Eurasia Snapshot of the Eurasia Region of the Global Church of
the Nazarene – Wednesday, 22 January 2014 “Damascus Nazarenes reach out to
community”
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or
hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?--Romans 8:35
NIV
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good
to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.—-Romans
8:28 NASB
As the Syrian government’s military and the opposition forces
have sliced and diced the country into areas they control, millions of
civilians have been caught in the crossfire. It has been a time of severe
hardship and turmoil for believers and nonbelievers alike!
The members of the Nazarene church in Damascus awaken every day
to death and danger. While no one from the church has been killed, they are
afraid. The neighborhood where the pastor lives, and where the Nazarene school
is located, has been shelled multiple times.
But they cling ever more strongly to peace in Jesus Christ. And
they are reaching out to people in need, regardless of their religious
background. The church has registered 2,500 families, of which only 100 are
associated with the church.
Every month the church tries to give each family on their list a
package of food (and sometimes blankets, mattresses, and medicines according to
need). The families attend a gathering with an inspirational message. The
families are now in different groups, and the church conducts 12 gatherings
each week in order to distribute aid.
The church also hosts a medical clinic which is open three times
per week, seeing an average of 50 people every week.
The Nazarene school in Damascus managed to enroll 193 students
in spite of the constant uncertainty and violence plaguing the community. This
is only about 40 fewer than their normal enrollment. But due to the economic
instability at the moment, most families cannot pay the tuition for their
children. So Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) has provided a grant,
along with NCM scholarships, to help the students attend the school.
A new student named Elia joined the third grade. He cried in
class almost every day for the first few weeks because he is afraid when he
leaves his parents in the morning that he will never see them again. The
teacher began to tell Elia how he could put his trust in Jesus and pray for
protection. It took some time, but with the help of his teachers and the
encouragement he gets from the chapel services, Elia can now get through the
day without fear crippling his ability to study and play with his new friends.
He is learning how to trust in God during fearful times, and that is making a
big difference in his life.
In Aleppo, the Nazarene church continues its gatherings even
when there are electricity outages. They are helping about 15 of their families
with food staples and soap. They also used money from their tithes to fund one
man’s surgery to remove a tumor.
Please pray that during this time of uncertainty and pain that
God will continue to bring great good and work His will among the people of
Syria. Ask for courage, perseverance and resourcefulness for our brothers and
sisters. Pray that God will provide for all their critical needs, and that they
can continue to multiply what they have to help others.
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Mailing address:
Eurasia Regional Office
Postfach 1217
8207 Schaffhausen
Switzerland
Telephone: +49-7734-93050
Fax: +49-7734-9305-50
Email:
office@eurasiaregion.org
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