Bring Back Our Girls: 4 ways you can help #bringbackourgirls right now

This is what we should all want this Mother’s Day: Bring back our girls.

  Bring back our girls

I wasn’t going to add to the voices posting on personal blogs about the girls gone missing in Nigeria until I was reminded—once again—that if we don’t collectively raise our voices when others are silenced, then who will? And after seeing this chilling video on CNN this morning, I couldn’t not write something about the girls.

They are my sisters, they are my daughters.

Maybe hundreds, thousands, ­millions all singing the same chorus is what’s needed to raise the profile enough so that these precious girls are not forgotten.

And so I add my lament.

If this abduction had happened in Seattle or Sydney we’d be seeing 24/7 coverage on news channels and breaking news interruptions during regular entertainment programming. People would be rushing to gather their families and congregations to pray, social media would be saturated with articles and posts and hashtags uniting the public’s voice in righteous fury and demand for swift action, and multiple arms of government would be out in full force tracking these kidnappers, human traffickers, murderers down.

When a Malaysian aircraft carrier recently went down carrying roughly the same amount of people, twenty-six nations rallied to the tune of millions of dollars to uncover the mystery. For weeks I watched news coverage—daily—with fascination and sorrow as the whole thing unfolded. I prayed with the rest of the world that this plane and those dear ones would be found.

But this? Teenage girls in the bosom of Africa kidnapped by militants to be sold into slavery, raped of their dignity and future? Three weeks in and we’re just now beginning to hear the international uproar.

I’m outraged—boiling in fact—and I’m in shock that something like this not only can happen underneath our noses, but that the perpetrators of such violence and inhumanity can laugh in the face of opposition. (See the video of the alleged leader’s message here.)

Even as I write this (admittedly in anger) my fingers shake and my heart pounds as I blink back the tears of rage, confusion, and heartbreak. On my facebook page when I implored others to share and pray into this situation, someone actually urged me to “stop interrupting their way of life.”

Violence and terror is no way of life and I’ll be damned if I ignore injustice and perpetuate a “not my problem” attitude.

Because friends, this is so our problem.

These hundreds of girls stolen by extreme Islamic terrorists in the dead of the night and faced with being sold as child brides in the name of Allah* for $12 a precious head? This is only the straw that has broken the camel’s back. The extremist group Boko Haram (loosely translated as “Western education is sin”) is responsible for horrific acts of violence to the tune of thousands of lives murdered in cold blood, and then they’ve gone on to flaunt it, as if the world won’t even care. (AND HELLO, DOES THE WORLD CARE??) The girls gone missing is no isolated incident, but hopefully it’s enough to outrage us and spur us into action.

Oh God, forgive us. But first, rescue them.

There’s no reason for me to regurgitate what’s already being reported through news channels. (If you’d like more info read reports on BBC or CNN.) But I do want to use this little online platform to garner others to action as much as I possibly can.

Here are four ways you can help bring back our girls:

1. Sign // Sign the online petition to implore the Obama Administration to intervene and this one or this one imploring the Nigerian president to action. (How about all three?)

2. Speak // Raise your voice on social media using the hashtag #bringbackourgirls.

3. Report // Report the Boko Haram page on facebook as inappropriate. Warning: extremely graphic images. DO NOT open with children in view. (I’m not sure how to do this on a phone/ipad, but from a desktop/laptop you should see three dots to the right of the friend request/message options near the top of the page. Click on the dots and then select “report” from there.)

4. Pray // Pray for a miracle, for intervention, for calloused hearts to soften and the grip of terrorists to loosen. Pray for governments to spring to action and for investigators to have divine inspiration to know which way to turn as they search and dig for answers. Pray for surrounding nations to tighten their security so these girls can’t be smuggled across their borders. Pray for protection. Pray for supernatural peace to smother the terror. Pray for strength amidst brokenness. Pray for rescue, for redemption, for evil to be overcome by good. Pray for God’s kingdom come in Nigeria and every area that these militants are instilling intimidation and igniting terror. Pray for the hearts of parents and grandparents and siblings and friends that are breaking into a million pieces with each day that passes as their girls remain lost. And pray for these dear girls—each one named and loved by God—that they would be rescued and restored and given the life they so desperately deserve.

I generally make it a rule to not write (and immediately publish) in anger but am breaking my own rule today because this issue is just that important (the video footage pushed me right over the edge) and I think we should be angry and let our anger drive us to action.

Please join me in raising your voice to #bringbackourgirls. It’s what every woman should want for Mother’s Day this year.

It’s what every human should want for today.

Adriel
*Although Boko Haram is claiming these acts as according to Allah’s will, Muslims by and large absolutely do not stand with this kind of gross militant abuse and extremism. They are as horrified as the next person and should not be lumped together and labeled along with these terrorists. Mass stereotyping does not help bring our girls back. And let’s not forget, these are their daughters, their granddaughters, their sisters and nieces, too.

Update – May 6, 2014: Reuters reports 8 more girls between 12-15 abducted by Boko Haram overnight in northeastern Nigeria.

P.S. Need more? Here is a wonderfully thorough post written about some of the why and how surrounding this crisis by Kristen Howerton on her personal blog. And if you want more fuel for prayer but don’t quite know what to say, please read Sarah Bessey’s #bringbackourgirls prayer – read it aloud in agreement and breath AMEN as you do.

Stella Damasus speaks on the abducted Nigerian girls:

About Author

Adriel Booker is an author, speaker, and advocate based in Sydney, Australia who believes storytelling, beauty, and the grace of God will change the world. Adriel has become a trusted voice in areas of motherhood and parenting, Christian spirituality, and global women's issues. She's also known for her work with the Love A Mama Collective—serving under-resourced women in developing nations through safe birth initiatives—as well as her years spent as a Bible teacher and leadership coach. Her latest book is Grace Like Scarlett: Grieving with Hope after Miscarriage and Loss and she's made the companion grief journal available for free. Find Adriel across all social media platforms at @adrielbooker or sign up for LoveNotes, Adriel's 'secret posts' that aren't published anywhere else online. ✌️

25 Comments

  • Sarah
    5 May 2014 at 2:32 pm

    Thanks Adriel, my heart breaks so much for my country and my continent right now… It feels like we’re alone in this fight government-wise because no other government has officially stepped in to help….. sigh

    Reply
  • Lisa @bitesforbabies
    6 May 2014 at 6:06 pm

    I cannot believe that things kids of horrible acts are still being committed around the world…and moreover, no one seems to do anything about them! We are way too concerned with trivial day to day “issues” and have almost become desensitized to these issues! This story needs to be shared, talked about, and something needs to be done!!!!

    Reply
  • Quinn
    6 May 2014 at 9:44 pm

    It sickens me that the world does not care about these people. Praying for their safety and peace.
    Thank you for posting this, and for your loving heart towards them.
    Quinn recently posted..And we have baby #2!My Profile

    Reply
  • Rachel
    7 May 2014 at 4:58 am

    So I went in and reported the FB page. Its got graphic pictures and talk of bombing etc all over the time line. FB sent me a message back to say they found nothing worth taking the profile down for. WHAT THE HECK?!?!?! I’m pretty furious.

    Reply
    • Adriel
      7 May 2014 at 8:01 am

      WHAT?? Maybe I need to check my junk mail folder to see if I have a similar message from fb. I’ve been checking to see if it’s been deleted too – was just complaining to Ryan last night about how it’s still up saying SURELY hundreds of people are reporting it. I’m going to look now.
      Adriel recently posted..Love sees (Exposing the myth that “love is color blind”)My Profile

      Reply
    • Adriel
      7 May 2014 at 8:13 am

      I just looked in my junk mail and don’t see any message from facebook, and yet yes, the page is still there. I went on the page and individually reported posts and pictures. I’m furious. Time to take to twitter.
      Adriel recently posted..Bring Back Our Girls: 4 ways you can help #bringbackourgirls right nowMy Profile

      Reply
    • brenda
      7 May 2014 at 12:34 pm

      I did the same thing and got the same reply, but I questioned it and later got a response that they reviewed it again and it appears to be taken off!

      Reply
  • Sheila Seiler Lagrand
    7 May 2014 at 7:00 am

    Thank you. I’m thinking about the world’s inaction in another African nation, about 20 years ago. I pray we learned something (“we” being the rest of the world).
    Sheila Seiler Lagrand recently posted..Mother’s Day, Solved.My Profile

    Reply
  • Lindsay
    7 May 2014 at 12:24 pm

    Thank you for posting this Adriel and putting ways to take action right at our fingertips. As mothers and daughters, we have to care!
    Lindsay recently posted..My story of hope and loss through miscarriageMy Profile

    Reply
  • When words fail
    7 May 2014 at 3:30 pm

    […] trying to shovel concrete in order to make room in my head or heart for anything other than #bringbackourgirls, and yet there are these other things, important things, mixed up in there as well. They circle and […]

    Reply
  • […] who’s daughters or sons are missing. Whether it be mothers in Nigeria or Nebraska with daughters on the “missing persons” list, remember her – pray for her, lift […]

    Reply
  • Sandra Heska King
    11 May 2014 at 4:00 am

    I found my way here through Dena Dyer. So happy to meet you–but not like this. Thank you for this powerful post. I am undone.
    Sandra Heska King recently posted..Still Saturday: #BringBackOurGirlsMy Profile

    Reply
  • Deborah (Toyin) O'longe
    14 May 2014 at 9:17 am

    Thank you for this wonderful piece on your Blog, Adriel, and the photo you made out for the girls. It indeed speaks volumes.

    Reply
  • Come Jesus, Come
    14 August 2014 at 10:58 am

    […] I don’t know how to pray when little girls disappear off the map and grown men are afraid to find them because of machine guns poised to blow the search for justice […]

    Reply
  • Kara
    11 January 2015 at 3:27 pm

    The first petition you wrote about has expired and did not make its quote of signatures. How is this happening that few are responding to this crisis? Have we forgotten about these girls. I read that 4 Escaped at some point at said they were raped on a daily basis. How do we stand by and let this happen? Are these girls less important than ours?

    Reply
  • […] profiter de cette circonstance pour s’associer au mouvement de solidarité internationale «Let’s not forget our Girls… Bring them back now» né de l’enlèvement de plus de 200 jeunes Nigérianes par la secte islamiste Boko Haram. On-Spot […]

    Reply
  • […] profiter de cette circonstance pour s’associer au mouvement de solidarité internationale «Let’s not forget our Girls… Bring them back now» né de l’enlèvement de plus de 200 jeunes Nigérianes par la secte islamiste Boko Haram. On-Spot […]

    Reply

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