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 mom stayed at home with us, and she was very involved in everything that we did.  We admired her as she worked tirelessly for our good:  she disciplined us, and she taught us to be good citizens; she helped us with our homework; and she was our friend whom we shared our highs and lows with.  She was humble, soft-spoken, and very wise. From her, we learned to work hard, fear God, and pray deeply.

In our apartment, we had a guest sitting room.  I watched my mom go there every day to have a quiet time with the Lord.  She prayed and read the Bible.  I heard her singing songs in the morning and talking to God intimately, passionately, sometimes with tears. Her faith in God was genuine.

I wanted very much to be like my mom.  I tried to imitate her in all respects: I memorized and sang songs, I prayed passionately, I tried to think deeply, and I poured out my heart to the Lord.  I did not feel any closer to the Lord, and I could not understand why.  What else did I need to do?

When I was a teen, I saw a Christian man injured by a train.  It was horrific.  I felt very badly for the man and I wondered what wrong the man did to deserve this.  If this man was a good Christian and was not protected by God, what chance did I have against sudden calamity since I felt far away from God?

A youth minister from my uncle’s church was visiting families in our neighborhood.  When he visited our home, everyone but my dad was there to receive him.  I remember he spoke about Joseph and David from the Bible, about living a pure life.  Toward the end of his visit, he asked me whether I was a Christian.  I told him about how I frequently and fervently prayed and sang songs to the Lord, but that I did not feel close to God, and didn’t know why.

The simplicity of the youth minister’s reply surprised me: “You need to accept Jesus into your heart.”

I didn’t understand what he meant by this, but I sincerely wanted to be close to God like my mother was.

After explaining the Gospel to me and answering my questions, he led me in a prayer to receive salvation through Jesus Christ.  I prayed with him out loud, earnestly and passionately, with faith and with all my heart.  Afterwards, I didn’t know what I should be feeling: I didn’t feel any different.  I still felt like I was talking to myself when I had quiet times in the guest sitting room.

However, within about two weeks’ time, my whole situation changed: When I sang to the Lord, I felt a connection to Him like never before.  I had an unexplainable giddiness inside of me, like getting to know a person for the first time!  When I read the Bible, it was no longer just reading stories, but it was God talking to my heart!  My siblings told me I seemed like a different person.  Whatever that something was inside of me, it made me feel like jumping for joy! I was saved at 16 years of age!

I could not contain my happiness.  I told everyone in my family what had happened to me.  I wanted everyone to feel the same elation I did about the Lord.  My mom said I was being too judgmental toward my dad, and she asked me to be kind.  Because of my persistence and enthusiasm, my dad started going to church with us.  Later, someone told me that he had accepted Christ.

When I was 18 years old, my dad became very ill and he passed away suddenly.  He was only 46 years old! Overnight, I became the head of our household.  My siblings and other family members looked to me now for advice, prayer, and encouragement.  With no income, I began my studies at the university.  To raise funds to support my family household and for my education, I started working more at our family’s business and I also used a small studio to sell goods.

At the same time, I was increasing in Bible knowledge and in responsibilities at church: I went from being a member of the church to becoming a leader, a Bible teacher, and then an evangelist and a leader to the youth.

At 27, I was in my final year at the university to finish my degree.  While my education was leading me to a career as a Geological engineer, my heart was leading me to go into full-time ministry as a minister of the Gospel.  I didn’t know exactly what I should do.  A staff member from the “Society of Spiritual Ministry and Training Leaders” (which is the name, in Egypt, for Campus Crusade for Christ) visited my home and invited me to attend a leadership training conference.  I never heard of this organization before, nor did I understand how their training program would help me be in Christian ministry.  I had a lot of questions and I was quite reluctant to attend the training.  When I finally consented to going, I found out that this organization, CRU, had a global vision and that people came from all over the world to attend the conference.  I learned that their mission was taken directly from Jesus’ “Great Commission” from Matthew 28:19,20a (NKJV): “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”  It was through obeying Jesus’ Great Commission that disciples would make disciples and continue the process of multiplication until the whole world is reached for Christ.  In 1985 at the age of 28, I finished the leadership training and joined CRU to go into full-time ministry making disciples of the nations.

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Looking back on the last fifty years, I am thankful that God first caught hold of my heart by giving me a godly mother, who, by her example, pointed the way for me to desire true spirituality and a genuine relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  In 1985, I began full-time ministry making disciples among university students in Egypt.  Finding a place for those new disciples to serve in local churches, led me to serving as pastor in a church in Palestine. There, God continued giving me a heart to love Muslims, reconcile broken relationships, and promote unity among people, especially in the Christian church.   
 
By God’s grace, it has been a great privilege to have served the Lord Jesus Christ for 38 years by loving countless number of people into the kingdom of God and teaching them what it means to be a Christian.   

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Dear Reader, God loves you! You, too, can have a fulfilling relationship with God.    
     

Photo by Haley Black