Syria
(BGR/MNN) — Syria's government forces spent much of Thursday in a violent
confrontation with rebels in parts of the capital city.
Pro-
and anti-Assad gunmen, fueled by tensions in neighboring Syria, were also
fighting over the border in Lebanon's city of Tripoli, nullifying a truce less
than 24 hours old.
At the same time, the
U.S. and Turkey held an "operational planning" meeting aimed at ending
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's
embattled regime.
In
the 18-months since the first rebellion during the "Arab Spring," the United
Nations estimates 2.5 million people are in need of humanitarian aid. The flow of refugees to neighboring countries
continues its steady growth, although there are many thousands still trapped
within Syria. Civilian deaths, according
to observer reports topped 21,000 earlier this month. That number has climbed
higher over the last two weeks.
Despite
the growing desperation, there are some who bring hope and light with the
gentle knock at the door. Baptist Global
Response says there's a Syrian Christian couple living in a neighboring country
who is delivering food and other basic necessities to internal refugees.
These
Christians are going into Sunni Muslims neighborhoods near one of the Syrian
cities hit hard by shelling and army-rebel combat. The nearby area, populated
primarily by Syrian Christians, has been spared the worst of the violence.
"I
don't know that there's any 'safe zone' in Syria, but because this area is
largely Christian, it hasn't been a target of a lot of the fighting," a
Christian worker says. "A lot of refugees who didn't leave the country
went to this area and sought refuge. There's a great opportunity there. We're
in the very beginning stages of that project. The severity of the need is
greater inside the country than what we're seeing [among refugees leaving the country]."
Confused
and frightened, thousands of Syrians are looking for something to cling
to. They are disillusioned by the war
around them and respond to Truth that appears on their doorstep in the form of physical
aid, the compassion of Christ, and ultimately, the Word of God.
"In
the midst of all the violence, you see these bright spots and know He really is
at work and drawing the hearts of people to Himself," the aid worker says. Pray for as these workers share the hope of Christ.
