Implemented in 2019, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act restricts finances, goods, and services from the US to Syria. The sanctions are intended to pressure Syrian leaders into protecting minorities such as the Alawites, which have already been targeted by the new Syrian government. Because these leaders have deep ties to terrorists, the sanctions have remained in place since former president Assad’s ousting in December 2024. Samuel with Redemptive Stories says this is in the best interest of the Syrian people. 

“I think a lot of governments are wise to try to leave things in place, particularly these sanctions as it relates to financial movement and purchasing of infrastructure things that are needed until they are sure that this government does not make sweeping changes to things like the constitution.”

Yet, Syrians trying to rebuild their homes are also feeling the effects of restrictions, as they face scarcity of resources and equipment. According to a report from the Christian Science Monitor, “It is estimated that 2,500 people have returned to Darayya, but the vast majority of Syrian returnees survey the damage they find, decide that they cannot rebuild yet, and return to their temporary refuges in Idlib or neighboring Jordan and Lebanon.”

Samuel says Western governments are aware of the issues but hope nearby countries will provide a boost for Syria’s economy. 

“I think one of the reasons why these countries are also leaving the sanctions is they want to engage other countries in the region to fill the gap that historically would have been done by Western powers,” he says. 

The uncertainty of Western governments regarding Syria’s future is matched by the country’s Christian community. 

“They know that in the midst of this situation, God is working, and He’s doing amazing things. At the same time, they do have deep concerns about what the future holds,” Samuel says. 

There was jubilation among believers when Assad’s oppressive regime was overturned in December 2024. But since then, minorities have been targeted, most aggressively in a March attack that left 1300 Syrians dead.

“After the massacre that just recently happened, there is fear again, and there is trepidation as they look to the future,” Samuel says.

Mercifully, our God of order steps into chaos. Samuel asks for continued supplication to Him on behalf of Syrians and their country. Please pray for peace in the midst of fear, strength in the midst of hopelessness, and boldness in the midst of chaos. 

“We need to keep praying that God will continue to work out His good purpose for Syria, for Syrians, for those that have come to faith: May they grow and prosper in this new space. 

Pray also that Syrians who have come to know Christ outside their home country will be able to reestablish themselves in Syria as infrastructure there is rebuilt.

Destruction in Syria. Images in this article courtesy of Unsplash.

The catastrophe and following aftershocks took the lives of more than 59,000 people in the two nations. Dozens are still missing, with their families left searching for answers. 

Patrick Anthony with FMI says rebuilding has been slower than what Türkiye’s government promised. Hundreds of thousands of Turks still live in temporary containers awaiting new homes. 

“There is some concern that more and more people are going to leave, which is going to make just even stabilizing that [region] even harder,” Anthony says. 

But gospel ministry continues. One of FMI’s partners, who we’ll call Pastor Enver, travels to the earthquake zone each month. He serves alongside the Church there, bringing them any donations he’s received. 

“He’s done a lot of counseling too, meeting with people who need to talk about their situation or just providing some spiritual care,” says Anthony. “He says praise God, they’ve seen many people respond in faith, come to faith in Christ through this.”

Devastation from the 2023 earthquake. (Photo courtesy of FMI)

Anthony notes that although rebuilding efforts are frustratingly slow to many, “Really, we’re not to be putting our full trust in government. It’s a good call for the Church that the Church, whether you’re in Türkiye or somewhere else in the world where there’s been a devastating event — the church is called to step up and to meet needs and share the hope of Christ.”

Please pray for strength and effective gospel proclamation for gospel workers like Enver. Pray for survivors wrestling with anger and grief over the loss from the earthquakes, that God will lead them to hope in Christ. Pray that those who know Christ will stand in faith and trust, sharing the good news with their neighbors. 

Finally, as part of the Body of Christ, consider donating to support aid and gospel hope for the people of Türkiye. Click to visit FMI’s website and learn how to partner with them. 

Header photo of container homes for quake survivors in Turkiye, courtesy of FMI.

Fadi Sharaiha with the MENA Leadership Center was surprised those meetings took place, since until recently al-Sharaa was wanted by the US. (More on that here.) 

“It seems that there is something that we don’t know [going on], and it seems that there are so many international arrangements around this,” Sharaiha says. “I really hope that this will not be [at] the expense of the minorities, including the Christians in Syria.” 

He is concerned Syria might fall into the chaos Iraq has been experiencing for years.

“The training inspired me to new approaches to ministry… I began to implement the material, combining both the passion and skills for a more significant impact in God’s kingdom. Thank you for the abundant, precious resources you left in our hands.” – Key Ministry Leader from Jordan (Photo, caption courtesy of MLC)

“[On the] one hand, yes, it is much better not to have [the] Assad regime. On the other hand, we don’t know what to expect,” Sharaiha says. Words are one thing; actions are another. Syria has not been an Islamic nation, but is it headed that way?

“[Syria] is impacting our work, because we need to be sensitive to the needs of the Christian leaders and the different ministries in the Middle East, and now the needs are different,” says Sharaiha. He says future courses they offer might focus on how to rebuild economies and ministries. 

Rebuilding is deeply needed in Syria today. Please pray that the events in Syria will lead to the advancing of God’s Kingdom. But in those prayers for the church and the nation, also be encouraged — Sharaiha sees God at work in the midst of it all. 

“Many people — especially the youth — are coming to faith from different backgrounds in Syria. This is beautiful to see them coming together from different backgrounds, worshiping the Lord,” Sharaiha says.

“We have a sovereign God — His sovereignty is amazing. Regardless of whatever we think and we fear, remember that the Lord is good, He is in charge, and He is helping, supporting the church in Syria.” 

Header photo: Syrian citizens celebrate the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, December 2024 (Photo courtesy of Shvan Hark via Unsplash)

Then, a hurricane comes out of nowhere and devastates your home, city and region.

That’s what happened in Cuba last weekend. On Friday, a failure in Cuba’s largest power plant caused a nationwide outage. Then on Sunday afternoon, Hurricane Oscar struck the east coast.

Millions of Cubans were without power before Hurricane Oscar struck. (Stock photo obtained via Pexels)

“From Friday to Monday morning, the entire country was in blackout. It’s[the] first time [in] my memory that Cuba has [gone] through this kind of crisis,” says Moises* with RTM, Trans World Radio’s ministry to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Moises explains that some of the people in eastern Cuba were unaware that Hurricane Oscar was even coming. At least six people in San Antonio lost their lives. The storm destroyed more than a thousand homes in Guantánamo, among other damages.

“Many churches are concerned about the situation, the needs. So now, mainly the western side of Cuba is [working] to send help to the eastern side,” Moises says. “They are trying to send food, clothes, [as] many things [as] they can do right now.”

RTM is based on Bonaire Island, which lies off the coast of Venezuela. Its gospel-centered broadcasts to Cuba have been uninterrupted. People who still have battery-powered radios can listen in. Moises says the station is working to connect churches with each other’s prayer requests and needs. 

Would you join in prayer for the relief and rebuilding work ahead? Pray for those still without electricity to receive power quickly. Ask for God’s mercy on hurricane survivors and the families of those who were killed. 

“[Ask] the Lord [to] provide both material and spiritual resources to the churches in Cuba, so that besides continuing to preach the gospel, we can help those in need right now,” Moises says. 

“May the Lord allow us to see how through these misfortunes, the Church in Cuba can continue to glorify His name.”

Click to learn more about RTM, a ministry of Trans World Radio.

*Full name withheld for security reasons.

Header photo by MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC — This image or video was catalogued by Goddard Space Flight Center of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Photo ID: 2024-10-22., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=154163831.

The death toll stands at 224 men, women and children. On Sunday night, at least 1,400 people were living in shelters across affected states. As of Tuesday, more than 5,200 households were still without power in North Carolina. Others such as residents of Asheville, North Carolina are under boil advisories or have no running water at all.

Photo of Asheville, North Carolina after Hurricane Helene, October 2024 (Photo courtesy of NCDOTcommunications – https://www.flickr.com/photos/ncdot/54057568976/, CC BY 2.0)

The exhaustion and discouragement of trying to put homes and lives back together have led to a growing call for hope — met and answered by ministries sending God’s Word.

John Pudaite with Bibles For The World says they are excited to be partnering with international organizations active in relief, recovery and rebuilding work among hurricane survivors.

“They had just reached out to us and said, ‘We need some scriptures that would go along with the relief efforts that we are doing,’” Pudaite says.

Samaritan’s Purse and Water Mission are two of these partner organizations. Bibles For The World has sent one of their own team members to serve in the rebuilding efforts along with the Scripture distribution in North Carolina. 

“It is a small drop in the bucket, but there are so many needs. You mentioned the physical needs, or the needs for electricity, for water, for food, for shelter, but at the same time, we want to be there providing God’s Word,” Pudaite says. 

“His Word is the only thing that really can provide the recovery, the relief, the comfort, and the hope — eternal hope — that these people need, after many of them have lost everything that they have.”

The need is active, and this is a gospel opportunity. You can get involved in it through prayer and through giving to send more Bibles.

(Graphic courtesy of Bibles For The World)

“Continue to pray for those relief teams that are out there working,” Pudaite says.

“Be praying that God can speak through this tragedy and transform lives, even as they start to rebuild their lives. If we can provide God’s Word to give them fresh hope and comfort and strength during this time of loss, we’re doing everything we can to do that.”

To make a gift for more Bibles for hurricane survivors, designate “hurricane Bibles” in the Gift Detail Note box on Bibles For The World’s donation page here.

Header photo of military personnel in Asheville, North Carolina after Helene courtesy of Bill McMannis via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Bruce Allen with FMI says, “Ten major cities were decimated. When you think about the whole earthquake impact zone, it destroyed 140,000 square miles [of] land and property – equivalent to the entire size of Germany.

“Rebuilding is going to take a long, long time. People need to be in it for the long haul.”

(Photo courtesy of FMI)

The Turkish government faced criticism for its response to the quakes and fading pledges for relief support.

“In responding to public criticism that the government’s rescue workers were too slow in reacting [to the Feb 2023 earthquakes], President Erdogan pledged to build 650,000 housing units,” Allen says.

President Erdogan promised half would be done within the following year.  “[But] even at the end of January, 11 plus months later, construction has only begun on less than half of that amount. Only 46,000 homes have been completed, according to environment and urbanization ministry data. Government response has been slow, although there have been lots of pledges. But even from our partners in the country, they said it did not even last very long.”

Meanwhile, the nation’s tiny Christian population continues to serve the needs of their communities for food, clothing, and longer-term shelter.

“We have to remember that this country of about 86 million people has only a 0.04% population of evangelical Christians. [Then,] 99.2% of the population are in unreached people groups. That doesn’t mean they’re indifferent or hostile to the Gospel. It just means they’re unaware of the Gospel.”

Allen says the compassion and care that Christians have shown over the past year have gained them credibility with Muslim neighbors. 

“People are saying, ‘Why are you treating us so well, when we have treated you so poorly?’ It has provided opportunities not just for physical care, but spiritual care as well.”

Partners of FMI in Türkiye are committed to education for children, housing, and makeshift grocery stores. “But all of those things are consumables and require finances. So the financial need is still there,” Allen says.

Earthquake relief, water and food distribution in Turkiye. (Photo courtesy of FMI)

“There’s also a great need for prayer for these churches, especially in the earthquake zone regions, where they’re relatively swelling with new believers. There’s a lot of that spiritual need of care and growth and discipleship that needs to take place.”

FMI plans to launch five more church planters in Türkiye this year. Click here to learn more and find out how you can prayerfully come alongside Türkiye with FMI. 

Header photo courtesy of FMI. 

Firstly, women who come to faith often face persecution, finding it hard to travel alone. Samuel says, “Maybe God has appeared to them in a vision or a dream, or even social media. But still, they might live in their family home. But having access to smartphones has opened up an avenue for them to hear about the Gospel and the hope and the joy offered in Jesus Christ.”

“After that, there needs to be an opportunity for discipleship. And that’s where digital church comes in.”

Secondly, Samuel says, many people have come to faith in places without physical churches. This especially applies to places in the rural south and west, far away from the big cities.

Church growth

And many people are coming to faith in the risen Jesus. Samuel says, “I think the biggest shock has been the sheer numbers. If you look at the numbers from different organizations, in terms of those that have responded to the Gospel, some are counting numbers in the millions.”

Praise God for the connections being built between Christians in Iraq.

As people move back into areas destroyed by the Islamic State, some have begun rebuilding churches. Samuel says, “That is the ideal. And we look at digital churches in many cases as the bridge to the ideal.”

In the meantime, pray for boldness and encouragement from the Holy Spirit to rest upon Christian in Iraq.

Header photo courtesy of Kaufdex from Pixabay.

(Photo courtesy of ‏ في عین الله via Unsplash)

Hope and Rebuilding

Both Iraqi Christians and the Yazidis have faced persecution and suffering at the hands of ISIS. More about that here. Though COVID-19 continues to complicate the lives of everyone in the region, Samuel* of Redemptive Stories says that small improvements are emerging for Christians in some areas.

“There’s a lot of status quo, [and some] things are staying the same as they were. [In] other areas, you’re beginning to see some rebuilding, particularly areas that were hit hard by ISIS [and people] feel like now there’s enough peace for them to go back and begin to invest again,” Samuel says.

“We’ve seen churches being rebuilt in places that were hit hard by ISIS, particularly in the Nineveh Plain, which has been exciting. In one area that we visited, the church was completely damaged, and they’re hoping to have it ready for Easter.”

A Slow Process

A ruined old home in Shingal (Singar) following the war with the Islamic State. (Photo courtesy of Levi Clancy via Unsplash)

For the Yazidi population, which was displaced by ISIS, the Sinjar Deal signed in October offered hope that they would be able to return home, especially with refugee camps now closing. However, Samuel explains relocation could still take a while.

“This peace deal didn’t really involve the Yazidi tribes themselves. They just made decisions for them. Whenever you do that for a people group, it rarely comes out to be positive for [that group],” Samuel says.

“We are hearing reports of them going back [and] organizations working with them to do resettlement projects, but I was just there weeks ago, and the camps are still there. There doesn’t seem to be any push, particularly from the Kurdish government, to close them. The pressure is coming primarily from the Iraqi federal government to close the camps on that side, but the Yazidis are primarily located in the Kurdish camps.”

How to Help

With these situations in mind, please keep both Iraqi Christians and the Yazidis in your prayers.

“One of the big prayer requests is that the government’s in both of those areas, the Kurdish government and the Iraqi federal government, would begin to step toward a process which would allow for people to choose their own faith [and] to follow Jesus, even if their background isn’t Christian,” Samuel says.

Another way you can help is by giving to organizations working in this area.

“There are lots of wonderful organizations, Voice of the Martyrs, Samaritan’s Purse, MENA Collective, doing amazing things in the region [and] looking at doing some wonderful projects in 2021.”

*Name changed for security purposes

Over the last few months, the organization has been collecting signatures in their “Hope for the Middle East Campaign.” As of last week, they had gathered well over 800,000 signatures. The petition urges support for Christians in the Middle East, particularly Syria and Iraq, especially in light of the major rebuild that is just beginning in the war-torn nations. They will present the signatures to the UN Secretary-General and his office.

“So many Christians have been displaced and pushed out of their homes in the Middle East. And we want them to be part of their communities. What we’re really asking is that Christians have the same rights in civil society as everybody else, are part of the restoration and reconciliation within their countries—Iraq and Syria. Christians need to be part of that. And that they have a right to housing, you know, the basics of life and that they should not be discriminated upon in Iraq and Syria and the Middle East just because of their faith in Jesus.”

More specifically, the petition asks three things:

• The right to equal citizenship
• Dignified living conditions
• Involvement in reconciling and rebuilding their society

Why it matters to be a voice for the voiceless

The petition was created after Open Doors surveyed Christians in the Middle East on what their greatest needs were going forward.

(Photo and header photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

Curry says the petition is not just about creating a bill and establishing international pressure on the issue, but also to create awareness of the situation and draw the Body of Christ into advocacy.

He explains that if we miss this opportunity to direct change going forward, we’ll be feeding into a negative cycle of oppression in the Middle East. Now is the time for action. But, he says, this isn’t just a calling for some portions of the Church, but all.

“The entire Body of Christ has been called to pray for and to reach out and care for people who are in prison for the name of Jesus. So it’s a universal calling; I think it’s important to recognize that. And so, when we are advocating, caring for, speaking out for people who are followers of Jesus, we are doing what the Lord has asked us to do. We are being obedient.”

While there is time

Another factor that can seem far away in the west is our own connection with persecution. Curry reminds us that it doesn’t take much stretching of the imagination to see how persecution could quickly hit home.

“Eventually this persecution may come to you and some of your family. And we need to recognize that we wish somebody would speak out on our behalf, this is our chance to do it for our brothers and sisters around the world.

“And it’s not a long stretch to imagine that persecution could increase in the west, that laws could be passed… all kinds of things which are going to be used to paint Christians as intolerant and all these sorts of things. That’s only going to grow. Aggressive secularism is going to impinge upon the rights of Christians over time, certainly.

“Wouldn’t you like to know that people around the world are going to be thinking and praying and lifting you up when your time comes? Absolutely, you would. That’s why we need to reach out and care for our brothers and sisters around the world.”

Learn more about this petition, here. And pray. Ask God to create a ripple effect among the Church and peoples of influence. Ask God to strengthen the foundation of believers in the Middle East so that those who haven’t heard of Jesus before can know him.

The trauma isn’t over

Before the big earthquake, most people didn’t mind small tremors. But Jim Loker, Audio Scripture Ministries’ Latin America Director, says now there’s anxiety with each aftershock.

“When I lived there for all those years in Oaxaca, we had earthquakes all the time. We could see the lamp in our dining area, we could see it move back and forth or you could feel the vibration of the house. But the house never went down. So we didn’t think anything of it. But in this case, people have lost their homes, lost their businesses, and it’s a constant reminder that potentially there’s another strong earthquake coming.”

Loker says one worry is that another major earthquake could strike at night. And if families are sleeping inside before finishing home repairs, they fear being buried alive in their sleep.

“Their homes have been destroyed or they’re partially destroyed where the main walls are tilting. They’re leaning and they could — with another strong earthquake — come down. Because of that fear, people are not wanting to inhabit their homes again. So they’re sleeping in the streets or in lots. They’re sleeping under tarps. They’re sleeping in tents waiting for a time when they can have the money available again to rebuild their homes.”

The feelings of post-traumatic stress are understandable in the wake of Mexico’s September earthquake. Surviving a major disaster like that is a haunting experience. Months later, government assistance is limited and people are still desperate for help.

“The people in the one main town where the earthquake hit in Juchitan down near the coast of the Pacific Ocean have had their homes destroyed. Their businesses were destroyed. When I was there about a week ago, the banks had been all destroyed. All of them were closed down. The hospital had been relocated because that was partially destroyed and potentially collapsing. So they have a mobile hospital on one of the basketball courts on the outskirts of town. Multiple churches have been destroyed. So yes, it’s an ongoing situation.”

Persisting in ministry

One of ASM’s New Testament audio recording projects in Mexico was also affected by the big earthquake. “The actual house that we were recording in collapsed. Thankfully our technician and the readers had already left…. But one of our main readers had lost a couple of his family members who were killed during the earthquake.”

Several of the other readers also had to break from the work while they sought shelter and basic necessities. So naturally, the project was put on hold for a time.

(Photo courtesy of Audio Scripture Ministries)

Now, Loker says, “We’re back recording and hopefully we’ll be able to finish that New Testament in the next month or so. But it was a tough time for our technicians, for the readers, and for the people in the village because of that strong earthquake.”

Despite the loss and mourning with their team, ASM has pressed on in serving the communities that need encouragement…that need Jesus. ASM is currently distributing audio Bibles and critical aid through trusted ministry partners in Mexico.

“We’ve been able to help them with some of the needs that they have with food and water and tarps and building materials. But the sad situation is that the people are in need of homes. Their churches need to be rebuilt. And that’s going to be a long-term process. We see this as being years before people get back to life as normal.”

With the aid, of course, ASM’s ministry partners are also distributing audio Bibles to be a lasting source of comfort. “People who have received the Scriptures are now able to be comforted by God’s Word. Most of the people there are not readers. So in two of the areas where the earthquake hit — Juchitan where they speak Sapotek, and also in San Mateo del Mar where they speak a language called Huave — both of those areas have the Scriptures available.”

Pray. Give. Go.

So how can you be a help and encouragement? Loker says, “As always: praying, giving, and going. We can pray that people would be encouraged. We can pray that those that have lost homes and businesses will somehow find a way to move on, that they’ll find the funding to rebuild their homes and set up a business someplace else. Pray that those that need audio Bibles would have them.

(Photo courtesy of Audio Scripture Ministries)

“Then, with giving, we can give towards the people’s needs. The need for building materials or for food and temporary housing. There are still needs out there. Also, people can give towards the purchase of audio Bibles. There are many, many needs for audio Bibles still in these areas for people who don’t have access to Scripture, although many do have access to Scripture.”

To support ASM’s ministry in Mexico, click here to go to ASM’s donation page and choose one of their Mexico projects in the giving drop-down box.

Finally, Loker shares, “We would love to see a church bring a group down to work with us. They would be distributing audio Bibles and they would also be helping to rebuild a church or maybe build some people’s homes. We have some teams coming down in February and in March. We have other dates open.”

If you’d like to learn more about how your church or Christian group can join ASM on a missions trip, click here for ASM’s contact page.

Header photo courtesy of iivangm via Flickr under Creative Commons: https://goo.gl/BN4nn4