By David Lyons
In the dead of night on February 6, a massive earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale rocked southern Turkey and northern and western Syria. Buildings collapsed and nearly 60,000 people lost their lives. Some 8 million more were left homeless. At the same time, the Lord is at work in the region. He is using Navigator teams in Syria and Turkey to spread hope to many people.
Syria
The night of the earthquake, the houses of Navigator team members serving in Syria were rocked to their foundations. Walls cracked and buildings were in danger of collapse. Yet, the Lord was merciful. None of the team members were harmed and most of their houses remained standing.
For three days after the first earthquake, the team in Syria stayed together and prayed. Then the Lord led the team into action. Team members pooled their resources, some donating from their own savings, and began reaching out to the residents of one coastal town. They began their ministry by simply talking to people and asking about their needs. They met with many in their homes and prayed with them. Then they prepared food boxes and distributed blankets, baby food, and diapers to those in need. Their effort quickly attracted the attention of the people in the community, and soon they were reaching out to and praying with more and more families in the town.
The head of the town is a Muslim, but he is married to a Christian Lebanese woman. He was thankful for the relief effort and wanted to know more, so the team met with him and shared the Gospel with him and his family. They were receptive and soon opened their home for the team to carry out their ministry there. The team began a prayer group and Bible study in the home, and they distributed Bibles to those who attended.
The team also supported several individuals who were in need of medical care, including an older man who broke his back in the earthquake and needed surgery. The team supported his medical needs and was also able to share the Gospel with him. The man soon came to Christ and is being discipled by the team members.
The team continued to serve for the entire month after the earthquake, with international Navigator teams coming in to help whenever they could. One time, as the team was praying with a group of people, a minor earthquake hit. The team expected the group to panic. Instead, people shared that they felt completely safe in the hands of the Lord and that they wanted to continue praying. It is amazing to see how, in the wake of all the destruction around them, some people have found peace and hope in Him. Despite all their difficulties, they are clinging to Christ and experiencing a deep hunger and thirst for Him.
Turkey
One Navigator leader in Turkey was led to coordinate a relief team, collaborating with three churches in Istanbul. The team works together to raise funds to buy supplies for two tent cities based around two local churches in the earthquake zone. Volunteers from the Istanbul churches travel to the earthquake zone for seven days at a time to bring supplies, serve food, and build tiny homes for the homeless. On Sundays, they help with church services, which earthquake survivors are starting to attend in increasing numbers because of these tangible displays of love from the body of Christ.
The team reports that one of the greatest joys of traveling into the earthquake zone is to see people’s faces light up when they receive supplies and care through God’s people. On an early trip, a girl named Damla approached the team’s distribution van asking for a gift, but all the donations had already been given away. Nothing was left in the van except an “Elsa” coloring book belonging to the driver’s own daughter. Damla saw it and asked for it, explaining that it was her birthday and she had always dreamed of an Elsa dress…but her family had lost everything in the earthquake.
On a later trip to distribute supplies, the team asked God to help them locate Damla and her family again. By His grace they eventually found the family tent. They gave toys and some very needed basic supplies to Damla’s family and neighbors. But the best was seeing Damla’s surprise when she was presented with the blue Elsa dress of her dreams. She couldn’t stop smiling!
Damla’s family was especially touched that people would take the time and effort to find them again. By now, most aid organizations have withdrawn from the region. The churches serving in the area are often asked, “Are you going to leave us, too?” The team’s commitment to the people in the tent cities is starting to have more and more impact for the Kingdom. Let’s not leave them without our prayers!
