Rise Up - Join us as the Hands and Feet of Christ

Upper Egypt can be a hard place to grow up with widespread poverty and few opportunities for women.

Mina, a 12-year-old boy from a small village in Upper Egypt, grew up in a broken home. After his parents separated, he lived with his mother and three siblings in a single room home with a tin roof that rattled in the wind. His mother, a nurse, worked tirelessly, but the struggle to meet their basic needs was constant.

Mina felt the weight of it all. He saw the exhaustion in his mother’s eyes, the hunger in his siblings' faces. To help, Mina became a builder’s apprentice. While other boys played or studied, he labored under the hot sun, carrying heavy bricks with aching arms. He bore more than physical burdens—his father’s absence left a deep emptiness and a longing for a sense of safety.

Though hope felt distant, it arrived in the form of Mr. Girgis—a kind man from Mama Maggie’s ministry who brought more than food and supplies; he brought compassion, dignity, and the reassuring presence of someone who truly cared. Mr. Girgis returned again and again. Over time, Mina began to trust him. One day, he invited Mina to a camp organized by the ministry. Mina hesitated. He’d never left his village before. But something stirred in him—maybe curiosity, maybe hope.

At the camp, Mina encountered something new: joy. Laughter, worship, and friendship filled the days. But most of all, there was love. For the first time, Mina heard that there was a Father who would never leave him. A Savior who knew his pain. He heard stories about Jesus—how He walked with the broken, lifted the poor, healed the hurting.

One verse stayed with him: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Those words pierced the walls around his heart. He could hardly believe that he wasn’t alone. That God saw him, loved him, and could strengthen him.

But then something shifted. Mina began to pray—hesitantly at first, then with growing trust. He felt a warmth in his chest he couldn’t explain. The pain didn’t disappear, but for the first time, he didn’t feel crushed by it. He felt held.

He returned home not just with memories, but with faith. Mina now walks forward with purpose, no longer defined by hardship but by the Father who walks beside him—his healer, his provider, and his strength. Mr. Girgis continues to see the family every week. He walks along side of Mina helping to deepen his new found faith.

* Please note that the names in the story above have been changed. Photos are from our library and are for illustration purposes only. They do not necessarily show the person whose story is being featured.