Tiffany Bennett, 3L
Intern at Jubilee Campaign
Like a typical young American, I’ve done my fair share of
complaining about how hard my life is—including the difficulties of living a
God-honoring life when others don’t understand my convictions. Despite my
frequent altar-call intentions to surrender all to God, I’ve struggled with the
big issues: forgiveness, love, and trusting God. However, my internship with
Jubilee Campaign has changed the way I view surrender by allowing me to
interact with Christians who have come face-to-face with pure evil—and have
returned it with forgiveness and love.
Three weeks ago, I was privileged to meet a young lady
named Deborah Peter—a 15 year old Christian survivor of the Nigerian terrorist
group Boko Haram. Jubilee Campaign brought Debbie to the U.S. after her family
was killed. After Boko Haram kidnapped the 276 Chibok girls, Debbie decided
that she could no longer stay silent. She came to Washington D.C. twice to
grant major media interviews and to brief the House Committee on Foreign
Affairs on the situation. I was able to accompany her, tour the Capitol, meet
with congressmen, write press releases, write a statement to Congress, and help
control the media.
Debbie’s story is one of tragedy, but also a testimony of
a young Christian’s faith in Jesus. Debbie was 12 when Boko Haram came to her
house and demanded that her father, a strong Christian pastor, convert to
Islam. He refused, stating that that Jesus said whoever acknowledges Him in
front of man, He will acknowledge in front of God; and whoever denies Him in
front of man, He will deny in front of God (Matthew 10:32–33, NIV). The terrorists then shot Pastor Peter several times. As he slowly died, they
calmly discussed whether they should kill Debbie’s young brother. They decided
that they should kill him because in Nigeria, pastor’s sons usually grow up to
become Christian pastors. Despite the fact that 13 year old Caleb just saw his
father murdered, he too claimed Jesus as Lord. Boko Haram slaughtered him and
tied Debbie between their corpses with threats to remain quiet. She stayed
there until the next day when the army gained courage to enter the area. When
another pastor heard that Boko Haram changed their minds about sparing Debbie
because she is the daughter of a Muslim woman who converted to Christianity,
the pastor helped Debbie connect with Jubilee Campaign. After she was safely in
America, Boko Haram publicly slaughtered that pastor for assisting. Debbie
admits that she was traumatized and struggled with understanding why this
entire tragedy happened. Yet, on May 13, 2014, she was able to say to 50 media
interviewers, “I hope if people hear my story, they will understand and they
will know more and more of what God said, and understand what it means to stand
strong.” Through talking with her, I’ve learned that she loves Jesus and even forgives
those who murdered her family.
Debbie Peter is not the only person I’ve been privileged
to assist at Jubilee Campaign. Since most of the advocacy I’ve done involves
Nigeria, I drafted a skeleton bill to help safely repatriate the 60,000+
Nigerian refugees fleeing Boko Haram. After a Nigerian congresswoman adds
enforcement legislation, I hope that the bill I drafted provides restoration to
those fleeing persecution. I’ve also been able to work on corporate law issues
surrounding Bombay Teen Challenge, an anti-trafficking organization that
rescues girls in India. Though most people don’t automatically associate
corporate law with anti-trafficking advocacy, I’ve learned that a corporate or
tax lawyer is vital to keeping an organization operating smoothly.
The thing I’ve been most excited about doing at Jubilee
Campaign is working on asylum cases for people fleeing persecution. Though the
work is entirely new for me, I’m learning how to legally assist people in
finding a safe place to practice their religion. Drafting affidavits for these
individuals has made me incredibly thankful to live in a place where Christians
do not have to live as second-class citizens simply for professing Jesus. The
faith of believers in persecuted countries demonstrates how awesome God’s love
is—a love so powerful that a young orphan can say that he forgives the
jihadists who murdered his family because God also forgives him.
These people are true overcomers. My own faith has been
strengthened as I’ve witnessed God’s love in the lives of Christians who, by
the world’s standards, have every reason to viciously hate their attackers. The
power of God’s forgiveness is truly amazing and I’m honored to have a part in
each individual’s life.
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