The first time Pastor Soré’s village was attacked, extremists robbed people. The second time, they raped the women. The third time, they burned everything to the ground.

Pastor Soré, who lives in Burkina Faso, was left with no choice...

“When the terrorists find Christians, they tell them the time of Christianity is over,” he said. “We had to flee to save our lives.”

Leaving a beautiful home and thriving church, Pastor Soré and his wife Teresa escaped with their own two children and 15 others who had been orphaned or entrusted into their care. The group was too big to move into a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs), so they set up ‘home’ on a desolate piece of land.

“We were so sad when we arrived in this empty space,” says Pastor Soré. Over the past year, he’s built a shelter, and they make every effort to grow food. But in the rainy season, water washes through the tent, bringing mosquitoes and snakes. In the summer it’s unbearably hot.

This ‘family’ is among 16.2 million followers of Jesus forcibly displaced in Sub-Saharan Africa. But, despite persecution and extreme hardship, Pastor Soré’s faith remains unshakeable…

“We are displaced but Jesus is not, and never will be, displaced from our lives,” says Pastor Soré.

“When I look in the Bible, I see all warriors encountered difficulties. It’s my turn today. An important truth about suffering is that it is never eternal – but Jesus is eternal.”