Walstons in Egypt 2024-2026

We had the opportunity to have Cal and Cyndy Simmons visit Egypt. They are assistant auditors and came to audit and teach the branches how better to do their finances. It was good to have them. We also went with them on Thursday and Sunday visiting sites. Cyndy was sick on Sunday, so we do not have a picture of her.  Sunday we went with Cal to many of the Coptic sites near Cairo. Most were initially constructed over 1,000 years ago. The sign on the left was interesting, as we were entering the area where Jesus as a baby supposedly stayed for 3 months.  This is one of the Coptic sites' cathedrals. This is in the Citadel, which is the Islamic mosque that Salah Din constructed when he ruled Egypt. This is the inside of the mosque looking at its ceiling. This is a church the Coptics created when they were forced out of their homes. About 10,000 people can be seated in the audience. It is in the very poor area of Mokattam, which is also known as garbage city. You could smell the ga...

  We were able to travel to a village near Minya, which is a city about a 4 hour drive from Cairo. At the end of the trip we had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the Nile. The NGO, Joseph the Carpenter, has been taking conveys into smaller villages and found that much of the disease was being caused by the very polluted drinking water. They had created their first unit, shown below, and we came to look at it, as we have approved another 5 units in different villages. The villagers come to fill up their drinking water cans and bottles. Some carry them on their heads and they send out 3-wheel vehicles to sell bottles for 5 EGPs (about 11 cents). The water project keeps 3 and gives 2 for the delivery. The Coptic priest was very friendly. We are in front of the filters they are using to purify the water. In the Coptic church they had a number of saint relics that can be prayed to and receive miracles from. They have 3 skulls, hands and feet of people who were supposedly martyred about...

  When the other couple left Egypt we were asked to move into their apartment, as its rental cost is about twice what we were paying and we had a year's lease. We live on the 2nd floor of this building. It is closer to the Center, but we have to cross 2 very busy streets to go to church and the Center. We do have a lot more room. Kathleen is teaching piano to Loro, who should be baptized this coming month. We have an electronic piano like this in our apartment also. She teaches most of her lessons at the Center, but will start a limited number at our apartment. After an initial large number of people wanting lessons, there are only about 5-6 who are serious enough to continue. I am the assistant to the young men's leader and we had a cooking activity at our apartment on September 1st. We made tacos and they ate a lot of tacos. These are the young men and 2 leaders in our apartment. The leaders Madut, will probably become the new branch president, is only 28 years old and single...