Milad Shehata Massoud

Milad Shehata Massoud of Burke, Virginia was born on February 17, 1941, in a village on the outskirts of El Minya, a city in Upper Egypt. The third of five children, he was born to the Reverend Shehata Massoud Shehata, a minister with the Presbyterian Church of Egypt, and his wife Wadeea Boutros Hanna.

Milad's determined spirit and penchant for adventure were fostered early in life. At the age of 12, he was sent to a missionary boarding school several hours away from home in the town of Assuit, Egypt. Milad went on to graduate from the Assuit College of Engineering before being drafted into the Egyptian Armed Forces in the 1960's. His military career coincided with a turbulent geopolitical environment that saw Egypt feature heavily in multiple conflicts. Milad's time in the military culminated with him being stationed in a bunker underground on the Sinai Penninsula, weathering several bombings from above while serving as part of Egypt's air defense during the Arab-Israeli War of 1973.

In August of 1977, Milad was introduced to Isis Abdel Massieh Garas, a trained dentist, roughly two months before he was scheduled to emigrate to the United States. In typical fashion, rather than delay his departure, Milad (with Isis' consent) expedited their relationship. Following a two-week courtship and a two-week engagement, Milad and Isis were married on September 1, 1977. Milad left for the United States one month later, and Isis followed shortly after in January of 1978.

Over the course of their 48 year "honeymoon", Milad and Isis trusted God with their future as they built a new life in a strange land. Despite being a trained electrical engineer and a former officer in the military, Milad was forced to start again by taking jobs at a convenience store and then as a repairman with DC's Metro. Never one to settle, Milad worked nights to pay for a Christian private school education for his children and support Isis as she returned to school to earn her U.S. dental license. Milad completed his career as a civilian engineer with the U.S. Navy.

Milad retired in the year 2000 at age 59 and focused his time on service. Over the last 25 years, Milad has volunteered at multiple local DC-area Arabic church congregations, produced a Gospel-oriented radio program that broadcast to Arabic populations around the United States and across the Mediterranean region, served on non-profit boards, and worked to help recent Arab immigrants to the U.S. get settled.

Throughout his life, Milad demonstrated a commitment to the Lord and a unique persistence in pursuit of God's calling in his life. The example he set will long be remembered.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years Isis, son Paul (Lindsey), daughter Sarah (Rhys), grandchildren Dominic, Rhoda, and Gareth, brother Isaac (Mable), sister Mounira (Yacoub), brother Alfons (Reda), and many nephews and nieces. He is preceded in death by his sister Phebe.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Ambassadors for Jesus at https://afjchurch.info/.