Over a period of two weeks, we spent many hours with N and S and we visited all of the ministries we are partnering with them in (EGY01, EGY05, 05a, 05b and 05c). EGY01 is registered with the Ministry of Social Work so there can be no spiritual work in that programme. All the others have been registered under the Evangelical Association as Barnabas Ministries.
On the 21st of March, Kevin, Helen and John Stanley visited the addict's centre. This is the same one we visited in 2022. M and P came with us. We met with the leader and spoke with him for a few minutes before meeting with the guys.
P led a few songs with the guys, and they all participated well. I then spoke to them and in question time they participated well and asked a lot of questions. M interpreted for me and did a great job. We then had time for the men to talk to us if they wanted to and I talked to two and John did the same. We spent maybe two hours there and prayed with the guys.
The work continues day after day as the daily grind of helping men break free from the chains of bondage. This programme has 13–14 men seeking treatment at any one time, people come in and graduate out constantly. Some recovered addicts stay on as peer mentors so there are about 16 there at any one time. We met guys who had been there for just days and another who had been there for 7 months and was about to leave.
The men who enter the programme are first interviewed and if accepted, are required to go to a detox facility before coming to the centre. The centre uses the 12 steps programme based on Alcoholics Anonymous to help the men. Several of the recovered addicts stay involved for a time after they finish their programme to be peer mentors. However, many are still a little irresponsible and the leader is called on to fill the gaps.
The rates of addiction are huge, many more than they could ever deal with. As far as they are aware, there are only four or five places in Egypt where Christians can go and be treated from a Christian perspective.
The latest drug on the market is ICE. It is smoked and within 3 months completely destroys the person. It is the worst they have come across so far.
Many of the guys who come are Christians in name only but many of them accept Christ. Those that are genuine are completely transformed; others really struggle. Those who make true commitments are obvious and their love for Scriptures is an obvious proof of this. It can be a challenge connecting them with a church when they leave because they may need to change churches as they would not be really helped in the one they belonged to but never attended prior to coming.
N and S’s eldest son M and son-in-law P are both helping in this ministry and others now. This is a major turning point as it takes a lot of pressure off N and S and brings a younger generation into leadership. It was great to spend significant time with both of them together and separately.
N and S’s son is 32 years old. He graduated in 2014 from the faculty of petroleum engineering and since then has worked in the petroleum sector until 2023. In 2023 he began to get involved and help in the ministry. M helps in many aspects in the ministry, the micro-loan projects, addiction centre and refugees, but one of his main roles is doing all the finance tracking and reporting. He is also in charge of the training centre in order to reach more people by doing more useful courses and market the place as much as possible.
M is a quiet guy but very loyal and consistent. I think he is like his father, doesn’t seek to push himself forward. It is interesting when talking to N that he places such a high value on humility. M is smart and capable and has good English although it is a bit rusty as he doesn’t use it a lot. He and his wife attend a new church plant and they are the leaders of a connect group and well respected.
P is married to N and S’s daughter, and they have two young children. He works for a phone company as a client manager and is able to operate from anywhere as long as he has the internet. He is a very nice young man. His wife is a schoolteacher and a vibrant personality.
P gives one day a week to the ministry currently. N really likes him; he is a strategic thinker. He come from an outstanding family. His brother is a doctor and part of the leadership at the Soul Salvation Society (SSS) in Assiut, he was on a medical mission team to Erbil in northern Iraq when we visited. His father was the leader of the SSS until he died of COVID. He was only 61 and a man of huge drive and influence. His mother is a fabulous cook! P is musical and a worship leader. N expressed his hope that he would move more into ministry over the next few years.
Amos* had been in the programme for only 12 days, he is counting the days at the moment. He is still trying to work out how it all works as he knows no one here. He was sent here by his family after being picked up by the police when he tried to buy ICE. He had only been experimenting with drugs and it was just getting serious. He is full of shame that he has brought problems to his family. He is thankful that they put him here although he is still wondering if it was necessary. He is confused and although he says he is a Christian, he knows nothing about Christian living.
He is single and some of his friends talked him into drug taking and then when he was caught, they abandoned him. He never went to church and comes from a town about two hours drive to the south of Cairo. He wanted prayer to be able to stay for the whole course as it is very difficult to settle in and although he likes the guys, he doesn’t know any of them. He has bad dreams and feels so bad that he cannot believe he can ever get rid of those thoughts.
Toby* is a very sad young man facing an uncertain future. He is only about 27 and is in the third year of a five-year engineering degree. He comes from a Christian family in a village near Assiut and shifted to Cairo when in his mid-teens. He had no interest in church and makes no apology for that. Even now he is not sure if he is a true Christian because he agrees with it all in his head, but he has not made a strong commitment to Christ.
When he shifted to Cairo he got in with the wrong crowd and began going to discos and clubs and loved it. He loves dancing and drinking and partying. He got drawn into the drug scene and became more and more dependent on drugs. It nearly killed him more than a few times. About 7 years ago he began a relationship with a Muslim girl, and they have been living together with her family until he came to the centre. This is now his biggest challenge. Does he go back to the situation which he knows is a major embarrassment to his family or does he leave her and do something else? He struggles terribly with this and bad dreams and sexual thoughts. He has stayed on at the centre for an extra month to try and work out what to do but still doesn’t know. Soon he will have to leave, and he is really worried about the decision. We prayed with him that he would do the right thing. M spent some extra time talking with him to encourage him.
*names changed
The influence is significant in the lives of the guys who are set free and their families. Most of these men are here because their families have forced them to come. One we talked to still was not sure why they had forced him to come! The majority of those who come continue to stay clean after they leave. They have many struggles of course, but they have been given some tools to be able to work through it.
A significant issue for the guys when they come out of the programme is that many of their families struggle to accept them back. They have caused such heartache and, in many cases, have ruined their families financially that it is hard to forgive them. A significant amount of follow-up is required in many cases.
The personalities of the guys are severely damaged, and it takes a lot of one-on-one counselling and time. Sometimes it is very hard to find the time just when the guys need it. This places a lot of pressure on the leader.
1) That M and P are becoming more involved in the work. The young men loved having them there and responded well to them.
2) Generally the guys love listening to the Scriptures being taught, asking questions and telling their stories.
3) The leader is under constant pressure and needs as much support and encouragement as he can get.
4) That most of the guys that come to the programme do really well after they leave.
This is a good project, and a lot of people are being helped. Every week one or two guys leave the centre free from what had enslaved them.