Day 18: Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mrs. Obama,

My name is Emmett Eldred. I am one of many youth and young adults who belong to an active, passionate movement within the Church of the Brethren to better reflect the love and teachings of Jesus in our everyday lives. I am writing to you as part of a series of over 1000 letters that I will write to public figures about the Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN), the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria.

Months ago, you very publicly supported the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. Since then, the media attention surrounding Boko Haram and the kidnapped schoolgirls has waned. However, the violence has not, and most of the girls are still held captive. Roughly three-fourths of those girls who were kidnapped belong to the EYN, and this only begins to scratch the surface of the horrific violence that the EYN and many others in Nigeria have endured since then.

However, it is not just the suffering of the EYN that makes their story so important to hear, it is also their remarkable, inspiring response to their suffering. The Church of the Brethren, including the EYN, is a historic peace church. The EYN has shown awe-inspiring resolve in staying firm in their conviction to peace, despite their hardship.

In the face of great hatred, fear, and division, the EYN continues to respond with far greater love, courage, and community. They understand that they must be beacons of Christ’s love in a climate darkened by violence. This means being leaders in working to peacefully and sustainably restore community, dialogue, and the dignity of all Nigerians, even when it means sacrifice.

These people fill me with hope, and I will never stop advocating for them.

I hope you will join me in sharing the story of the EYN and advocating for their aid and for our investment in their ministry of reconciliation. It is important that the American public again hears about the horrors of the violence in Nigeria, but it is equally important that they are reminded about this violence with the understanding that there is hope. The EYN represent the hope of peace in Nigeria, but they need our help.

With thanks and the love of Christ,

Emmett Eldred
Carnegie Mellon University SMC# 2046
Pittsburgh, PA 15289
eeldred@andrew.cmu.edu
814-502-8349