Syria (MNN) — Since Syria's civil war began over two years ago, reports from this region mostly center on death and destruction.
For example, earlier this week we told you about the battle raging over Qusair. As of Wednesday, government forces had taken the city. How this will play out in the overall war remains to be seen.
But today, we've got a change of pace regarding news from Syria. Operation Mobilization (OM) says the Gospel is making headway.
In a recent report, OM says their Near East teams are partnering with 6 churches and Christian groups in Syria, along with 23 in Lebanon, to implement relief projects. Since January, around 1,300 families each month have received aid and assistance.
Typical aid consists of food packs and winterization packs, though OM's role with these partners is much larger: training, equipping, resourcing, and ongoing support and help. Most relationships between OM and partnering groups existed "long before the Syrian crisis began."
While OM's support of relief efforts is encouraging, the spiritual progress they report is even more impressive.
Believers helped by OM say there's a growing hunger for Christ among Syrians from Muslim backgrounds. Some families say Jesus is the only positive thing in their children's lives. Families are asking for Christian programs for their kids.
"Our children have nothing positive in their lives," they tell OM. "Please come and teach them how to sing and tell them about God."
In an area where OM teams brought food to IDPs residing in a school, they discovered some families were hearing the Gospel for the first time.
"Please come back, even if you don't bring anything," the families told OM teams. "We would love to hear more stories about Jesus and we like to learn to sing."
One pastor is asking for help getting 2,000 New Testaments, as the demand is growing.
Pray more Bibles and Christian resources will make their way into Syria. Pray that as Syrians find Christ, they will accept Him as their Savior.
Read more stories from OM's Near East ministry by clicking here.
