 Alicia Castilla Photo: Open Doors |
On January 7th, 2013, as a local pastor concluded an evening devotional in the home of widow Alicia Castilla, guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) forcefully entered and opened fire with pistols. Alicia was instantly killed in front of her three children and her elderly father. This tragedy follows the previous shooting of her husband, lay evangelist Nelson Ramos, who was murdered in January of 2011, also at the hands of the ELN.
Alicia's late husband, Nelson, who had come to faith in Christ two years before his death, often shared the Gospel in Saravena, a border town near Colombia's frontier with Venezuela. A few months after his conversion, the ELN issued its first expulsion order against him and his family. As done in the recent incident, assassins entered the family's home and shot the evangelist as his wife and two small daughters helplessly watched.
Founded in 1964, the ELN is one of several illegal armed groups fighting for control of the rich petroleum resources along Colombia's eastern-central border with Venezuela. These violent groups forcibly recruit children into their ranks, and persecute those who oppose them, namely the church. (For more about the country of Colombia and the challenges Christians face there, go to the Colombia Country Report.) Yet, despite their belief that Christians are "brainwashed" by the Bible, "they also notice that when Christians fast and pray, the guerrillas' violent plans...are oddly stopped!" states an Open Doors representative who oversees ministry in the Arauca area.
Please pray for the protection and healing of the surviving traumatized children: 18-year-old Hernán and his little sisters Rosmy and Jackeline, ages 9 and 6, who now face life without both parents. Also remember Alicia's father who was present at the recent January shooting. May they all be surrounded by God's love through caring family and friends, especially the members of the Christian community. We are reminded that God's salvation is extended to anyone who willingly receives it, including the members of the ELN who clearly need His touch upon their lives.
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