For a couple of weeks I have been trying to get myself together enough to be able to write what I feel to be a very important post. Important for whom you might ask? Well it’s certainly important to me to start with, and that makes it worthwhile to write this post, even if there is no other reason. Actually there are many reasons. Do we love one another? How do we do that? How does our love for one another manifest itself? Perhaps, if you continue to read you will find your own reasons why someone would want to write such a post.
Thomas Morganus (Species: Liverpudlian)
A short time ago, our good friend Tom Morgan arrived home from a trip to Egypt. He’s a 70+ year old man who loves to travel and loves life in general. He’d hoped to journey farther, into Turkey and more distant parts of Egypt, but due to the forces of nature, namely the Icelandic volcanic ash, he wasn’t able to complete all he’d wished to do. He did manage to see the pyramids and take a sail down the Nile on a felucca
However, it’s not about Tom that I primarily want to write.
During his time in Cairo, Tom stayed with our friends Mary-Jean and Neil Crouch of Comox. Neil is currently teaching art at the International School there. Mary-Jean is a qualified teacher too, and a brilliant one at that. However, M.J. as she is known to all who love her, spends some time helping to run the Found School in Cairo. I believe the school was given its name from the lyrics of one of the verses of Amazing Grace.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
This school, all maintained by donations, was started to care for and to teach the children of Christian refugees from Sudan, who were absolutely lost and wandering, but now have a home and are found. They are all victims of the warfare going on there. Many of the children are orphans, some children are with their mothers, while their fathers have been trapped back in Eritrea or other places. Many mothers and children will never see their husbands, or children see their fathers again. Because they are black and not Arab, Christian and not Muslim, these children and what parents they have, are considered the lowest of the low.
Day after day, M.J. (Momj as she is known to the kids and other staff, and the rest of the dedicated staff at the school, provide food for the children and also lessons for them. Day after day, the children and the adults who come with them, learn not only about other parts of the world, how to add and subtract, but perhaps, even more meaningful, they learn lessons of life, that they are loved and cared for by people who were complete strangers until a short time ago.
Tom And Sarah, The Cook at Found School.
In June of 2011, Neil’s time teaching at the International school finishes, so the Crouch twosome will have to leave Cairo. Mary-Jean wrote back to me after I’d written to her to see how they were doing. Here’s part of her note to me…
“The three couples who support it (the school) here are soon to leave–one couple leaves next month, the next at Christmas and we are gone next June. It costs 22,000LE or $4000 Cdn a month to keep it afloat with rent, salaries and food and we don’t know how long we can support it after we leave. We’ll be back to our “just surviving” mode when we return home and we will probably work on some kind of fundraising but we can’t slither into David’s African support, etc. Don’t know how we will do it but if you feel God is opening some channel, somehow, we are fully behind you. I know that there might not be cash but prayer will open the door that needs to be opened.
I (M.J.) visited one of the teachers last night in her 6th floor, no elevator apartment that she shares with her two kids (she is a refugee from Eritrea and her husband will get never get out) and a friend. The rent is 1200 LE and Salama makes 600LE as a teacher. By the time the two have paid rent, THERE IS NO MONEY FOR FOOD!!!!! She cleans a house once a week but the rest is grovel!”
The little home church to which I (Martin writing now) belong in Comox, and our slightly larger congregation on Sunday, last year committed to help the school survive. We have paid for the food for all at the church for a year now, and will continue to do that as long as the school survives.
Mary-Jean (M.J.) Presents Certificates or Prizes at Found School Graduation
In her latest email, MJ writes of the graduation ceremony the school held recently for the children…”Good morning! Our little school had their end-of-year finale with parents, all kids, teachers, Board and sunshine. The canopied outside area (provided by the Boy Scouts at CAC) was shadowed and the chairs were rented for a pretty full house. The agenda was a prayer of thankfulness, of speeches (Africans love official speak) and presentations to the top three kids in each class. I was amazed at the somber reception of gifts and congratulations that all the winners had–no smiles and no thank yous until they got back to their peers and then they erupted into huge smiles with back patting and head rubs all around!!! We’ll keep the school open for the summer so the teachers can continue to receive a salary which doesn’t even cover their rent, there’ll be some teacher training and VBS (Vacation Bible School play, there’ll be no food program but we’ve had a VHS system and hundreds of older educational/Disney tapes donated so the teachers will set up a “child minding program” to keep the kids off the streets, out of the heat and trouble for the summer. This little school has come a LONG way in a few years and we are wonderstruck! Blessings and thanks to all, momj”
As you can see from the pictures above and below, there were many, very delighted children at the ceremony. The students, parents and staff had a marvellous time and there was great excitement all round. In the first picture above, we see Mary-Jean presenting a certificate or a prize to one of the children.
Below you see one of the more senior students delighted with his grad certificate.
Senior Student Graduates
In the picture below parents and students enjoy the graduation ceremony.
Parents And Students at Graduation
Sunday, during our church gathering, our pastor Fr. David, floated the suggestion that our church family pay for the food for the children throughout the summer. I have no doubt that will happen very quickly.
All this brings me back to the beginning. Do we love our neighbour and if so how? I know many of you out there are hard at work caring for your families, your friends and those in need around you. Life can be tough. Maybe you are not a person of faith, but love others anyway. Hmmm…God loves you anyway and especially for caring for others. However, maybe you have a big heart and haven’t yet decided where and with whom to share that love you have welling up in you. If, in one still moment, the Found School slides into a window of your mind, please don’t dismiss it. It is a place which needs love and support…from anyone…so why not you?
If you are moved to help this little school of 150 children as Cynthia and I were/are, contact Mary-Jean Crouch at mj_crouch@hotmail.com or me, Martin at mdaviesret@gmail.com
Love To you From Us At The Found School.
Much love to all of you out there who might read this.
