By Safwat, Helda and Amanda Farag
By Safwat, Helda and Amanda Farag
He was a sculptor of smiles in everyone around him. You only had to be in his presence a few moments before you found yourself feeling at complete ease, a fond comfort comparable to those found in lifelong friendships. His life was grounded in the truth of God’s word and his purpose was clear—to live every step and breath every breath to serve His Lord and Savior.
Adel had a wonderful sense of humor that made this godly man of faith seem incredibly approachable and down to earth. In every visit we had with him, whether it was 10 minutes or 2 weeks long, we found ourselves always laughing enjoying every moment together. Our vacations and trips together left us with so many memorable moments that even to this day we look upon those memories with a fond smile. I remember he once asked my daughter who was around 10 years old at the time for a glass of water. She went upstairs to the kitchen and brought him the water. He then asked for a glass of juice. She went up once again and brought him the juice. Then he asked her for a glass of milk. For the third time she went upstairs and brought back down a glass of milk. He then pushed her further by asking her to put some sugar in his milk. She then got frustrated and to this day we still laugh when we remember how our American non-Arabic speaking daughter surprisingly told Adel, “Am I the servent bit3h illa khalafook.”
When he stayed in our home in the States, he knew what it meant to make himself at home whether it meant making the morning coffee or even on one occasion making us an eggplant dinner. He always seemed to look for opportunities to open intimate conversations about what was going on in our lives. Because he himself was transparent with his life, he made it easy for us to be transparent with our lives. He looked for every opportunity to pass on advice, be it spiritual, medical or practical from his own life experiences.
But what made Adel’s fun and sense of humor so amazing was that it was perfectly balanced with his straightforward conviction to the truth of God’s word and the Bible’s application to the daily life of the believer. Adel was never swayed by popular opinion or fashionable trends of thinking. His convictions stemmed from his personal walk with the Lord. His love for the word of God was clear in each one-on-one encounter as well as every sermon preached to crowds. He hungered for closeness with his Lord and the intimacy of his relationship with Jesus Christ was more than evident in every part of his life. When dealing with disagreements or problems in churches or among believers, he always listened but when he spoke it was always straightforward truth.
When Jesus described to his disciples the description of a good leader, he said that one must first be a servant. Adel was one of the finest examples of a servant leader; his life embodied a perpetual humility. He made it seem as though the sacrifices he made in his ministry were in fact blessings and privileges. Faithful and committed, he never wavered in his mission and calling from the Lord on his life no matter what barriers or hardships may have arisen in his path. He gave and gave and gave, knowing his labor in the Lord was not in vain.
When Adel was still in college, I served with him in his Sunday school class in Khalas-Nefous. I remember that there was once one student who was particularly difficult to deal with. This child was deaf which posed a huge barrier in dealing with his teachers and fellow children. Adel was so very patient in dealing with this child when no one else had the ability or desire. Adel showed this child the love of Christ in action when no one else even in Khalas-Nefous would do so. And it is possible that one day this deaf child from our old Sunday School class might be in eternity in heaven and look to meet his old Sunday School teacher who was patient and persistent enough to get thru his childhood aggressiveness to reach him with the love of Jesus. It seems interesting that Adel’s profession started as that of a physical healer. He spent the start of his life studying the structure and function of the human body and the mechanism of disease. And God chose for him to spend the rest of his life teaching believers about how the disease of sin can be healed by the blood of Jesus Christ. He went beyond the task of evangelizing the gospel of Jesus Christ but also sought in every step of his life to make and nourish disciples teaching them the structure of their faith and how it functions in daily life. He started as a physician of the human body; he spent the rest of his time on earth toiling for the Healer of the human soul.
