‘May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.’ (Ruth 2:12)
Will you help Christian widows and families who are forced to flee, like Juliette* in Burkina Faso?
Juliette’s husband, Pastor Andre, was shot dead in a raid on their village last year. Release International’s partners provided loving pastoral care and vital funding to Juliette and her teenage children, enabling them to rebuild their lives.
On the afternoon of Monday 15th May 2023 terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda surrounded a small village in the Centre Nord region of Burkina Faso and attacked. They destroyed and looted many homes and headed to the church where Pastor Andre was working. The armed gang killed him and three other villagers on that dreadful day.
Juliette and many of the villagers fled immediately into the hills when they heard the shooting. When they returned, Juliette went into the church to find her husband Andre had been killed. It was devastating for her. The grieving families buried their dead in the churchyard by 7pm that night. The next morning Juliette packed some basic possessions and left for the capital Ouagadougou, hoping for some protection.
Your essential gift of £30 today could house a fleeing family like Juliette’s for a month, giving them somewhere safe and secure to live and start again.
Juliette told us that before the attack her daughter and son had pleaded with them to leave the village, but Andre believed that it was his duty to stay and minister to the villagers. On the day that Andre was killed, he had spoken to his daughter by phone. Andre said, ‘As long as my congregation remains here, I will stay with them.’
In and around Ouagadougou there are hundreds of thousands of Christians who have fled to find safety. The security situation in Burkina Faso continues to deteriorate, with insurgents and terrorists in control of much of the country. These areas are now too dangerous for Christians. It takes great courage and determination to travel to remote communities. Our partners tirelessly minister to our suffering brothers and sisters, despite the enormous risks.
As a result of Release International support, Juliette has six goats and some chickens, providing an ongoing source of food and income. She attends the local Assemblies of God church, which is a great comfort to her. She told us she finds consolation in the Bible, especially in the story of Ruth.
‘This is bad, but it’s something which has already happened to others,’ she said. Juliette trusts that she will meet Andre again in heaven. She asked for prayer for the whole family that ‘God gives us the strength to keep going in our faith after this experience.’ Please uphold Juliette and her family in your prayers.
Juliette’s love of Christ, along with her perseverance and resilience in the face of terrible trials, is typical of so many Christians we speak to all around the world.
Please make a vital donation today of £30, £50, £100, or even £250, which could provide our partners with the tools they need to bring love and support to many Christians around the world who are forced to flee – in places like Burkina Faso, Kenya, Kurdistan, Nigeria, and Ukraine. Every gift you can send enables our partners to be resourced and equipped to uphold and build the Kingdom of God.
God bless you,
Paul Robinson
CEO, Release International
*Names have been changed or withheld, to protect the lives of those we serve.
