Day 23: Valarie Kaur

Valarie Kaur
Groundswell
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 1800
New York, NY 10115

Dear Ms. Kaur,

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 over then next year to public figures and community leaders about the Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN), the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria.

I hope you will be moved, inspired, and challenged by the story of the EYN. I’m sure you remember the 276 schoolgirls from northern Nigeria who were kidnapped by Boko Haram. Roughly three-fourths of those girls belong to the EYN. In fact, few groups have suffered from the violence in Nigeria more severely than the EYN, and their situation continues to worsen.

However, it is not just the suffering of the EYN that make their story so important to hear, but also their courageous and inspiring response to their suffering. The Church of the Brethren, including the EYN, is a historic peace church. The EYN have been faithful and steadfast in their commitment to peace, despite their horrific trials.

In the face of great hatred, fear, and division, the EYN consistently respond with far greater love, courage, and community. They understand that as Christians they must be beacons of love to a landscape darkened by violence. They have become leaders in working to peacefully and sustainably restore community, dialogue, and the dignity of all Nigerians.

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

I hope you will learn more about the EYN and consider what you can do to to partner in their ministry of reconciliation. The EYN represent the possibility of peace for Nigeria, but as their safety dwindles, they need our partnership to make that possibility a reality. Share their story, support their mission, and join them in working to create peace.

With thanks and the love of Christ,

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