Nancy Gwany with some of her Serve to Learn kids between classes.
Dear Friends,
I have some exciting news! Applications for the Jan. 22 – Feb. 13, Serve to Learn trip are now available and are due by Nov. 15. For those of you who have never heard of Serve to Learn, here’s what it is in a nutshell: three weeks of service in Upper Egypt teaching English. During those three weeks you will serve, teach, and play with the world’s greatest kids! You will offer them respect, hope, and love—and they will love you, and transform you. But don’t take my word for it. Here is Nancy Gwany, a volunteer from the summer 2015 Serve to Learn trip, to tell you about a love that grows so fast that it surpasses all understanding. This is another posting in our “a picture is worth a 1,000 words” series.
— Nermien
Who’s in this photo?
Me with two kids in one of my classes.
Where was it taken?
It was taken in an empty classroom between two sessions, about 15 minutes before class started.
What’s happening in the photo?
One of the boys asked to look at the pictures on my camera and then started taking some while I was hiding other pictures on my phone that they were making fun of me for.
How did you feel when it was taken?
I felt like these boys were my brothers. As they were making fun of me doing laundry by hand, they were pinching my cheeks and calling me a true Egyptian.
Why do you want to remember this moment?
I want to remember that love is not bound by time. I was confused by how much I love these boys and yet it’s only been a few weeks I’ve known them.
If you could help people understand one thing with this photo, what would it be?
I want people to know that love is a language that is understood by all. It does not discriminate based on gender, culture, appearance, language, or age. I fell in love with these boys and it’s through them that I learned how to love.
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Interested in learning more about Serve to Learn? Check out our page and video, which gives a snapshot of the program!
If you’d like to help more kids in Egypt get a better education and succeed in life, please donate through our Indiegogo campaign by clicking here.
If this “a picture is worth a 1,000 words” blog makes you want to read other Serve to Learn stories, here are those of Marianne Sawires, Jessica Hanna, Jessica Ayob, Pheobe, and Ryan. If that’s not enough, you can read Serve to Learn interviews with:
Toni, John, Gaby, Mina, Andy, Veronika, David, Ben, Kirollos, Mariam, Alex, and Mirelle
You may also enjoy these video interviews with Nadine, Peter and Mary. Any questions you’d like to ask a real human being? Call or email Mira Fouad, who runs Serve to Learn, at 703-641-8910 or at mfouad@copticorphans.org