Syria Mission Report: December 2016 Open Doors and Hope for the Future

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” –Hebrews 11:1

Thank you for praying for us to be here in Kurdistan and Mosul, Iraq to help in a small way. And for the opened door to travel to Syria. We are here in this region to share love, to give help and training, and to be another voice for all peoples under oppression. On our most recent Syria mission in December 2016,we sent a small team to help while others of us were helping in Mosul. We went to Syria this time to strengthen relationships, encourage greater partnership between all Kurds and the people they are serving in their regions and to prepare for our next relief missions there in 2017.

During this trip along with our wonderful Christin brother Basheer, we were able to meet with many leaders of the region and due to the many conflicts between different groups they expressed the major difficulties to take care of the region:
1. Lack of professional medical staff as many of them fled during the conflict and very few have returned. This is especially tragic as people in the region have a very difficult time getting out to obtain the medical attention they require
2. Very little access to medical equipment and medicine. Entry points from all sides of the region are extremely controlled due to the political differences between Turkey, Syrian Government, Kurdistan, and the conflict with ISIS.
3. Very little infrastructure for transportation and for construction materials. Most factories and building materials were destroyed and or looted during the chaos so rebuilding what was lost is very challenging.

Despite the difficulty, the people are working hard to make a better tomorrow. In the city of Kobane where our team visited before and did a program for orphans and families there, a partner NGO: Foundation of Free Woman in Rojava is building an Orphanage for with a school for the over 1000 orphans in the city area. We supported them with formula milk for the babies of the families who lost loved ones and prayed that this project to provide a home and education for the children would be blessed.

In Kobane also there is a spark ignited of faith as one church has been started and another group of believers is meeting twice a week to praise God and pray together. We were able to share a little bit of Christmas love and cheer with the lions and lambs toys that Victor Marx and ATP gave to comfort the children after the trauma of all the fighting that has happened.

We prayed and shared our stories of God’s faithfulness to us. Their biggest request was not food or medicine but rather fellowship with believers, wisdom in growing their faith and how to share their faith in the community. People are asking and God is stepping into their hearts and minds.
Since the operation to retake Raqqa started there have been over 25,000 Idps that have fled the surrounding areas into the Kobane region, according to the MSF team stationed there. In Qamshli, we met with one NGO: Comerd Charity Foundation to have an office shared with them. This partnership strengthens our cooperation with Kurdistan and Rojava so that we can continue to operate and help more people. We don’t know what the future holds but we are praying that God will open the door wider for us to come and support the people in the conflict areas, Share His Love, get the news out.

God bless you,
Free Burma,Kurd, Iraqi, Sudan and Syria Rangers!