According to Open Doors International, churches, houses and vehicles of Christians, Christian villages and Christian pastors were targeted in states in the center of Nigeria, separating the predominantly Muslim north from the predominantly Christian south.
On behalf of the critical situation, an Open Doors team recently visited Nigeria to encourage the believers there and to assess their ongoing needs.
Open Doors International, a global Christian ministry that supports and strengthens persecuted believers, is delivering relief aid, offering trauma counseling, providing Bibles and rebuilding churches for suffering Christians. Open Doors is also mobilising churches in Nigeria to assist persecuted brothers and sisters in their congregations.
Mark, an Open Doors worker, tells how Christians are coping:
"It was very hard coming to these villages, past the burnt houses, cars and churches, seeing the widows with the ravages of their suffering evident in their eyes. And meeting the destitute and orphans. Wherever we went, hundreds of Christians traveled from miles around to meet with us. People were desperate for encouragement and for teaching from the Bible."
According to Mark, the people waited for hours before the team arrived, spending the time praying and worshipping. "There was so much power and joy evident in these times of worship," he says. "It was amazing and humbling. It was wonderful to see and hear the widows praising God in song and dance despite their terrible suffering."
He adds, "It was so good to begin sharing a word from the Bible with 'Praise the Lord' and hearing the reply of 'Hallelujah!' almost blasting the church roof off."
The Open Doors team delivered 100 children’s Bibles to the orphans, a small supply compared to last year’s 30,000 they have provided. But the children received it with sincere gratitude, especially a boy who confronted Mark with tears and shared about the death of his parents: "We asked him if he had any friends. He replied 'no.' Like most of the children there, however, he had a thirst for learning and his favorite hobby was reading. He was thrilled with the children's Bible. He was told how in the Bible he could read that God is His father."
"Nigeria is such a key country in the spread of Christianity throughout Africa," says Open Doors USA President Dr. Carl Moeller. "The battle is certainly real in Nigeria. Please pray with me for our brothers and sisters there as they face many atrocities. Thousands have died for their faith in Jesus Christ."
Cindy Lee
Christian Today Correspondent