Streams in the Desert

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 2014 JOURNAL Volume XL 2014 - A Publication of the World Day of Prayer International Committee Streams in the Desert Written by WDP Women of Egypt World Day of Prayer 2014 - Volume XL On the Cover: Painting by Farid Fadel to inspire the prayers with the Egyptian People. WSCF© Contents Features WDP around the world 03 From the chairperson 07 Middle East Offering Living Water Above: At Tahrir Square Africa Worship service Bible text demonstration, Egypt. 10 04 Dialogue at the well - John 4 17 Asia 05 From the writer country Streams in the desert 22 Carribean/North America Empowering by sharing 51 Europe Executive Committee 27 52 From the executive director 41 Latin America Water is vital! Pacific 53 WDP at a glance 47 To read and share these stories online, visit WORLDDAYOFPRAYER.NET/PUBLICATIONS.PHP World Day of Prayer . 2 . Journal 2014 FROM THE CHAIRPERSON Offering Living Water By Corinna Harbig Dear World Day of Prayer Sisters, Then, the Egyptian committee invit- ed us to be at the well and enter into DI greet you warmly on behalf of the dialogue about our own experienc- World Day of Prayer International es of deserts and living water. Who Comittee! had offered us the living water that transformed our deserts? How can Streams in the Desert (Isaiah 35:6), we offer the living water to others? the World Day of Prayer (WDP) service written by the WDP Committee This was really a touching moment of Egypt, was celebrated on March in the service! Many of us felt that 7th 2014. This Journal holds an by sharing with each other we could overview of the global experience! experience right there, at the service, our motto of “informed prayer When this theme was chosen in and prayerful action.” 2007, at the International Con- ference in Toronto, nobody could The witness of the Samaritan wom- expect the political turbulence an may remain with us for a while, in Egypt, followed by the “Arab filling our hearts with the living Spring Revolution” of January 25th Who had offered us the living water that water given by Jesus, and encour- 2011. The writing process in times transformed our deserts? aging us to share this living water of protests, political instability and How can we offer the living water to with others by an ongoing process insecurity for Christians was a real others? of “informed prayer and prayerful challenge for the Egyptian WDP action.” Committee. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the dear Yes, it was a challenge, but also an opportunity. The service sisters of the WDP Committee of Egypt for this wonderfully became a stream in the desert. All over the world the WDP touching and encouraging service. women focused their preparations on the situation of our sisters and the people of Egypt. Updated information was We will remain faithful to the theme of sharing the living- essential to the process. More than ever before, the “in- water by following the footsteps of Jesus as the WDP Com- formed prayer” became so close to us, as we followed all mittee of Bahamas invites us for 2015 - the news coming from Egypt; and we prayed for a peace- ful change in the country. The sisters of the Egyptian writer committee felt the support of prayer from all over the Do you know what I have done to you? world. Streams in the Desert flowed from the conversation of the Peace and blessings to all. Samaritan woman with Jesus at the well. These words Thanks for your commitment to pointed us to two directions: World Day of Prayer! • Streams of water, such as from the river Nile, which change a desert, a dry land, into a blossoming, fruitful and life-giving land. • Theologically, it is the living water given by Jesus Christ, which makes our life joyfully worth and spiritually fruitful. World Day of Prayer . 3 . Journal 2014 Dialogue at the well John 4:3-26, 39-42 Austria A well or a spring is a source of water have to keep coming here to draw wa- needed in the desert, needed for life! I ter”. can imagine myself by the well, look- Jesus - “Go, call your husband and ing down at the water. The water is come back.” like a mirror. I can see not only myself, but if I look closer, I can see the whole She - “I have no husband,” world. I can see streams forming in the desert. I can see Jesus offering this Jesus - “You are right when you say you living water, and I can see women have no husband. The fact is, you have and children gladly receiving it and had five husbands, and the man you bringing it back to their community. I now have is not your husband. What can see them offering this living water you have just said is quite true.” to all they encounter. I can see God transforming deserts of desolation, She - “Sir, I can see that you are a proph- destruction, and despair into streams et. Our fathers worshipped on this of loving, and living water. What if we mountain, but you Jews claim that the begin our own conversation at the place where we must worship is in Jeru- well? salem.” Jesus left Judea, and went back once Jesus - “Believe me, woman, a time is more to Galilee. Now he had to go coming when you will worship the Fa- through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called ther neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You, Samar- Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son, itans, worship what you do not know; we worship what we Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming, from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the sixth hour. Then came a woman of Samaria to draw water, Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must wor- Jesus said to her: “Will you give me a drink? (For His disci- ship in spirit and in truth.” ples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan She - “I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not comes, he will explain everything to us.” associate with Samaritans). Jesus - “I who speak to you am he.” Jesus - “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him, and he would She - “You, the Messiah?!” have given you living water.” Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the She - “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” They came than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it out of the town and made their way toward him. Many of himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?” the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony: “He told me everything I did”. Jesus - “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to but whoever drinks the water that I give, will never thirst. In- stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of deed, the water I give will become in him a spring of water his words many more became believers. They said to the welling up to eternal life.” woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man She - “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and really is the Savior of the world.” World Day of Prayer . 4 . Journal 2014 FROM THE WRITER COUNTRY Streams in the Desert By WDP Women of Egypt Our World Day of Prayer no doubt that on the global OCommitee could not Egypt level we’ve all been faithful have known the adven- ambassadors for our country, ture ahead of us when constantly clarifying infor- we embarked on this mation about Egypt. Mem- journey. We learned and bers of the WDP Committee experienced so much, all received many invitations within the context of the to speak, and this naturally shifting religious, social, strengthened the Committee. and political context of At a local level, this experi- Egypt. When Egypt, was ence helped build commu- assigned this theme in nity, increased ecumenical 2007, long before any relationships, strengthened notion of the “Arab the organization, mobilized Spring” was afloat, we new women, expanded the did not know how ap- Biblical perspective, taught propriate this theme us new perspectives about would be in light of lat- our own country (especial- er developments! In- ly women’s needs), raised deed the theme has led awareness on social con- us to appreciate, more cerns, and collected offerings than ever, the richness to support women’s projects. of God’s care and pro- vision within turmoil; We learned that even while knowing that Christians depending on the Lord for in over 170 countries guidance, it is very important were praying for Egypt.

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