Dust filled the air almost three years ago as two massive earthquakes devastated southern Turkey. It was still in the air on my first visit shortly after the quakes as rescue teams searched for survivors. It remained on my following visits as the debris was cleared, and it continues to choke the air and coat everything with pasty tan grit as demolition and reconstruction are now concurrently underway.

I am heading home from ancient Antioch (Antakya) today, after visiting with our partners and accompanying their trauma teams on numerous home visits. The pain there is so deep.

One pastor’s wife cried as she shared about their quake experience, the first tears in a long time she later told us. They lost their home and shivered night after night sleeping in their car for the first six weeks. But they chose to stay with their neighbors so they could serve them. She teared up as she recalled a neighbor who spent eight continuous days, working day and night without sleeping, digging through the rubble of their home trying to find the body of their eight year old daughter. Her tears reflected the image that's etched in her mind of him finally holding the child’s limp body.

The initial quake aftermath is only a part of the tragedy. As your family gathers around a Thanksgiving table, can you imagine your family of five living in an 8 ft x 20 ft, two room converted shipping container for well over two years? “It is better than the tent we lived in for three months,” said one mother. “Seven of us lived in that. But this is still so hard.” Every night they place mattresses on the floor. Every morning those get leaned against the wall to make room for container life.

Stress in families is immense. With the quakes coming on the heels of COVID, most of the elementary aged kids we saw have no recollection or life experience of anything ‘normal', only disruption, destruction and dysfunction. Sickness and medical issues seem more prevalent. Divorce rates have increased significantly, as have mental health issues and a general hopelessness. One 16 year-old boy said he’s used to like school, but for a while now he’s just had no motivation and no capacity to do his homework. “I don’t know why,” he said. Mike*, our partner and one of the counselors leaned in and said, “Let’s meet to talk about that.”

Responding with Hope

Thankfully, our partners, an experienced pastoral couple and a younger church planting team including two professional counselors, have been engaged in serving from day one. Initially their focus was on meeting the pressing material needs, and some still exist to varying degrees, but both teams are now primarily focused on relational, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs. These are clearly the greatest needs in this season of the response. Between the two teams, they are intentionally investing in about 250 families through home visits, support groups, women’s gatherings, kids clubs, youth meetings, equipping opportunities, church services and more.

The people being served are predominantly a sect of Muslims called Alevi. Before the quakes, this was very hard spiritual ground and still generally is, but there is a lot of spiritual curiosity. Over 360 women have hand written the entire New Testament. Dozens are studying the bible in small groups and experiencing what living as a Christian (a term that started in Antioch) looks like through the teams that are ministering to them.

And water is washing away the dust. 10 people were baptized this fall, and fourteen more are learning and preparing for another baptism service in the spring.

As your family celebrates Thanksgiving and prepares for Christmas this year, please pray for the hundreds of thousands of Turks impacted by the February 2023 earthquakes and for the Turkish believers living out Christ among them.

Respond with us by giving to the Turkey Earthquake Response.