Six years on from tragedy, Thiago has new hope

Thiago is a young man, 19 years old and studying industrial design. Thanks to Open Doors supporters he has received care and education. But it has been a long, hard road.

Six years ago, he was living in a village in the El Cauca region of Colombia. He had a brother back then. A twin, Mateo. Because of their Christian faith, his family were frequently discriminated against by local authorities who followed the indigenous religion, with rituals and spiritual practices which are contrary to Christian beliefs.

For a while, he and Mateo attended a Christian school where his aunt worked. It was a long walk to get there, but the brothers had each other for company. But then the cabildo, which is the ruling council of the indigenous community, decided to withdraw government aid to his family because of their refusal to participate in their rituals. Money became tight. Thiago and Mateo had to leave school and find work.

“It was a bit difficult because my younger brother was about one and a half years old, so sometimes [Mateo and I] had to go to work ourselves to get money while my mother worked, or else I stayed behind to take care of my little brother. It was like that for a long time,” Thiago says.


 

Spiritual and physical attacks

Then the persecution got worse. First there were increased spiritual attacks, including witchcraft. Then the attacks turned physical. One day, Thiago’s mother told him that the cabildo went to his aunt’s school and kidnapped her and his cousins, taking them away in a truck. His aunt managed to call a friend in the police and the army caught up with them, but clearly things had escalated. The cabildo were now collaborating with armed guerrilla groups which targeted young people for forced recruitment. 

To keep them safe, Thiago’s aunt sent his cousins to the Open Doors Children’s Centre, partly funded by the ‘Children at Christmas’ appeal and by all Open Doors supporters who regularly give to support children’s projects. Thiago’s mother decided to do the same, but such was the demand at the time that there were not enough spaces at the centre for both brothers. 

In the end, the family decided Thiago would go. He was reluctant, but his mother assured him that it was God who was giving him this opportunity and that he should take it. So, he said goodbye to his family and made the long, 13-hour trip to the Children’s Centre. 

Tragically, not long after he arrived, Mateo was kidnapped by guerrillas. After nearly a month of being missing, Mateo’s body was found. 

Thiago returned to be with his grieving family. But even then it was too dangerous for him to stay. The family heard rumours that the guerrillas were talking about the need for another person to join their group. “That person was me,” Thiago says. 

He was taken back to the Children’s Centre as soon as possible, where he began the long road to healing and hope. 


 

Christlike forgiveness 

The loss of a brother is difficult to bear. The loss of a twin brother perhaps even more so. But, thanks to the work of the Children’s Centre and the support of believers around the world, Thiago was able to escape being trapped in bitterness and hatred. And today, he demonstrates a forgiveness that is only possible through the Holy Spirit.

   “I would like to tell them that I forgive them in spite of all the evil they did, because maybe they didn’t know or hadn’t thought about what they were doing,” he says. “I know that God can also do something in the lives of those who persecute or recruit.” 

At the Children’s Centre he was helped with study and work opportunities. His dream is to return to the church in Cauca and use his industrial design skills to develop the church building and help his community. He also dreams of creating a soccer school that also promotes the Christian faith. 

Colombia is still a troubled country. Six years ago, when this story started, it had dropped to number 50 on the World Watch List. Today it is number 34. But, thanks to Open Doors supporters, Christians in Colombia know that they are not alone. 

Every day around the world, your gifts help people like Thiago through times of darkness towards life and light. There are wounds which will never heal, of course, but with your support, there is also a hope which never dies.