Syria (MNN) — Troubling reports emerge from Syria. Ambassador Robert Wood tells a United Nations council that lifesaving aid meant for earthquake survivors in Syria is being diverted.

Sometimes, Syrian officials take materials to sell in the market for personal gain. In other cases, bandits block aid deliveries. Plus, Syria’s government has resumed shelling in northwest Syria, adding insult to injury.

On the ground, “people are worried, scared, and depressed; they are traumatized,” says Pastor Fayez Youssef, a believer working in Syria with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada.

“There is no trust in what is coming in the future. The only hope is when you meet with Christ.”

Nearly nine million people live in earthquake-affected areas across northern Syria. Two of the worst-hit quake zones have a significant Christian presence.

“The Church is in Aleppo. In Lattakia, Christianity is there,” Youssef says.

In the physical world, high heat and intense pressure turn carbon molecules into diamonds. In Syria, the fires of persecution combined with pressure from the war and earthquakes create spiritual diamonds.

“When people are pressured, they share fears, and this kind of solidarity exists. This has opened a great door for many people to hear the Good News and to meet with the true Light,” Youssef says.

May the Lord provide for Syria’s churches, equipping them to serve faithfully as lights in the darkness. Support Christ-centered earthquake recovery efforts here.

“The Christians in Syria have done a great job reaching out to the poor and needy, being very active in the community, opening clinics, advocating for the people who go through a lot of crisis,” Youssef says.

 

Header image courtesy of Heart4Iran.