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Dear Friends,
I want to thank you for your prayer and giving last year to Jewels of The Nile. Through your prayers and generosity we were able to serve close to 400 widows, approximately 380 at-risk girls, and about 100 prisoners wives – many of whom have young children. THANK YOU.
Egypt update: It is a difficult task to convey the hard environment, the lack, and risk that many that we minister to face on a daily basis because it is outside our experience in this nation. I remember the first trip to Egypt in 2017, whatever assumptions I formed over the years through books and movies were quickly challenged as I met the people and walked the streets. To be sure, there are many beautiful places, but behind those places a different Egypt exists…and it is there that the Lord has asked us to go.
It is one of my greatest delights to spend time with these young girls. In between sessions, our team spends time speaking with and praying with each them. Often, their beautiful smiling faces are replaced with the tears of a broken heart, or very difficult situations that they would only share with someone outside their family and social circles. It is an honor to serve them and bring the light of Jesus into their lives and hope for a better future.
This year we will travel in early June and interest by others, including worship leaders and social workers have asked to join the team to pray and minister to these precious “Jewels”. I am convinced that the Lord’s hand is on many of these girls and, as they continue to grow in Jesus, He will raise them up to reach many in their generation. Thank you for your prayers for them.
This is one of our girls camps. In this session I was teaching on how to have a quiet time with the Lord. I was amazed at the response. For some, it was like breathing air for the first time. Many carried a distant view of God. They were introduced to the Approachable God.
This note was given to one of leaders in Egypt. It was from one of the girls at our camps. I challenged them to meet Jesus every morning for at least one month for TEN minutes. The note was translated: “I love you very much Sherry. I give Juses (Jesus) 10 minet everyday.” My heart melts…..
About 90% of the girls stood up and responded to taking this challenge. I am now finishing up a daily “Time With Jesus” devotional to distribute this summer thanks to a wonderful woman named Melissa who heard about this work from a friend. She put together 365 scriptures – one for each day. I had those scriptures translated into Egyptian and am finishing up the “How to Use This Book” section to be translated. We have a friend in Egypt who runs a printing shop which will be much more economical than having it printed here in the states and paying for additional luggage (and weight to lug around). If all goes well, we will print approximately 400 books for distribution. (More if we can!)
Girls received comforters as a parting gift after the camps. These gifts typically become part of a dowry. Culturally, when a young man and young woman plan to marry, it is the responsibility of the groom-to-be to secure living quarters (house, apartment) and the bride-to-be is responsible to furnish the inside. These girls truly come from practically nothing. When we asked what would bless them, it was with housewares. In the past, your generosity has allowed us to gift them with pots and pans, bed sheet sets, bathroom towel sets and this year, comforters. May the Lord continue His work among these special “daughters of Hagar”. May Holy Spirit continue to draw them, meet them, and comfort them as they grow and flourish.
Had opportunity to preach and prophesy among the widows and the poor. Our team on the ground gathered from multiple villages those with the greatest need. Jesus met many physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. GOD SEES!
When we called for those that wanted to know Jesus more and allow Him to touch them emotionally, spiritually or for healing, many ran to the front. The hunger among those that are aware of their need is astounding. May God continue to move among them and show Himself strong.
Our work continues to be among the “least of these”. We are very blessed by the cooperation of local leaders who know those in the most remote villages. They delight in traveling from village to village and bringing those quite often forgotten by the society in which they live. God does not forget! HE SEES!
Here I am with Noshy, He is one of the leaders that work with prisoners wives and their children. He was so excited to tell me of the successes of the businesses we distributed among this population.
These are some of the women whose husbands are incarcerated that received businesses. The woman in pink had an amazing testimony. I speak to them often as seeing themselves as givers, no only receivers. There was a need for a mattress for one of the other women, Noshy told me he set out 160 emails to his network. Only this woman responded. She had two mattresses for her and her children. She was the only one to offer. She gave away one of her mattresses and her and her children all piled into one mattress. A week later, someone offered her a brand new mattress. She remembered the message and gave the NEW mattress to someone else that had none. The business we gave her began to prosper and is now successful. God is not just interested in providing for needs, He also wants changed hearts. This precious woman has seen the faithfulness of God when we trust Him and follow His ways.
On my trips in 2023 and 2024, I met a group of women that work in what is considered the “ghettos” of Egypt. As a foreigner (especially a white woman), I would be unable to travel to these areas. So, the partners I work with in Egypt brought women who are church planters and servants to where I was staying. I met with them in 2023 with an interpreter and asked them three things.
I asked them for their name, location and the top three things that they face in their work. There were between 20 and 25 each of the last two trips that I met with them. One by one they shared. The areas in which they live are considered ghettos. The women gathered represented 5 “ghettos” where Orthodox Christians, Evangelical Christians and Muslims live side by side. In Egypt, when you are born, you are classified by your parents religion. You are Christian or Muslim. There is a small portion that comprise other religions – but what you are born into YOU ARE. So a large portion of those considered Christian may be on the roles, but only know the culture of a Christian, not necessarily Jesus, the living Son of God. The women I met with were so precious, but also weighed down and sad…overwhelmed in their work to serve. One by one they told me that many of the “Christian” husbands were bound by drug addiction or alcohol and many do not work enough to support their habits nor their family. Some cause their wives to prostitute themselves to support their bondages. And, because there is a stigma towards girls and women, it is not unusual for a father to give or sell his daughter to the Muslim community where she is “used for about 30-45 days” then put onto the streets. Because it is a shame/honor culture, families do not bring their daughters back into the home. My heart completely shattered as I heard these stories. I cannot go there, but THEY can. They also said that there is much sickness and disease. I felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to minister to each of them, speak to them of the power of God, and lay hands on them to receive the gifts of healing and wisdom and the revelation of the knowledge of God. Last year I gathered with them again. The woman I am pictured with is one of the leaders among them. Their countenances was completely different. God was ministering through them and they were filled with testimonies. My new friend (above…name withheld) was smiling and she told me that as the women prayed over people for healing, the people were not only HEALED by the power of God, but they were personally healed as they prayed! God WILL DO IT-AND HE DID! I look forward to meeting with them again this year.
It seems right to the Lord for me and the Jewels of the Nile team to work among these various populations of young girls and women. His desire is to empower them by the Spirit and to assist them in practical ways.
I will be sending a video with pictures of some of the OVER 225 micro-businesses that have been established among the at-risk girls and their families, the prisoners wives, the widows and, through the generosity of a businessman that travelled with us last year, pastors wives – we are seeing people come alive in Jesus and unlocked by His Spirit, to make a difference in the world around them. This year, we will be returning in June as the work increases. Continue to pray and support this work as we see Egypt fulfill her destiny and as we see the day of the Lord’s return draw ever closer!
Below are just a few pictures of some of the micro-businesses that have been established. I am unable to post certain pictures for security reasons. Please continue to pray and consider one-time, or monthly giving to resource this work. People have donated items to offer for a donation. I will be sending out separate correspondence detailing them and include the many ways this work can be supported. For your convenience, below is a link for digital donations. You may also mail a check to Jewels of the Nile, 4802 W. Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia 23226.
With sincere gratitude,
Sherrie Moore
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=UCS4T7NRRTDA2
Sherrie Moore 