Ferdinand spent 7 years sleeping under a tree near the Donube river in Vienna, Austria. He was homeless and hurting, but Ferdinand saw an opportunity to change his life and he took it.

In the center of the city, this ADRA-operated center of influence meets the needs of the homeless and refugee population.

“This is a center of influence where we take the people from where they are with their needs, from the street, refugees. We do integration work. For the refugees we give German courses, language courses. We help them with government issues, papers, forms get registered here. They get food, they get clothes, and are included in a social environment where they start to regain their self esteem and become a part of our society.”

“Here you are in the room of our clothing distribution. We have this room open for 2 days per week. One day for women and children, one day for men. They can come here, they can apply and get any clothing they need for their everyday life.”

In addition to the clothing distribution, a major event of the week is the food distribution. People come to have a meal together, take food for their families, and have a place to feel safe.

Ferdinand had little hope of improving his life. Each day he visited various social projects around Vienna that gave food to the homeless. Every day was the same, until one day he went to the center of influence run by ADRA.

He thought that something was different about this place. In a city where everyone seemed too busy to notice him, Ferdinand felt genuinely welcomed in this center. Over time, he kept coming back and the center felt more like home than anywhere else.

He began volunteering at the center and had some ideas on how to improve their services. He was given responsibility and started a paid job. His life was totally transformed and he developed a relationship with Jesus. Now Ferdinand serves as a full time project manager for the center, touching lives every single day. He understands the needs of the people and is a symbol of hope to others who are homeless.

The staff here shares a spiritual message to those who are open to learning more about Jesus. They offer a Bible study on Saturday afternoons to anyone who is interested. Their group is growing each week.

“Compared to the traditional understanding of evangelism, where you confront people with the Bible straight away, here you have to win their relationship, their friendship, their trust first. That means you can’t hit them with the Bible over the head. You have to show and prove to them that they as people are important. That takes a lot of patience.”

“On the other hand you need a vision. You need to know where you want to lead them, and ask the Lord to show us the way how to do it.”

Please pray for this center of influence in Vienna. Pray that they are able to meet the needs of the people in practical and spiritual ways. And pray that their actions continue to paint a picture of Jesus. Thank you for supporting mission.