Coptic Orphans - Seeing the Fruits

When going to visit Mariam in Matay I was expecting some poor conditions because I was familiar with the area because I grew up in Minya. I visited the church which she goes to and was picked up by one of the servants who serves her, Reda Abdel Messih. He took me to her house which was on a very muddy dirty road. I was surprised that the conditions I saw were worse than I had expected.

The roof on the house was not even complete as half of it was made of tree branches. The house is barely lit and the living quarters are very tight for five people. Mariam shares a room with her two sisters. They just recently had a bed donated to them of which all three girls share. Mariam does not have a desk or a place to do her schoolwork. I am working with her servant to try and get her a desk for her to study. Despite all of these conditions, Mariam is doing very well in school.

Mariam was very glad to see me as I was very glad to see her. The family was very hospitable to me and appreciated me coming to see them. Upon leaving, I promised I would keep in touch with Mariam’s servant to see if she needed anything.

I was very touched by this experience and was glad I could help in any way. I hope to be able to help Mariam and her family get out of the conditions that they are in. This experience made me realize how blessed I am and I felt God wanted me to see this child because she is very close to the town that I grew up in and I was able to

visit her when I went to visit my family in Egypt.