Syria (MNN) — There are already hundreds of thousands of refugees caused by the civil war in Syria. The last thing Syria needed was a cross-border conflict with Turkey, but that's what they got when Syria fired an errant shell into Turkey killing five and injuring 10 others. Turkey responded by a shelling of their own focused on military targets. However, Syria has since taken responsibility for the attack and vowed it won't happen again.
Christian Aid Mission is assisting national Christians in the region as they reach out to refugees — both internally displaced and as well as Kurdish refugees from Iraq. Christian Aid's Bill Bray says, "Kurdish Christians have settled in that area and many, many refugees. There are at least 40,000 refugees in that area and we are delivering aid."
Bray says Turkey doesn't want refugees in their country. "But they're allowing this area in northern Syria, which has been freed from the Syrian government control. That is the area where Christians are settling as they can."
It's an Islamic area, says Bray. Christians are working round the clock to provide as much aid as they can. Five local house churches in the area are supplying food, clothes, Bibles, and Gospel DVDs to the refugee camps
According to Bray, while the situation is chaotic, "There's more freedom to distribute Gospel DVDs and Bibles, and there are more opportunities in the chaos for Gospel preaching to occur and for the love of Christ to be demonstrated."
Christian Aid is coming alongside Christians from the Middle East as they reach out. "The biggest need right now is to continue to provide financial support to the Gospel teams that are on the ground. There is a Gospel team there from Lebanon, and they're spearheading the entire effort."
$30,000 is needed now for food and clothing. "We ask you to please pray and help us in Jesus' name," petitions a native missionary rescue worker. Funding is also needed for Bibles, literature, clothing, medicine, cooking kits, radios, tools used in camping, batteries, flashlights, towels.
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