Big disasters cause chaos. And that is bad news for strongmen who like to portray the image of control. 

Erdogan, the President of Turkey, is under fire in his own country after the enormous tragedy that is unfolding. Countless trapped victims freeze to death as whole areas are still cut off from outside help. Many survivors have no water, food, or ways to keep warm and the destruction of homes, businesses and infrastructure on such a huge scale is beyond what anyone imagined or prepared for. 

But being prepared for unexpected disasters is a government’s job and that is why it is understandable there is grumbling from the desperate masses. This only intensified when President Erdogan restricted access to Twitter in response. In a time when people rely on social media to find missing relatives, that was perhaps not a smart move. 

Disasters of this scale and the chaos that follows are often catalysts for big changes in society; changes in class systems, religion, government, or the ethnic makeup of areas for example. Millions of people will have to rebuild their lives and will question what they want it to look like. It is a dangerous time for dictatorships. They may lose support or credibility. 

However, it is an opportunity for the gospel to bring hope and healing to lives that have been so radically stopped in their tracks. For many people the old has passed and as a new time begins for them, will they find believers on their way to love them, help them, heal them and tell them about Jesus? 

Please pray for all our workers in the affected areas, as well as the local body of believers. May they find strength, as they face their own challenges, to be available to those who now face difficult new beginnings without the hope of eternal life. 

We want to thank those who have already donated to help our teams provide urgent emergency relief. Our emergency fund is still open. All donations to this fund in the coming weeks will go to our teams on the ground bringing aid to the affected areas in Turkey and Syria. 

Disaster Relief