MY ACCOUNT
At A Glance:
- Growing up in Gwoza in northeastern Nigeria, Christiana once had no problems.
- Then Boko Haram terrorists began targeting Gwoza, killing Christan families and burning churches.
- Because their faith was strong, Christiana's family was prepared to face unimaginable suffering with courage.
- The family now lives in hardship in an IDP camp, but they trust God to provide.
Peace Turned to Suffering
Even if God is all you have, God is all you need.
That’s what Christiana’s story shows. Growing up in Gwoza in northeastern Nigeria, Christiana once had no problems.
“You could get food to eat, and there was peace,” she says. “But when this problem started, everything changed.”
Nigeria has had a large Christian population for more than 150 years. In recent years, the extremist group Boko Haram has been targeting these believers, killing families and burning churches with the goal of establishing an Islamic state and enforcing Sharia (Islamic) law.
The first time Boko Haram came to Gwoza, they burned businesses in the city. During that first attack, Christiana’s family remained safe. Boko Haram only targeted “the big places, like banks.” But before long, the extremist group returned. And that time, they spared no one.
Christiana and her family hid in the mountains for a week while Boko Haram hunted them. “We didn’t even have shoes on our feet. Our feet were swollen. There is a small space, that’s where we hid. We didn’t have anything to eat, we only had God.”
They continued moving through the bush, walking all day, until they made it to Cameroon, the country to Nigeria’s southeast. At first, the refugee camp in Cameroon seemed like it would be a safe place. The camp took in Christiana’s family and gave them food and shelter.
“But later on, there was nothing. Without food, won’t you die? We left because of the suffering.”
'They were killing our people. You just run and your heart is torn apart. I put everything in God’s hand.'
— ChristianaThe family came back to Nigeria by motorcycle. On the way, one of the young men they were traveling with got into an accident and lost his leg. Despite the repeated hardships, however, Christiana can look back over her journey and feel confident of one thing: God has been faithful to her.
“From when I was young, we attended Sunday school in the church, we were baptized, and we were taught about baptism,” Christiana says. “We continued like that until I even got married as a Christian. I never strayed at all; I placed my trust in God. My husband and my children, we all continued in our faith.”
So when their lives were turned upside down, Christiana and her family were prepared. They had spent many years reading the Bible and worshiping side-by-side with the other Christians in their village. As a result, their faith was strong. They were prepared to face unimaginable suffering with courage.
Christiana describes the Boko Haram attacks: “Fear. Guns. They were killing our people. People were lying dead on the ground. You just run and your heart is torn apart … Of course, the heart was filled with grief.” Nevertheless, she adds: “I put everything in God’s hand.”
Today, Christiana, her husband, and their children reside in an IDP camp back in Nigeria. Christiana is thankful for the many ways God has provided for them. But with so many mouths to feed, the family still faces numerous hardships every day. They sleep on top of sacks – gifted to them by a kind pastor – in someone else’s empty house.
“If I get day labor, I manage. I cook a little alele (bean cake) from time to time. That’s what we eat,” Christiana says.
Christiana prays for the funds to send her children to school, or for capital to start a business so she can their school fees. She trusts God to continue to provide, just like He’s always done.
“If not for God, would we have escaped? No. It was God who stood by me. Whatever the difficulty, we place our trust in God. In God I trust.”
An urgent window to act. They refuse to hide their faith. Let’s make sure they don't face the fire alone.
Millions of Nigerian believers currently are living in displacement camps, driven from their homes by targeted, violent attacks. Yet their joy and faith in Jesus remain unbroken. Make an eternal impact today by delivering urgent emergency aid, spiritual support, and bold advocacy so the Nigerian church can continue to shine in the darkness.
