Our team has spent the past few weeks in Nigeria driving out to the remote villages affected by the conflicts to minister to the physical needs, emotional needs, and spiritual needs of the villagers. We have done fun fairs for the children, brought material to rebuild homes, held a medical clinic, prayed over young and old, listened to their stories, and attended peace conferences. We have done our best to stand by their side in their darkest hour; to be Christ to the afflicted, persecuted, and broken.
I have shared from my perspective… I want to share an experience of one of my teammate’s, Jordan McGuffin (OK).
I have shared from my perspective… I want to share an experience of one of my teammate’s, Jordan McGuffin (OK).
Justine Zins
Sometimes when we hear about a crisis, the only names we hear are the names of the nation, cities, or villages, but what about the people?
I want to zoom in a bit from the big picture that I have been portraying through my blog. I want you to see DEEPER into this nation. I don’t want you to remember a name of a city or a village. Rather, I want you to get a glimpse of a face behind the NUMBERS, a face beyond the NEWS, a face like this young boy that my heart is now connected to.
This blog is about Pious. This young boy has the brightest smile, his laugh penetrates my heart, because it is so full of life. However, there is much, much more to my little brother in Christ.
Just last month this boy Pious was living with his father, pregnant mother, and three siblings. They slept in one room. One night, while the father was out of town, some Muslims came to their village and began burning houses down. This family was asleep in their houses at the time the attackers came. The mother and siblings were all killed in the attack. Pious survived, because he hid under the bed, but his body did get burned. Most of the burns have started to heal and scar, but his arm was severely burned.
I met Pious last week, and that is when I was able to play with him for awhile, and hear his story. Just yesterday, I was able to go back to his village with some doctors with Global Relief. One of the doctors was able to work on the burn on his arm, and I was able to assist in the dressing, as well as, assist in distracting him while they did some quite painful cleaning and scraping.
The crazy thing is that he never cried, he showed he was in pain by squinting his eyes, but other than that there was ALWAYS a smile on his face. Twenty minutes after getting his burn dressed, he was out dancing to the music with the other children. This boy was affected the most out of anyone in his entire village, yet if you were to go pick out the happiest kid in the village, you would pick him.
I cannot begin to imagine living a day in this boys’ shoes, or getting a glimpse of how deep his wounds are, but one thing I DO KNOW is that this boy has JOY. His Joy is contagious. Pias was able to touch my heart, in a way that not many have been able to do–on this trip, or in my life. I pray that he grows up to be a mighty warrior in the Kingdom of God, and a man of God that is able to truly bring peace to his country. Pious is ONE of many people affected. He is ONE of God’s children. Pious is the ONE child who, literally, stole a place in my heart! There is a reason he is alive! Thank you Lord!
*2nd and 4th picture taken by teammates
