In the early hours of Monday, February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked south-central Turkey and neighboring Syria. More than 7,200 people have been confirmed to have died and that number is expected to soar in the coming days. The rescue and relief workers are now facing horrible conditions as temperatures are below freezing and entire communities are left without shelter.
As many of you know, Janese and I have been actively involved and have supported the work in Turkey since 1997. It has been our passion and our heart. Today, I’m totally heartbroken and in shock at the devastation that I see coming from the videos and pictures flooding social media. And at the same time, I see the tremendous opportunity to show these people the love of Christ during their worst nightmare.
We have been reaching out to our friends in Turkey and have found that many churches in the region were totally destroyed and many members of the churches in Kusadasi, Selcuk, and Izmir have family and friends still trapped under the rubble. So please pray for them.
Partnering to Bring Relief
SpiritLife Ministries is partnering with Hope4Nations and local Turkish churches to provide relief strategically to the devastated communities in the impacted areas. The churches are mobilizing in multiple ways:
- An official search and rescue team has arrived in Hatay, the ancient city of Antioch, to begin freeing people from the rubble.
- Another group has begun delivering food, clothing, medicines, and shelter to the affected communities.
- Teams have been mobilized to Aleppo, Syria, and Gaziantep, Turkey, to bring essential supplies to their family and friends who have been left homeless.
What can we do?
PRAY for the Turkish and Syrian families who have lost family members, homes, and livelihoods. Pray that they are comforted and that they find hope in the midst of this devastation.
GIVE to SpiritLife Ministries. Funds donated to SpiritLife Ministries will be sent immediately to purchase food, medicine, clothing, shelter, heaters, and other essential relief needs.
SPREAD the word that SpiritLife Ministries is supporting local ministries that already have ongoing work in the area.
Will you help us show the love of Christ to these people who desperately need Him? Please give today to support the Earthquake Relief in Turkey and Syria.
