A Community Where Christians are Not Welcome
San Andres Yaa is a small indigenous community located in southwestern Mexico. It is also one of the most violent cities against evangelical Christians in this region. Community leaders look unkindly on those who abandon the customary animist religion for Christianity.
The persecution started in 2006 when the first two Christians in the community were expelled. Four years later, the community destroyed the church built by Pastor Imeldo, put him in prison, and then expelled him and his entire family. Because of this persecution and the fear it generated, Christians created underground churches in the homes of believers.
This is the story of Pastor Imeldo and Adolfina, a couple who continue to fight to return to their community, even after all they’ve been through. It’s also the story of Pastor Celiflora, a missionary called by God to work in San Andres Yaa.
Fighting for Justice
Adolfina and Imeldo are a couple who converted when their youngest daughter became seriously ill at three years old. She was in the hospital and the doctors said that her illness had no cure. Upon learning this, Adolfina’s sister asked if the pastor of her church could pray for her, and the couple accepted.
The pastor said “Do you believe that God has the power to heal the girl? If you believe, receive Christ in your heart.” It was at this moment that they received Christ with all their hearts. And from that moment on, they dedicated themselves to the work of God.
At this time, they no longer lived in San Andres Yaa. However, they knew the need for their people to know God, so they decided to go back and preach. At first, nothing happened. They shared the word of God; many listened, but few converted.
But with these few converts, Pastor Imeldo decided it was time to open a church so they could meet. “We have to build a small church so we can meet and talk to them more. God will reach them. We’re going to put it in God’s hands and He’s going to work.”
On land provided by Adolfina’s father, they built the church, about one kilometre outside the city. “We had services on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, with worship and praise to God. And the brothers from my city have already started to arrive, those who have
already received Christ. The church started to grow a little bit.”
Before long, there were 15 people attending church. And although the number seems small, that’s when all the trouble started. One day, they held a special service. It was a party! Even the church in the neighbouring community attended to praise the Lord.
When the service ended, the brothers from the neighbouring community were prevented from leaving. As they passed through the city, they were stopped by community authorities. Stuck, they called Pastor Imeldo. When he arrived, he was asked to provide proof of permission to hold that service, something he had never been asked for before.
The next morning, after much discussion, they let the brothers go. However, the following night, they gathered the whole community to tell the pastor that they no longer would allow services and preaching in the city. The pastor firmly said that he would not change, and that
the services would continue to take place.
After a week, a new meeting was called with the same intent, but with a new threat: If the pastor did not renounce his faith, the community would take the necessary steps.
“No, I am not going to renounce my Christ. Do what you want, I’m not going to renounce.”
It was 11 p.m. on a rainy night when they arrested and jailed the pastor, and came out covered in plastic rain ponchos to destroy the church. Even in the rain, they broke the roof and all the walls. The next day, they returned to finish removing the floor and all traces that there had ever been a church there.
“They left the land as if nothing had been built there, so there would be no evidence. They planted plants, bananas and that was it. They threw it all away,” said Adolfina.
After the destruction of the church, they went back to jail, took Imeldo out and gave him another chance to deny Jesus. They told him:
“Renounce — and if you renounce, you have all rights, everything, you can work, you can stay here, but we no longer want evangelicals here
in town.” After several of Imeldo’s refusals, they expelled him from the community.
“It was really, really bad. And my husband said ‘calm down, God knows what he’s doing, God knows what he’s doing. And don’t you worry, whatever they do, we won’t give up,’” Adolfina said.
“I don’t know how God gave my husband strength, but he continued. It was around 6 pm, when the whole town threw him two kilometres away from the town, for him to walk. They left him there. And from there, he went to Oaxaca.”
In Oaxaca, Imeldo sought help in different places, but even with an order from the judge to let him return to the community, the local authorities did not accept. The couple remained calm and with an unshakable faith in God. “Only God strengthens us. Just trust Him.
And He is the one who gives us strength. Look to Christ, no matter what. Trust in the Lord.”
After several attempts without any result, Open Doors picked up the case of Imeldo and Adolfina. “Thanks to Open Doors, we met Sister Celiflora. They started to support us and the process started to flow. He (Imeldo) was fighting, he was there, fixing it, but my people just
don’t want it. Right now, the lawyer is still trying to solve the problem. She already won the case, but they don’t want us to come back.”
Because of this, they fight to be at least compensated for everything that was destroyed. “My husband fought for them to pay for everything they destroyed, everything they took,” Adolfina said. “To pay us. We had land where my husband worked … so that’s what the lawyer is
fighting now. Open Doors is supporting, is paying for the legal process.”
Unfortunately, Imeldo did not see the results of his fight. In 2020, the pastor died of COVID -19. And Adolfina continues the fight, with a lot of pain, but with faith that she will be able to get through this adversity.
She asks, “I just want the brothers to keep praying for us. Pray for my people that justice will be done, because many years have passed. We ask for prayer for us. That’s what I ask of you. My husband is gone. He fought, he fought to the end. He’s resting, but he left us. That’s what hurts me the most. That’s why I ask the brothers to support us through prayers.”
Called by God to work in San Andres Yaa
The Christian community in San Andres Yaa is very small and needs constant support. In 2006, Pastora Celiflora and her husband, after hearing the voice of God telling her to preach in San Andres Yaa, began visiting Pastor Imeldo’s church. Since then, she has helped the church through Biblical teaching and discipleship. Open Doors has stood beside her to help her.
“We have been sharing, together with my husband, the teaching of Standing Strong Through the Storm. They practically depend on our church. The teaching they need is in the spiritual area and they need to learn to respond to the persecution because they live in hiding.”
She also comments that the goal the church has today is just to stand firm in front of all the attacks they receive for their faith.
Please Pray
- Pray for Adolfina and her family. They have gone through many things since the expulsion and destruction of the church. To this day, they are looking for an end to this. Pray that God will give Adolfina the strength to go ahead with the lawsuits even after her husband’s death.
- Pray for Celiflora, her husband and the work they do in the San Andrés Yaa community.
- Pray for the San Andrés Yaa community to be open to the gospel.
