“We were told that you would help us, that’s why we came,” said Dave*, a young man seeking political asylum here in Spain. He and Buba* were waiting outside the YWAM office.

Upon being informed about their situation, I hurried to meet them and saw two young men dressed in layers of clothing, visibly tired and weary. Dave is from Venezuela, while Buba is from Guinea Bissau. They were new in Madrid but had been in Spain for some time. Someone had informed them that they would receive help from us, and they came with the expectation of finding a place to sleep. Dave shared that they had been sleeping wherever they could find a spot, and as a result, they hadn’t slept well for days.

Buba, not speaking much, prompted me to inquire about his story. He arrived in Spain three years ago, having left Guinea Bissau about 14 years ago. He walked through numerous countries in Africa, reached Morocco, waited there for a couple of years, and when the opportunity arose, he climbed the border fences and entered Spain. Buba still suffers from sores on his feet.

Hearing Buba’s story, I was on the verge of tears, wishing we could offer more help. I informed them about the assistance provided by the local Red Cross, and I called Andres* to check if they could sleep at the local night shelter. Lastly, I asked if I could pray for them, and both Dave and Buba allowed me to do so. During the prayer, they started referring to me as “Father Jitu,” thinking I was a priest.

They mentioned not having eaten since morning, so I rushed home and gathered the food we had for lunch, adding some muffins, bread, and cookies.

As they left, my heart was filled with sadness, contemplating where they would sleep on this cold winter night. During our family prayer time, we lifted them up in prayer.

I then contacted my friend Andres*, who, despite being homeless, spends his days in a shelter and nights at the night shelter. Andres assured me that he would introduce Buba and Dave to the social worker and help them enroll in the solidarity community kitchen. From the next day onward, both Buba and Dave had a place to rest during the day and access to food.

Buba is a car mechanic, and Dave is a hairdresser, so our next step is to help them enroll in a certificate course to ensure their skills are legally valid in Spain.