Welcome to day 5 of the 2025 One With Them Challenge.
In Nigeria, Christian families live with the constant fear of abduction.
Violent groups like Boko Haram regularly target believers, especially young girls, for kidnapping, forced marriages, and conversion.
In 2018, Leah Sharibu was taken by Boko Haram. She was just 14 years old. While other girls were released, Leah remained captive because she refused to deny Jesus.
Her courage has made her a symbol of unwavering faith.
Her mother, Rebecca, still waits. She says: “My request morning and night is that you keep praying for Leah, as you have been doing in the past. I know that one day God will answer and rescue my daughter.”
The pain of separation cuts deep. Leah has missed birthdays, milestones, and every ordinary moment of growing up at home. And she is not alone. In 2014, almost 300 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok. Many are still missing. These are just a few examples, but, unfortunately, we regularly hear of new abductions.
These are not just stories. These are families—still waiting.
Today's Challenge
This is why today’s challenge is to slow down and reflect. Perhaps you can find a quiet place, and either journal or sit in prayer as you consider the following: What would it feel like if someone you loved was taken because of their faith in Jesus?
How would you handle birthdays, holidays, or anniversaries without them?
What would you do if you were given a choice: come home—but only if you deny Jesus?
Let this time draw you into deeper solidarity with Christian families who are separated by persecution, and spend time in prayer for them.
Pray
Pray for families like Leah Sharibu’s. Pray for comfort, hope, and strength in the waiting. Ask God to reunite the abducted with their loved ones and to give each one the courage to hold on to Christ, no matter the cost.