Mission Moments: Nigeria
Shedding light on the horrors of Nigeria
The news of the latest atrocity committed by the Nigerian terrorist organization Boko Haram reminded us of Climbing For Christ family members who have been kidnapped and forced to marry into another religion. It was heartbreakingly painful.
Boko Haram has built a despicable reputation by murdering, burning churches, and now kidnapping schoolgirls. On April 14, this group of fanatics attacked a secondary school in the northeastern state of Borno and abducted nearly 300 girls.
“The mood of Nigerians over the abduction of innocent female students (more than eight weeks in captivity) and their forceful conversion to Islam is sad,” said Pastor Chris Joseph, a Climbing For Christ member and ministry partner who lives in his country’s Christian south.
“Boko Haram has become a menace to our country. The President (Goodluck Jonathan, who professes to be a Christian) has finally decided to offer them a conditional amnesty. We do hope this approach will yield a fruitful result.”
Boko Haram is evil incarnate. Hundreds of people have been killed in 2014 by these jihadists, including the slaughter of at least 200 during the first week of June in Borno. Villages have been razed and millions displaced. Only Syria and Colombia have more displaced people in the world. Boko Haram, which means “Western education is a sin,” has worked intensely (and bloodily) since 2011 to establish Islamic Sharia Law.
For more than one year, the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa have lived under a state of emergency. Unfortunately, those states are home to unreached people groups that Climbing For Christ has both ministered to and identified as possible targets for future evangelism.
We are reminded of Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” And also Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Climbing For Christ needs to GO to Nigeria.
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Sunset in the Atlantika Mountains in northeastern Nigeria during a 2011 mission trip.
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