A difficult but worthwhile separation
Francisco Edith Cuellazos was born in Jerusalem, but not the Holy City, nor the temples of the Bible. He was born in Jerusalem, Colombia, where following Christ could jeopardize his job, his family, his physical integrity and even his freedom.
Francisco sows and harvests coffee, bananas, and manioc, but his work in his community goes much further. He is part of the region’s Christian council and serves in his local church as a musician and treasurer. This, however, has caused conflict with some people who follow the indigenous traditions of his region. Francisco and his family received threats and abuse for following Christ, so two of their three children, Valentina and Elver, had to leave home to have access to two of their fundamental rights: the right to education and the right to religious freedom.
How it all started
“Before, I lived to serve the world,” says Francisco when we asked him about his call to serve the church. He was born into a Christian home. His parents followed Jesus, but he didn’t believe that God was real. “Until I was 20 years old, my life was really sad, before knowing Christ, and following his ways…” It was at this age that his life took a turn thanks to the different events he experienced at that time.
One day he was invited to a party in the CRIC, Cauca’s Indigenous Regional Council, which is the traditional authority of the indigenous community in the region. Although Francisco knew that during this party there were traditional rituals that are against Christian beliefs, he was determined to attend. At the same time, the local church was holding a week of fasting. “My plan was to go to the party but in the end, I didn’t go. Instead, we went to the fast, and God did a miracle there,” he says.
Francisco says that on the third day of fasting he was convinced that God was real, and he wanted to continue knowing Him, so he was baptized and became involved in the local church that already had about 50 members. After attending and serving the Lord faithfully for 10 years, they realized that they needed to create an indigenous Christian council because the traditional Council was trying to close the churches and was imposing the teaching of indigenous rites in the school’s academic program.
“We wanted to create it so that our children would also have a Christian education,” says Francisco.
This infuriated the members of the CRIC, because the Christians, in addition to not participating in rituals, did not participate in protests or land claims, because “they didn’t do it in a legal and peaceful way, and that is called stealing,” he says. As Christians, they did not participate in any of these activities, however, they depended on the council to be represented before the state, so creating a Christian council meant greater independence from the traditional indigenous authorities. “So, it was not good for them that we had another council,” he says.
It's worth it
Francisco says: “When we left CRIC, they told the Education Department that we had no right to education or health care.” In addition to this, the guerrillas also sent threats to the family: “The guerrillas were looking to recruit children as young as 12 years old… And a community leader sought help to get our children out so, as desperate parents, thank God there was an open door at the Children’s Center.”
This is how Valentina and Elver said goodbye to their parents, Francisco and Luz, and their sister Myriam, to go to study and live their faith peacefully more than 700 kilometres away from their home. Francisco says: “We were feeling sad to send our daughter so far away that we couldn’t see her, but happy at the same time knowing that she wasn’t in danger anymore”. Although at first, it was a difficult situation as a family, they found hope knowing that God is the one who protects and sustains them and that it was He who opened that door at the Children’s Center.
When asked if he felt it was worth it to continue preaching the gospel despite having to be away from his children and having to pay that price as a family in addition to receiving constant threats of imprisonment. His answer was yes. But not just for the fact that his children can receive a Christian education or that they are in the midst of a community of believers. For him, it is worth it for what lies ahead “They are prepared, not just academically but also biblically. So they are getting closer to God and that’s great for them and for us. Even if we die, they remain to preach the word of God, they remain as new leaders,” he said.
Despite the threats and mistreatment, Francisco’s eyes are on Jesus, and he says this has led him to forgive those who persecute them. His hope for the future is that many more people in his community will come to know Jesus, that they will be saved and that the violence in his region will decrease. He hopes that the Christians in his region will be able to stand firm in their faith despite persecution. His dream is “that we keep fighting to be different, and to work in a different way than other councils. That God helps us so that we can always do good”.
Pray for Francisco, his family and the persecuted church in Colombia:
- May God give strength to Francisco, his wife Luz, and their children. It’s not easy to be apart from each other, but may they know that God has plans for their lives.
- Strength and protection for our indigenous brothers and sisters who, like Francisco, send their children far from home in the hope that it is worthwhile to continue carrying the Gospel of Christ.
- For those who persecute them that they may come to repentance and come to know Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
