ARISE AFRICA: TRUST IN GOD ALONE

After three attacks on his community, Pastor Soré fled with his family, joining two million people in Burkina Faso who have been displaced by extremist violence. Pastor Soré’s situation seems hopeless, but your prayers and gifts are providing him and his family with a vital lifeline.

The third time the attackers came to Pastor Soré’s village, they burned everything they could, forcing the entire community to flee for good.

In less than a day, Pastor Soré and his family became refugees among the two million people displaced in Burkina Faso. Many are Christians, driven out of their homes by extremists.

“When the terrorists come to churches and find Christians, they tell them that Christianity’s time is over, and they should turn to the Islamic religion,” Pastor Soré says. “So, they warn Christians to stop conducting services. After warning, when they come back later and find you in the church, they kill you.”

Image: Pastor Soré and his family walk to church

“It took us four days”

Pastor Soré and his wife, Teresa, have two children – but they care for 15 other Christians, mostly young children who have been orphaned or placed in their care.

When they arrived at the place they live now, it was a wide-open, empty piece of land. “It took us four days to arrive to this place,” he says. “We were weary, walking for three days without finding a means of transportation to carry us.”

The nearest water source for the family is just over a mile away, and they managed to put together a shelter – but it’s inadequate. They are the only people around for miles. “Who could assist us in this isolated place in case of sickness or death?” Pastor Soré asks. “If robbers come to attack us, who are our neighbours who could help?”

And yet, he continues to turn to God for help: “We are sad to be in such a condition, not knowing how to get out of it, and we have been trusting God for change.”

“We wholeheartedly praise God”

Image: Pastor Soré and his family

When Open Doors partners in Burkina Faso heard about Pastor Soré’s situation, they travelled to listen to his story and find out how they could help him and his family.

“The ministry first helped me with prayer that really comforted me,” he says. “In addition to the prayer support, the ministry helped me with seeds and fertilisers. It helped me to grow crops and feed my family members. They also helped us with food, including rice and oil. We wholeheartedly praise God for such blessings and thank the ministry.”

Thanks to your prayers and support, Pastor Soré is able to remain resilient in the midst of his circumstances. “I may suffer physically, but my spirit who is in Christ is not affected by physical suffering,” he says. “The Almighty God is with me in good times, and He is still with me in these hardships.

“I do believe that we are displaced, but Jesus is not and will never be displaced from our lives. He is always with us. This truth strengthens my faith and helps me in this difficult time, and I’m glad with God.”