August 6th, 2025
by Team Lead. M
by Team Lead. M
It was a typical school day in Egypt. We started with team breakfast, followed by corporate
worship and prayer. That morning during worship, we pressed in specifically to ask God to encounter persons of peace and to prepare the hearts of the people we would meet.
After class, we split into pairs to go out. My partner and I decided to take a long walk through an area we had never explored before. We wandered for hours, often hitting dead ends and having to change direction. During the walk, we talked about how Jesus sent out His disciples not knowing exactly where they were going. In that moment, I said, “We’ll eventually end up where God wants us to be.”
An hour or two later, after walking miles, we were wrapping up our time, or so we thought. Then across the street, I saw a large open metal door and caught a glimpse of a reddish soccer field. Without thinking twice, I crossed the street, walked up to the door, and asked, “Can I play?” They said yes.
We stepped inside and were immediately welcomed by a shirtless man with open arms. I soon found myself in the middle of a soccer game with a group of young men. My partner, feeling sick, watched from the sidelines. We were both under the weather, but I felt strongly that I was supposed to commit to the moment, so I did.
After the match, we learned that we were in an all boys orphanage, and everyone I had just
played soccer with were orphans. The man who had greeted us was named Sherif. He had grown up in that orphanage and still visited every day because, to him, it was family. We sat and talked with him for a couple of hours, listening to his life story. Eventually, our conversation turned to faith. Sherif and all the orphans were Muslim, but he shared openly about his relationship with God. When the conversation ended, he personally introduced us to everyone in the orphanage, including the manager who oversees the entire home.
Afterward, Sherif took us on a walk through the neighborhood, introducing us by name to the local business owners. He even whistled into the streets and several dogs came running to him. It was clear that the whole neighborhood knew him. He eventually led us to a woman he called a mother figure. While my partner had a spiritual conversation with her, I continued to talk with Sherif about his life. At one point, he created a group chat and began introducing us to even more of his friends. That night ended with us exchanging numbers and saying goodbye.
The next day, we returned to visit Sherif and the orphanage. This time, we faced resistance at the same metal door. Sherif was late to our agreed meeting time, but I kept thinking, “If this man is a person of peace, I need to stay and commit to him.” I felt God's peace over the situation and chose to wait. Eventually, Sherif arrived, and we were welcomed back in.
We played soccer again, and this time the manager approached us and said we were welcome to come anytime, not just on Fridays, which is the usual rule for visitors. He had seen our connection with Sherif and the impact we were having, and he extended that favor out of respect and relationship. We were even invited to bring our instruments and play music with the boys.
Before we left, Sherif told us that he had never had a real family, but when we came into his life, he felt truly loved. He now considers us his brothers. We introduced him to our spiritual leaders, whom we see as spiritual parents, and Sherif now sees them as his own family too.
worship and prayer. That morning during worship, we pressed in specifically to ask God to encounter persons of peace and to prepare the hearts of the people we would meet.
After class, we split into pairs to go out. My partner and I decided to take a long walk through an area we had never explored before. We wandered for hours, often hitting dead ends and having to change direction. During the walk, we talked about how Jesus sent out His disciples not knowing exactly where they were going. In that moment, I said, “We’ll eventually end up where God wants us to be.”
An hour or two later, after walking miles, we were wrapping up our time, or so we thought. Then across the street, I saw a large open metal door and caught a glimpse of a reddish soccer field. Without thinking twice, I crossed the street, walked up to the door, and asked, “Can I play?” They said yes.
We stepped inside and were immediately welcomed by a shirtless man with open arms. I soon found myself in the middle of a soccer game with a group of young men. My partner, feeling sick, watched from the sidelines. We were both under the weather, but I felt strongly that I was supposed to commit to the moment, so I did.
After the match, we learned that we were in an all boys orphanage, and everyone I had just
played soccer with were orphans. The man who had greeted us was named Sherif. He had grown up in that orphanage and still visited every day because, to him, it was family. We sat and talked with him for a couple of hours, listening to his life story. Eventually, our conversation turned to faith. Sherif and all the orphans were Muslim, but he shared openly about his relationship with God. When the conversation ended, he personally introduced us to everyone in the orphanage, including the manager who oversees the entire home.
Afterward, Sherif took us on a walk through the neighborhood, introducing us by name to the local business owners. He even whistled into the streets and several dogs came running to him. It was clear that the whole neighborhood knew him. He eventually led us to a woman he called a mother figure. While my partner had a spiritual conversation with her, I continued to talk with Sherif about his life. At one point, he created a group chat and began introducing us to even more of his friends. That night ended with us exchanging numbers and saying goodbye.
The next day, we returned to visit Sherif and the orphanage. This time, we faced resistance at the same metal door. Sherif was late to our agreed meeting time, but I kept thinking, “If this man is a person of peace, I need to stay and commit to him.” I felt God's peace over the situation and chose to wait. Eventually, Sherif arrived, and we were welcomed back in.
We played soccer again, and this time the manager approached us and said we were welcome to come anytime, not just on Fridays, which is the usual rule for visitors. He had seen our connection with Sherif and the impact we were having, and he extended that favor out of respect and relationship. We were even invited to bring our instruments and play music with the boys.
Before we left, Sherif told us that he had never had a real family, but when we came into his life, he felt truly loved. He now considers us his brothers. We introduced him to our spiritual leaders, whom we see as spiritual parents, and Sherif now sees them as his own family too.
Posted in Stories From the Field
No Comments