Serve to Learn is a chance to build personal relationships of love with children in Egypt!
I’ve just received great news: Through the grace of God, two generous donors are offering to send a pair of volunteers on our Serve to Learn trip to Egypt — for free!
These donors have agreed to cover the program fee and airfare for two volunteers to take part in the July 3-25 session of Serve to Learn, our unique initiative to connect volunteers from around the world to Egypt.
To qualify for this opportunity, you’ll need to do two things. First, submit an application for Serve to Learn by the April 15 deadline. Second, enter our essay contest about strengthening and preserving our Coptic identity (details below)!
Free trip or no free trip, if you take part in Serve to Learn, you can count on having a life-changing experience serving God’s children! Here’s how your three weeks in Egypt will look:
- First, you’ll see the real Egypt, because you’ll stay in a village along the Nile — Manfalout, Matay, Gerga, Abnoub, Tema, or Barsha — and live among the people.
- Second, you’ll have the area’s bishop on your side — he’ll provide you with hospitality and watch out for your safety.
- Third, you’ll make a difference in the lives of kids in the diocese by teaching them basic English skills through fun, interactive games and activities.
- Fourth, and most importantly, you’ll visit the children at home, learn about their lives, and build deep, loving relationships with them.
Serve to Learn is also an opportunity to connect more deeply with the Church. Last year, the volunteers were also blessed to be called to a special meeting with His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, and they received a spiritual orientation from Abouna Dawood Lamey.
Are you ready for this life-changing experience in Egypt? Returning volunteers say Serve to Learn really transforms the way they look at the world. Join Serve to Learn, and you’ll come home changed in ways you could never predict.
But remember, the April 15 deadline is coming fast, so apply now, because spots are limited!
To qualify to win one of these two free trips you must:
- Be of Coptic ancestry
- Apply for the July 2015 Serve to Learn trip by April 15
- Submit the essay on Coptic heritage to mfouad@copticorphans.org by May 1, 2015
Please write a 1,500-2,000 word essay answering the following:
The Coptic identity developed in an environment of persecution which nurtured a unique and tenacious Christian faith. For millennia, Copts have been able to maintain their identity and faith in spite of those hardships. Why is preserving our Coptic heritage so important? Where do you see your role in preserving that unique identity?
PS: Want to hear more from people who’ve been part of Serve to Learn? Check out the reflections of two people who served this January, Peter Wassef and Mary Loka:
You can hear His Holiness speak on the importance of serving in Egypt in this video, which gives a snapshot of the whole Serve to Learn experience:
