FROM BOKO HARAM BUTCHER TO GOSPEL PREACHER: YWAM Transforms Nigerian Terrorists Who Beheaded 200 Christians
Formerly murderous militants in Nigeria are being transformed into spiritual warriors for Jesus Christ as Youth With A Mission reports God is taking what the devil intended for evil and turning it for good, according to a new documentary film released across 240 plus locations on six continents.
The film "Go Africa," produced by YWAM, features testimonies from child soldiers who've surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ and honors the wives of pastors killed by beheading in northern Nigeria.
Up to 150 widows come to a YWAM base there every six months to heal from trauma.
Paul Dangtoudma, who moved to Nigeria from Burkina Faso, founded and leads one of YWAM's largest bases in Africa.
Two thirds of his staff are reformed militants. The base's location is undisclosed to protect young missionaries, staff, and widows.
"When God called us to go to that place, it was a no go zone full of violence. A lot of people lost their lives there. Many villages were destroyed. Young people lost their lives. There was a lot of chaos," Dangtoudma said.
His wife Rachel, originally from South Africa, said God changed her heart and gave her His heart for the nation of Nigeria. Without fear of losing their lives, the couple started a discipleship training school on land once owned by militants and occultists who killed Christians after participating in demonic spiritual rituals.
One story reenacted in the film involves a young man who wanted to avenge his sister's deadly rape. He pursued dark spiritual powers by submitting to his own live burial. After a week underground, his body was resurrected by the power of Satan, who changed his boyhood name from Sunrise to Nightmare.
In horrific fashion, Nightmare led a Boko Haram influenced massacre at a church in the village Sunrise once called home.
"They want to do jihad. They want to force people to convert to Islam. It's not only the Christians who are suffering; many Muslims are also suffering. It's just demonic what is happening," said Paul Dangtoudma.
"Many churches and pastors were killed and the wives left without their husbands, who were beheaded," said Rachel Dangtoudma, describing one particular massacre.
Some women were raped in front of their children. One murderer notoriously beheaded 200 people, Paul Dangtoudma said.
Visiting church buildings that were burned to ash, he met in total 6,000 widows whose husbands were pastors at the time of their killing. The widows are called "women of honor" when they come to the YWAM base, which offers ministry for healing from trauma.
Sometimes, the widows meet their husbands' killers face to face, like in the case of former militant murderer Nightmare. He is one of many child soldiers who has since repented and given his life to Jesus, even asking the widows for their forgiveness. Many of them become students at YWAM Nigeria, which focuses on evangelism.
Transformed by the Lord, one graduate of YWAM's discipleship training school is now a lawyer in England. Others have become pastors and worship leaders.
A female missionary confirmed widespread mass murder of Christians in greater numbers than in all the nations of the earth combined. "
Boko Haram has literally actually taken over the whole place. They get into villages, and they wipe them out. They kill their men. They take the girls. You find little girls that become mothers as 10 to 11 year olds," an unidentified local woman said.
"I believe God is busy raising up an army of Nigerians to go into all the world to make Him known," said Rachel Dangtoudma. Her husband urges Christians to pray for Nigeria because it, along with all of the African continent, holds the power to change the world.
"Nigeria will impact the world. There will be a lot of missionaries being released around the world. We will see a model of society that God wants to establish as Nigeria changes and becomes disciples of Jesus," Paul Dangtoudma said.
The film is free to download or watch in its entirety at YWAM: The Go Movie.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
A man who beheaded 200 Christians now preaches Christ crucified.
Saul became Paul on the Damascus road.
Nightmare is becoming an evangelist in Nigeria.
God specializes in transforming His chief persecutors into His chief apostles.
While the world watches Nigeria's genocide and shrugs, YWAM missionaries are walking into no go zones proving that where sin abounds, grace abounds even more.
Six thousand pastor widows. Little girls made mothers at 10 by Boko Haram rapists. Churches burned to ash.
And in hell on earth, God raises an army from the ashes.
The same hands that held machetes now hold Bibles, just as Paul's hands that approved Stephen's stoning later penned half the New Testament.
If Christ can save the chief of sinners, no terrorist is beyond redemption.
Nigeria's suffering will birth a missionary movement that shakes nations.
The blood of martyrs remains the seed of the church.
TAKE ACTION
Support YWAM's work in Nigeria: • Youth With A Mission: https://www.ywam.org/donate • Watch and share "Go Africa" film for free: https://www.thegomovie.org • YWAM Nigeria specific support: Contact YWAM International to designate gifts
Support Nigerian Christians and widows: • Voice of the Martyrs Nigeria: https://www.persecution.com/give | 800.747.0085 • International Christian Concern Nigeria: https://www.persecution.org/donate | 800.422.5441 • Barnabas Fund (supporting pastor widows): https://barnabasfund.org/donate
Pray and advocate: • Pray for the 6,000 pastor widows and their children healing from trauma • Pray for former Boko Haram militants who have surrendered to Christ • Contact your government representatives to maintain Nigeria's "country of particular concern" designation • Share YWAM's testimony of transformed terrorists to demonstrate the Gospel's power
