Syrians face earthquakes after decades of destruction

For Syrians, the world has been collapsing for years, and earthquakes this past February have added piles to the current literal and metaphorical ruins of a nation riven by internal civil war.

A rescue crew digs through the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in southeastern Türkiye. They search for survivors and bodies after the February 6, 2023 earthquake. IMB Photo

“The Syrian people have been devastated by war and the desperate situation there for over a decade now,” said Raleigh Clements, who has worked with IMB for 13 years. “This made an already desperate situation worse.”

Evie Tucker, who also works with the IMB, said many Syrians say the earthquakes, which happened twice in one hour, were worse than the war. They knew a war was coming, and while they did not have much time to prepare, most of them had the option of deciding whether to stay or leave and could take some of their possessions. Earthquakes struck without warning and in the middle of the night. Men, women, and children streamed out of the apartment buildings in their pajamas, Tucker said, in the pouring rain. Many, if not most, had to leave without their identification cards.

Tucker said her Syrian refugee friends face despair. Some have been displaced from their homeland for 10 years and are struggling to build a life for themselves. The thought of having to move and start over is daunting. Syrians living in cities far from the epicenter have welcomed family members who had to move into their homes. Receiving their family members was emotionally difficult.

“You have traumatized people receiving traumatized people, and everyone is re-traumatized,” Tucker said. “How much more can these people take?”

In Syria, without the proper infrastructure or machinery, many people dig through the rubble with their bare hands — concrete, glass and debris rolling under their fingernails. Relief efforts are also complicated by political sanctions, as well as a ban on bringing and using US dollars into the country.

An estimated four million Syrians live in Turkey – where earthquakes have destroyed buildings and lives. The devastation in Türkiye was more extensive, but more international aid organizations are responding. Turkey’s ease of entry and well-developed infrastructure make recovery and relief efforts much easier for international aid organizations. In Syria, this was not the case.

Relief sending projects, made possible by the generosity of Southern Baptists, are underway and continue throughout the region. Clements staff and relief dispatchers estimate that about 500,000 Syrians have been displaced by the earthquakes.

Send Relief partners distribute blankets, clothing and essential supplies to Syrian refugees in southern Turkey in the days following the February 6 earthquake. IMB Pictures

In addition to meeting physical needs, Clements hopes to create a long-term mental health program that will help people deal with trauma and overcome the suffering they have experienced. The hope is that Christians in Syria will receive online training or travel to a more open country.

Three hundred thousand Syrian refugees live in the area where the Clements family lives. This statistic reflects pre-war numbers. The couple has an active ministry among refugees, and they are looking to employ similar strategies in the earthquake zone and use existing connections.

Clements met Syrian Christians when he visited a city destroyed by earthquakes. Shock was still written on everyone’s faces, but the testimonies of God’s faithfulness were written on their hearts.

Clements asks for prayers for the Syrians as they grapple with yet another tragedy. He asked Southern Baptists to pray to God to be close to and comfort the Syrians.

Gideon moment

Tucker said visiting the area reminded her of a war zone. She’s from Tennessee and is used to the devastation that tornadoes bring, but she’s been affected by a wide range of devastation that extends far beyond the radius of a traditional tornado.

She walked by her favorite coffee shop only to find it in a mess. The falafel shop she once enjoyed is gone. She visited one city where 80% of the buildings will be leveled and rebuilt.

A Turkish family stands outside a collapsed apartment building in downtown Antakya, Turkey, after the devastating earthquake on February 6, 2023. IMB Photo

“What is something that God wants to see happen among the Syrians and how does He ask us to be a part of that?” Tucker asks herself.

Tucker made several trips to a hard-hit area to assess and attend to needs. One trip was with the Send Relief team, and another with the Southern Baptist Disaster Response Team. Her team works with national believers and local churches to support families and communities affected by the earthquake. Their assistance comes in a variety of forms, including providing food, tents and hosting teams of volunteers who provide medical assessment and water purification systems.

Its local partner invests in remote villages that have not received much aid. The majority of the inhabitants of one of these villages are widows and their children.

Tucker said she and other Christians had more meaningful spiritual conversations at a faster rate than usual.

Many of their conversations are peppered with questions: “Why do you think God allowed this earthquake to happen?” and “Does God punish people?” and “Is he angry?” and “There are many people who did not know God before they died. Why did God allow this?”

Tucker predicts that as they continue to pursue new relationships, they will move into deeper conversations.

Tucker met an elderly woman staying in a tent in the churchyard. The woman was afraid to fall asleep because she was afraid that there would be another aftershock. She lost her husband in the earthquake. Her children live abroad, and since she has no papers or identification cards, she is unable to travel to them. Filled with emotion, she told Tucker that she felt lonely. Tucker shared how God promised He would never leave or abandon her, and He loves and sees her, even though she feels lonely. The women prayed together and the woman left feeling encouraged.

I have heard stories of Syrian Christians who received family members evacuated from the earthquake zone and shared the gospel with their non-Christian relatives.

Tucker said her team goes through Gideon-like seasons where God reduces their numbers, like Gideon in the Bible. In Judges 7, God orders Gideon to reduce the number of men in his army.

“Our team has gotten really small this season where the work around us is almost limitless, and so it was a real test point for our team to trust in the Lord,” said Tucker.

She cried out to the Lord, saying, “You knew this earthquake would happen, and you knew our team would be the size it is now.”

The night before the earthquake, Tucker re-read a study Bible for a leadership training program. I read a section encouraging the reader to “pray to the Lord, and ask him to show you where he works and where he invites you to join him in the work.”

The next morning, she received the news of the earthquake. While it was overwhelming, this assurance from the Lord helped keep her going through the season. The decline in her team led to a deeper partnership with the local faithful.

Tucker said she knew God had her exactly where he wanted her to be. Her wish was for her team to serve him and share hope and truth with those who were hurt and in need of a savior.

Some names have been changed for security.

Tessa Sanchez writes for IMB.

Posted April 17, 2023

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