“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2 (NKJV)

I’m Matthew.

Thirty-seven years ago, I was born in Fostoria, a town in northwest Ohio.  For part of my childhood, my dad was my buddy.  My dad grew up in Fostoria, played high school football (under a famous and much-loved coach), and came back to coach football at Fostoria High.  Football has a long, glorious history in Fostoria.   Bleachers were always packed with passionate fans, and communities rallied around their team.  

When I was six years old, my dad was part of the coaching staff (under his coach) which led the varsity team to a 13-1 record to win the Division II state title. My dad was like a parent to many of these young men and he could do no wrong; he was and is still a hometown hero.

I was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1957, and I grew up in a Coptic Christian family.  I had three sisters who were older than me, and two younger brothers.  As I was the oldest son, my parents always seemed to favor me over my siblings.  My dad once surprised me with a wonderful gift: a wristwatch!  I was very curious at how something so small could have such fine movement.  Instead of wearing it, I took it apart.  Of course, I could not re-assemble it, but I was fascinated about what made it work.  My dad was not too angry; he thought I should become a scientist!

My dad worked hard to support his wife and six children.  He worked in the textiles industry and he was an events photographer. He also served as a deacon at a Coptic Orthodox church.  Being religious, he taught all of us how to pray, though he seldom went to church with us.  Every Friday morning, we would stand facing eastward, and he would lead us in prayer using the Book of Psalms from the Bible.

My HOPE and FAITH in Jesus during COVID-19

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’  Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.” (Psalm 91:1-3 NKJV)

I started my mission with Kosovo Force (KFOR) at the end of November 2019. In February 2020, the coronavirus crisis hit. I did not pay much attention to it initially, however, as time progressed, it was almost impossible to ignore the reality of the pandemic. Kosovo was one of the few fortunate places that did not have any coronavirus cases for the longest time. However, the situation quickly changed and on March 13, 2020 the first 2 cases were confirmed in Kosovo with the number of people getting infected growing steadily. Updates focused on the number of newly infected people and the number of deaths. Our mission’s focus quickly turned to fight the coronavirus crisis and to help the institutions in Kosovo with personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves. Social distancing soon became the norm for KFOR so that we would not spread the virus. When people were asked “How are you?”, most said “good” as the standard answer, however the fear was becoming more and more palpable and I could sense it was spreading.