Wonderful Woman on the Nile

Interviewee‧Photo provided/Irene Maurer

Interview/Yang Hanjiahua

▲In 1965, Ailing received a bachelor's degree in theology with honors. At that time, she was in the town of Gigak, Egypt and was unable to attend the graduation ceremony.

Preface

In the middle of Pennsylvania in the United States, amid the vast hills and shade trees, there is a simple town called Doutyville. Most of the residents make a living by mining coal mines. At the beginning of the 20th century, the town had a population of nearly a hundred and had only one small shop, a community hall used for Sunday school Bible study, and a school with a single classroom. There is no church in the town, and people often walk two or three miles to attend Sunday services in neighboring towns.

In 1924, a little girl, Irene Maurer, was born in Duti to a family that was devoted to the Lord and had many children. God knew her while she was still in her mother's womb and designed an unusual life plan for her. Throughout her life, Ailing carried the simple character of her hometown and followed Christ across three oceans for more than a decade, truly living out God's destiny.

The reporter interviewed Reverend Mauer through multiple phone calls and written interviews, and used her autobiography to report to readers the wonderful life of this 87-year-old sister, with a special emphasis on her wonderful missionary story in the Nile River Basin of Egypt.

called

Ailing graduated from high school with honors and went to work in a clothing factory in nearby New Jersey that made high-end pajamas. She was smart, smart and hard-working.

In the autumn of 1945, she was invited to listen to the testimony shared by the missionary Mrs. Elkins. At that moment, God’s finger opened the chapter of this young life and quietly wrote the preface. When Ailing sat in front of the sewing machine again, amidst the sound of "Dada" sewing, she seemed to sigh: "Oh, there are many women who can do this job. But, where is my job?"

After being away from home for three years, the little girl's homesickness deepened day by day. When she returned to Duti Town, what she welcomed with open arms was not just her loving parents? One Friday in March 1946, she attended a youth meeting. After the meeting, she knelt in front of the altar to pray. Another word came to her - God called her to be a missionary and told her to bear witness in front of everyone.

Ailing kept secret all these experiences of encountering God, even if she was as close as her parents or pastor, she would not reveal them.

On Saturday, Satan caught up and whispered in Ailing's ear: "Oh! Maybe you are not called, right? If you confess your feelings in front of everyone, you will look like an idiot!" Confused, hesitant... Ailing Ask God to confirm His own will.

In the church on Sunday, the congregation sang and worshiped, and occasionally someone came to the stage to give testimony. Ailing noticed that the sitting pastor suddenly knelt down to pray, then stood up and returned to his seat, sitting, kneeling, and kneeling. His behavior was very unusual.

At this time, God ordered Ailing: "Get up! Go and bear witness to your missionary calling!" It was so clear that she could not shirk it.

After Ailing plucked up the courage to testify to the congregation, the pastor immediately jumped up and shouted, "Exactly! Exactly!"

He explained excitedly: "On the way to church today, God preached to me a very unusual verse. It seemed that God was calling someone to enter the ministry, or that He was giving someone the last chance to be saved. This verse is John Chapter 11, verse 28: “The teacher is here and wants you to go away” (Lv Zhen Chinese Translation).

At that moment, the power and glory of God filled the church. Some people cheered and some rushed to the pulpit. At this point, Ailing received the confirmation that God wanted her to become a missionary.

Dedication of marriage on the altar

Not long after, God revealed to Ailing that her missionary field was in Egypt, so she met Victor Glenn, the director of Faith Mission (later renamed Evangelistic Faith Missions). ), the vision when this organization was founded was to missionary work to Egypt, the home of the Pyramids. Witte suggested that Ailing first attend Biblical College, Intercession City, Florida for two years.

With no savings and no support from her wealthy parents, Ailing told God about her needs and looked to Him for provision. Carrying a simple luggage, Ailing took a ride to the City of Intercession from a kind person introduced by Witte. From then on, she followed the footsteps of the Lord and bravely embarked on the road of equipping herself.

At the end of the first school year, Ailing's classmate F proposed to the slender and beautiful girl. Ailing thought wholeheartedly about what a wonderful blessing it was to have a partner of the same mind to go to the missionary field together, so she agreed. The two immediately got engaged and planned to get married at the end of the second semester. They also fasted to make sure that the marriage was in accordance with God's will. pray inside. The two of them juggled heavy schoolwork and planned the details of the wedding. F’s family lives in Intercession City and has a good reputation in the township. Therefore, enthusiastic neighbors volunteered to bake wedding cakes.

A rehearsal was held a few days before the wedding. After the rehearsal, F drove to a neighboring county to replenish supplies, but what he brought back was a shocking confession: "I have no intention of going to Egypt!"

They decided to postpone the wedding. At that time, not every family had a phone, so they had to visit the officiating pastor one by one and inform the guests to reschedule; what was supposed to be a big day was rushed to the photographer's office to call it a day; the delicate cakes that had already been baked were also forced to leave. Give it to classmates and school staff to eat separately.

At the end of her studies, Ailing returned home sadly and made an appointment with F to keep their engagement. Missionary work in Egypt is Ailing’s destiny and her persistence. She asked F to discern before God. Is this also a burden on his heart?

Waiting and looking forward to it, a year passed. Ailing attended a camp and met a girl from the same school. This new acquaintance casually said: "F and B are about to get married!" Ailing was shocked.

Ailing wrote to F to end her engagement and put away her desire to start a family. She expressed her feelings in a poem "Disappointment" by Edith Lillian Young:

Disappointment
It is His Appointment,
With a difference of one letter, I see God’s choice,
It is good for me to understand that setbacks are good for me.
God’s hope is ultimately a blessing;
Even though I came in makeup,
From beginning to end, His high wisdom is demonstrated.

Call home

On November 10, 1949, Ailing boarded the giant passenger ship "Muhammad Ali" anchored in Heberken Harbor, New Jersey, and set off for Egypt. In the dusk, the ship slowly sailed into the Atlantic Ocean, and the Egyptian flag fluttered wildly in the wind. It clicked, echoing the various emotions swelled in Ailing's heart.

After twenty days of sailing, the passenger ship sailed around Portugal and Italy and arrived at Alexandria, the Pearl of the Mediterranean. Ailing excitedly admired the swaying palm trees, flat-roofed houses, and mud-brick houses from the window... typical Egyptian scenery!

The people sent by the Faith Missionary Society to pick her up and her fellow missionaries were already waiting on the shore. The group hired a carriage and arrived at the coastal orphanage. The girls ran out with cheerful smiles on their faces and sang songs to welcome them. Carrie Craig, a housemaster from Missouri, USA, also came forward excitedly.

In the evening, in the living room, Ailing played the trumpet and worshiped and praised together with the guitars, accordions, and pianos of other missionaries, and the singing of the orphan Qingyue. With tears of joy in her eyes, Ailing saw a banner on the wall that read: "Welcome home!" God has been calling for four years. Yes, home is where Abba and God are waiting!

▲Ai Ling (middle) and the youngest children in the orphanage.

1949-1955 Pyramid’s Hometown

The orphanage takes in forty-five girls, and almost all of them have had a rough life. For example, L was malnourished as a baby and came to the orphanage with a sallow complexion. Her parents owned a jujube garden. One day, they had a quarrel. L's father kicked his wife in the abdomen, causing the death of both her and the fetus in her arms.

Another example is that two-year-old A and her nearly four-year-old sister were sent to their home by their grandmother. Their mother was a Christian and their father had an affair, so they threatened to kill their 24-year-old wife. The grandmother even more cruelly shouted: " Burn her to death!" Even if the daughter-in-law is pregnant with another grandson, she will not show mercy.

The status of women in Egypt is lower than that of men, and the status of Christians, who account for 13% of the population, is lower than that of Muslims. As a result, female Christians are the weakest of the weak and are regarded as fourth-class citizens. They are discriminated against and sometimes even risk their lives. There are no guarantees.

Ailing's main responsibility is bookkeeping, recording all expenses of the orphanage; secondly, educating and raising orphans. Every night when she dragged her exhausted body back to her bedroom for spiritual practice, she thought of what the children said to her in Arabic: "Ahibic zay el bahr" (I love you as deep as the sea), and she felt deeply grateful to God, and it was so sweet. Enjoy the little sleep you have.

1955-1958 Returned to the United States for the first time

Time flies, and it has been six years since Ailing came to Alexandria. In accordance with missionary convention, she returned to the United States to rest and raise funds after hard work. She went to school to take courses. At the same time, she gave speeches and introduced ministries everywhere on behalf of the mission.

One day, when Ailing was sharing her experience, there was a young man in the audience, Ronald Smith, who had just made a decision to believe in the Lord. He heard that God had called him to go to Africa as a missionary. What’s even more amazing is that the missionary seed sown by Ailing grew into fruitful fruits. Later, together with his wife Anna, he worked with Ailing in Ethiopia, Africa, and later even co-wrote an autobiography with her. Note

When war broke out between Egypt and Israel in October 1956, the mission had to close the Girga Bible School on the west bank of the Nile River. All missionaries were forced to evacuate Egypt and move to West Africa. Prior to this, the orphanage was also closed by the mission.

1958-1963 Return to the place of calling

Ailing returned to Alexandria. Since the orphanage was closed, she moved to the small town of Girgah in Upper Egypt to help resume the Bible school. The teaching content included thematic Bible studies, English, and music, and she coordinated with the local church established by the mission. thing. The faithful slave girl worked diligently for the Lord, many people’s spiritual lives were revived, and the number of people who were saved increased day by day.

Ailing particularly admires a local sister, Rifka. When she was thirteen years old, she heard God say: "Arise, your sins are forgiven!" When she was praying, her life changed. Rui Fujia was trained as a Bible woman, taught children's Sunday school, visited housewives, and translated for female missionaries. After she got married to Bishay, they worked together to pastor the church until Bishay passed away. With the assistance of an elder, Ruifujia continued to pastor the church with nearly a hundred people. Ailing often walked nervously across a dangerous bridge without handrails to visit and strengthen her.

In the evangelical church in Egypt, Rufujia pastored the church more than fifty years ago, which was a great revolutionary improvement. Nowadays, women’s education is gradually becoming more popular, female missionaries have shown a new vision, and local churches are also trying Changes and many factors have allowed women to gradually expand their scope of service. However, there is still a long way to go for Egyptian female Christians to gain the respect and good responsibilities they deserve in society and the church.

▲With the encouragement of Ailing, local woman Rui Fujia bravely pastored the church and became a rare Egyptian female preacher at that time.

▲Women and children in Ruifujia Church.

1963-1965 Returned to the United States for the second time

The world was changing rapidly. Ailing took her second vacation and took a jet plane to fly from Cairo to New York in 24 hours. It was completely different from the previous journey of at least two weeks by boat. Unfortunately, the flight from New York City to Pennsylvania was canceled.

Ailing was dumbfounded. She stayed in a hotel and had no money! Hungry and not enough money! He took out the ten cents he had put into the vending machine and swallowed the coins without spitting out the peanuts. He was dumbfounded again. The early pioneer missionaries were very hard-working and often had very little money. If any accident happened, it was common to suffer from hunger. Fortunately, the airline attendant contacted the family who was picking her up through the PA at the Pennsylvania Airport. They arrived in New York City two hours later and hurriedly bought food to satisfy her hunger.

1965-1967 Escape from the dangerous city

Returning to the town of Girgash, he continued to teach at a Bible school and train local pastors. During the summer, he attended Sunday school and youth revival meetings. Looking back on her days in Egypt, her biggest regret was that she did not cultivate and cultivate the fields of young people. She exhorted Egyptian shepherds to pay attention to and cultivate this fertile soil.

In 1967, due to political tensions between Egypt and Israel, the U.S. Consulate issued an evacuation notice. The Bible school ended early, and the teachers immediately cleared the school property. Ailing stayed up all night to sort out the accounts, handed them over to the local loyal brothers to take over, and then rushed to Alexandria to join everyone.

The conflict between Israel and Egypt is escalating. Israel bombed Cairo Airport. The famous Six-Day War broke out in history. The sky over the Sinai Peninsula was dyed red by the flames of war. The Gospel Faith Mission decided to evacuate all missionaries and immediately rushed to obtain entry and exit passports. Each person was only allocated eleven US dollars in cash to escape.

The U.S. consulate in Alexandria was burned, diplomatic relations between the United States and Egypt were severed, and several young Egyptians defiantly surrounded the residence of the missionaries and children, causing trouble. When the missionary put his luggage into two taxis and was about to leave, a dozen people in the corner stared viciously with sticks. Fortunately, he was escorted by a retired policeman, who was able to calm down the violence that was about to break out.

Three families with eight children and two single missionaries rushed to the dock out of breath, but the ship ignored them and sailed away. After two days of fussing with the travel agency, everyone did not dare to leave the taxi, hoping to rush to the pier as soon as there was a boat space.

When leaving customs, because she was an American, all of Ailing's slides, diaries, and papers were confiscated without mercy. More than 1,200 passengers crammed into the 250-cabin passenger ship. Hundreds of people used chairs as beds on the deck. As soon as the ship sailed out of the port, Ailing breathed a sigh of relief. She will never forget this most sad moment. .

After being frightened, Ailing moved from there to Ethiopia, Africa, where she continued to work for the Lord.

1975-1981 Transferred back to Cairo

Ailing is responsible for the administrative management of a Bible school in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and teaches theology, English and piano courses in Arabic.

However, Ailing always cared about women with humble status in her heart. She had preached to women and cultivated them for many years. She could not remember how many times she often carried home-made dry food on dusty roads because the food she bought was unhygienic. Visit the sick, strengthen the doubtful, comfort the abused, counsel those who are still in sin... Women were not allowed to speak in public, so she led women's gatherings and encouraged them to speak freely about God's grace and wonders. The sisters' suffering was all seen, and Ailing took them into the secret place of the Most High, where they lived under the shadow of the Almighty.

Among the orphans she took care of back then, R’s father passed away, and her grandfather, a pastor, sent her and her younger sister to the orphanage. As an adult, R became Ailing’s visiting co-worker. Later, she married an American policeman, settled in the United States, and continued to serve. The victim, and supported Ailing’s missionary work. AR continued studying, and after getting married and having children, he worked as a private primary school teacher in Egypt. E came to New York City to study surgical nursing and moved to Canada, where she not only engaged in clinical nursing but also taught at the University of Toronto. Ailing gave up her family, gave all her love to these orphans, and gave them a different life.

1982 has been exciting so far

After being sent to Bolivia, God continued to write wonderful stories in Ailing’s life.

Looking back to the early 1970s, the smart Ailing successively obtained a bachelor's degree in theology, a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in history in the United States with excellent results. This list of academic qualifications is eye-catching even in the United States, not to mention that at that time, women were generally illiterate. , areas with closed folk customs. However, she was modest and self-possessed, and spent eighteen years in this country. She carefully abided by local customs and dressed conservatively. She always wore a headscarf whether she was worshiping or leading meetings. When sitting on the podium, she only crossed her ankles and never crossed her legs. , so as not to do things that the local people think are insulting to God.

▲In 2009, Director Man Sidi of the Gospel Faith Mission presented Ailing with a plaque to thank her for her sixty years of faithful service. To this day, Ailing is still serving this generation with persistent prayers.

Ailing spent her whole life sacrificing herself and obeying the missions' arrangements. She taught in the hot classrooms of Egypt, Africa, and the dusty campuses of Ethiopia; she provided disaster relief on the cold and windy mountaintops of Bolivia, South America; she also served as the leader of various church denominations in North America and the United States. Bear witness to a glorious life.

Today, Mao Ailing, the angel who once appeared on the banks of the Nile, has settled in the headquarters of the Evangelical Faith Mission in Bedford, Indiana. She is still listening intently to the one who came to her more than sixty years ago. The God who speaks out is serving the people of this generation with persistent prayer.

Organization profile

Evangelistic Faith Mission, Bedford, Indiana

Text/President J. Steven Manley
Translation/Zhang Lichun

Evangelistic Faith Mission, Bedford, Indiana is an international missionary organization headquartered in Bedford, Indiana. Its roots can be traced back to 1905, when a group of Indiana missionaries went to Egypt, the home of the Pyramids, to preach. For more than 100 years, this institution has delivered the love of Christ to souls in need around the world.

Today’s situation─
‧Egypt: More than fifty churches established. Priests were trained at the Biblical University in Cairo.
‧Eritrea: Local co-workers have opened eight schools with about 4,000 students; more than 150 children have been pastored in orphanages.
‧Ethiopia (Ethiopia): Local co-workers win people for Christ in the capital and other cities, and also enter the Eritrean refugee camp in Sudan to preach.
‧Guatemala (Guatemala): Very active and has established more than 100 churches, a Bible institute, and a bilingual college.
‧Honduras: There are more than 50 churches, two Christian radio stations, a 20-bed maternal emergency room and a Bible research institute.
‧Costa Rica: The ministry is growing. There are already two churches, and more churches are being prepared.
‧Bolivia: There are eight churches and one Bible institute. Children learn Bible knowledge on Saturdays, and through this outreach ministry, some have accepted Christ.
‧Dominican Republic: The gospel ministry is very active and people are turning from the darkness of witchcraft to the salvation of Jesus Christ. Four churches were established there. Co-workers often go to Cuba for short-term missions to strengthen believers.

Gospel Faith Missions also has gospel broadcasts online at: www.efm-missions.org

NotesIrene Maurer, Ronald and Anna Smith, Crossing Three Continents with Christ, The Missionary Life of Irene Maurer, Country Pines Printing, 2009.

Journalist profile

Yang Hanjiahua, who has two adult daughters with her husband Yang Jingya, now lives in Florida.