another Praise Report from June: Chrissie is back in Boston...

This is from June and her daughter & granddaughter. I am also passing along Chrissie's very moving e-mail. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and may God continue to bless you and your families, Teri & Michael (see below)

A final report from Chrissie's parents in GA  ---- the best news yet.  Thank you and Bless you /jh

Chris lived and worked in Boston before going to Egypt.

To all,

Our daughter is now safe. She landed in Paris this morning and will be taking a plane to Boston tomorrow morning.

Whether you agree with my daughter's politics or not (read below), you can see what she has been through in the last week or so. I am very proud of her.

Again, it is our belief that your prayers and support got her safely out of Egypt. We can't thank you enough for all you have done.

Gratefully In His Name,

Steve Gagnier
Independent Marketing Consultant
Boresha International

Sent: Thu, Feb 3, 2011 3:43 pm
Subject: First hand accounts from Egypt

Dear friends and family,

As many of you know, I have been living in Egypt for almost 3 years. I am sure many of you have seen the news in the past week, and many of you have thought about me or been afraid for me. I appreciate those thoughts. But now I must ask you all for a very important favor.

This week, I watched a group of people get shot by riot police. Their only crime was to be walking around the city of Cairo. One was an old woman. She might have been 50. She was shot in the face with a rubber bullet. As the police dragged her off the bridge, they began to beat her. She was already bleeding profusely from her face. I don't think she was a protester. She was not holding a sign or anything. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Another girl was grazed by a rubber bullet. (She was a protester) It was the same with her. The police dragged her down the stairs and began hitting her in the face. She was crying. My friends and I walked over to her to try and help treat her wounds. Eventually the secret police came back to beat her. I stood in front of her and stared him down. He said: okay, okay. And walked away. We linked arms with the girl, who was terrified. Other people walking through the police line in front of us were being beaten as they passed. If you saw your friends treated like this, would you be okay with Mubarak stepping down in 6 months? Would you even trust him? More importantly, does this man deserve mercy?

I will never forget the things I have seen in the past few days. Egypt has been my home for almost 3 years, but I have never been prouder or more impressed with my friends here. When looters, most likely gov't thugs, started looting the city, my bawab and neighbors sat in front of my apartment protecting their families and me (with swords nonetheless). I can't begin to tell you how meaningful that is, especially after hearing from friends whose house was broken into and they were held at gunpoint. I can't begin to tell you how meaningful that is when you hear gunshots down the street, knowing you have no way of defending yourself. The Egyptian people are special. They have taken care of each other throughout all of this, and they have taken care of me. Right now, the lives of thousands of people are at stake. Many of those people are my friends. They are not terrorists. They are chefs, engineers, graphic designers, newly weds, Christians, Muslims, atheists, women, men, children. When it is time for Muslims to pray, the Christians stand around them to protect them. I beg you, please do not degrade this movement and label it Islamist (which is precisely what the Egyptian government is trying to do; they got that from American media). This is not Iran. This is EGYPT. Everyone knew Khomeini would take over in Iran... there is no Khomeini in Egypt.

The protesters are living in Tahrir Square (translates to Liberation Square) to ask for a simple demand- Mubarak must go. They want a free and real democracy. Because of that, they are being attacked by their own government. I cannot pretend to be nearly as brave as them. But I can do something about the way my government interacts with theirs. This is the least I can do; tell their stories.

We can end police brutality. Use your voice... people in Egypt are dying trying to find theirs. Ask Obama to stop funding a police state in Egypt. We are all aware of the international economic crisis. Your hard earned tax dollars are being given to Hosni Mubarak so that he can oppress his people. I don't know about you, but this makes me mad. Let's ask our government to stop. Call your representative and demand that military funding be cut in Egypt.

Contact me if you would like to know more, or if you would like help figuring out who your rep is. Please forward this on to as many Americans as possible. I really need people to know about this. Those are my friends out there.

Chrissie

Holy Michael, the Archangel, Defend Us in Battle
Holy Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do you, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.