Thirty-eight EMS widows met for mutual encouragement in Jos from August 1 to 5. (EMS is ECWA's missions arm, sending Nigerian missionaries to work in unreached areas inside and outside the country. At the moment, more than 1,200 missionaries are working in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Cameroun, Chad, Ghana, Niger Republic and Togo.)

Some of the widows have been widowed for 20 or more years. Others lost their husbands this year, including two whose husbands were martyred for Christ. One husband died while bringing his son back to the EMS school in January. Another, Isma Dogari, was killed and his body burned in Bauchi in April. All told, eight husbands had been killed through motorcycle or car accidents, one died of snake bite, one drowned, three were killed as a result of persecution, and the rest died of various illnesses. Fourteen of the 38 widows have their own farms, 24 have their own home, while the rest pay rent.

Report from Life Challenge Africa

It was difficult spending three days in Minna, the capital of Niger state. The temperature in Jos fluctuates between 16 to 24 degrees Celcius and that in Minna settles within 28 to 40; it was not easy to cope. The National Evangelical Missionary Association, in conjunction with LCAN, put together a special Muslim evangelism training for pastors and church leaders. There was a unanimous consensus about the effectiveness of the seminar. “We are so blessed and we now know better how to approach our Muslim friends.”

On the 15^th of April, in Gwada, Niger state, where another training took place, a church and its bus was burnt down by Islamic militants. It took courage for us to still hold the training in Minna. Unfortunately, such is the situation when we do ministry.

Though it’s very tough for Muslims to become Christians, they are still turning to The Way. One of our trainees told us about a chief and his family in Niger state, who gave their lives to Christ because of the love the trainee showed them. The chief still goes to the mosque because of the fear of persecution but prays in the name of Jesus Christ.

For donations, contact SIM International Project No. 96406. In Nigeria, write a cheque to SIM indicating Life Challenge Africa at the back of the cheque.

Niger state covers an area of 76,363 square km (29,484 square miles). It has a population of 4 million (2005 estimate). Hausa is widely spoken but there are many other language groups also.