When Salome and her sisters rushed to the front of their house, they found their mother lying on the doorstep. James confronted the attackers, but they rushed off on the motorcycle. He then phoned for medical help, but emergency services refused to respond because the road to their village had been heavily mined by the FARC. James and his daughters were unable to help Rocio as she died on their front doorstep.
The next morning, some men claiming to be from the government came to their door and asked to take Rocio’s body as part of an investigation into her murder, but the family didn’t believe them. James believed they were FARC guerrillas attempting to hide evidence of their crime, and he realized that his entire family was in danger. As soon as the men left, the family took Rocio’s body and piled into a vehicle. Salome and her sisters then rode with their mother’s body to another town where they held an impromptu funeral.
After the funeral, friends helped Salome and her family go into hiding. FARC militants searched for them for several years, forcing them to move constantly. The frequent moves, over many years, made it hard for Salome and her sisters to settle into school, and finances were tight. At one point, the family lived on 70,000 pesos a week [less than 20 dollars].
But God always provided.
“God multiplied those 70,000 pesos to pay everything,” Salome said. “You know, I have seen how great my God is. I have never been alone.”
Some life events were especially hard. But Salome told herself she had to grow up, even without her mother. She also distinctly recalls her mother’s final, surprising admonishment to her shortly before her murder.
“The last words she told me,” Salome said, “were ’When something happens to me, I want you to go forward without me and take care of your dad.’ It was almost like she knew.”
Today, as a 23-year-old college student, Salome carries her mother’s lessons with her. Salome’s faith, a legacy left by her mother’s example, led her to forgive the men who murdered her mother.
“Right now, I have no anger toward them,” she said. “My heart is clean. If I had hate for them, then I could not be happy. I would always be living with that hate. In my case, I forgave them. In my heart I have peace toward them.”
You’re invited to help Christians like Salome who have endured persecution for the sake of Christ. Your support sustains them in their suffering and lets them know they are cared for and loved by the global body of Christ.