As you’ve already heard in the news, a major earthquake struck south-central Turkey early Monday morning this week. Our teams 500 miles away in northern Iraq were awakened by the tremor as drawers fell open and wall hangings came loose. For those in Syria and Turkey living closer to the epicenter, the reality was far, far worse. Currently the death toll stands at 11,000 and is expected to continue rising. Relief efforts are being hampered by winter conditions and by the state of infrastructure in war-torn areas of Syria.
This is the second earthquake with a magnitude greater than 7.5 to afflict Turkey in recent memory. The northwestern city of Izmit was similarly devastated in 1999, with a death toll exceeding 17,000. At that time, Servant Group was heavily involved in the relief efforts with on-the-ground teams leading various projects. When the relief work was concluded, one of those teams remained in Turkey to plant churches and disciple believers across the region. These brothers and sisters have continued faithfully in this calling ever since and there has been much fruit.
Now, in God’s providence, they are still there with the ability and the volunteers to bring aid to this new crisis. Already they have organized and sent out 4 teams to help in different cities. Nevertheless, the needs are immense; an estimated 23 million people have been affected. Our desire is to come alongside these long-time ministry partners and help them in this moment of urgency. Will you do that with us? We know and trust that they will use whatever financial resources we can send to bring direct aid where it’s needed most. We know, too, that they will bring the hope and love of Christ as they serve and care for others. Please join us in praying for Turkey and Syria and please consider giving if you can.
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