The news articles that come daily into my inbox are quite naturally those that reflect my interests. From years of living in Pakistan and the Middle East the news in that region is top of my list. I also have a deeper  reason. There is a particular piece of my heart in Cairo, Egypt. My 26 year old daughter, Annie, is living and studying in Egypt, and has been there for the past three years. She lives directly off Tahrir Square and as a news source she is current, articulate, and involved.

Once again Egypt is on the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/middleeast/egypts-cabinet-offers-to-quit-as-activists-urge-wider-protests.html?ref=world" target="_blank">front page of the New York Time</a>s. The hopes of the Arab Spring and tremendous unity displayed by Christians and Muslims, men, women and children has slowly been discouraged, replaced with a disillusionment and anger at the questionable practices of the military. All of this has fueled another massive protest in Tahrir "Freedom" Square.  The number of demonstrators has grown to thousands, and hundreds have been wounded with many killed.

In the midst of the turmoil, a church stands, solid and strong.  <a href="http://arabkingdom.wordpress.com/welcome-to-kasr-el-dobara/" target="_blank">Kasr Al Dobara</a>, the largest evangelical church in the Middle East and a place of faith and hope is just off Tahrir Square. It is unable to hide in a suburb of safety and sits,  fully connected but set apart, in the middle of all the chaos that is Tahrir.  And so they are using the location in a way that reflects what they believe about God and the church. They have set up a clinic for the wounded. It is a picture of what the Church is called to be, a place that doesn't "shoot the wounded" but seeks to heal the wounded. This is the church, the body of Christ.

There are times when I struggle with the church, when I no longer want to attend. For years I sustained a soul wound that was the church. My theology became distorted and my vision clouded. I would listen to people talk about the church and how much they loved the church and it was like hearing a language that I used to know, but because of an injury I no longer had a memory that included that vocabulary.  Slowly and graciously God has been healing the soul wound and replacing it with a realistic hope and Kasr Al Dobara is part of that realistic hope. Refusing to hide in safety and seclusion, it's doors are open to those who are wounded with no expectation of anything in return. The hands of those both gifted and educated in healing are washing and bandaging wounds, using triage to assess the fallen, and comforting those that have lost someone. This is the Church. This is the body of Christ.

The short YouTube clip below shows this church in action. It is in Arabic but there is no need for translation of the actions that you will see. It is the Church, the body of Christ.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ChHemNvnqI[/youtube]