Standing Strong through Persecution
Finding encouragement, faith and hope in the face of suffering and persecution
In November 2020, rebels of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) attacked and looted some 40 Christian families in Bouca. One of the affected persons was Pastor Taban.
Pastor Taban, 42, of the Church of Jesus Christ in the community, is married and father of 4. He remembers that the village woke up at about 7 a.m. that day to detonations and the crackling of weapons by the CPC rebels.
The rebels took beds, armchairs, kitchen utensils, goats, sheep, and other valuables he had at home. With the persistent insecurity, Pastor Taban found it even hard to go to the farm and fend for his family. The situation crippled him economically. He was disheartened and even lost the strength to continue his pastoral duties.
“The worst happened to us during the attacks by the Balaka and Seleka. I had lost all my belongings because the Seleka took the majority, and the rest were taken away by the Balaka. This meant that I was left empty-handed. Everything was getting difficult, but I was clinging to prayer for God to come to our rescue,” Pastor Taban shared.
“During the attack between the Balaka and the Seleka, I lost my belongings. I was raising animals, but they took everything away. The Seleka took everything; the Balaka ate a part; I became poor,” he says.
In early 2023, during a presence ministry and trauma support seminar for the PC in Bouca, Pastor Taban mentioned to the local team that he had skills in brick moulding, and he could engage in it as an alternative source of income if supported. On June 25, 2023, a local organisation supported him with a modest amount of money to start sun-brick moulding as an income-generating activity to foster the economic growth of his family and the church. He recruited 2 youths from the church whose families have also suffered persecution from the rebels, and they started the business in October 2023.
“In my distress, the Lord sent my fellow Christians to support me with money that enabled me to pay for a brick moulding machine. I have also called on my Christian brothers to support me in the manufacture of fired bricks because this activity will help us free ourselves from our miserable situations. Thanks to this activity, I am starting to replace my lost belongings little by little and to take good care of my family, including schooling for the children and the development of the church,” he testified.
“Today, I have joy in my heart for the grace the Lord has granted me. I will not cease to thank God for His blessings for He remembered me in my difficult times. I also thank the brothers and sisters who thought of me as a person, may the Lord repay them a hundredfold,” he joyfully added.
“I will not cease to thank God for His blessings for He remembered me in my difficult times.”
Bouca is situated in the Ouham prefecture, some 290km from Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic (CAR). Seleka rebels overtook the city in the peak of the crisis in 2013. However, government forces regained control over the town in March 2021. Bouca has since then continued to face sporadic attacks from different armed groups, including the CPC. These rebel groups kill, injure, beat, rape, and loot the majority Christian population. Sometimes, they also kidnap and demand huge ransoms which the population is unable to pay due to their weakened economy.
