Out of Egypt
Marianne B’s story begins in the nation of Egypt where, according to a US Embassy 2023 report, “most experts and media sources estimate [that currently] approximately 90 percent of the population is Sunni Muslim and 10 percent is Christian. . . .Approximately 90 percent of Christians belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, according to Christian leaders. . . .Other Christian communities together constitute less than 2 percent of the population.” [i]
In the Bible, Egypt often represents for all of us the place of spiritual slavery to sin. For Marianne it was also her place of birth. Currently, she is a member of the RPGM Board. Let’s get a taste of her journey from Egypt to spiritual freedom in Christ, giving thanks for the work God is doing in and through her now in our midst here in the U.S.
Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised!The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!Psalm 113:1-4, ESV
I am Egyptian by birth, was born in Alexandria, and moved to the U.S. with my parents 39 years ago. I grew up in a Coptic Church—learning all the ways of the Catholic traditions but never learning how to know and revere God except through works that lead me to doing the right things to get me to heaven. My conversion began slowly in my youth when I knew the Lord was calling me to himself, but I didn’t understand it until I became saved in my late 20’s. I now see and understand the way the Lord was drawing me nearer to him even when I couldn’t make sense of it. I give him all thanks and all praise for the saving work he has accomplished in me. I am free from being a slave to sin and death and now enjoy communion and fellowship directly with the one true God, through Jesus Christ our Lord and savior, as it says in John 8:34-36.
Since having left my homeland, I’ve not had the opportunity to go back to visit. It's been 39 years since I left Alexandria where I have a few relatives still living, though many have perished. In further regions, I have some family in Cairo and several family members in Assiut, where my mother is from. However, Alexandria is a long distance away, about 12 hours altogether traveling by car from Alexandria to Cairo to Assiut.
The most memorable part of being in Egypt was living near the coast of the Mediterranean. We spent most of our summers at the coast, not far from where we lived. My memories take me not only to the crystal clear yet salty water and white sandy beaches, but also to the beach huts we occupied with relatives visiting from near and far for summer holidays. I vaguely remember the everyday hustling streets as we traveled to school where my siblings and I attended an all-girls nun school. Other days I recall walking home sitting atop my father’s shoulders. As we passed the stalls on the city streets I remember smelling the freshly roasted peanuts, the falafel, and all the street foods that marked their territories each passing day. On occasion, I remember sitting in on Sabbath Saturday School at the Coptic Orthodox church where we children sat on the floor by the altar to hear teachings on the Coptic language, rehearse the Psalms, and chant hymns as we listened to stories about the church’s history and the saints.
My life is different now from when we left Alexandria. I have had to adapt to new social norms, and life here is most definitely different from the coast of the Mediterranean with family whom I miss a lot. Today, my joys are steeped in knowing Christ and sharing the gospel.
As a Christian now serving the Lord within my own family, church, work, and RP Global Missions, serving the Lord is all I desire to do, knowing that the work he has accomplished for me, for us as his people, is to help prepare the way for others to come to true saving faith by Jesus’ work on the cross and to know him by growing in relationship with him personally, revering him by honoring and keeping to his laws, and growing in the fruit of his Word.
It is my joy and hope to see all the nations of the earth turn their hearts from wickedness and know him the way I have come to know our great God. It is also my prayer to see the churches come together in unity and not be so divided.
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” –1 Corinthians 12:12-13, NKJV
This is my prayer and my hope for the church. Amen! So let it be. Come quickly Lord Jesus!
[i] https://eg.usembassy.gov/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom
My name is Marianne. My family and I have been members of the RP church since 2011 when we became members of the Los Angeles Reformed Presbyterian Church. I am Egyptian by birth, born in Alexandria and moved to the U.S. with my parents 39 years ago. My husband Daniel and I have three children: Sophia (13), Gianna (10) and George (4).