of the above picture is Drew Robertson. He's the newest member of our Euro/Med Impact Team. He and his family have spent the last 10 years serving in Beirut, Lebanon. He's now bringing his experience, and fluency in Arabic, to our team! Our time in Tunisia was a great chance for him to be introduced to our specific mission: To meet indigenous gospel movement leaders and discover how we (Converge) can come along side them to help them reach their own people, and neighboring people, with the good news. 

All of us were captivated by Tunisia's beauty and wonderful people. We visited ancient Carthage, along the Mediterranean Sea. 

 

 

We also visited the remains of an ancient Roman Coliseum where two early believers, both women, were martyred for their faith. Perpetua and Felicity were two very different women, one a member of the nobility, the other very poor. Their story can be seen in a YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI1nygKZ0GM. 

 

 Please pray for the church in both Egypt and Tunisia! Pray for leaders there, and for us, as we strive to serve them faithfully for the glory of God and the growth of His kingdom!