Miracles of the American Dream: Titus Adenote and Isiaka Ambali

November 2, 2019

Titus Adenote and Isiaka Ambali are Nigerian immigrants to the United States, where they have found a sense of personal belonging and spiritual fulfilment in the Celestial Church. In this conversation, the friends reflect on how divine intervention has shaped their journeys in pursuit of the American dream.

This story was produced by David Dault at Sandburg Media, LLC.

This story is a part of the American Pilgrimage Project, a conversation series that invites Americans of diverse backgrounds to sit together and talk to each other one-to-one about the role their religious beliefs play at crucial moments in their lives. The interview was recorded by StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world.

Titus Adenote: When I was little, I had no idea I would be a pastor. At the age of 30, I was seeing the little sign. Then I kept ignoring it. And as the Lord made the miracle, I'm on a full-fledged scholarship offer by the Nigerian government. That's one of the biggest and the major turning point in my life. That took me out of the country. And I came here. It happened because of the love of God. I know you have a story to tell too, how you found yourself in this part of the world.

Isiaka Ambali: I was born in a Muslim family. My father was a very big cleric and Islamic scholar. When I was in college, my roommate took me to a church. There, I realized that there's something more interesting in worshiping God. The way they sing, the way they dance, the way everybody does their thing is way different from the Muslim world. My roommate got me a Bible and I started reading. Every time I pray, I say, "God, I want to come to America." I was able to get somebody to pay for my ticket, miraculously, without knowing me.

I get into JFK. I don't know anybody. It was a very cold winter. I didn't know it would be that cold, no jacket, no nothing. So, this guy saw me, "What is wrong with you? You want to kill yourself?" And we started speaking my dialect. He introduced me to these gentlemen that took me to his house in Queens, New York. I live with this family for five months. They gave me a job at Burger King. That was my first job in America. And I will always going to be loyal to Burger King.

But I realized that New York is very, very expensive. So, I was watching a documentary one day and I saw this state. They said they have a lot of jobs there, but it's very, very cold. And that was in Minnesota. I said, "Do you know, I want to go there." I buy a ticket. I landed at Humphrey Airport there. I came prepared. I already have a big jacket from New York. So, I went to the personnel desk, I said, "I'm from Nigeria." They said, "Oh, if you go to Brooklyn Park, there will be a lot of Nigerians there." So, I went to the Nigerian restaurant there, and I explained myself to them. They said, "Oh, they have somebody that needed a roommate." So, I move in with that guy. He took me around. We find a job the second day that I got there. And I was able to go back to school and start pursuing nursing. And from there, I get married.

When I met my wife, she goes to a “White Garment” church, The Celestial Church of Christ. And that was how we met the shepherd in charge of the church, and feeding us with the parishioner food and the love and caring. And we live there for about 12 years before I decide I can't stand the cold anymore.

So, that was how we landed in Houston. As Houston is concerned, when you talk about churches, the main one that people will talk to you about will be New Celestial Church of Christ, which is the one that we belong to, because there's so much love there. There's nothing you pray for there that God doesn't miraculously answer.

Titus Adenote: You came here with your family, and you want to join us. It was wonderful. Ever since, we've been one family.

Isiaka Ambali: It's been a great journey.