Syria (MNN) — A U.S. military spokesman says the Islamic State is still a threat in Syria and Iraq despite ongoing efforts to contain the terrorist group. According to analysts, Syria’s ongoing civil war and Iraq’s political instability allow IS to reshape and emerge in different forms.
God is still working in Syria, too.
(Photo montage obtained via Wikimedia Commons)
Nuna with Triumphant Mercy is excited about the new community center she helped them build in a suburb of Damascus. She says, “Being there is really a privilege for us because there’s nothing that looks like it in the area we’re working [in].
“We’re trying to reach these areas where not many people can go.”
Triumphant Mercy primarily operates in Lebanon, but began helping persecuted Christians in Syria at the end of 2016. Their persistent presence enabled them to start a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Syria.
Now, Nuna explains, TM can open the doors of their first community center in the war-torn nation.
“Being able to reach a community and seeing a transformation in [the] community is our goal,” she states, adding that the development of this center is an ongoing process. Plans are underway to feed the poor, get kids off the streets, provide education, and offer psychological support.
Community center opens doors, God opens hearts
Primarily, TM wants its center to meet the needs of war-torn communities near Damascus, like Ghouta. Earlier this year, the town was flattened by months of bombing and air attacks.
“There are so many areas that are completely devastated…they are ghost towns,” shares Nuna.
Families were confined to the four walls of their home by constant conflict. For them, TM’s ministry is a breath of fresh air.
(Photo courtesy Triumphant Mercy)
“People are stranded inside; they’re not allowed to get out,” Nuna explains. “Some of them have no stove…they can’t cook a meal.
“Some of the kids…they’re now four, five years old and they have never played outside.”
As believers enter homes devastated by war, they bring more than physical aid with them. That makes all the difference, Nuna says. Before long, people begin opening their hearts.
“We pray before we go so that we will be so filled with the Holy Spirit that we carry Him into these places,” says Nuna, “and people just sense it.
“They sense hope…they sense love; they sense, really, the Holy Spirit just through us. It just comes naturally in conversation that we share Who is in us and why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
A new need arises
As described here, normalcy is returning to some communities surrounding Damascus. However, for those flattened by war, a new threat looms on the horizon.
“Winter is coming [and] I don’t know what will happen to these people.”
By giving online, you can help Triumphant Mercy purchase supplies for needy families.
“Winter is at the door,” says Nuna, “and we’re fighting to just visualize what we can do to alleviate this big need, this poverty and hopelessness that’s there.”
Header image courtesy of Freedom House via Flickr.
