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Food and fuel
Abdalla and his church can’t guarantee Rober’s return, but they can stand by Jina and Abraham while they wait. Open Doors supporters make it possible for the Center of Hope to give out food and fuel, as well as support vulnerable families in prayer. Jesus promised to be with His people ‘always, to the very end of the age’ (Matthew 28:20). Today, Abdalla and others like him are proud to be Jesus’ hands and feet in Syria, praying with the persecuted and distributing essential aid to those who need it.
Jina receives regular fuel that she can use for heating and money that she can use to buy more. “They help us with the costs,” she says, “and I also receive gallons of diesel.” If it weren’t for the church’s help, she adds, she and Apo would suffer a great deal. These gifts sustain them while they pray for Rober’s safe return.
Standing with the vulnerable
Jina can’t get a job because, as a single mother, she needs to be there to care for Abraham during the day: “It’s hard to raise our boy alone, very difficult.”
With your support, many Syrians are now able to start rebuilding their businesses, communities and lives, but Open Doors is still providing necessities to people like Jina who aren’t in the position to go back to work. Often it is the most vulnerable who had to remain in Syria during the fighting, and are still in need of vital support now: the elderly whose children left Syria, the chronically ill, and families like Jina and Abraham’s who have temporarily or permanently lost their breadwinner. This support is even more important during the hardship of winter.
Jina knows that she is particularly vulnerable as a single woman. When her husband was taken, Jina and Abraham went to live with her parents-in-law: “This was because of the shelling and bombardments, but also because of my reputation. I didn’t want to stay on my own as a single woman with a son. My mother and my in-laws were worried about that. Something bad might happen to me.”
In the Middle East, single women living alone or with children are often looked down upon and they run the risk of being harassed, or worse. In many countries of the world, Christian women are doubly vulnerable to persecution: both for their faith and for their gender.
“To know about Jesus”
After three years, Jina and Abraham returned to their apartment. It’s obvious that Abraham is still affected by his father’s disappearance, even though he has no memories of Rober. Abraham wasn’t able to speak for three years after Rober was kidnapped. He remains anxious. Each evening, says Jina, he tells her “Good night, I love you so much, but don’t leave me.”
When Jina hopes for the future, she naturally thinks first of her husband. She also wants Abraham to grow in faith. “I hope God will return my husband back safe and sound. Besides that, I hope that I can be proud with my son. I want to raise him righteously, that he knows what is in the Bible, and I want to teach him to live as a Christian.”
Your prayers and support do so much more than provide practical help for Jina and her son. Abraham is learning about the Bible in classes run by the Alliance Church. Jina is delighted that the Center of Hope offers these activities, and Abraham loves going to the classes.
“He often asks me, ‘When will it be Friday?’, the day of the Sunday School. When I ask him why, he says: ‘to know about Jesus’. He enjoys being there. He loves singing with the gestures. When he comes back home, I ask him what he learned today. He tells which verse they learned from the Bible.”
Hope for the Middle East
These classes can help raise the next generation of believers in Syria. The ultimate vision for the church, shared by Abdalla, Jina and all who worship at the Alliance Church, is to be a witness for Jesus in Aleppo. The projects run with your support aren’t intended to end with the survival of a small, beleaguered Christian community. Rather, the hope and intention is that Centers of Hope will lead to resilient communities, resilient families and a resilient church. A church that is powerful and life-changing, flourishing across the Middle East and shining as the light of Christ in the darkness.
This won’t happen overnight. The church has been significantly hit by the conflict in the region and Christians have been targeted in many attacks. The ideology of so-called Islamic State (IS) persists in the region, even though IS has largely been defeated in Syria. Christians know that they are still at risk, and they need the long-term support of the worldwide church so that they, in turn, can stay in their communities and be the hope for the Middle East.
And that could start with a parcel of food or a gallon of diesel for a family like Jina and Abraham.
Pray:
Your long-term support can keep hope alive in Syria and the Middle East.
_x000D_Every PHP2,300 could provide a supplementary food pack and fuel aid to help a vulnerable Syrian family survive the harsh winter.
_x000D_Every PHP3,100 could provide medical care for two believers in Syria.
_x000D_You could also help provide training and a loan so that women can open a small business to support her family. It costs PHP28,600 to provide this._x000D_
_x000D_*Your gift will bring urgent relief and long-term support in Syria. Any excess funds for this appeal will be used in other situations of critical need.
_x000D_
