Thanks to you, Timoteo will be safe this Christmas

When Timóteo was just 11 years old, he was approached by guerilla fighters who tried to persuade him to join their rebel army with promises of riches and power. It was a tempting offer.

As Christians from an indigenous background, his family were seen as traitors by their tribe because of their new faith, and they had very little in terms of material wealth. He refused their offer, but he couldn’t help wondering about the life they could offer him.

When Timóteo’s father, a pastor, realized that his son was being harassed to join the guerrillas, he was afraid it was only a matter of time before Timóteo gave in to their offers or was taken by force –especially given his own public opposition to the guerillas. His son would make a fine trophy for them.

So Timóteo was sent to live at the Children’s Centre, run by Open Doors. There, he was able to continue with his education, as well as receive trauma care to help him process the persecution his family had faced, and the chance to learn more about Jesus.

In the years since Timóteo first came to the Children’s Centre, his father and mother continued to risk their lives to spread the good news about Jesus. Thanks to your support, they didn’t have to choose between following the call of God on their lives and keeping Timóteo safe. And now, Timóteo wants to follow in their footsteps. “I want to talk to families. I would like to go to their homes, share about God as an evangelist. I want to do this because Jesus did this. If He did it, I must do it too.”

Timóteo has now graduated from the Children’s Center and will start studying Industrial Engineering. He wants to finish his studies and return to his community to help struggling kids –there are many boys and girls who are still facing the challenges that he once faced.

When he thinks about returning to his community, Timóteo says, “I am not afraid of the guerrillas, because I know that God is with me and He gives me the strength to carry His gospel and will always protect me.”

Please Pray

•Pray for Timóteo’s future and the plans that God has for his life

•Pray for Timóteo’s family. His parents still live in the same tribe. Ask God to protect them

•Pray for the Timóteo’s tribe, that their hearts will be reached by the Lord and that they will accept Jesus as their only savior

•Pray for those who run the Children’s Centre, that God will give them wisdom and energy as they care for children who have often lived through traumatic experiences because of their family’s faith

•Pray for the children at the Children’s Centre, that God would work in their hearts to heal them of their trauma and draw them close to Himself