It is in this time 10 years since the civil war in Syria began. In 2014, another dimension was added to the civil war when, as in Iraq, the Islamic State drove out Christians and other minorities.
Danish Europamissions donors have made a gigantic effort for the displaced and vulnerable in Syria. One of the most vulnerable is Mariam, who is 55 years old. She is Kurdish and was displaced by Islamist jihadists from Afrin in northern Syria when Turkey de facto took the province. Now she lives with her child 30 kilometers from Aleppo in a refugee camp between the front lines to the tprofessionally supported Islamist forces and The Syrian regime.
Until 2018, Miriam lived in Afrin with her husband and their three children. She was Muslim and followed Islam's rules of prayer, fasting and reading the Quran. When Turkish troops and their jihadist allies attacked, her husband and two of her children died when a bomb exploded.
Mariam and her one son were not home when the bomb exploded. When she returned home, she found her husband and two children dead. With everything lost, Mariam and her son fled to the Kurdish refugee camp between the two front lines and settled in a tent.
She was devastated, frustrated and blamed God for everything that had happened to her. "Why have you taken my husband and children, God?" she cried out.
As our project partner distributed emergency aid (food, hygiene items and corona-prevention) to the refugees in the camp, the camp residents asked the relief team to visit Mariam.
Two women from the relief team went to her tent, but didn't know how she would react. She told them everything that had happened to her. She cried, "Why does God want to take my husband and children?" The Christian women comforted Mariam and told her that the God we believe in is not a cruel God. They told her that our God is love and that He will help her overcome all the hatred and destruction she has experienced. At the relief team's next regular distribution, Mariam asked our Christian partners if they could give her a Bible to read.
After some time, Mariam's son fell ill with fever and she called the Christian women and asked them to pray for her son. Mariam was invited to a prayer meeting at a church, and she came to the church holding the Bible and asked if they would pray for her son.
She said:"I am muslim, but when I saw how much love I have in your hearts, by helping all -without making a difference - I wanted to know more and come i Church. Your prayers and the healing of my son are a blessing to me. You comforted me and helped me through this difficult time tThank you so much." Now Mariam and her son attend church regularly and she volunteers with the relief team to help distribute aid in the camp.
It is because of the support of Christians in Denmark that Mariam not only received relief, but also comfort and encouragement during a very difficult time. There are many womenmen, boys and girls in Syria who are suffering. COVID-19 has only exacerbated the deep crisis the country is in.
Thank you for praying for the church in the country. The church is itself a lot challenged, but with Danish support, the remaining persecuted but brave Christians reaching out to the most vulnerable. You can also with your gift ensure that the local Christians sheep the opportunity to lend a helping hand to people in need.
