Türkiye (MNN) — Record-breaking earthquakes destroyed parts of Türkiye and northern Syria eight months ago. Today, mountains of rubble and hundreds of container camps dot the landscape while uncertainty fills the air.
An AMG International team recently visited partners serving in Türkiye.
“The devastation was overwhelming to see. We found a worsening economy and many people expressing little hope,” AMG’s Brian Dennett says.
“One man we spoke with described how many in his community had contemplated suicide.”
Working through a network of church partners, AMG has been active in the worst-hit regions from the beginning.
“We’re feeding around 6,000 people per day with mobile feeding trailers and local kitchens,” Dennett says.
(Photo courtesy of AMG International/Billy Weeks)
It’s barely a drop in the ocean of need. “With most humanitarian organizations withdrawing from the area, and it (the disaster) largely being out of the news, it’s left a huge burden on the Church,” Dennett says.
“We’re talking about an estimated 8,000 believers in the entire country of 85 million people, so that’s quite a burden.”
As one church leader described in a recent update:
“Many are still living in tents…and it’s getting harder and harder for people to hold on to life. We are the only kitchen in the region still open, serving three meals a day… the needs seem to increase, not decrease.”
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“We’re hoping to have a ministry hub where we can have ongoing work meeting physical needs but also starting conversations and building relationships to share Jesus and grow the church there,” Dennett says.
Pray AMG receives the necessary funding to build a multipurpose community center in Türkiye. This could enable AMG and its partners to expand the capacity of its team through training in evangelism, church support, and resources.
“It (Turkiye) is a very closed country to the Gospel, so it’s very difficult for those 8,000 believers to share [about Jesus],” Dennett says.
However, “people have seen the work that our network of churches and believers have done through the earthquake, the compassion in serving and feeding, and it’s created an openness to listen.”
Header and story images courtesy of Billy Weeks/AMG International.
