Presence

I am in Jos, Nigeria with my professor and 8 other students from Palmer Seminary. This immersion course has taken a turn from theory to practical application of a reality that I could not understand unless I was here. I want to reassure you first, that I am completely safe. My professor has contacts with some of the most powerful people in town and is staying on top of the situation to ensure our complete safety and a safe trip home next week.

Now, let me explain some background. Nigeria is a country that has been in turmoil for years. There are land and religious battles that have been occurring between Muslims and Christians that result in violent attacks and then violent retaliations. There was a major attack from Muslim extremists in November 2008 that resulted in over 200 deaths.

On Sunday morning Muslim extremists were sent in to beat up some Christian workers who had repaired a Muslims home, but never received payment. This act resulted in 35 deaths. One of the dead was a student at Jos Ecwa Theological Seminary (JETS), where we are studying throughout the week. As a result of the violence, the government has issued a mandatory curfew from 6pm to 6am that could last the rest of the week. This does not effect our day to day schedule, with the exception of evening meetings, since we have to be back at the SSE house by 6pm.

This morning as we were travelling to JETS, we began to sense a heavy air of tension. We were not travelling through the section of town where the violence occurred, we were in a Christian dense section of town. In these situations, the young people become unified, mobilize, and begin to defend their territory. As we drove through town, people were standing outside their homes just looking. It felt as if the sound of a truck backfiring would incite a complete riot. At first my stomach turned uneasily, but next I just felt the hurt of injustice that lives in this town.

We went to the seminary and attended chapel with the students. Everything had been cancelled for the day, but they felt as if chapel was important. There was a message spoken by the President of the Seminary about our hope from God. Isaiah 40:28-31 says
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

God is our hope, God will renew our strength. After hearing this message we stood with the students and attempted to be the presence of God with them. The leaders told us that they looked at our faces and didn't see fear, but they saw that we understood. I am beginning to understand the context that these people must live in every day. A context where dying for your faith is a reality. A context where persecution for your belief in Jesus Christ is real. A context where faith is real, it is not about religion. We have not been in any danger here, however it is only by being with the people that I can begin to understand the context of life lived at war with another religion. I am beginning to understand how to live by faith, and how people trust in God for their next breath and step.

There is much more that can be written, but again, it is late. It is past 2am and we all know that my brain doesn't function well past 10pm. I will give more details of how the week is playing out later. Do not worry about us, but pray for peace in Nigeria. Pray that tensions will be relaxed and that the Gospel will penetrate the powers of Islam in this nation.