As an economics professor there is one principle that Adel Abadeer absolutely knows, "If something valuable is offered for free, you take it," he said.

It was this principle that actually changed his life at the beginning of this decade. "I came to realize that God's offer of salvation-totally free with nothing required of me-was a very good deal," he said.

This realization eventually brought Abadeer to Calvin College from Alexandria, Egypt, where he was born and raised.

While his homeland is 90 percent Muslim, Abadeer was raised Catholic. "I was vowed by my parents to be a priest," he said. "I lived in a monastery for three years as a young child, but I knew I could not be a priest. I felt that the priests there were like used car salesmen-they wanted to 'sell' their religion to me, so they thought they had to make it sound perfect and it was not."

Abadeer decided to pursue a career in teaching and was at Alexandria University, when it was made clear to him that he would never be approved to pursue a Ph.D. because of his religion.

"I was very vocal about my Christian faith and that was not well accepted," he said.

So leaving behind his father, mother, brother and sister, Abadeer decided to pursue his doctoral studies in the United States and ended up at Boston University in 1990, first as a student and later as a faculty member.

"There I felt very lonely," he said. "I had many friends and I was successful in my studies, but I was very lonely in my heart. I did most of what I did to impress others and I felt very empty."

Through his searching, Abadeer said, he came to know God. "I wanted to find God, but I did not," he said. "He found me."

Once that happened, he began looking for a Christian college at which to teach. "I wanted to share my faith in economics and business applications but I could not," he said. "It was a very large void in my life. I would write in my Bible where I would find very good applications to business and economics but I could not share them with anyone."

While at Boston University, Abadeer met a student who was a Calvin College graduate. "It was the first I had ever heard of Calvin College and I was very interested in this school. When I heard of the opening I decided to apply and I am very happy to be here."

At Calvin Abadeer, now 44, teaches Principles of Economics and Principles of Microeconomics, but never forgets to add in the principles of faith.

"I love to be able to start each day with prayer in my class," he said. "I feel so very joyful about my faith and about being able to share it here. It is truly a blessing."

--Lynn Bolt Rosendale

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