Episode 31 - The Power of Sports to Unite a Country with Maged Fawzy and Waseem Arsany

Most of the world has been impacted by sports in some way. We might see them as a hobby, a passion, or a way to build character and learn teamwork.

But do they have the power to unite a country?

For business partners Maged Fawzy and Waseem Arsany, the answer is yes.

The two Egyptian leaders met through their church. Maged was doing sports ministry, and Waseem worked as a serial entrepreneur and investor.

Their worlds collided when Maged had the idea for Life Sports Club, a 25-acre, $60 million sports facility in New Cairo that will create opportunities for individuals and families to develop their minds, bodies, and hearts through the power of sports.

The facility is currently in the construction phase, but the two founders are excited to see how God will use it to bring together a diverse and growing population.

Hear the inspiring story about how God opened doors only he could open in this episode with Maged and Waseem, and don’t forget to rate and follow the show on your favorite podcasting app.

Episode Transcript

Transcription is done by an AI software. While technology is an incredible tool to automate this process, there will be misspellings and typos that might accompany it. Please keep that in mind as you work through it.

Ndidi Nwuneli: Welcome to Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast. We are so excited to be with you today and I'm delighted to have my co-host with me Efosa, Efosa. How are you doing today?

Efosa Ojomo: I'm great. Doing great. Good to be here.

Ndidi Nwuneli: Fantastic. We have some dynamic guests joining us from Egypt today. And we're going to be talking about the power of sports to transform a nation. We have some amazing men Maged and Waseem. We're so delighted to have you.

Maged Fawzy: Thank you so much. And we are so excited.

Ndidi Nwuneli: Fantastic. I'm going to just jump in with some questions from my get as we kick off here. And you know, I was just thinking about your interest in sports and what led you to it after you gave your life to Christ and you're working for a church. What was the spark? How did you get into the sports camp and what you've now been doing for big parts of your journey?

Maged Fawzy: Well, you know, it started in 1995 when I heard about sports ministry school in Montana. And actually, I don't know where is Montana. I know New York, but I don't know how far is New York from Montana. So I heard about sports ministry with YWAM in Montana, and I get very excited. I played basketball for awhile when I'm a child, and by long story that my pastor meet the leader for the school and they didn't go together for details. I buy a ticket from Cairo to New York, and then figured out in New York that Montana is very far. So take me like three days by bus to go to Montana and to restart in Montana by being very cold and totally different weather, totally different culture. No money. But has been the time was God and in the Bible almost three 4 hours every day and reading. And I feel that God want to do something in the sports in Egypt and all what I need to do just to obey and to go back and to see what God has in his heart for the sports in Egypt.

Ndidi Nwuneli: Amazing. Getting on a bus. I'm going to Montana now. You have a 25 acre facility with Life Sports Club and Wellsprings is now doing dynamic work. And there's a sign that says passion that leads to different, service that demonstrates love. So just walk us through how you went from Montana to this phenomenal ministry.

Maged Fawzy: Just like spending three months in Montana. And when I'm coming back, I was like having question for God, how I'm going to start, what the first thing to do. And I hear it clear that build a team, you cannot do anything by yourself. So in 1998, I started the team. I'm actually having very good team around me. Most of them, they are different and better and they equipped more than me. And together we start what we name it kids' games in Egypt, the year 2000. It was first time for the church to do big event for kids. It was 45,000 kids in Egypt and Syria and Sudan and Jordan and Lebanon. And the first time the church to rent a stadium, first time the church to do 10,000 kids in Cairo was sponsored by Coca-Cola. So in this day, I start to imagine that what God showed me in 1996 can happen with the team. And we just being open to look the door outside the church. So after kids games, I start to feel that God can do more what we imagine and what we already did for many years inside the church and 1997 first time to go back to United States to visit kind of camp and to understand that what we are doing is just sports competition, not camps. And I get the idea for the camps. And we started the first camp 2003, and from there I start to see myself going and helping outside the church that we can do something impact would just inside the church. But outside the church.

Ndidi Nwuneli: You know, you make it sound so easy, Maged, you know, and you're throwing out thousands and thousands of youth. I mean, it's not as easy as you have made it seem, but I'm just truly, truly impressed. You had a vision, you launched it, and you've grown it all this while. What was the driving force and how were you able to build a team and garner the resources in such a short period of time?

Maged Fawzy: You know, when you have this trust in what God told you to do, all what God want you to do, just to do the small thing and to wait for him for the big thing. So and this is since 1996 until now all what I want trying to do to do my part, the small thing. And I usually say I'm not equipped enough, but I'm willing to do whatever you told me the small thing and wait for the big thing. So, for example, I want for Coca Cola to be our sponsor. Did you know anybody there? Yes. Can you talk to him? So all what? I need to talk to him. But everybody around me say they will never agree. They will sponsor Christian program. But this is not in my hand just to look the door and to talk to whoever I know in Coca-Cola. And it's end. It's not easy, but it's end in the year 2000 they give us 80,000 free drinks and 40,000 poundsterling. And this has never happened before. So usually somebody needs to start, need to start to look the door and to have trust what God can do. So I have many stories I can tell about how I was looking, the Lord that God can do more than what we can imagine and understand that we can do.

Efosa Ojomo: Thank you for sharing that. I love the way you just describe that right like Coca-Cola will never sponsor or anybody will never partner. But that's not my problem. That's God's problem. What my problem is, is just to take the first step and then the big step is for God. So thank you Maged for explaining that. Now, Waseem you're a lot of things and we'll get to you in a second. The serial entrepreneur. But you and your business partner, you've started a variety of companies doing all sorts of things. You've met all sorts of needs. So just what is it about Wellspring that made you feel it was worth pursuing? Let's maybe start there.

Waseem Arsany: Honestly, was what you just heard, and it was an easier decision, you know? You know, standing behind the authenticity of the call. And really, I've been learning a lot from, I guess, through the past years about, you know, his continuous nonstop resilience and passion towards needing the Lord, moving things from one place to another place and never giving up. It's really an encouraging one from both spiritual journey and also from a business journey. So this is the kind of entrepreneurship or investment that you should put yourself on from the sense of time, effort and money as well. So that was an easy thing. In addition to the impact that I saw with my own eyes throughout the years going with my kids as well to family camps or sending them to a day camp overnight as well, you can really touch the impact, working with kids, families and freelancers or counselors, as we call them in Wellspring, it's really very inspiring. The level of energy, the passion, the service part of these young boys and girls is really thrilling. And there's no such better way to spend your life and effort than the money and everything behind such a pleasant environment and brand.

Efosa Ojomo: Oh, that's wonderful. I mean, in some ways the organization and what it does is a beacon of light and hope. And as I hear you talk about, it just seems like you're in that space and you can feel it, you can see it. It's like this is different. And that's wonderful. And that sort of leads me to my next question. You know, you're a serial entrepreneur. You've led a number of companies in Egypt. But I wonder, though, what are some of the unique aspects of being a Faith Driven Entrepreneur in the region? What's unique about.

Waseem Arsany: Yeah, I think we bring light to the business world I always knew that my goal was in the marketplace and we really bring blessings to whatever places that we step in, whether we're a team member, employees, where we're the business leaders or even the owners of the company. But our job is to bring light and blessings to the marketplace, especially for those who do not have our own faith, they will never come to our churches. So they're given at least between eight and 10 hours daily to have a good testimony. So this is where my goal is. I tested it after 20 years and it still is. So I put all my time, effort, knowledge, which I've been given or thought back to the marketplace.

Efosa Ojomo: And that's wonderful. I mean, as you said that I just thought of a verse just jumped into my mind, one that many are familiar with. Matthew 5:16 Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven. And you are right. I mean, I think for many people who live in, say, the United States or Nigeria or other countries where Christianity may be the more dominant religion or more popular religion, you know, there's just a tendency to think everyone experiences it, you know, on Sundays, or at least they know people who go to church on Sundays. But you just said, you know, many people will never go to church. And you're right. And how do you bring light into whatever they may be going through or the workplace so that they can experience something really sweet if they haven't? That's remarkable. One more question, because this Life sports club facility, let's talk about that a little bit. It's going to be quite impressive. Tell us about the facility and how you see it transforming the community.

Waseem Arsany: Okay. It's a beautiful piece of land that we were miraculously given, 25 acres. It's in a very new.

Efosa Ojomo: Miraculously give it. Tell us about that miracle real quick.

Waseem Arsany: Yeah. We got on this project two years ago. We had another opportunity. We didn't really feel good about it. The partners, the location and everything. And suddenly, after a while, there was this government announcement that there was a piece of land. And we applied with our partners in this project as well on it. And then the next thing that we considered are two things. These are the two big things, but many other smaller things happened. The first one that nobody really applied for this project. So without the competition applying to it, which may have raised the price in a way or another competing on the land. And the other one is that after we concluded the price of the land, they changed the price and they lowered the price a bit. Not much because this piece of land is pretty big amount of money. And usually this is not what you you find, you know.

Efosa Ojomo: Okay. Well, thank you. That's a miracle.

Waseem Arsany: Yes. And in the course of two years now, the Lord have been really surprising us with small and big details. The finances, for one, the team that we gathered so far were really very thrilled and encouraged, even though it's way bigger project and vision than our capabilities on whatever we've done before. But again, the Lord is encouraging us and we're doing the small things and he's doing the big things so far. So this is the miraculous part, how I envision it. So it's 25 acres. We went to the best designer in probably the region. They did a beautiful design. We have over 20 different sports in the piece of land, state of art and everything. We took care of everything the circulation, the facilities, the usage for different people, even the special aged people as well. We want them to be there feeling free to participate and have also their share of sharing the community. So it's beautifully made. And we also we're getting the best of the consultants, the team. We want to really do something that is remarkable because it's part of the experience, because we believe it's part of the testimony as well. It's not only what you say, but it's also what you deliver, which needs to be very well done. And one of our values is excellence, which is simply doing your best every day, you know, and that's it. So it's very inspiring. And what I envision that whenever I close my eyes, I dream of thousands of people smiling, doing different stuff, happy, no pressure at the club, you know. So everyone is happy because we're planning to have close to 10,000 families in the moment.

Efosa Ojomo: Amazing.

Ndidi Nwuneli: That's awesome. So inspiring. I want to just take us a bit back to understand how you guys met each other, because there's so much trust. I can just feel the camaraderie coming through the waves here, and that's not very common. People who love God, who have a shared vision, shared purpose. So how did you meet and what is it that cements your relationship?

Waseem Arsany: Maged and I have known each other for over 15 years through the very first spark of doing the camps at the church site about corporate boards. So I just joined the company and I was very encouraged with the idea. I talk to my manager at the time, so we were able to send 900 employees on batches in each weekend. Yes. And many of them were not in our faith background and they were amazed. It was super new. They were amazed by the new volunteers and the activities that are being done, the value that was put in the program. And it was a life changing experience that we did not have to promote it further to the other employees. But the first batch really did like crazy, and everyone was really encouraged to come and they were sharing a lot of testimonies. So that was the spark. And then I got into the corporate career and stuff and Maged kept getting the company on, and one company for the corporate became another company was bring for the kids and families and stuff. And then we reconnected in 2017 where I had that change in my life. I left the corporate world to pursue the personal vision and then the entrepreneurship of working with young kids. And life started and I would call them and then Maged and I worked on having the next five years strategy for Wellspring. That was the thing. And then we started seeing and branching out to different dimension, and sports was one of them. And then we helped each other. You know, we learn it every day from each other. And then two and a half years ago, the sports club idea came up and we prayed with a bit hesitant. I didn't know if this is what the Lord wants me to do it or not, but Maged convinced me very well. And I remember he came and visited me and my wife here and he started throwing his magic and stuff. And then we start praying about it and we decided to join. So this is the thing also one of the very big things because we're very different, Maged is a very visionary, very strong and convincing, persuading he never quits. He doesn't shy away of anything. While I'm the resilient finance guy, very structured, very calculated, very logical stuff. So it's a very good mix. And one thing that we agreed to do, which we believe is very helpful, that we agreed on a common coach or a mentor for both of us. A very good Christian person who have been helping us on finding the right formula, how to understand each other differences, how to try to stay focused along the way. And this helped us a lot and it built a lot of trust. We trust in the motives of each other. I think this is very important. And also, even if we disagree on the way or the dynamics, this comes second. We work on always trying to enhance it along the way. Of course, it's not very easy, but I think the vision unites us and serving the Lord and we're sure that the Lord wants us to be doing something that is way bigger than us. So this is what really makes us do the right or needed compromises honoring each other and trying to push further rather than look at each other.

Maged Fawzy: Yeah, let me share something here. You know, when I get back from Montana and I start working in the church and for many years I was working in the church and then start wellspring 2010, 2015. We signed an agreement with the government through the Minister of Education that we're going to do the sports day in the government school for 500,000 kids. And it was big and I don't know how we're going to do this, but like one of the things God promised me, Maged forward, I will send you who's going to help you and who's going to lead you in the right way. So when Waseem left his corporate. I called him, and I feel this is like one of the promises God given to me, that do not worry that we would going to be around me. They can do much better in me working in professional way for what I'm doing. Yeah. So this was just the beginning. And for the last five years, I can see how God blessed me to have Waseem as a partner, as a good Christian. We are working together. We are different, but we have one goal. The kingdom. Yeah. Give the glory to God. More than everybody thinking about himself. And actually he did a lot of what he did just about on feelings conceive cohesively for what we're doing, and when you're not focusing for the money, you have good successful relationship to it.

Ndidi Nwuneli: I love it. I love that you compliments each other and that you honest about your strengths and weaknesses and you've gotten even external support as you've transitioned in this relationship. So thanks for sharing and for your vulnerability. And obviously you guys serve as community to each other, but what have you found other community and camaraderie in the work you've done over the years?

Waseem Arsany: Yeah, I think the Lord has been faithful as Maged, to think that he promise that you will supply the right resources in the right time and Maged is really was his passion and sincerity to the cause. It seems to be an easier job to attract you know people who would love to help and also was the authenticity of the work done on Wellspring and the impact and the thousands of testimonies that you keep hearing from the counselors, the kids, the families and stuff, people really engaged to the cause. So I think that is his golden recipe that he keeps using. And in addition that he doesn't shy so he knocks all doors believing that whatever door is coming, the Lord will behind it will be open. If the Lord is not behind, it will not be open. So and this is really I think that's his very unique secret sauce. If I call it and he keeps getting better, better in it so and he is scoring ever higher and higher, so far it.

Ndidi Nwuneli: Love it. Now, can you tell us an example of someone who has come through Wellspring that really benefited from it and, you know, captured this value of community in transforming their life.

Maged Fawzy: In 2018, I took my daughter and some of my friends' daughters. And they went to father and daughter camp and they came back and they said, I want to do this camp in Egypt. And we started the first father and child camp. And one of the top.

Waseem Arsany: Comedian, actor.

Maged Fawzy: Actor he came with his daughter had in the camp and he played for the camp and he's like, I can say it's like one of the top three in Egypt. And really when he finished the camp, he went to the TV channels and he say how this was changing life for him and the letter he wrote for his daughter in the end of the camp, explaining how impact, what the camp and she's like the most valuable thing in his life. Not his career, not his famous, not whatever he's doing, just the relationship with his daughter. And since this day, we did a lot of father and child, and mother, and child and family camp, and it was the beginning for impacting the family.

Ndidi Nwuneli: I love that everybody has to take their daughter or son to camp. You need to expand beyond Egypt. Clearly, we need you in Nigeria and Kenya and South Africa. We need you across the continent. That's amazing. And you've also built a team with hundreds of freelance counselors and coaches who come from different parts of the world. You're bringing diverse voices and hearts together for God's work. How do you attract them?

Maged Fawzy: Actually is starting from the Egyptian first, because in our culture, it's not many students when they study the work. So when we started in 2010 and 11, like the parents, it's very strange how we, my kids will work when they are the study. So we started and they start to feel while this is adding a lot, not just the money they getting, but they're learning and using the time in the right way. So we trained more than 300 freelancer or summer staff in Wellspring, and we have a lot of waiting lists. The want we train and now for the vision for the club and the schools, we saw that if we have good number of coaches, some of them, they just finish university, some of them they already was in the sports coaching career for awhile. If they can come, they can help us to change the culture of the sports in Egypt. So we already have few of them now and we are hoping for more and more they can come, but they come to impact the kids and they come to coach on other coaches. So many of the people, they think, yes, I want to start my career or make different through the life of the kids so they like it. And for sure they need to pray and need to see if this is the right call and the right time from God.

Efosa Ojomo: And I love that this simple pray, wait and pray we're going into a what we call a rapid fire round. So I'm going to ask a question and you have 30 seconds, Max, to answer. Okay. So let's kick it off. What aspect of the Life Sports club are you most excited about?

Waseem Arsany: Okay, seeing people happy smiles every day. A lot of noise from kids and family that's I'm willing to see.

Efosa Ojomo: All right Maged.

Maged Fawzy: For me to see that something happening in this sport with the coach and the coach can impact and make the kids love the sports.

Efosa Ojomo: MM Yeah, And that's perfect segue to the next question. Maged, How about you go first this time you work with a lot of coaches. What role do coaches play in people's lives, whether they're athletes or not? To you, what's the important role coaches play.

Maged Fawzy: Impact their life. So Billy Graham say that what the coach can do in one year, not the average. We can do it in the whole life as impact in the coach.

Efosa Ojomo: Waseem

Waseem Arsany: Yeah for me it's very first that I second this as well but I recall part of maybe the inherent sound that I had that my two boys were suffering to find the right place to play sports between maybe the reason for that unqualified coach. Not enough attention, you know, the coaches yelling, you know, pushing the kids, putting a lot of pressure on. So it was very frustrating because I wanted my kids to play sports and we tried many different options between private training and, you know, going to different academies and it was not there. So to me, I really appreciate the role that the coach does. And also you always think that the kids that their small age, they meet their mom and dad at home, the teacher at school and the coach of the club, and guess who's the funny guy? Who's the role model? Who's the guy I'm looking up to? Or fortunately, it is the coach, not the dad, for example.

Efosa Ojomo: Oh.

Waseem Arsany: So investing in the coach. It's really our main asset and our main strategy that we keep investing in the coaches because we really can impact the lives of our kids as well.

Efosa Ojomo: Awesome, last rapid fire here, and it's about your beautiful country. For someone who has not been to Egypt doesn't know much about it. What's one thing you'd want them to know about Egypt? How about you Waseem.?

Waseem Arsany: About Egypt? Its a hungry nation. People are very thirsty and hungry for opportunities. And when they see the right model and their opportunities, they get very inspired. They really they put all their heart into it. The weather is beautiful almost all year long. The country is developing. We have a vision for 2030 building the Egyptian generation, new generation, as well as probably most of the African countries. Half of the population is under the age of 35. So we have a lot of kids that are waiting for the right set up to help them grow into a better future.

Efosa Ojomo: Awesome Maged.

Maged Fawzy: Oh my friend. Come and eat seafood in Egypt. Egypt have the seafood. The best seafood in the world there. Is everybody coming to see this now? The beaches. Oh, my gosh. Like if you go to the Red Sea and swimming and snorkeling, this is one of the top things like I travel to many country, but like for me, just having time in the Red Sea here in Cairo and Sinai mountain, you know, just climbing the Sinai mountain like spending the morning sunset and the morning there one of the amazing things.

Efosa Ojomo: Yeah. Okay. That's good to know, good to hear. I did not think I would hear the word seafood at Egypt, but that's good to know. Awesome. Awesome. Well, we are at the end of the podcast, and one of the things that we love to do is just ask our guests what the Lord is teaching you right now, what you're hearing from Him, it could be Scripture you are reading, phase in your life. And there's a theme. But whatever it is, we just love to hear what is God put on your heart right now? And we can start with you. Maged

Maged Fawzy: When I look for the vision for the Life Sports Club and for the number of the coaches and even for the money we need to invest and we don't have. And I just was in Dubai with Waseem and I was reading the Bible and they came to the verse when Jesus in the ship and it started to be very high and the disciples would come up and you just sink, why you worried why you worried why are you scared? where is your faith And I'm just hearing this from him and this is what I'm looking back since I came back from Montana and then now and yes, when I look for all he did what he did was me. I must not be scared, not worrying for the coming, he take care about, and he will take care about the coming fight.

Efosa Ojomo: Wonderful. Thank you for sharing that how about you Waseem.

Waseem Arsany: Honestly, it's a journey full of those spiritual lessons. But the first thing that really came to my mind because it touched me a lot in the past 40 days, I would say that the Lord let us, meet three different people in two countries in three successive day, delivering one message that if you follow me, if you trust that I send you to do something, you have to really trust and elevate your trust and you have to be all in. So you don't have to have option B, you do not have a second plans. You have to really give your best and every breath only to this call I'm giving you. So that was very thrilling and that was remarkable in a way that you cannot miss because sometimes you say, okay, maybe it was a coincidence, maybe it is not work? But in our case, was two American guys in two different countries, one Jordanian guy in Jordan, you know, three nights. So that was it. You cannot ignore such thing. So that was the very big thing that really shaped me. I shared it with my wife and my closest friends as well. And because it's really remarkable and I think this is what the Lord wants us to do when he sends us out for a mission.

Efosa Ojomo: Well, thank you. Thank you very much for sharing; have faith and be all in, really appreciate you guys. We're at the end. Just let us know quickly how we can be praying for you.

Waseem Arsany: Well, we need prayer in every aspect, you know, we believe that because the Lord's work is big, bigger than any of us. Well, we just need to be, you know, focusing our eyes on what he's doing or what he wants us to do and be faithful till the ends, towards the vision, and don't get distracted along the way. And of course, keep our faith trusting that he will take care of the bigger things that we cannot control.

Maged Fawzy: Yeah, for me, just being humble and trust the Lord until the end and just the right people to do the right thing like we need, right? We will. Because, you know, that's always the challenge is the team and the people around you.

Efosa Ojomo: Thank you.

Ndidi Nwuneli: I love it. Thank you so much. You have inspired us. You've challenged us and you've encouraged us. And I'm coming to Egypt. So I look forward to something. All the good food and putting my feet into the Red Sea. And I've been to Egypt twice before, but it's been a while, so I can't wait to meet you in person. God bless you all and keep up the good work.

Waseem Arsany: Thanks lot, guys who appreciate the talk today