Page 9 - Voice of the Persecuted Christians - Apr-Jun 2023 - 122

And this village was right next to a large military barracks. Not a single soldier came out to help them.
KIDNAPPED PASTOR HOLDS NO HATRED
What challenges you the most when talking to Christians in Nigeria who have suffered a traumatic event is just how ready they are to forgive the perpetrators. They may have lost family members,
even their own spouse or children,
been seriously injured or kidnapped or just plain traumatised through seeing some horrendous slaughter in their community – but they hold no bitterness. It challenges me. How would I respond if faced with a similar situation? How would our churches react if attacked?
One such man who personifies this attitude is Pastor ‘Monday’ (pictured) who despite having been
abducted at gunpoint told me he held no hatred towards his kidnappers.
I encountered Pastor Monday, who is aged 43, at a trauma-healing workshop run by our partners in Plateau state. Militant Fulani herdsmen had attacked his community, stealing cattle, burning down the church and killing four members of the congregation before kidnapping the pastor at gunpoint – later demanding not one, but two ransoms from his congregation for his release.
Pastor Monday was deeply traumatised by the whole experience but despite the terrible events he and his congregation had suffered, they were rebuilding their lives.
He told me: ‘As Christians, and based on the teachings of the Bible, we need to forgive our attackers and pray that God will touch their lives so they will know what they are doing is wrong – and repent.’
Such believers are an inspiration and provide hope for the future of their country as well as the church within it. Thank God for them.
Alex Smythe
But Esther, and every Christian we spoke to – without exception – had this simple but profound message: ‘We forgive them’.
Esther is a member of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), one of the largest Christian denominations in Nigeria, which faithfully continues to plant churches even in these troubled parts of the country.
As fast as the Fulani militants burn their churches down, they build another.
So, if Esther could say anything to those who destroyed their homes and slaughtered her father- and mother- in-law, what would it be?
‘I would say, I forgive them. I would ask them to repent,’ she said. ‘Our Bible does not tell us to kill someone like this. It is a sin. The only thing is to forgive them.’
Esther learned this message of grace from her father-in-law, Toma, who was murdered by the Fulani. She was very close to Toma. ‘He used to tell me that if anyone does something bad to you, find a way to forgive that person. Once you have that heart of forgiveness, you will live.
‘Even if my father- and mother-in-law were alive today, they would say that they forgive these Fulani men, because they didn’t know what they were doing.’
Throughout this harrowing time Esther has found encouragement from one scripture in particular, Psalm 101. ‘I will sing of your love and justice; to you, Lord, I will sing praise. I will be careful to lead a
blameless life – when will you come to me?’
villages. And now they say they are in government, so no one will stop them. They say they are going to deal with us.’
This Psalm has a particular message for Esther: ‘That we should stand by our faith, no matter the situation. That we should give thanks to God no matter the situation. No matter what has happened to us, we still appreciate the word of God over our lives.’
Esther asks for prayer from Release International supporters: ‘We pray for peace for our country, especially Kaduna state. Without peace, we cannot do anything. But once you have peace, you can do what you want.’
NIGERIA is the focus of our new campaign, Out of these Ashes, which aims to raise awareness and prayer for our suffering brothers and sisters in Africa’s most populous nation. Page 12
Even as the homeless gathered at
the mission station with its painted halls and neatly trimmed hedges, the Fulani militants were continuing their attacks in Kaduna. ‘They came again only the day before yesterday,’ said Esther.
And Esther, who is 35, asked specifically for prayer for herself. ‘I have this challenge. I am childless. For the last three years I have had fibroids. There is no solution. So I need God’s intervention. Please pray for me for healing.’
‘These Fulani, they are still in our
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