Turkey (International Needs/MNN) — As evidenced by yesterday’s attack in Jakarta and in Istanbul earlier this week, ISIS is expanding its reach.
(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)
Though terrorists are trying to scare believers away, International Needs staff is staying put to make Christ known.
Below we’ve outlined a recent prayer request shared by International Needs via e-mail:
Dear family in Christ,
Maybe many of you already heard that we had a suicide bomber in Istanbul. He killed himself in the Sultanahmet area [historic district], actually almost right in front of the Hagia Sophia Museum. I know many of you visit this area when you come to visit our country. It is a very touristy place. Today, 11 people died.
Our country, and especially the city of Istanbul, has witnessed terrible events throughout history. Today I felt that history repeated itself because when the Ottomans invaded Istanbul, most of the Christians were hiding in the Hagia Sophia which at that time was the largest Christian church outside of Rome. Death was inevitable for them just like today.
This year many people have died in our country because of ISIS. We often think that terror is on the other side of our borders, but it is very active here.
Just this past week, all of the Christian churches were visited by the police in Ankara and İstanbul to make sure that we stay alert of possible ISIS attacks. We had two suicide bombers who killed over 100 individuals just several months ago.(Wikipedia)
Personally, I am not worried about my life, but I am worried about the fear many people feel in Turkey. Terrorist attacks have one clear message for all of us. They want to make sure that we are afraid of them and start to make radical changes in our lives.
But as believers, we choose narrow doors. We are going to Christ who was tortured for our sins. His body was injured piece by piece until He gave his last breath. We know that because of this wonderful sacrifice and resurrection, we will be with him in eternal life. Praise His Holy name!
Please pray for our country:
- Pray for the victims’ families
- Pray for the safety of our local churches
- Pray for our families.
Thank you for your heart and prayers for us.
