He came to America to get medical treatment not available to him in Nigeria. US Immigration issues and Nigeria’s civil unrest has now stranded him at the Union Rescue Mission.
Ferdinand is part Nigerian and part Jewish. He has multiple Master’s Degrees in the sciences and was a department head at the University, published author, and lecturer in Nigeria before coming to Los Angeles for a medical treatment on his eyes in 2016.
While here, the US Immigration tightened and his homeland began imploding from within. Before leaving Nigeria, Ferdinand had been training communities how to protect themselves from the corrupt government. He is now on a list that will prevent him from returning. In the meantime he has filed for Asylum here in the US.
Ferdinand is a committed Christian and since his surgery he has been trusting God to provide shelter and provision around the Los Angeles area. God miraculously answering his prayers by bringing people into his life here in the US. After his surgery, on two different occasions relative strangers allowed him to move into their homes for six months at a time.
Once those opportunities dried up social services has attempted to put him up in government assisted housing in Los Angeles. However, both places had other residents who were severe drug addicts and made living conditions unsafe.
Again Ferdinand prayed for God to supply safe housing. God answered his prayer by sending a fellow Christian into his path who invited him to his church. There he shared his story with the church leaders and they referred him to the Union Rescue Mission.
Although he is not an addict, he entered the Christian Life Discipleship Program to have Christian Fellowship and develop as a follower of Christ. This month Ferdinand graduated the one-year program with flying colors.
Ferdinand has also been attending my Leadership Development Group Study for men who feel called into ministry. As we developed a relationship with him we have had several personal conversations about his journey past and present. We have also talked about his uncertain future and how he feels called of God to make a difference in the world. Through his trials in the drug homes and more recently here at the URM he has begun writing a new book about recovery focusing primarily on the Spiritual aspects of the struggle.
As he was telling me about it he showed me his file of the book in progress on a very old and unreliable computer. God impressed Betty and I to step in through Deed and Truth to provide him a new laptop computer for his research and writing.
Ferdinand never asked for anything but when we presented him with the computer for his graduation he was blown away with gratitude. He is not discouraged about his plight but inspired to use the new education he has been receiving to help addicts in their recovery.
Ferdinand would appreciate your prayers. Here are his immediate requests:
- Pray for his approval to receive Asylum status here in the US.
- Pray for the safety of his family in Nigeria as the country heads toward civil war.
- Pray for progress in his writing of this new book and how God might want to use it, and him, to advance the kingdom of God.
- Pray for God to reveal next steps after his Apprenticeship at the mission concludes this coming year.