'I will stay'

Residents of Turkiye and Syria face a heartbreaking task.

We are closely following the disaster in Türkiye and Syria through our team and ministry friends who serve in regions damaged by the earthquakes. According to the BBC, coffins are being fashioned from old wardrobes as the death toll tops 21,000. Despite the grim news, God is at work.

We received a gripping story from Shema Media Group in Türkiye, and we want to pass it on to you as a testimony of God’s faithfulness. 

The city of Elbistan lies north of Gaziantep and west of Malatya. A local believer—the father of two brothers who are closely connected with the Shema Media Group—lives in the city. There are very few known believers in Elbistan besides him. His house was the only one left standing in the area after the earthquakes—all the other buildings collapsed. The people around him said that it must be because he is a Christian. 

He has opened his home to locals who have nowhere to live and is being a living testimony of God’s love and care. His sons who live in a safe area of Türkiye are trying to convince him to leave such a “dangerous place” and move in with them. But he refuses, saying, “There are people here who do not have a place to go so I will stay.”

Soner, general manager for Shema Media Group, believes God will bring spiritual renewal and rebuilding to the region. 

As we pray for the earthquake victims, let us remember the unity and generosity of the church of Antioch in Acts 11:25-30 that did not hesitate to aid their brothers and sisters in need. The generosity and solidarity of this church that is recorded in the Scriptures originates in the present-day region of Türkiye and Syria affected by the earthquake. This is where the disciples were first called Christians, teaching large crowds of people about Jesus Christ. 

Our Arabic ministry team is in regular contact with our teammates in Syria. They are all safe but devastated for the lost lives and brokenness that has brought additional pain to this nation that has immensely suffered from wars and conflict during the past decade already. It is especially difficult that Syria is not equipped with shelters or/and the government is not able to have enough forces to help, so they are asking for survivors to help in the search of people under the rubble. 

In Aleppo, Syria, a ministry contact is asking for prayers as many are homeless on the streets and without shelter in the cold, harsh weather. Pray for God’s provision and protection.

Join with us, asking God to bring spiritual restoration and healing to the lost as they seek answers. We do have an emergency fund set up to aid media ministries in Türkiye and Syria: Emergency Fund. Please share it as you feel led. 

Prayer Points:

• Continue praying that the radio station in Antakya, Türkiye, will be up and running again soon.
• We are thankful that the radio station in Mardin was not hit as hard. Because of this, programming has been ongoing, with content that is relevant to the current crisis.
• Some colleagues from the TWR Arabic team are planning to visit Syria in February. Ask God to grant them safety and guidance as they help update the digital ministry there and support the Syrian team emotionally. 
• Pray that the TWR Arabic follow-up team will be guided by the Holy Spirit in their responses to listeners living in Lebanon, Egypt and Syria. Many are facing difficult challenges as the economic situation in these countries is severely bad where poverty, abuse and homelessness are dramatically increasing.