I Love Jesus, Rafik W. Saddeek

I was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt and attended a denomination. In 1985 I lost my mom in a car accident. In 1988 I lost my dad to a heart attack. I began wondering if God really exists, and if so, where He is and if He loves and cares for me at all. During my last year of medical school, my younger brother left to live in the United States. I stayed in Egypt until April or May 1997. Then I received a letter from my brother telling me he had received Christ. He told me he was praying for a church, one like the church in the book of Acts where the believers met together praying in one accord. In April 1998 I came to the U.S. to stay. He introduced me to the church in Irvine, but what I cared the most about was, does God really exist? The people there gave me, for the first time in my life, a clear definition and facts from the Bible for the three parts of man, the body, soul, and spirit (1 Thess. 5:23).

In September of 1998, on my way back home from a party, I heard this clear speaking, “Follow Me.” I said, “Who are You?” and was answered “I am God, Jesus the Christ. Do you want to know Who I am, if I exist or not?” I started crying like crazy and said, “Give me a sign. Make the car in front of me signal right then left.” And it signaled exactly as I asked. God's speaking never stopped and the real living with God for me started right there. I asked where should I go, as the apostle Paul had in Acts, and the answer was clearly to go to my brother's place. Early the next day I opened the Bible and began to read although I wasn't certain where to begin. I called my brother and said, “I need to meet with you. I need to tell you something.” When I told about my experience, he hugged me and wept. He said, “I was praying. We were all praying.” I said, “Who are we?” And he told me, “All the brothers.” Later my brother brought some other believers to visit me at my work. We prayed together and I received Jesus. I realized my need to be baptized, and on September 11 I was baptized. Since then my life with Jesus, sweet Jesus, continues. I love Jesus and love Him dearly.