Mary pleaded with the bloodthirsty terrorists as they came closer – but to no avail.
The attackers pushed roughly past Mary and shot dead her husband and two older children. They then turned their attention to Mary’s eight-month-old baby boy.
One raised a machete and hacked at the child. Mary tried to defend him, but lost part of her arm. She passed out from the pain. When she recovered consciousness, she discovered that she was the only survivor.
A pastor leads the prayers at a mass burial for some of the 115 or more Christians slaughtered by terrorists in Plateau State, Nigeria. Can you minister to this hurting community?
Mary’s family are among the hundreds of Christians slaughtered by Islamists in Nigeria’s Middle Belt so far this year.
This brutal attack took place in Plateau State, one of the worst-affected areas. At least 115 were killed in a month of violence that led up to Easter.
The survivors – Mary among them – have been left traumatised and grief-stricken.
Mary (right) lost her husband and three children – one an eight-month-old baby – in an Islamist attack. One of the attackers hacked off Mary’s arm at the elbow as she tried to protect her baby boy
The persistent violence shows no sign of ending – but now is not the time to feel hopeless or helpless.
You can pray for our brothers and sisters – and, by God’s grace, your prayers matter. You can minister to the urgent needs of those who have witnessed and endured unspeakable violence.
“Blessed is the one who is kind to the needy. … Whoever is kind to the needy honours God” (Proverbs 14:21, 31).
How you can pray
Lord God and Heavenly Father, we pray for Your comfort for Mary and the many other suffering and persecuted Nigerian Christians in their hour of darkness. Please draw near to each one by Your Holy Spirit, for they are Your treasured ones (Psalm 83:3, ESV). Please bless our work of ministering to the hurting and traumatised, to the praise of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose Name we pray.
How you can give
£10 ($12; €11) could provide 12 packs of bandages to treat the wounded
£36 ($42; €39) could provide five blankets for a displaced family whose home has been destroyed
£120 ($140; €130) could provide 50 sleeping mats for use in a camp for displaced people
