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“This kid either gets a chance in the next four days or he goes into ICE detention, indefinitely” — that’s the hard reality we shared with our church partners shortly before Ibrah’s* 18th birthday.
At 17-years-old, Ibrah should have been finishing school and looking forward to an exciting future — maybe college or starting a career. But after fleeing dangers in his home country in West Africa, he had arrived at the U.S. southern border seeking safety.
He was placed in a facility for unaccompanied minors while his case was processed. But a few months later, he was about to age out of the youth detention system. Without a sponsor, he would be transferred to an adult immigration facility, where conditions can be harsh, futures are uncertain and hope too often fades.
With just a few days left before his 18th birthday, Ibrah’s lawyer reached out to World Relief, and we put the call out to our network of church partners, hoping and praying that someone would stand in the gap.
A Bold “Yes” on Behalf of a Young Asylum Seeker
Curt Rollison, a member of Redemption Church in Costa Mesa, was on that call. After hearing the need, he and his wife, Jessica, quickly responded. Their answer was simple: “Yes. We’ll figure it out.” And with that, Curt and Jessica became Ibrah’s sponsors.
God had already been working in their hearts and preparing them for this moment. They had been wondering what it looked like to expand their view of “family.” Their church community had become like family, but they sensed there was more.
Caption: The Rollison family decided to open their hearts and home to Ibrah, a young asylum seeker in need.
“Then this opportunity came up with Ibrah,” Jessica said, “and it felt like God was saying, ‘This is the next step.’”
After months in immigration custody, Ibrah arrived in Curt and Jessica’s home, welcomed by the couple and their young daughters, Coral (8) and Margot (6). It was a day marked with celebration. The family had pulled together an impromptu, soccer-themed birthday party for Ibrah. The message was clear: You are welcome here.
From there, Curt and Jessica’s church community came around Ibrah. They formed a World Relief Good Neighbor Team to ensure he got the support he needed to stand on his own feet. When he needed more permanent housing, to open a bank account and to register for classes at the local community college, they were there to walk with him through each step of the process.
Together, Ibrah, Curt, Jessica and the other members of their team have completely shifted the trajectory of his future. “We’ve learned to trust the network and community God has put around us,” Jessica shared. “When we say yes, we don’t have to carry it all. We get to do it together. It’s beautiful and it’s fun.”
Since he was a child, Ibrah has dreamed of becoming a pilot. The dangers and risks of his homeland made that seem impossible. But today, surrounded by friends and a supportive church community — a chosen family, he is on his way to accomplishing his dreams and building a brighter future here in the U.S.
From Strangers to Chosen Family
It hasn’t always been easy for Ibrah or his network of support. Coral and Margot especially remember his many trips to the DMV. “It was horrible, but he never gave up!” they chimed in.
Their family made sacrifices, too. To help cover their new neighbor’s rent, they put a bathroom renovation on pause. They gave up predictability for purpose. And they gained a family far richer in spirit than they could have imagined.
As Ibrah integrated into their family, his laughter, humility and joy began reshaping their lives. “He’s been generous with us – with his presence, his laughter, his joy,” Jessica reflected.
Coral and Margot started seeing their family table as something that could grow. “I learned that extended family isn’t only people you share DNA with, it is the people who sit at your table” Coral shared. Margot added, “Small actions might not change the entire world but they can change someone else’s world.”
And the ripple effects of a simple “yes” don’t stop there. When Ibrah came to stay with them, it didn’t just change their family; it sparked transformation around them. Their neighbor Erin, a college professor, was moved to action when she learned one of her students, a young woman from Myanmar, was navigating life in the U.S. alone. Erin reached out to Jessica and, once again, that familiar family refrain came: “I don’t know, but we can figure it out.”
The community rallied. Word spread, needs were met and this student found herself surrounded by care, even finding a host family through Curt’s family’s network. Her story intertwined with Ibrah’s in unexpected ways — same school, same struggles and now, the same chosen family. When Ibrah got a car, he gave his bike to her simply saying, “We’re family now.”
“We Were Part of a Miracle”
When Ibrah fled his homeland in search of safety, his journey was filled with unknowns. Who would he meet along the way? Would he find safety in the end? The journey was difficult and, at times, frightening.
But we thank God that he crossed paths with Curt, Jessica, Coral and Margot — and that, when it mattered most, they said “yes,” opening their doors and their hearts to Ibrah.
Curt and Jessica didn’t set out to change the world. But they chose to be present in one person’s story. And that made all the difference. In a quiet moment of realization, Coral whispered, “So, we were part of a miracle?”
Yes, sweet girl. And what a beautiful miracle to be part of.
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This back-to-school season, you can help displaced teens who have been uprooted — people just like Ibrah who have hopes for a brighter future. Will you nurture those dreams?
Immigration policies continue to shift, and the narrative about our newest neighbors has turned divisive. In this challenging time, it’s risky for those directly impacted to speak up — especially for young asylum seekers. But their stories are important, and we must not look away. Ibrah’s asylum case has not yet been decided. To protect him, we’ve shared a piece of his story through the perspective of the community that has come around him.
Becky Rosaler is World Relief’s Partnership Impact Manager, connecting churches, donors and partners with the global impact of their gifts. With a Master’s in Resilient and Sustainable Communities, she is inspired by stories of the church mobilizing to transform their communities — whether in Southern California or across the many countries where World Relief serves. Throughout her career, she has worked in communications and fundraising for international faith-based nonprofits, walking with local leaders as they address poverty, improve food security, promote gender equality and restore the environment.