MOUNTLAKE TERRACE – Atef Rizk gave his sons names that would be constant reminders of what he believes is a divine charge.
There is Michael, 19, for the Biblical archangel.
Then Mark, 16, for the apostle, author of one of the four Gospels.
The youngest is Mina, 9, for the martyred Egyptian saint.
Atef Rizk said that God spoke to him these words:
“From my hand, I gave you three children. Take care of those children.”
Atef Rizk leaned back in an ornate chair he carved by hand.
“God sees me, so what can I do?” he said. “When I go to heaven, he’ll ask me, ‘I gave you three children. Did you take care of them or not?’ “
Such was Atef Rizk’s love for his children that nearly 10 years ago he left them behind in their native Egypt to create a home for them in the United States.
It is a Christian love, he believes. Separation, toil, hardship – then, reunion.
The children and their mother, Hoda Rizk, joined him in Mountlake Terrace in 2002. That was an earth away from the family woodworking business that had swallowed up a young Atef Rizk and his dreams of becoming a doctor.
While his father told his story, Mark Rizk listened eagerly.
Atef Rizk listed the sacrifices he and his wife made for their children. Mark Rizk smiled broadly. His moustache, the sparse line of a hopeful young man, stretched wide across his face.
He is grateful for the years his father lived alone, struggling to learn English and find a job that would support the family.
Grateful and proud.
“They raised us well,” Mark Rizk said, nodding toward his parents, who sat beneath the Orthodox Christian icons that hang on the walls of the family’s living room.
Mark Rizk, a senior at Mountlake Terrace High School, dreams of a world in which everyone shares the generosity of his parents.
“I’ve learned that if people just made a small effort, a lot of lives could be saved,” he said.
Someday, he hopes to become secretary-general of the United Nations. He would be a cultural broker, he said, bridging gaps created by different countries, languages, religions.
For now, it’s the small stuff.
Mark Rizk serves as an interpreter for Sudanese refugees who recently enrolled at the high school. He volunteers to train new employees at Lynnwood Grocery Outlet, where he works after school.
On Thursday he plans to welcome hundreds of guests to a banquet honoring the diversity of Mountlake Terrace High School students.
The project is unusual for a high school student, particularly one who is new to the country, said Betsy Zeifman, an English Language Learners teacher at Mountlake Terrace High School.
Mark Rizk is an unusual young man, said Larry Brown, owner of Lynnwood Grocery Outlet.
“Mark is an overachiever,” Brown said. “He’s very smart and probably one of the most polite youth I’ve met. I try to hire quality rather than quantity, and Mark fit that mold.”
Brown said he didn’t hesitate when Mark Rizk asked him to sponsor the banquet.
“I wish there were more kids like Mark,” he said.
Mark Rizk doesn’t consider himself unusual. He simply sees needs and wants to fill them.
“I want to listen to people’s views of their countries,” Mark Rizk said. “That way, someday, I can help them.”
His father taught him that God gives everyone responsibilities.
One day, he believes, there will be a question: Did he take care of them or not?
Multicultural banquet
The Multicultural Family Banquet, organized by Mark Rizk, will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Mountlake Terrace High School.
Foreign language students and English Language Learner students and their families will gather for cuisine from around the world, international dances and other entertainment.
To help sponsor this event or get more information, contact ELL teacher Betsy Zeifman at ZeifmanB@edmonds.wednet.edu.
Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos@heraldnet.com.
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