This is an urgent prayer request that I just received. Please pray.
Father Ben is a Priest that fills in at our Parish and is from the Maiduguri area in Nigeria, which is located in the state of Borno near the state of Adamawa. Yesterday, he told us that his family and parishioners are in great peril from the Radical Islamists in Nigeria who are targeting and attacking Christians in that area; killing and maiming non-Muslims; kidnapping women and girls as young as 15 and robing them in burkas rigged with explosives-making then human bombs or selling them into slavery. They are taking over Catholic and other Christian churches and using them as bases. Priests and Bishops have fled and along with many of the people there are hiding in the bush, surviving by eating grass and plants.

> Father Ben said that many of his family members-brothers and sisters; nieces and nephews have fled or have been captured as he has no contact with them and has no knowledge of their safety.
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> Father had talked about his Diocese in the past as one of thriving Catholicism, where people pack the Churches knowing full well that terrorists have in the past and are continuing in to gun down parishioners as they leave and blowing up Churches. He paralleled it to the indifference of the faithful regarding Mass attendance prevalent in America.
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> Recently we did a fundraising drive to provide for the children in his diocese, many of whom have been orphaned and raised a good deal of money for them. However, because there is a fear that Boko Harum and the Radical Muslims will take over the accounts, that money is being held for those people until it can be channeled to whom it was intended.
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> Speaking to those who are on the front lines of atrocities like these opens your eyes to the truth. Political correctness, while attempting to show respect for all, only hides the truth. We must call it as it is,or we may all be in peril. In America, we have not yet had to guard against the dangers that they have in Nigeria, but little by little freedoms are being eroded. Freedom of religion; Freedom of Speech-unless you agree with what is popular.
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> We need to pray for those poor people in Nigeria; the Christians and others in Iraq and Syria under the thumb of the same satan and we need to pray for peace.