Meet Abdiel. Another Promise Kept.
- Jun 13
- 3 min read
First, we want to celebrate something incredible that happened this week. Together, this community reached—and surpassed—our Five Year Birthday goal. As I write this, more than $53,000 has been given!!! We're overwhelmed with gratitude.
Five years ago, we set out to create a place where refugee and immigrant youth could be welcomed, deeply known, and reminded of who God created them to be. Today, we'd like you to meet one of them.
His name is Abdiel.
Abdiel is eight years old. He loves soccer and is fiercely loyal to his friends and family. We never know what treasures he'll bring to UPN in his backpack -- recently it was a giant crawdad that he paid another kid at school $4 for.
He told us his favorite word in English is "UrbanPromise." When we asked him why, he said: "Because this is a good program. We learn about God. We have a lot of games. It's really fun to be here."
He wants to be a barber when he grows up. His reason? "Because I get $5 every single haircut." When we asked him why he comes to UPN, he said: "I got to give my mom some time to work so she can get money and pay the house and the truck."
He told me his favorite StreetLeader is Flo because "he's always been by my side and he always has energy to play soccer with us." At first, Abdiel told me he didn't want to be a StreetLeader when he gets older. But after he found out they get paid , he said he did want to be one because "you help other kids and play with them."
I told him he was going to make a great StreetLeader someday, and I really meant it. I can't wait to watch it happen.
But to understand why Abdiel is here, you need to meet his mom.
Five years ago, Navil lost her husband, Abraham. Abdiel was only two years old. Describing him now, Navil says he was: "the sweetest husband, the most genuine person ever; a loving father."
In the years that followed, she worked full-time, raised a young son, and leaned on the support of her parents as they navigated life together, without Abraham.
Three years ago, she found herself at what she describes as a breaking point - a full-time job, a son starting kindergarten, no after-school plan. One afternoon, she noticed an UrbanPromise staff member dropping off students across the street from her house. Curious, she asked about the program.
In her words: "UrbanPromise came at the right time, at the right place."
And for the last three years, Abdiel has had a place to belong after school. A place to learn, play, grow, and be surrounded by people who know his name and believe in who he is becoming.
And Navil has had peace of mind. Every chance she gets to be part of our community, she takes it. Christmas programs. Global Feast. Love Your Neighbor. Earlier this spring, I found her after one of our events in tears as she told another parent and a board member how grateful she was for UPN and how much Abdiel being part of it has meant to her.
Looking back on the last several years, Navil describes her journey this way:
"I touched rock bottom and [God] lifts me up - like the psalm, literally. That's me and my son."
When she says that, she's not just talking about surviving a difficult season. She's talking about what happens when God meets people through a community that shows up and stays.
Even though we've met our birthday goal, we aren't stopping there. Every gift given between now and World Refugee Day will help us continue saying yes to more students, more families, and more stories like Abdiel's.
Three years ago, when Navil needed a door to open, it was there — because people like you funded it. Our prayer is that it will be there for the next family who needs it, too.
With gratitude,
Shawna and Jonathan
P.S. We've included a short video of Abdiel's story below. We'd love for you to watch it and share it with someone who might be encouraged by it.
And keep an eye on our social media this week as we continue sharing our students' and StreetLeaders' Where I'm From poems in their own voices, including Abdiel's.
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