It has been over a month since more than 200 girls were taken from a school in Chibok, Nigeria.

Can you imagine if you are the parent of one of the girls?

When my oldest son was very young, our family went to the mall for a photo with Santa. While I was paying, my son wandered off.

My husband and I were panic-stricken, alerting mall security and providing a photo as we began searching for my son.

He was found in a game store looking at all the appealing merchandise.

The panic was hard to shake and the event from start to finish was probably 10 minutes.

I cannot imagine what it feels like to have your child missing for this long.

According to the White House, "more than three weeks ago, on the night of April 14, a group of militants kidnapped more than 200 teenage girls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Nigeria.

"In a video released earlier this week, Abubakar Shekau, who leads the terrorist organization Boko Haram based in northeast Nigeria, claimed his group was behind the kidnappings.

"'I abducted your girls,' Shekau said, adding Boko Haram was holding the girls and would 'sell them in the market.'"

Boko Haram is labeled an Islamist extremist group.

U.S. Congressman Charlie Dent, R-15th calls the kidnapping "vicious and cowardly."

Dent said Boko Haram roughly means "Western Education is sin."

"We all desperately want to see the safe return of the young girls at the heart of this event. I pray they are soon returned to their families safe and sound.

I support providing whatever vital intelligence and surveillance capabilities we can offer in the effort to #BringBackOurGirls.

Celebrities and even First Lady Michelle Obama have taken to social media holding signs saying #BringBackOurGirls.

Unfortunately, I do not believe members of Boko Haram care if there is a campaign in the United States to return the girls to the boarding school.

Dent said he became aware of Boko Haram's extensive terrorist activities in 2011. Dent and Congressman Pat Meehan, R-7th, worked to designate Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

News reports say the United Nations has been asked to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist organization; if approved, countries will be able to impose arms embargoes, travel bans and freeze assets.

Once again, the United States has stepped up to assist a nation in need.

President Barack Obama offered assistance with United States military and law enforcement officials, which was accepted by the Nigeria government.

"We're going to do everything we can to provide assistance to them," Obama said.

In an interview on Good Morning America, Obama said his hope after the teenage girls are rescued, this event will help "mobilize the entire international community to finally do something against this horrendous organization that's perpetrated such a terrible crime."

As we watch this event unfold, I continue to be grateful to live in a country which does not believe education is sin and thank the government for keeping these terrorists groups on the radar.

We will continue to pray for the students' safe return to their families and for continued strength for the girls as they endure this horrific nightmare.

Hopefully, we soon will rejoice with their families as they 'bring back their girls.'

Debbie Galbraith

editor

East Penn Press

Salisbury Press