NIGERIA — Pastor Barnabas lives in one of many internally displaced people (IDP) camps in Nigeria, along with thousands of Christians who have been forced from their homes by Islamic extremist violence. Across sub-Saharan Africa, 16.2 million Christians have been forcibly displaced by violence and conflict. But most of the world doesn’t even know it’s happening.

Pastor Barnabas:

“Praise the Lord. Hallelujah! God bless you all. Amen. As we can see, this is church I’m the pastor and these are the people I pastor.

“As we are gathered here how many of us fled due to the attack? Raise up your hands.”

Pastor Barnabas’s church in Nigeria is a makeshift structure inside a camp for internally displaced people or IDPs.

The people he pastors are Christians who are violently forced from their homes by militant Fulani herdsmen.

Pastor Barnabas:

“Here is my house where I live together with my wife, my seven children. Three of them stayed here with me and my wife. Then the rest of the children joined up my neighbor to stay with this night. When they break, they come back and stay with me. This tent here is, from here to this place. It’s one and a half meters from here to here? It is smaller than a double mattress was.”

The suffering of these displaced Christians is so tough that many of them have begun to lose their faith in God.

Pastor Barnabas:

“When I see my people living in this kind of condition I feel very bad. It makes many of them begin to lose their faith from God. But with God we believe that God will still restore them back. This has been my prayer for them. In the name of Jesus. “

Others like Barnabas, remained faithful to Christ despite the severe hardships of life here. While they worship God, ask for more of His Holy Spirit and trust him for their future.

Pastor Barnabas:

“For the place we are living. My prayer is that one day, God Almighty, we ask that God should restore us back to us, just for whom we will not remain suffering the way we are suffering. God lives and as he lives, he will show us true his everything that we are.

“He will never disappoint us. He has never disappointed us. No matter of the condition we are into will. And so our eyes are for Him.

“So far is our hope is on Him because we put all confidence on him. We believe his grace. He will do it more than what we expected.”

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For over 60 years, Open Doors UK has worked in the world’s most oppressive countries, empowering Christians who are persecuted for their beliefs. Open Doors equips persecuted Christians in more than 60 countries through programs like Bible & Gospel Development, Women & Children Advancement, and Christian Community Restoration.