Since the massive destruction caused by the 7.8 earthquake in Southeastern Turkey in February 2023, many believers were moved to sow into relief initiatives to support the local population who lost their houses and livelihood, becoming literally homeless. Thousands of people, including families with children, had no choice but to live in tents, makeshift shelters, and cars in severe weather conditions.
While the news media has moved on, and we hear very little about the recovery efforts from the massive earthquakes in the southern part of Turkey and northern Syria, the Lord is doing tremendous work in the region. Believers in the region of Antakya have mobilized support from Christians in different nations together with our partners and started the Roof project (tiny houses), which became a quick solution (2-3 hours to erect one small shelter) to provide the families with a safe place to live while they re-establish their lives.
Since the launch of the project, we, together with believers from the region, have been able to build more than 1000 “tiny houses.” These houses have not just provided a roof over the heads of the earthquake victims but have become a temporary home, a sanctuary, a place of hope. The local Turkish population in Hatay, who have received these tiny houses provided for by believers from all around the world, have shown real openness to the Gospel and to the love of Christ. An amazing fruit of this labor is a new church that has been opened in one of the main cities in the region where people get together every week for worship. Both this fellowship and another existing one have experienced substantial growth in the last six months. We thank God for this encouraging news.
Please continue to pray for the believers there as they establish relationships and show the love of the Gospel in a country where 99% of the population is considered unreached as yet by the Gospel. Your prayers and support are invaluable in this journey of hope and healing.
To watch the latest earthquake relief update, click here.
If you want to contribute to the relief efforts, you may do so through our website or the CMML’s “Disaster Relief – Turkey” fund
100% of the donations go to the project.