My Account
Jeanette Grimmer was born in Warkworth near the end of World War II and still lives on the family farm, just north of Goatley Road, which was bought by her great grandparents in the 1850s. After graduating with an MA in English Literature she taught at Epsom Girls Grammar for four years, before working at child welfare in Pukekohe. At this point, her life took a big turn when she rediscovered her faith and went to Bible College. Unsure of her work future, she applied to the missionary organisation Middle East Christian Outreach, and so began her life’s work in Egypt and marriage to an Egyptian from a Muslim background. She talked to Allan Barber about her life and work …
I spent 26 years of my life in Egypt in two roughly equal spells, each of 13 years with a gap in between. This seems fitting given that my father was based in Cairo with the New Zealand Army when I was born.
My life has been full of turning points, which have led me to choose what may appear to be unusual careers and destinations. On reflection, these were all the right choices for me and gave me a rich experience of living in another culture.
I was born at Warkworth’s Cottage Hospital in 1944 and brought up on the family farm off State Highway 1, just north of the new motorway interchange. My parents were descended from two of the area’s founding families – John and Rebecca Grimmer came to Warkworth in 1855 from the UK, via Australia and Wellington, while John and Janet Morrison arrived on the Jane Gifford in 1842. The Grimmers settled on the farm which I now live on with my younger brother Andrew and his wife Judy, while the Morrisons’ son Edward planted Red Bluff orchard in Hepburn Creek Road, before his son John, my maternal grandfather, established Glen Kowhai orchard in Hamilton Road.
During the war, my uncle Trevor ran the farm, my father having been conscripted and sent to Egypt. On his return in 1946, he had diabetes and lost one eye, but was able to support his family on the farm with 26 cows until his death at the age of 52. My parents had four children, three of whom still live in Warkworth. We all did well academically and I applied for a studentship in post-primary teaching, completing a BA in French and English, followed by an MA in English Literature. After completing post-primary teacher training in Mount Eden, I taught at Epsom Girls Grammar for four years to repay the studentship before my first big turning point – I applied to study at Victoria University for a Diploma in Social Work and was accepted as a private student among those from government agencies, completing the two year course in 1972.
My first job as a social worker was at Pukekohe Child Welfare. On a training placement in Palmerston North, I had met the former New Zealand cricketer Bryan Yuile, a social worker. In February 1973, a letter from him directed me to some verses in the Bible, helping me to rediscover my faith, which I had ignored for 10 years. This gave my life a new meaning and friends urged me to go to Bible College in Henderson. Seeking direction for the future, I became convinced I was to work with Arab people so I applied to the Middle East Christian Outreach (MECO), which was headquartered in Cyprus, and was accepted on my 33rd birthday. I went to Jordan to study Arabic for two years, but after four terms I joined two other MECO women in Assiut, south of Cairo. We helped establish the Evangelical Church, an English language school. The ban on learning English, imposed by President Nasser, had only just been relaxed. Later, I worked in Cairo as a language study supervisor helping other missionaries with Arabic.
This required me to travel to Jordan, Lebanon and the Gulf states, as well as different places within Egypt. For a year I lived in an apartment near Cairo’s main railway station with five blind women, two of whom I escorted to their school classes several streets away.
I returned home in 1990 to spend some time with my mother. My return to Egypt was delayed by the first Iraq War, but eventually I went back to Assiut. There I met Ehab Abdel Masih, an ex-Muslim who attended the First Evangelical Church. We were attracted to each other and got engaged. However, we could not spend much time together, this being culturally inappropriate. I have to admit my co-workers were very concerned and MECO told me I would have to resign if I persisted in marrying Ehab, but as my brother Paul told a friend, I can be very stubborn.
We married in Cyprus in September 1992 and shortly afterwards moved to New Zealand, living initially on the farm, before moving to Mount Albert, as I had part-time work with East City Community Education in East Tamaki. People were very welcoming both in Auckland and Warkworth, but Ehab’s limited English meant we had to communicate in Arabic. Ehab travelled to Egypt two days before my mother’s funeral in April 1993, eventually returning in 1994 when he began studying at Capernwray Bible College. However, our cultural differences meant we failed to agree on many things, exacerbated by Ehab’s being out of his depth in New Zealand, and we divorced in 1995.
I remained in New Zealand for two years, teaching part-time and giving private tutorials, when I received a letter from Dr Mouneer, head doctor at the Harpur Memorial Hospital, asking me to help oversee the Egyptian English teachers at the Episcopal Private School in Menouf. It was for one year, which became 10. I opened the Menouf branch of the American University in Cairo, where I taught adults English and computer lessons, effectively doing two jobs. Dr Mouneer and his wife became close friends and I often stayed in their guest room in Cairo when he was the Anglican Bishop of Egypt.
I then went to Alexandria to teach advanced English at the Alexandria School of Theology, enabling students to study theology through Sydney’s Moore Theological College. It was time to return home, but just before I left, I visited international prisoners at Kanater Prison because Warkworth resident Lloyd Freeth wanted me to take over running his donor organisation called True Freedom Outreach on my return. For six years I received and passed on donations sent for the Kanater prison visiting ministry. Also from 2011 to 2014, I spent one month a year in a team of English teachers training students at the Myanmar Evangelical School of Theology, a ministry organised by Peter Armstrong.
I have many fond memories of my time in Egypt: the generous hospitality of Christian and Muslim families, the food, including stuffed cabbage, mangoes and fresh dates, and attending summer conferences for youth was the highlight of my earlier life there. Overall, I developed loving friendships with many Egyptians and I was most proud of being able to pass on leadership of the Menouf branch of the American University in Cairo to a very capable Egyptian lady named Rina. She organised a farewell for me, which was attended by many Muslim friends, even though it took place during Ramadan.
Since my return in 2010, I have been active in the local Scrabble Club and the Warkworth Bridge Club. I also sang with the Kowhai Singers until bridge lessons clashed with practice evenings. Until this year I used to play the organ on alternate Sundays at the Presbyterian Church, and I remain on the church’s global missions team. I visit Bethany Hill at Whangateau regularly for a short service with songs, as well as Summerset Village on some Wednesdays. I am also on the Ladies Committee at Wellsford Golf Club and a member of the U3A book club, so my days are still pretty full.
