{"id":16946,"date":"2019-04-15T21:40:58","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T21:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=16946"},"modified":"2019-04-15T21:40:58","modified_gmt":"2019-04-15T21:40:58","slug":"five-years-after-god-will-bring-my-daughter-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=16946","title":{"rendered":"“Five years after, God will bring my daughter out”"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lindy Lowry<\/strong> in Africa, Stories of Persecution
\nFamilies of Chibok girls have not given up hope of reuniting with their still-missing daughters.
\nSince April 14, 2014, when the world learned about the kidnapping of 230 girls from a state finishing school in the northern Nigeria village of Chibok (#bringbackourgirls), Open Doors has been journeying with the Chibok parents both practically through emergency relief (food and medicine) and spiritually through presence ministry, prayer and trauma care. On this difficult five-year anniversary, our team spent time with some of the families who thanked Christians for praying for their still-missing daughters\u2014and begged the global church to continue to pray with them. Women like Yana Gana and Hannatu Dada have not given up hope of one day reuniting with their daughters.
\n\u201cIt has been a rough journey for me. There is a Hausa proverb that says fresh wounds are always very painful. Any time I speak about Rifkatu, I feel so much pain in my heart.\u201d
\nFor Yana Gana, April 14, 2014\u2014now five years ago\u2014was the start of a 1,825-day-old nightmare she has yet to wake up from. That night, life changed forever for Yana, her daughter Rifkatu and an estimated 230 girls and their families in the small dusty town of Chibok.
\nWhile most state secondary schools in northern Nigeria\u2019s Borno State had been shut down for fear of attacks by the Islamic extremist group,\u00a0\u00a0Chibok\u2019s school had opened its doors to almost 3,000 girls, most of them Christians. A day later, in the middle of the night, Boko Haram stormed the school, driving off with around 230 girls on the backs of trucks as behind them, the school went up in flames.
\nAs news spread of the attacks and kidnapping, the world cried out. Quickly, the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls spread like wildfire across the globe.
\n112 CHIBOK GIRLS YET TO BE FREED<\/strong>
\nForty-seven girls escaped during and shortly after they were kidnapped. Afterward, each of the 47 had their own tale of dread and trauma\u2014and perhaps feelings of \u201csurvivor guilt,\u201d as the few who were spared the horrors of days, weeks, months and years spent in the hands of unredeemed men who believe they serve Allah through rape, maiming and murder.
\nAfter a few more escaped, Boko Haram released 21 girls in October 2016 and another 82 in May 2017 .
\nThe timeline below offers a detailed list of escapes and releases in the last five years:<\/strong>
\nDuring and after the attack on April 14, 2014, 47 girls escape.<\/strong>
\nOn May 18, 2016, Nigerian soldiers discover 19-year-old Amina Ali Darsha Nkeki with a four-month-old baby and her \u201chusband\u201d in the Sambisa Forest.<\/strong>
\nOn November 5, 2016, soldiers find Mary Ali Maiyanga who escaped with a 10-month-old baby.<\/strong>
\nOn October 13, 2016, Boko Haram releases 21 girls.<\/strong>
\nOn May 6, 2017, another 82 girls are released.<\/strong>
\nOn January 5, 2018, one more girl is rescued, marking the last time Chibok girls have been found or released to date.<\/strong>
\nSome 112 Christians girls have yet to be freed, says the chairman of the Chibok Parents\u2019 Association, Yakubu Nkeki Maina. No one knows how many are still alive.
\nYana Gana\u2019s daughter, Rifkatu, is among the 112.
\nSince the releases in 2017, there have been very little developments in the Chibok kidnappings. A few rumors about where they may be now and speculations about how many would still be alive this long after\u2014but there has been no substantial news.
\n\u2018LAUGHTER CEASED IN MY HOUSE\u2019<\/strong>
\nFor Yana, it is a heavy burden to carry. The second of three children, Rifkatu is missed for her extraordinary character. Sharing lovingly about her daughter, Yana talks about Rifkatu and her faith.
\n\u201cShe was never bothered if her sisters didn\u2019t help with the house work. She always woke up, cleaned the house and prepared breakfast before we all got up. While most young girls usually get into makeup and fashion, Rifkatu never payed attention to those things.
\n\u201cNone of the young girls in my community go to church as often as Rifkatu did.\u201d Yana\u2019s family attends EYN (Brethren), but Rifkatu chose to attend a different church.
\n\u201cShe loved the prayer life there. Because of the way she conducted herself, an older woman called her \u2018sister,\u2019 which is unusual.
\n\u201cWhen Rifkatu was kidnapped, laughter ceased in my house. Everybody was filled with pain, most especially me, because I gave birth to her,\u201d she says, adding that her younger daughter is even more traumatized than she is.
\n\u201cThey were so close. They wore the same clothes, the same shoes \u2026 even tied their headscarves the same way. I have never seen people who loved each other as much as they do. When Rifkatu was kidnapped, I felt pity for her younger sister.\u201d
\nOn the advice of family members who warned the trauma would be too much for Rifkatu\u2019s sister to handle, Yana sent her daughter to school in Yola four hours away.
\n\u201cHer aunties told me the trauma will be too much, and we might end up losing her,\u201d she says.
\nYana works to exercise self-comfort: \u201cIn everything that happens in life, you must be patient. You can\u2019t change what has happened. We have tried to exercise patience \u2026 waiting to see what God would do for us.\u201d
\n\u2018THEY\u2019VE SEEN HELL TOGETHER\u2019<\/strong>
\nThe young women from Chibok who were released are now living at and attending a private American university in Yola in Adamawa State.
\nCompared to other Boko Haram returnees who usually spend months in horrible conditions following their \u201cfreedom,\u201d these girls are lavished with care.
\nThe horror they have endured has placed them in a very unique position that requires a unique response. They have a dedicated principal, a dedicated psychologist and a dedicated pastor.
\n\u201cThey\u2019ve seen hell together,\u201d their psychologist says. “Their testimonies speak of periods of hunger, slavery, rape, lashing and battle injuries\u2014shrapnel lodged under the skin, even a part of one girl\u2019s leg amputated. They saw people, including many children, die.\u201d
\nPhysically, the young women whose youth was robbed are doing well. At this point, they are trying to catch up on the education they missed and recover from their trauma as a group.
\nSince they arrived at the university in September 2017, their environment has remained tightly controlled. To protect their safety and prevent exploitation, they cannot leave campus without an escort and cannot receive visitors without special permission. They have rarely seen their families and visit Chibok, a four-hour drive away, only twice a year.
\nHOPE BUOYED BY MILLIONS OF PRAYERS<\/strong>
\nWhile the freed young women of Chibok still struggle to be truly free of their horror, their families know their daughters are alive and safe.
\nFor women like Yana and Hannatu Dada whose daughters are still among the missing, hope buoyed by millions of prayers from the global body of Christ continues to be their lifeline. Hannatu thanks believers for their prayers for the protection and return of her daughter, Saratu.
\n\u201cChristians, and everybody around the world: I am honestly grateful for your prayer and support. The whole world knows about our story,\u201d she says.
\n\u201cBecause of the condition we found ourselves in, we didn\u2019t have anywhere to turn, except to God \u2026 We have cried and prayed. We pray for our daughters when we walk outside; when we sit inside; when we sleep. We never cease praying.\u201d
\nYana Gana echoes Hannatu: \u201cIf we were left alone in Borno, all of us parents would have died. But believers all over the world stood by us. You have invited us to trauma counseling, prayed with us, studied the Bible with us and, through all of that, we have been able to stand strong.
\n\u201cWe have placed our total trust and dependence on God, knowing He is the only one that can save them. We thank everyone who stood by us in different ways in our time of pain \u2026 There has been crying and praying all over the world for these girls, and we can\u2019t forget that.\u201d
\nYana, Hannatu and many families cling to hope. For them, there is no giving up hope for their daughters\u2019 return.
\n\u201cEven after 10 years, I will never lose hope because she was kidnapped alive,\u201d Yana says. \u201cIf they have killed her and show me her body, then I will stop hoping for her return. Until then, we will wait for Rifkatu to come back. No matter how long it takes.
\n\u201cI believe that God will perform a miracle, and the girls will be released. Because this battle is not against flesh, only God can fight it. He alone can make a way where there is no way for her to return.\u201d
\nHannatu has hope that this will be the year God will bring her daughter home.
\n\u201cAnd just as God brought other girls out, He will bring my daughter out,\u201d she says.\u201d Just as we rejoiced with those who were freed, we will also rejoice when our daughters come back.
\n\u201cI usually tell my other children, \u2018Even if I die today, don\u2019t lose hope that Saratu will come back. And if she happens to be released, hold her, embrace her well. Even if the world will hate or disregard her, hold my daughter dear to your hearts.\u201d
\n\u201cAnytime I hold this picture, I feel as if she is here with me. I have so much hope that if she is alive. God will bring her back to me. God willing, one day my tears will be wiped away.\u201d
\nPRAYING FOR CHIBOK GIRLS AND FAMILIES<\/strong>
\n?Thank God for preserving the faith of the Chibok girls and their parents. Pray that He will continue to do that for all of them.<\/strong>
\n?Continue to pray for the release of Chibok girls like Rifkatu and Saratu and 15-year-old Leah Sharibu (kidnapped February 2018), as well as Christian aid worker Alice Loksha Ngaddah who remain in captivity.<\/strong>
\n?Pray that the Lord will fulfill His purposes in their lives and glorify Himself in their circumstances.<\/strong>
\n?Pray for due diligence on the side of the government in keeping up negotiations for the release of the remaining captives.<\/strong>
\n?Pray for the released Chibok girls as they seek to start their lives again. Pray they will experience the Lord\u2019s healing, comfort and encouragement.<\/strong>
\n?Pray for the many thousands of nameless others who remain in Boko Haram captivity. Ask God to bring freedom. Until He does, pray that He may sustain them and be at work in their lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lindy Lowry in Africa, Stories of Persecution Families of Chibok girls have not given up hope of reuniting with their still-missing daughters. Since April 14, 2014, when the world learned about the kidnapping of 230 girls from a state finishing school in the northern Nigeria village of Chibok (#bringbackourgirls), Open Doors has been journeying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":13012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5777],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16946\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}