Persecution Blog

Please Remember Her Name

More than two years ago, I was handed a slip of paper with the name “Nguba Buba” on it.

Nguba Buba. Remember her name, please.

Nguba Buba was one of the 276 girls kidnapped on April 14, 2014 by Boko Haram militants who stormed her school in Chibok, Nigeria. She was a young girl, a 16-year-old who attended church and loved Jesus. When she was kidnapped, she was ripped away from her studies, her potential to take her exams, and to go to college.

Nguba is one of more than 2,000 children stolen from their parents by Islamic militants since 2014. Many of the boys were armed and forced to shoot people, some from their own villages. Those who refuse were killed. The girls were forced to convert to Islam, compelled to become servants, used as prostitutes, and married off to their captors, often, men old enough to be their fathers.

Nguba was forced at gunpoint to get onto a truck in the middle of the night. They drove for hours into the Sambisa Forest under the cover of darkness. During the ride, around 50 of the girls managed to jump off and escape.

The 219 remaining stayed in Boko Haram custody. Many were advocating on their behalf and the campaign #BringBackOurGirls attracted huge amounts of attention. The government negotiated for their return, with no results.

As time passed, fewer and fewer people remembered Nguba and her friends.

Their grieving parents began succumbing to stress-related illnesses. At least 18 died of these illnesses. Another three died in Islamist attacks. In 2015, Boko Haram would use 44 stolen children as suicide bombers, many of them young girls like Nguba.

In May 2016, one of the 219 was discovered. After escaping, she arrived at home with a 4-month-old baby, the child of a Boko Haram fighter.

On Oct. 13, parents and relatives finally had something to celebrate. Negotiations had finally been successful, and 21 of the girls were freed. Nguba was not among them. No one really knows her fate. There are 114 Chibok girls who are unaccounted for. Some are believed to have been killed. Others, may wish to stay with their abductors.

Please remember Nguba’s name. Remember that she was once a schoolgirl who planned to finish her exams at Chibok. She was a Christian. She had parents and siblings and a hope for the future that was stolen. Remember that she and each of the other 2,000 other children who were stolen still need your prayers.  

The names of the 21 girls who have been released thus far:

More than two years ago, I was handed a slip of paper with the name “Nguba Buba” on it.

Nguba Buba. Remember her name, please.

Nguba Buba was one of the 276 girls kidnapped on April 14, 2014 by Boko Haram militants who stormed her school in Chibok, Nigeria. She was a young girl, a 16-year-old who attended church and loved Jesus. When she was kidnapped, she was ripped away from her studies, her potential to take her exams, and to go to college.

Nguba is one of more than 2,000 children stolen from their parents by Islamic militants since 2014. Many of the boys were armed and forced to shoot people, some from their own villages. Those who refuse were killed. The girls were forced to convert to Islam, compelled to become servants, used as prostitutes, and married off to their captors, often, men old enough to be their fathers.

Nguba was forced at gunpoint to get onto a truck in the middle of the night. They drove for hours into the Sambisa Forest under the cover of darkness. During the ride, around 50 of the girls managed to jump off and escape.

The 219 remaining stayed in Boko Haram custody. Many were advocating on their behalf and the campaign #BringBackOurGirls attracted huge amounts of attention. The government negotiated for their return, with no results.

As time passed, fewer and fewer people remembered Nguba and her friends.

Their grieving parents began succumbing to stress-related illnesses. At least 18 died of these illnesses. Another three died in Islamist attacks. In 2015, Boko Haram would use 44 stolen children as suicide bombers, many of them young girls like Nguba.

In May 2016, one of the 219 was discovered. After escaping, she arrived at home with a 4-month-old baby, the child of a Boko Haram fighter.

On Oct. 13, parents and relatives finally had something to celebrate. Negotiations had finally been successful, and 21 of the girls were freed. Nguba was not among them. No one really knows her fate. There are 114 Chibok girls who are unaccounted for. Some are believed to have been killed. Others, may wish to stay with their abductors.

Please remember Nguba’s name. Remember that she was once a schoolgirl who planned to finish her exams at Chibok. She was a Christian. She had parents and siblings and a hope for the future that was stolen. Remember that she and each of the other 2,000 other children who were stolen still need your prayers.  

The names of the 21 girls who have been released thus far:

1.     Mary Usman Bulama
   2.      Jummai John
   3.      Blessing Abana
   4.      Luggwa Sanda
   5.      Comfort Habila
   6.      Maryam Basheer
   7.      Comfort Amos
   8.      Glory Mainta
   9.      Saratu Emmanuel
   10.   Deborah Ja’afaru
   11.   Rahab Ibrahim
   12.   Helin Musa
   13.   Mayamu Lawan
   14.   Rebecca Ibrahim
   15.   Asabe Goni
   16.   Deborah Andrawus
   17.   Agnes Gapani
   18.   Saratu Markus
   19.   Glory Dama
   20.   Pindah Nuhu
   21.   Rebecca Mallam

“Ann Kay” is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

“Ann Kay” is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

Extreme Sufficiency

NIGERIA: ROSE

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

“Hurry, get into the closet. Do not make a sound unless you hear my voice. Do you understand?” Rose heard the two small voices of her preschool children say, “Yes, Mommy,” then she bolted out the door and headed toward her daughter’s school, praying that it was not too late.

At the proclamation of Sharia, or Islamic law, by the Nigerian government, pockets of violence broke out against Christian groups because they had opposed the laws. Rose’s oldest daughter was still at school during the rioting, and Rose was sure she would not be safe there. When she arrived at the school, her daughter had been taken to a military base for safety. Eventually, Rose found her, and they returned home where the two younger children were waiting safely.

The following day, when her husband left for a Christian gathering, it was the last time she saw him alive. Roughly 260 churches were destroyed during these riots, and more than 460 Christians were killed.

In the months since her husband’s murder, Rose has drawn comfort from the book of Acts. She said, “The same God that allowed Stephen to be stoned also allowed Peter to escape from prison. God has been faithful, and his grace has been sufficient.” Today Rose continues to work in the church where her martyred husband pastored, and she busily raises her three children.

It has been said God will never lead us where his grace cannot keep us. We must realize that sometimes his plan does not include a miraculous deliverance from illness, death, or oppression. Yet his grace is sufficient, and he has not abandoned us. We must trust that God would not lead us to a place of ministry or work without an adequate measure of his grace to make it. Sometimes his plan involves simply seeing us through an ordeal instead of delivering us from it. Have you come to a point where you are willing to entirely rely on him? You’ll likely never say that God’s grace is all you need until his grace is all you have.

This is one of the readings from the book, Extreme Devotion, available from VOM’s online bookstore. You can also receive devotional thoughts daily via email. Sign up here. Daily devotional readings are also available in the PRAY TODAY app for your smartphone or tablet.

I tell our persecuted Christian family that you will pray for them. Will you make it true this Sunday?

I travel continually to meet with members of our persecuted Christian family in the world’s most hostile and restricted nations. When I am with them, I am usually involved in VOM’s work to provide them with material aid, Bibles and ministry tools. But I am also there to carry out our most important work: providing spiritual encouragement, which always includes a prayer commitment. I look them in the eyes and tell them that you, their Christian brothers and sisters in the U.S., will be praying for them.

Our commitment to pray means everything to our persecuted Christian family in places like Syria, Nigeria, Iran and Afghanistan. Our Christian brothers and sisters realize that, in our prayers, they are not forgotten. They do not stand alone because they have Christ’s presence and our prayers. I am always humbled and challenged when they testify that since they have Christ and His Body, the Church, they have everything they need. They have the right values and priorities in this way — something I struggle to achieve each and every day.

Recently, I returned from the ISIS front-lines in Iraq and tearfully appealed to our U.S. staff here at VOM with a challenge that I give you now:

I have just been with our persecuted Christian family members. They are suffering for Christ and serving Him faithfully in the midst of extreme peril and great need. I told them that you will be praying for them, and I challenge you now… in fact, I plead with you… Make it true!

This Sunday, April 17^th, our friends in several organizations that represent religious freedom interests — including Family Research Council, Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and others — are challenging American Christians and churches to lift up our persecuted Christian family in prayer. Here at The Voice of the Martyrs, we want to join in that appeal.

April 17^th has been dubbed, “Stand with the Persecuted Sunday.” You, and your church/group will be blessed by participating. Please go to frc.org/stand to learn more.

Cole Richards is the Executive Vice President of The Voice of the Martyrs. See persecution.com/bios to learn more.

Update: Pray for Danjuma’s Eye Surgery

When I traveled to Nigeria last May, I knew I would encounter stories that were both horrific and hopeful, but nothing could have prepared me for what happened to then 13-year-old Danjuma Shakuru — or how he responded to it.

On Jan. 28, 2015, Islamic militants attacked Danjuma’s village, burning homes and killing 23 people. One insurgent attacked Danjuma with a machete, slicing through the left side of his head. The boy lost consciousness, but the attackers weren’t done. Among other gruesome injuries he sustained, they also cut out his right eye. The trauma from the attack left Danjuma unable to distinguish any light in his left eye.

What Danjuma endured was so brutal that villagers dug a grave for him. But his grave is empty, because Danjuma survived.

As he shared his few memories of the attack with me in May 2015, Danjuma constantly smiled. The joy, he said, comes from the Lord, who has also helped him forgive his attackers.

“I forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing,” he said, echoing the words of Christ on the cross. “If they had love, they wouldn’t behave that way.”

We published Danjuma’s story in our August 2015 newsletter and many readers were moved by his faith and ability to forgive those who horribly mutilated his body. Using cards that were included with the newsletter, readers had the opportunity to write letters of encouragement to our persecuted brothers and sisters in Nigeria. Many of you chose to write letters specifically to Danjuma, which a VOM worker then hand delivered to him. Though he’s unable to see the cards, Danjuma’s constant smile grew even bigger knowing those who have read his story are continuing to pray for him.

Since the attack, VOM has worked to ensure that Danjuma’s life is as whole as it can be, helping with medical costs and assisting his mother with care.

Today, Danjuma is learning to use a walking stick and he’ll soon be attending a school for the blind to learn Braille. In the near future, he’ll undergo a surgery for his left eye, but it is unclear whether he will regain any vision.

Please pray that the surgery is successful and that some of Danjuma’s sight will be restored. Also, continue to pray for his education and for his adjustment to his new way of life. Of course, continue to pray for his main concern: that he would have “strength to serve the Lord.”

Darren Sanders is a writer on staff with VOM. He learned about VOM as a teenager after reading Jesus Freaks and began receiving the newsletter. He continues to be inspired by those living out their faith despite persecution.

What I Learned When I Helped Write “Restricted Nations: Nigeria”

To be concise: a lot. I learned a lot.

That isn’t very informative, though, so I suspect if I submitted those two sentences to the editor of this blog, I would get a kind email asking me to elaborate.

As I look back on that project, it seems now like I played just a tiny role. It’s interesting, because when I was hired to write a book (a real book and a real job!), I think in the back of my head I had an idea that it would be about me. Not the book, necessarily, but the whole experience would make me feel good and make me some great storyteller.

So, I guess the first thing I learned is that the stories in that book don’t need any embellishment in order to make them “great.” The stories of those Christians, of the persecution they face and their response to it, are already a part of the Greatest Story. I was simply a member of the relay team who had the real privilege of placing those stories in a setting where more people could read them.

I also learned the incredible story of Pastor John, which I wrote and which opens the book. I learned about the truly horrible things that had happened to him and the enormity of loss he had experienced. But I also learned of his forgiveness and the enormous faith he has that even in the midst of all that suffering God never turned His back on him. The men who attacked his family cross the street to avoid meeting Pastor John, but he hopes that he will have the opportunity one day to share the love of Christ with them. If that doesn’t move you, then I think you’ve missed the point of the Story.

I also learned of an aspect of VOM that I had never heard of, in spite of the fact that my father has worked there since I was a little kid. VOMedical provides prosthetic limbs to Christians who are attacked by persecutors. These limbs allow the Nigerian Christians to keep living their lives in a nearly-normal fashion, and I think this is a wonderful demonstration of Christian love. This part of VOM’s ministry sticks out to me because of its practicality, but also because of the stories we outlined in the book of people who have benefited from this unique ministry and the incredible difference it made in their lives.

One last thing I learned (well, not the last, but I do need to wrap this up) was the current-ness of the persecution in Nigeria. When you’re asked to write a book on the history of persecution in a given place, that word “history” seems to set it all apart from the time period you’re living in. In the case of the book I helped with, however, a lot of the stories and examples were startlingly recent. This is not a problem of the distant past; persecution in Nigeria happened yesterday, it’s happening today, and it will likely happen tomorrow.

I’ve never been to Nigeria, but learning about the country and about the church there for this project created a special place for it in my heart. Please continue to pray for peace, but more importantly, pray the love of Christ shines like a beacon in the midst of these brutal examples of persecution.

Order your copy of Restricted Nations: NIGERIA online.

Last month Kameron Nettleton finished his BA in English at Evangel University in Springfield, MO. He currently resides in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Taking Care of Widows

When I think of Nigeria, there are a number of things that run through my mind. The news we hear is often tragic stories of Christian persecution, but I wanted to introduce you to some of the beautiful faces of a group of twenty-five widows whose lives are being restored. 

From Christian areas in Yobe state, every woman in the group suffered significant losses as a result of the ISIS-affiliated Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram. While the women were given immediate support through their churches, they lacked a long-term plan for supporting their families.

“Life has not been easy,” Mary Philips, one of the widows explained, “we are seriously passing through hard times. Our children need to go to school, they need to have the basic needs for living.”

Thus, VOM decided to come alongside them by providing funds and training for the women to start microbusinesses. Only 25 were admitted to the program, and they first had to be referred by someone who believes they are trustworthy as well as capable.

A small business selling food, jewelry or other items will allow these women to provide for their families instead of depending on others. During the training seminar, they learned important aspects of starting a business venture, money management and success strategies.

At the end of the training, each of the women was given a contract to sign stating that she agrees to accept the grant equivalent to approximately $500 to be used for a business and that she will provide quarterly progress reports to the program’s coordinator.

“The Lord has come to our rescue,” Mary said. The women shared similar expressions of gratitude for the opportunity to start their own businesses, and appreciation that others were standing by them during a time of need. Mary says that she believes that “things will turn around in our homes” as a result.

Editor's note: You can support VOM's ministry to widows like these in Nigeria by giving online to the Families of Martyrs Fund.

 “Ann Kay” is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.

Danjuma: A Scar and a Smile

His face is marked with a vicious scar…and a brilliant smile.

Thirteen–year–old Danjuma Shakaru was critically injured during an attack on his village in northern Nigeria. Muslim militants struck Danjuma on the head, arm and body with their machetes. Thinking he was dead, the villagers who found him dug his grave.

But Danjuma’s grave is empty. He is alive in part because of the care he received through VOM’s medical program. Violence against Christians in Nigeria continues to rise, and VOM helped more than 500 believers with serious medical injuries during the past year. VOM pays for travel costs, hospital bills, prostheses, tests and medicines for severely injured Christians. Will you help us serve others like Danjuma?

VOM Featured on Moody Radio

Earlier this week, VOM's Todd Nettleton was a guest on In the Market with Janet Parshall, aired nationwide on the Moody Radio Network.

In the conversation with Parshall, Nettleton shared some good news about what God is doing, including the recent release of two pastors in Sudan who could have faced the death penalty. He also discussed the case of Asia Bibi, as well as the story of a young woman recovering after escaping from Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Please click here to listen to this interview (a new window will open; Nettleton's interview begins about the 27:00 mark). We are thankful to our media friends who help VOM share the stories of our persecuted family.

VOM Intern: "Release Myself and Learn"

“I just need to release myself to learn and pray for the opportunity to know more,” I heard Raphael say clear as day through his heavy Nigerian accent. It was like a message from God piercing through my inner panic and I immediately realized I needed to just calm my nerves to listen and learn. I don’t need to know everything yet. I’m still a student and an intern.  

It was the second day of my internship at Voice of the Martyrs when I heard those words. I was sitting in on an interview with a man from Nigeria who had a very heavy accent and whom I was having an extremely hard time understanding. About 10 minutes into the interview, I began panicking as I realized: I had no idea what this man was saying. He was talking so fast and I started doubting myself and my abilities as a (student) journalist.

A prosthetic patient at the VOM clinic in Nigeria.

Worried thoughts started racing through my head. How am I ever going to interview people in the field if I don’t know what they’re saying? How am I going to write any stories without interviewing indigenous people? How am I going to be a foreign reporter or go where God calls me if I can’t even understand people? And at the perfect moment, God put the perfect words into Raphael’s mouth that would give me peace. And I understood him saying it.

Raphael had been sharing about his schooling on prosthetics in the US. He told us how at first, he was overwhelmed at all the new things he was learning and doubting himself and his calling. Just like I was doing at that very moment.

I’m a third-year college student. I’m no pro, but for some reason, God blessed me with an internship at VOM. Maybe I have a lot of varied experience with my community college newspaper, but I definitely didn’t feel deserving of an internship that was in my field in exactly the type of place I dream of working in the future.

But then that saying pops into my head: “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” I’ve heard it so much it’s almost become a cliché to me, but its truth. And its truth constantly shared in the VOM newsletter. I don’t think many of the people of our persecuted family felt experienced enough in their faith to wake up one day and say, “Okay, I feel prepared to be persecuted now.” God prepared them for it without them even realizing it.

At VOM, the people I work with know I’m here to grow and learn. They know I’m not experienced in contributing to this type of organization. But, this is where God has placed me this summer, and He’s brought me 1,400 miles to Bartlesville, Oklahoma for a reason. I did pray for this opportunity to learn at VOM, now I just need to “release myself to learn.” More specifically, I need to let God work in me and change me so I can learn everything this organization has to offer. 

Valerie O. is a summer intern at The Voice of the Martyrs. This fall she will be a junior at California State University, Long Beach studying journalism. She first heard of VOM through a Bible study when someone handed her a VOM newsletter. Since then, she has felt drawn to VOM and its primary goal and has desired for God to use her skillset to help in reaching that goal. 

Suffering Well

How can a pastor continue leading a church that keeps getting attacked? How can he protect other people after he’s been assaulted multiple times?

These are some of the questions that ran through my mind as 48-year-old Rev. Yakubu D’zarai recently shared his story with me at VOM’s office in Nigeria.

Since 1993, Yakubu has pastored churches in Borno state – where terrorist group Boko Haram is based and Shariah (Islamic law) is rule. Two of his church buildings have been bombed. The first, home to 276 worshipers, was bombed on Dec. 18, 2012. The second, home to 278 worshipers, was bombed on July 1, 2014. In each attack, four people died, many others were injured and everyone lost a sense of security.

During the first attack, Boko Haram members hacked at Yakubu’s head, leg and back with a machete. Fortunately, he didn’t lose any limbs.

So how can any pastor continue his work after experiencing persecution? It helps to expect it.

“The Bible said definitely, ‘in this life there will be persecution, you will be killed for My sake,’” Yakubu said, referencing Matthew 24:9. “I was really comforted in this.”

Most would consider Yakubu to be a rare leader. How many pastors are willing to continue risking their life after they’ve nearly lost it?

The truth is he’s one of many. A growing number of pastors, in fact, are receiving training in how to stand firm in their faith following persecution. Why? These pastors know the power of the gospel and the need for Nigerians in the Muslim-dominated north to hear it.

In March, VOM workers from Nigeria drove through multiple military checkpoints and past numerous burned vehicles along the road – attacked by the same extremists that Yakubu experienced – to get to Borno state. Once there, they trained 50 pastors in how to deal with depression, trauma reduction and stress management. They also further examined what faith looks like in the face of danger. They’re learning to expect persecution.

“We are very optimistic that these pastors were transformed to these several days of fellowship, prayers and interaction in the training, and are therefore returning with new hope and spirit to train others,” a VOM worker said.

These pastors are now charged with training at least 10 other pastors in neighboring villages, bringing the total number of newly trained pastors in Nigeria’s most difficult region to 500 by the end of 2015.

Additional training sessions took place in Yobe and Gombe states, which border Borno to the west, and Adamawa state to the south.

These pastors are truly on the front lines, both physically and spiritually. They’re willing to risk everything because they know it all means nothing in light of eternity.

So what do these pastors pray for? Of course, they ask God for protection, peace and the courage to continue. After all, they’re human. They’re also thoughtful. If you ask Yakubu what he prays for, he’ll tell you he’s praying for you.

Yes, you.

“I am praying that God will keep protecting you people and keep you because the Boko Haram members are not happy with how you people are sending help to the Christians,” he said.

“Kelvin Varnsen” is a writer for VOM. He learned about VOM as a teenager after reading Jesus Freaks and began receiving the newsletter. He continues to be inspired by those living out their faith despite persecution.