German Baptists build tents in the earthquake zone

Setting up an emergency tent sometimes resembles a Babylonian confusion of tongues. “The knot has to be tied somewhere. How do you say that in English?” It appears in German. Then again, Hungarian and Arabic words can be heard. There seems to be a search for a pickaxe, but how do you explain that?

The mixed group of volunteers is on the road setting up tents for a displaced Turkish family on behalf of the local Protestant congregation in Antakya – ancient, biblical Antioch. Three months after the devastating earthquake in early February that killed more than 50,000 people across Turkey, those left behind are still living in tents.

Despite the language barrier, volunteers assembled the tent in about 35 minutes. At the base of the shelter is a curved, rust-brown frame. They apply several layers of insulation and tent fabric with a large hammock, tying it with a rope. Then everything is lifted and put on the legs. There are no pegs but pieces of rubble from collapsed buildings should ensure that the tent stays upright even in strong winds.

Band aid

“It’s mainly the language that makes it difficult,” says Jonas Duk, 17. The teen is part of a five-volunteer Baptist congregation in Waldbröl, near Cologne. It is already the third team of members to have traveled to the city in southeastern Turkey to help provide emergency aid through the local Protestant church – Antakya Mesihçiler Kilisesi -.

In the short week he spent in Antakya, the plight of the Turkish people in the earthquake zone affected Jonas deeply. “You see how the city center is in ruins. Within two minutes, these people have lost everything. They have nothing left. It’s impressive to hear the residents’ stories.”

Jonas Doc volunteer. photo rd

What prompted him to come to Türkiye? Jonas thinks for a moment. Someone spontaneously says in German “Die Liebe Christi drängt uns”. One of the group members in front of him. “The Bible tells us to help those in need,” Jonas adds. “Suppose someone has no clothes or food, and we only wish him well; that’s no use, is it?” Refers to James 2 verses 15 and 16.

forged

From the opening of the tent already set up, Eter Cicek looks on. “We’ve been here since the day of the earthquake,” she says, with the help of a translation app. The nursery teacher lives with her fiancé, parents, brother and grandparents on the site, where four tents are already set up. “We were asleep when the earthquake started. It lasted far too long for us. My fiancé lost his parents and we lost our homes.”

When she heard from her friends that she could get a tent at the church, she immediately volunteered. “We are so grateful to have done this for us,” she said. When the last rope is tied, her father appears with cardboard cups of hot tea and water bottles. The volunteers eagerly enjoy the twisted orange peels – taken from a glass jar filled with sugar.

After a short pause, these volunteers looked at their watches again. The goal is to pitch at least ten tents today in various locations around the city. “Do you pray again, Antoine?” The 45-year-old Lebanese nodded. Volunteers form a circle among the emergency tents. The rest of the relief team doesn’t understand a word of the Arabic prayer, but the Muslim family even more so.

Food distribution in Türkiye. photo rd

What did he pray for? Antoine Abu Hadir explains on his way to the next place: “So that they know the love of Christ.” “May he dwell in their hearts.”

Haider is not afraid that such words will encounter resistance. “But of course, we are careful. We don’t start talking about Jesus right away. We are here, first of all, to pitch tents. In this case, these same people asked us to do it. In fact, we don’t even need to talk. Once we help We are already showing something of Christ’s love.”

chartered church

At the end of the morning, the group returned to the camp of the Protestant Church, a few kilometers south of central Antakya. There are a handful of temporary units and tents on a bed of gravel. It accommodates about 30 volunteers. One of the container houses is the home of Pastor Hamdullah Akin and his wife Yeni Elmas. Not only the rented church but their house collapsed.

They sat under a piece of cloth to escape the scorching sun. After a cold snap and rain, the mercury is now in the high 30s. “And then the hot summer did not come,” Elmas, who usually speaks, sighs. However, the couple does not even think of leaving. All their time is spent in setting up relief projects.

They face great challenges. “Right now, we are in dire need of housing units,” says Elmas. “It’s stronger and more durable than tents.” And the demand for food remains high. “Many people have lost everything. They no longer have a job, so they have no income either. How are they going to put food on the table?”

antiquities

Outside the camp gate, people come and go. Neighbors receive parcels of perishable food, water bottles and sanitary items. A mother with a small child on her arm is given a carton of powdered milk. Nobody leaves empty-handed.

“We are currently providing assistance to at least 10,000 people,” says Elmas. “1,600 families have already participated in our food distribution.” In addition, the church, meanwhile, set up hundreds of tents in the earthquake zone. She does not have exact numbers. “We’ve lost count,” she says.

Elmas camp is one of five places in and around Antakya where Turkish Protestant churches operate. One of them is located in the center of the ruined city and is run by the Izmir Protestant Church. Although the congregation is located more than 800 kilometers west of the disaster area as crowds fly, the church was active in the area within 48 hours, says Paul Sincock, the aid coordinator. “I arrived soon after. For the first few days, we had to sleep in a car.”

food

Meanwhile, a camp was also built here. On the site of an abandoned car dealership, five tents are set up. These accommodate about 40 volunteers, although not all beds are occupied. Across the busy public road is a 50-meter tent.

Smells of food from a distance that this is a soup kitchen. At least ten volunteers chopped vegetables under the supervision of a chef. About 25 kilograms of food is boiled on the stove in vats of at least one meter in diameter. Outside the tent, there is a line of people waiting to be seated at the tables in the dining area.

“With our soup kitchen, we provide a meal for about 1,000 people three times a day,” says Sinkuc. At first, the church distributed food in several neighborhoods. “But this has become too much for us. Now we only distribute food in this neighborhood. We are trying to provide about 500 other families with a monthly package of food, water and hygiene items.”

The service attitude of the First Christian Church of Antioch contributed to the growth of the church in this region, one of the volunteers knows. “How special that we Christians are allowed to do the same in this day and age.” Despite the language barrier, these Christians still spoke the same language.

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