Shooting of Evangelist's Widow Leaves Children Orphaned


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.

  • Country Information

    Population
    49,336,454 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Mestizo and white (87.6), Afro-Colombian (6.8), Amerindian (4.3), unspecified )1.4)

    Religion (%)
    Christianity (92.3), other (1), unspecified (6.7)

    Leader
    President Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego (2022)

    Government type
    Presidential republic

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Colombia

    Please uphold all those in Colombia who’ve been victimized through acts of violence, asking the Lord to meet their needs, heal them of their brokenness, and bring about renewed hope and restoration. Also intercede for their persecutors so that they, too, will witness the love of Christ and experience His forgiveness and salvation.

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Colombia News

  • Law Proposed to Ban Evangelization
    Martyr's widow, Kelly Saenz
    Kelly Saenz, wife of martyred believer Pabel Tujillo, understands how costly it can be to follow Christ.
    Hear Kelly's testimony.
    Photo: 100 Huntley Street

    Sources in Colombia are calling for urgent prayer, as organizations endeavour to ban Christian evangelization among Indigenous communities. Within the Colombian constitution, Indigenous communities are granted special rights of self-governance. As a result, Christians have encountered significant persecution, with little or no recourse.

    Currently, a group from within the Paez community of Huila are in the capital city of Bogota fighting for a law to ban evangelization and give the Paez people complete control over education. The proposed law would then prevent the operation of Christian schools in Indigenous communities.

    Read more...

  • Church Traumatized by Fatal Shooting
    Small church in Colombia
    Photo: World Watch Monitor

    Pastor Leider Molina, 24, had just finished preaching at his church in Caucasia (northwest Colombia) on Friday, February 9th. As he stepped out of the building, he was shot with five bullets. The young man was known as a passionate preacher and active youth leader in his church and city.

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  • Standing Firm Amid Death Threats
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    Death threats have been a typical part of ministry life for "Xavier," a partnering church planter who works in one of Colombia's most dangerous regions; a poor, rural area currently being ruled by paramilitaries. Before his involvement in ministry, Xavier had a successful career in broadcasting. Yet, in 2009, God directed him to begin a church in one of Colombia's poorest cities, a call that Xavier couldn't deny.

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  • Varied Reactions over FARC Deal
    Flag of the FARC-EP
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Boris Arenas

    June 23rd was an historic day in Colombia. After four years of peace talks, and more than 50 years of armed confrontation, a bilateral ceasefire was agreed upon between the Colombian government and representatives of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a guerrilla group founded in 1964 that is currently operating with 15,700 members.

    The reaction of the church is divided. On one hand, its long-suffering members are skeptical about the promises of peace and reconciliation by the government and the guerrillas. A female church leader, who requests anonymity, states that "the persecution against the church has grown through criminal gangs, indigenous leaders and other guerrilla groups."

    On the other hand, leaders and representatives of the urban church have reacted more positively to the proposals. Even so, about 30 pastors from different regions of the country are concerned about getting involved in the verification processes of the points agreed upon as it could bring them added problems. One Christian leader who was displaced by the FARC explains:

    "In rural areas, we are vulnerable, and any information we report to the government will be used against us. The guerrillas will have access to official information with the powers...given to them in the post-conflict. We were trained to forgive, not to denounce. Our role will be to welcome those who demobilize, and to be peacemakers as we have always been."

    There is more acceptance of the peace agreement in cities where people in the streets are expressing excitement. "This is the answer to the prayers of many churches, vigils and intercession that for many years we have done -- so that the war ends in Colombia," states Rolando, a representative of Christ for the City Church in the capital of Bogota. To learn more about the country of Colombia, and the crucial role of the church, go to this page.

    Please join us in praying for the manifestation of "true peace" within the nation of Colombia -- beginning in the hearts of the people. May the peace of God flow throughout the land, halting the schemes of those with intent to pose further violence and harm. May the country's pastoral leaders and the members of their churches, especially those serving in vulnerable areas, be free to preach the Word of the Lord with boldness and to worship Him without the threat of opposition. May God continue the good work that He has begun in the nation of Colombia by not only providing peace and protection to its citizens, but also by leading many more who are in desperate need of salvation to the "Prince of Peace."

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