3 Questions with Sharon

One of the things I've enjoyed doing whether by video, or just in conversations on the field, is to ask a leader three questions; some of those end up to be great conversations, and others great interviews.  When I can, I like to share those answers with our readers/supporters so they can get a glimpse of what we're doing and a chance to "meet" those with whom we are serving.  I think our Three-Worlds teammates need to use this pattern too, but it hasn't caught on yet (maybe, I'm not much of a leader of my peers, huh?!?)

Last month, we had the special treat of having Sharon Skaggs in Cairo, and the added treat of needing to spend a lot of time with her.  Sharon and her late husband Russ served in a similar role in Cairo back in the 80's.  They also worked with the Cairo Christian Fellowship, and with the Egyptian Church of God pastors.  Her connection to ministry in Egypt is deeper than that: before her family, her father and mother in-law, Wilbur and Evelyn Skaggs, began the CCF when they were working with Church of God congregations in Egypt.  Sharon's son and his family currently live in Maadi, too; and her daughter and son in-law, Jamie and Patrick, are our direct supervisors as regional coordinators of Three-Worlds.

So, to say that Sharon has a knowledge of the ministries, people, and culture of Cairo and Egypt is a bit of an understatement.

And, so, it has been our extreme joy and honor to have her as not only one of our predecessors, but one of our supporters and biggest cheerleaders.  In fact, because of her rich history and connection to the work here, we value her opinion and encouragement over and above all others.

Whether in formal interviews, or
informally over a snack,
the children loved to talk to Sharon.

Over the month of March, while visiting her son and his family, she was also needing to do some site visits for another Church of God program called Children of Promise - a child sponsorship program that you can learn more about from that link.  Sharon has been a board member for this ministry for about 18 years, so when they found out she was coming to the Middle East, they asked her to help conduct some site visits.  We have not had direct relationship with this program, so this was an added bonus to visit the Egyptian pastors and to learn more about what they are doing. Given the current situations in Egypt, and since it has been some years since Sharon has travelled to different parts of Egypt, I would accompany her visits.  And since she had not been to Lebanon before, and given Keli's previous visit to one of the program locations in Lebanon (Cedar Home), Keli accompanied Sharon to Beirut.

We were really impressed with what the churches are doing through this program as they are meeting the needs of children and their families within their communities.  If you are looking to sponsor a child through a program like this, we encourage you to visit the above link, and if you decide to sponsor, select Egypt or Lebanon in the sign-up.

Sharon was blessed by every happy greeting :)

Of course, we also had a lot of opportunities to watch her interact with the Cairo Christian Fellowship members.  Some of the parents in our Saturday children's program were taught by her when they were children.  Some of the CCF were led to Christ by her and her family.  Others are dear friends to this day, and there were several joyful reunions shared during the month.  We tried to capture the COP and the CCF visits in pictures, and shared many by Twitter (@ok2serve) and on Facebook.

During Sharon's visit, we asked her to respond to three questions, and here are her responses.

What are a couple of your thoughts about Cairo, Egypt, and/or the CCF during this visit?

Sharon:  This has been an amazing time for me.  When I've come before my time here was very short.  I have so enjoyed having more time with several of the churches and reconnecting with many friends and also being introduced to new leadership in the churches.  

So much has changed since we lived here.  I miss not being able to walk the streets or to take the metro by myself like I used to.  And yet, so much is the same.  I am so proud of the church, the people, who continue to be strong in their faith regardless of great difficulties all around them.  They continue to be salt and light in this country and their light is shining brighter than ever.  I've heard many stories and testimonies of God's faithfulness during very difficult times.  My faith has been strengthened by being with the people here.

You were really impressed with the Egypt Church of God congregations and pastors; why?

Sharon poses with one of the COP
site' s children and leaders.

Sharon: It was great seeing them work as a team in cooperation and supporting each other.  There is an attitudinal change that seemed to filter through everything, meetings, worship, and planning.  There is an emphasis on discipleship and training of young people to be involved in  committees, as Sunday School teachers, and worship leaders.  There were many young people and children in all of the churches.  In both the churches and the Children of Promise program there were those of the majority attending and welcomed into the church.  It is a new day and the faithfulness of believers in this country is speaking louder than ever.  God is at work and I'm committed to pray more than ever for this place.

Any advice for our family as we continue a work your family has been involved in for years?

Sharon:  Continue doing what you're doing and love the people.  I had the joy of working with you when I was still in the office when you started the process of coming to Egypt.  I felt then and continue to believe that you are the right people for this time and place.  Life is much more difficult here now than when we were here and your family has managed it with grace and a smile on your faces.  I probably know better than most people how difficult that has been and I'm so encouraged with the development and growth of the church here.  Thank you for being obedient to God's call on your lives for this time and place.  

Once again, we were blessed in all our time with Sharon, and her continuing encouragement of our family.