Celso and his three Christian friends arrived at the camp at noon. A group of camp residents met them. Celso gave each member of the group a Bible and a radio. He had more gifts with him for others at the camp.

Not everyone at the camp was happy with the presents. They were not used to getting gifts, and unexpected visitors did not often show up in the area.

Celso and his friends had bravely dropped in on some guerrillas at their camp in the Colombian jungle. Guerrillas are people who carry out illegal acts of war and terrorism.

Many of the guerrillas in Colombia are part of a group called “FARC” (rhymes with “dark”). The letters in FARC stand for the Spanish words “las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia.” In English, that means “the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.” FARC members are not part of a regular army.

FARC members learn the teachings of Marxist communism. Marxists teach that there is no God. The guerrillas have attacked pastors and forced churches to close.

The guerrillas at the camp were suspicious of Celso and his friends. They ordered them to stay in their boat. (Boats are the only way to travel to some jungle areas of Colombia.)

Trapped in Violence

At midnight, the commander of the camp sent for Celso. “Why are you here?” the commander demanded. Celso explained that he and his friends were Christians.

The next day the commander ordered Celso to report to a leader at another camp. The guerrillas took Celso and some of his Christian books on a day-long walk farther into the jungle.

Celso prayed as he walked. He remembered that Jesus said His followers would be brought before rulers. The Holy Spirit gives Christians the right words to say when the time comes (Mark 13:11).

The guerrilla leader questioned Celso. Celso told him that God had put it on his heart to bring Christian books to the guerrillas. “Don’t talk to me about God!” the guerrilla said.

Celso told him, “Many people around the world are praying for you. They know you have a soul. They care about you.”

The leader sent Celso back to his friends at the other camp. All four were held captive at the camp for a hot, rainy six weeks. During the long days and nights, Celso was able to share the love of God with many of the younger guerrillas. “I knew many of them loved God.” Celso said. “But they were trapped in the violence that surrounds the country.” Some of the guerrillas were sad to see Celso and his friends go when they were released after 49 days in the jungle.

Celso continues to spread the gospel in risky places. He told the guerrilla leader that Christians cared about his soul and prayed for him. The leader could have hurt him, but he did not. Pray that all the guerrillas Celso meets will open their hearts to the truth of God’s love and will be freed from their trap of violence.

Some of the quotes and stories on this Web site have been edited and paraphrased from the original sources for clarity. The names of some of the people in the stories and some identifying details have been changed to protect their identities.