Praise God, the smoke and gunshots are ceasing in Jos. There is still a 24 hour curfew in place, and the friends I called there today are home safely with their families. The most uplifting call was to a friend whose little girl just giggled and giggled on the phone – ah, the innocence and joy of children!
I hear that the Faith Alive family is all fine and praising God. However, their version of “fine” is different than ours. It means there was no loss of life among them, although some do know of others who didn’t make it. Two of the staff members (a TSS in Team E and a floor sweeper) lost their homes to fire.
Here are some tidbits from www.nydailynews.com:
“Soldiers with machine guns patrolled the streets of Jos and charred bodies lay in the streets Wednesday following days of religious violence between Christians and Muslims in central Nigeria that killed more than 200 people.”
“A nearby mosque still smoldered, its minarets blackened by fires. Authorities have imposed a 24-hour curfew in Jos, but people were seen walking around the center of the city. When an army convoy passed, they stopped and raised their hands above their heads to show they were not a threat.”
“Religious violence in Nigeria normally has its roots in local issues, rather than influence from international extremist groups.”
PLEASE continue to keep them in your prayers as peace returns. In past crises, there is violence for a few days and then peace for months.
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