Atlantic District Pastor Shares 9/11 Story
LDRNY Programs Help a Parishioner Support Her Family
May the grace and peace of God be with you always.
Below please find the story of a person who was affected by the sad event of 911 to be shared with LDRNY/LCMS World Relief Directors.
First of all, I wish to express my profound thanks and appreciation to the LDRNY / LCMS World Relief and wherever your office may have received funding to assist our ministry to carter to the needs of those affected by 911 refugees and needed people within our community.
THE STORY
Martha G. Daykeay is a refugee from Liberia. She served as a home attendant of a couple who was working near the World Trade Center in Manhattan. With her job, she was able to support herself and her extended relatives left in Liberia. She is a faithful member of The Christ Assembly Lutheran Church, Staten Island, New York.
Martha has 7 children and 5 stepchildren plus her husband in Liberia who look up to her for their daily survival. Liberia, as you may have known, was in a civil war that took the lives of almost a half million people. The effect of the war is extreme poverty and starvation.
She worked hard with the couple and transferred a few of her children to Ghana trusting God for an opportunity for them to join her here in the United States. Living conditions for refugees in Ghana, however, are unconducive and expensive in that they reside in unsecured tanks and purchase water for drinking and bathing. Martha told me that she sends nearly all that she earns so as to support her children in Ghana, husband and children in Liberia.
The 911sad incident compelled her employer to relocate to another state, which left her jobless! Immediately, she contacted me to assist her with finding another job. I accepted the responsibility; however, in the process of finding a job I discovered that her work permit had expired and was no longer eligible to work in the United States. I therefore took her to an immigration lawyer in Manhattan to extend her work permit. The lawyer's fee was initially paid by me because Martha, at that time, had no funds to settle the required work permit filing fee. She has no job! 911 was the cause of Martha losing her only home attendant job. I also provided a temporary apartment for her to stay and sleep.
Today, thanks be to God, Martha has not only received her INS work permit but also she is granted asylum which leads to a "Green Card" as a permanent resident of the United States of America. She is once again working and has, with my help, applied for her own apartment in Staten Island, New York. Martha Daykeay's desire is to become a Nurse. Therefore, in recent weeks I offered her the phone number of University Hospice of Brooklyn to attend its Nurses training, which begins April 16, 2005.
Martha is one of the many people that our church, through my office, has assisted. Most of the people that our church assisted are working, others are reconnected with friends or relatives in other parts of the U.S. My office through the church is helping other refugees with used clothing, received from NY City Mayor's office on a monthly basis. Rev.A.Synder, Assistant pastor and Annette Tamba, Secretary of Christ Assembly Lutheran Church are in charge of receiving and delivery of the clothing to refugees and needy people within the community. Membership of our church is close to 400 including 32 kids and 50 choir members. I normally write job recommendation letters for many of the people being served. I am glad to serve God's people in many ways.
Thanks and God's blessings,
The Reverend Philip S.Saywrayne
