Pray for the Church of Antioch – by Robert Jurjevich

Nearly thirty years ago, I stood praying from the hillside overlooking the city of Antioch (Antakya, Turkey), seeking the Lord about the spiritual condition and future of this Biblical city where nearly 2000 years ago, a powerful New Testament church was founded.

From April 30th through May 2nd, 2023, I returned to Antioch with a truck loaded with food and hygienic items for people who had lost everything due to the February 2023 earthquakes. Traveling with me were pastor Sargon Chamaki from Ankara, Turkey, and pastor Jozsef Nagy from Bekes, Hungary, along with our Turkish brothers in Christ, Mustafa (our driver) and Ibrahim (our interpreter and security). The food truck – which cost $20,000 in supplies – was made possible by donations from several ministries, including The Bridge International.

It is heartbreaking to see this city of a half million inhabitants being reduced to 15% of its population, who are all living in tents because almost all buildings have fallen or are beyond repair. More than 50,000 people died during those few minutes when the series of earthquakes (7.8 magnitude) stuck southeast Turkey and northern Syria, an area larger than the nation of Austria.

Amid such tragedy and despair, God is still in the midst to pour out His love and grace to the local Christians, as they are being used to reach out to the Muslim population within the earthquake zone. Although they themselves have lost their church buildings and personal homes, the local Christians are daily feeding thousands through their mobile kitchens.  A positive result of this crisis is that the protestant churches of Turkey (with about 10,000 Christians) are more united and working together than ever before.

Someone asked me if I met God on my trip through the earthquake zone. I responded, “I met a little girl.” Of all my experiences during those two short but intense days, the closest thing to a ‘God-moment’, was the few moments I had meeting her.  In the midst of a living hell on earth, she stood there like a springtime flower – the smallest of all the children surrounding our van – totally content with the single packaged muffin she was holding in her tiny hands. She looked up into my eyes and then she gazed off to the side toward the tent camp where she now would return to. What is her name? Did she lose family in the earthquake? What will her future now be like?

TRIP REPORT—TO THE EPI-CENTER

On Sunday morning, April 30th, we started our journey in the capital city of Ankara with the loading the truck with 768 food boxes to be delivered the next morning in Antioch (Antakya, Turkey). There are two kinds of trucks – this one is the smaller size, which costs around $20,000 in supplies. The larger truck would cost $30,000 to fill. Supplies cannot be shipped into Turkey from outside the country – they have to be bought from within. Since the earthquakes three months ago, the price per box has doubled, from $13 to $26. The truck drove on to Antioch ahead of us – we drove in a van behind, a six hour drive.  On Monday morning, upon arriving at the church distribution camp on the outskirts of Antioch, along with the local ministry team, we set up tents where we unloaded the food boxes from the truck. Then we loaded up our van with as many food boxes as possible and headed for the city.

In Antioch, the local church is leasing a stable warehouse facility and operating a kitchen and bakery that is feeding thousands each day. They also have mobile kitchens so they can move from place to place to cook and provide warm meals on various locations.  We delivered a van load of boxes (with food and hygienic items) to one of the tent camps in Antioch.

 

From a distance overlooking the city of Antioch, you see many buildings still standing and could conclude that the damage is not that bad – until you start driving through the city. Nearly every building still standing will have to be torn down.

The local church has been given permission by the Turkish government to build a community center and has been assigned a parcel of land to build it on within the container camp. Jozsef is standing on the foundational slab for that future facility.  We were warmly received by the director of this particular container camp – he was so thankful for the work of the local church members – God is giving favor to the local believers on every side they turn to, and opened tremendous opportunities for the Gospel!

On our last night, we met with pastor Ihsan Özbek (overseer of the Foursquare Churches of Turkey) back in the capital city of Ankara to share about our impressions from the trip and to discuss how we could possibly help in the future the churches located in the earthquake zone with food trucks and teams.

On Monday afternoon we left Antioch and drove 7-8 hours to the city of Sanliurfa, arriving at midnight for a quick sleepover. Sanliurfa is located about 80 miles east of the Euphrates River. It is the Biblical city of Haran, where the Terah, father of Abraham, died on their journey to the promised land. (Genesis 11:32)

Early on Tuesday morning we drove with a van load of food to the city of Adiyaman, which like Antioch, is a city totally devastated by the earthquakes. We spent several hours visiting a local ministry who are helping in one of the container camps. When completed, each of the 20 container camps being built in Adiyaman will have 5000 containers – so 100,000 container homes. Like Antioch, and other cities within the earthquake zone, nearly all apartment buildings still standing are beyond repair and will have to be torn down.

From R.K.’s Corner

This is a follow up of the prior month’s Bridge Report, which featured the massive earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria, which took place on February 6.  Thanks to all of you who responded generously in donating funds toward helping the victims near the epicenter in Turkey!  So far, The Bridge has collected appr. $13,000.00, some of which helped complete a truck full of relief aid boxed, which our Bridge partners Robert and Sargon in cooperation with local Turkish believers, brought to the city of Antioch and surrounding cities. In this issue, Robert gives us a report from their trip.

Antioch is historically significant, as the Apostle Paul founded the first Gentile church there (Acts 11:20–26). The new disciples of Jesus in the city were the first believers called Christians. Paul started on his missionary journeys from Antioch. Today, Antioch is predominantly Muslim. Now, God has opened a wide door for the Christians to demonstrate the love of Jesus freely to their Muslim neighbors!

WILL YOU JOIN US IN HELPING THE EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS IN TURKEY?

The funds raised via The Bridge will be sent directly via the leaders we have presented you with here and administrate the receiving and distribution of goods on the ground.  The Bridge will not deduct any administrative costs: Your donation will be sent overseas in full!  Please mark your donation: 8162 Relief Aid—Turkey’s Earthquake Victims.