#bringbackourgirls

Last Sunday in church we were all given a sticky label bearing the Christian name of one of the girls kidnapped in Nigeria, and asked to pray for her. Mine says ‘Aisha’ – I have stuck it on the alarm box above the key basket – to remind me to pray for her whenever I go out or come in, and pick up or put down my doorkey.

I thought about those girls on Friday as I called the register for an unfamiliar class. “We are one short, Lisa isn’t here” the children told me. “We hope she will be back on Monday” said the Teaching Assistant. When the Literacy books were given out, a girl brought me Lisa’s book. “Where shall I put it? Lisa isn’t here” In the afternoon, they painted the jars they made last week. One girl who had been on holiday last week was helping a friend paint. One jar stood alone, unpainted, gleaming white, on the shelf , I suggested she might paint that one. “That’s Lisa’s jar – and she is coming back soon” they said, confidently. They were determined not to forget their classmate, and reminded me constantly of her absence. And she was just one girl missing from the class. What would the absence of almost 200 be like?

Let us go on praying for the Nigerian schoolgirls and their families – that they will come back soon. [I’ve removed surnames from the list, and repeats – e.g. there are 3 Lydias on the full list, just pray for these names – God knows them all and He will sort it out]

Abigail Aisha ​Aishatu Amina ​Ali Anthonia Asabe ​Awa ​Awagana Blessing Christiana Christy Comfort Deborah Docas ​Eli Esther Falta Fatima ​Febi Filo Gloria Glory Godiya ​Grace ​Hadiza Halima ​Hamsatu Hana ​Hanatu Hasana Hauwa ​Helen ​Ihyi ​Jinkai ​Juliana ​Jummai ​Kabu ​Kauna ​Kume Kummai ​Kwadugu Kwanta ​Ladi Laraba Liyatu ​Luggwa Lydia ​Maifa ​Maimuna Mairama Margret Mary Maryamu Monica Muli ​Muwa Naomi Nguba ​Palmata Patient ​Pindar ​Racheal Rahap ​Rahila ​Rakiya Rebecca Rejoice ​Rhoda ​Rifkatu Ruth ​Safiya ​Salomi ​Saratu ​Saraya ​Serah Sicker ​Solomi ​Suzana ​Tabitha ​Talata ​Yana Yanke ​Yayi Zara