Today was a crash course on Nigeria and the conflict that is going here, along with what is being done about it. Our friend Victor and Teyei drove us all around the city to all the different areas (both affected by conflict and not). We drove down roads that both men wouldn’t drive down if they weren’t with us. If you are a Christian in that area and conflict broke out they could possibly drag you out of the car and kill you on the spot. But all along God had our back and protected us.
The perception I had of harsh people in Nigeria was blown out of the water actually being here. The media makes Jos out to be a rough area filled with angry vengeful people. Day one in Jos changed my mind on this amazing place. People waved at us and had smiles on their faces despite knowing their homes were burnt down and loved ones were brutally killed. They hold tight to their joy, joy that only comes from the Lord.
Teyei explained to us that a lot of this conflict is occurring over the rights of the land. Since this city is 50/50 Christian Muslim, both groups think this land belongs to them. Christians say Jos stands for “Jesus Our Savior� and Muslims say that lightning hit the high rock in Jos, split it in two, and inscribed in Arabic that Muslims own Jos.
One of the main places that we drove through today was Bukuru where shop after shop was burned to the ground. It was an eye-opening experience. Teyei said a lot of times when conflict breaks out people dress up in fake soldiers outfits in order to kill more people which severely broke my heart. I asked him how he handled the conflict, he said he made a list of every Muslim he knew and wrote out how he could love each of them better. That was a huge example of what true peace means. Every person we talked to this morning said it meant so much that we were here and cared enough to come and be with their people. They said we are bringing them hope for a better tomorrow.
The tour around Jos reminded me of the first oppression talked about in the bible of the Israelites by the Egyptians. In the book of Exodus, things started to change. Years of oppression left the people crying out for something better. God replied to them, “I have seen the misery of my people… I have heard them crying out… I have come to rescue them.� Our God hears the cry of the villagers here in Nigeria just as He heard the Israelites crying out. The Hebrew word for cry is sa’aq it is an expression of pain, hurt, and wounds. Not only is it a feeling but it is also asking a question. A question saying “where are you God? Who will come to rescue me? Am I now alone?� Sa’aq is what Abel’s blood did crying out from the ground after he was killed by his own brother, as Rob Bell says. Our God hears each and every cry. The cry acknowledges one is at the end of their rope and can do nothing but depend on God. Rob Bell says, “the cry inaugurates history. It kicks things into gear. It shakes things up and gets them moving. The cry is the catalyst, the cause, the reason that a new story unfolds.� God is a God of redemption and reconciliation. He does something about the cry. He sends people to help. He sent our team here to Nigeria.
One notion that I have been pondering is the only way to stop the retaliation of violent attacks is for someone to absorb it. A true leader who will stand up for peace and reconciliation despite what it might mean for him or her. Before Christ came Isaiah called a person like this one to come a suffering servant. A leader who says I will not pick up the sword no matter how much persecution comes my way. A leader who will say, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.� Jesus went to the extent of death to be a suffering servant to make a change for peace for all humanity. Christ paid the price for all of this. It seems as if Christians as a whole have missed the mark here and rejected the whole ideology of the gospel; a gospel of peace and love. So who here will stand up for peace and love, and be a true example of Christ here?
