Alex Barbir arrived to smoke rising from burned homes in the Nigerian village of Zike. More than 50 Christians were killed in an attack on the community the night before.

“As soon as we were driving into the village … you can feel the tension of the atmosphere,” Barbir said.

Fulani militants are reported to have been behind the attack on the Zike community in North-Central Nigeria in April 2025. The scene, according to Barbir, was like nothing he had ever witnessed, with “a mass grave of 50 or 60 people just thrown in the dirt in a hole.”

These places of devastation, of persecution, are the exact locations Barbir runs toward.

As the founder of Building Zion, 28-year-old Barbir seeks out the places “in the fire” where others “really just don’t go.” He brings a message of hope through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, rebuilds homes........

© The Daily Signal