Mama Maggie shares journey of finding God among the poor
Lacey Klotz |
In the garbage districts of Cairo, one person’s trash is another person’s livelihood; but for Mama Maggie, it is a place she shares the love of Christ with hundreds of thousands of children and their families.
On Sept. 22, Lipscomb welcomed Maggie Gobran, an eight-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee who is most commonly known as “Mama Maggie,” to campus for a special chapel presentation in Collins Alumni Auditorium.
In 1989, Mama Maggie founded Stephen’s Children, a nonprofit ministry that currently serves hundreds of thousands of children in the slums of Egypt through education, mentoring and spiritual guidance.
With Collins filled to overflowing, Lipscomb students lined the walls and found empty floor space to sit and hear Mama Maggie’s inspiring journey of faith and transformational work with her nonprofit organization, Stephen’s Children. A special over-flow satellite chapel was also offered in Stowe Hall.
Beginning with the Lord’s Prayer and ending with a question-and-answer session, Mama Maggie shared her first encounter nearly 30 years ago in the Cairo garbage slum, and how she was deeply moved by the hunger in the eyes of the children - a hunger for love, respect and dignity.
Born and raised in an upper-middle class home in Egypt, Mama Maggie had become a successful businesswomen and professor at American University. After her encounter in the slums, she knew God was calling her away from her old comfortable life and into a new life among the marginalized children in the garbage district of Cairo.
“I opened my Bible, and asked God, ‘what is the purpose of suffering,’ and then it was a clear call for me: leave the best students and go to the poorest of the poor,” Mama Maggie said. “So I thought I would go and take my good stories from the Bible to the children, and that’s it. And then I found hunger in the eyes of the children – they said, ‘Please don’t leave us.’
“To be honest, I felt like God was promoting me from where I was…I found among the poor the Creator of heaven and earth hidden among them. So if you want to touch God, touch the poor.”
During the chapel presentation, Mama Maggie answered questions submitted by Lipscomb students and encouraged them to become heroes in this world by engaging in two daily practices: spending 20 minutes in the Bible each day and giving something away every day.
“If you want to change the world, consider how many minutes or hours are you spending with the one who has all the wisdom?” said Mama Maggie. “All the wisdom in the world cannot compare to the wisdom of God.”
She continued by saying that life is all about giving and the more you give the more you live. She used the life of Jesus as an example of how to live generous, thankful and humble lives.
“All humans have a slum inside,” said Mama Maggie. “We all need love and to be loved.”
Since 1989, Stephen’s Children has started 92 preschools that currently serve 18,113 children; annually treats nearly 41,200 medical cases; provides home visits for mentoring and counseling for 13,665 children; and runs three vocational centers to teach children various trades. The ministry also runs two camp centers; provides literacy classes and support systems for women and young mothers; and provides 119,435 care packages each year with clothing and food.
“This world is not about material power, or beauty or wealth; all of this will end one day, in a second,” said Mama Maggie. “What remains with you will remain your inside beauty, inside generosity, inside forgiveness – this is the real love and the real joy.”
In Mama Maggie’s final charge, she encouraged the Lipscomb community to seek God first. She urged students to surround themselves with people who embody characteristics that will make them more Godly.
“If you are not wise, live among the wise. If you are not hungry, live among the hungry. If you are not a saint, live among the saints. If you are not yet a hero, live among the heroes,” she said.
“Mama Maggie’s life is an embodiment of Jesus’ promise that when we lay down our lives for Him, then we will truly find our lives,” said Nicole Eaton, women’s campus minister at Lipscomb. “May we all leave here inspired and challenged to follow Jesus, as hard and fast as she has and count it all as loss for the sake of knowing Him.”