Seth Barnes - Why Should I Go To Nigeria?

Lagos, Nigeria - What comes to mind? "Isn't that where travelers get bags stolen at the airport?" Doesn't the State Dept say:

"Reconsider travel to Nigeria due to COVID-19, crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and maritime crime.

"Yes," I respond. "I'm headed there today."

Why go?

Well, if you sense God calling you there, I can't think of a better place to be.

That's always been my primary filter for going to places labeled "dangerous." I try to ask, "Can I serve as God's hands and feet in that place?" It's led me to some places where I saw far more beauty than danger: Cambodia after the genocide, Swaziland during AIDS, Miami after Andrew, New Orleans after Katrina, Haiti after the earthquake, and now Nigeria.

Nigeria is just one place in a world that is on fire and needs help during Covid.

Yes, this is not a great time to be flying anywhere, let alone a place the State Dept finds dangerous. But dangerous times call for a different mindset. Just look at the way a million nurses around the nation have selflessly helped us navigate the pandemic.

If God is wanting to touch his children, shouldn't we make ourselves available to serve as his hands and feet?

Some of you see the vaccine coming your way soon and you're ready to flip the script in 2021 to one with hope as a theme. If your health has been spared and you've got time and resources to share, consider asking God where his children need to be touched.

My guess is that he might have you start in your neighborhood. Or with the hurricane-ravaged of Louisiana or Honduras. Or one day, maybe join me in Nigeria.