This Wednesday, Nathan and Rebecca Sharibu will mark a second Christmas without their daughter, Leah. She was one of 110 girls abducted from their school in Dapchi, Nigeria by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an offshoot of Boko Haram, in February 2018. Though the rest of the girls were released following negotiations with the government, Leah refused to renounce her faith in exchange for her freedom.

Almost two years later, Leah remains a prisoner, along with fellow hostage and Christian Alice Ngaddah, a humanitarian aid worker. She is now 16 and has marked two birthdays in captivity – and her captors have promised that she and Alice will remain their ‘slaves for life’. Nathan and Rebecca continue to pray and campaign faithfully for the return of their daughter.

This week, pray for Leah:

• That she and Alice will be released very soon.
• That God will reward her extraordinary courage with perseverance and strength.
• For God to protect Leah, Alice and their fellow captives from violence.

Pray for Nathan and Rebecca, and Leah’s brother, Donald:

• For God to comfort them during this incredibly difficult time.
• That they, and Alice’s family, would be granted double measures of grace and endurance.
• That they would celebrate next Christmas as a whole family again.