A smile from Suleyman

For this photo, Suleyman has walked a difficult path - back to his destroyed home. He talks about his life before the earthquake, and his look into the camera says almost more than any words. So many memories, so much suffering. Suleyman can no longer smile, not even for a photo.

Before the earthquake, Suleyman had made a small fortune. A house with six apartments owned by himself and his sons, a small store and 100 cows - that had been his property. On the night of February 6, he was awakened by the earth shaking. He ran to the apartment doors of his sons to wake them up. It was a close call, but they all made it outside. They immediately ran to their relatives' house to help them, but the upper floors had already collapsed. They searched and called in vain for eight relatives, whose bodies could not be recovered for nine days. When Suleyman and his family returned to their destroyed house, the small store had been looted.  Suleyman had to sell the cows because he could no longer take care of them. The house can only be demolished, but a new building permit is not to be issued for the property. So Suleyman stands in the rubble, stunned.‍90 seconds that destroyed so much...

Thanks to your help, dear friends, we were able to build a barrack for Suleyman and his family. It is insulated and weatherproof. And the fact that we had not forgotten about him and his suffering returns a barely visible but grateful smile on Suleyman's face.

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Weatherproof shelters for families

With international teams, we are able to help Christians in Antakya build barracks for families who lost everything in the earthquake. This has allowed us to expand the ministry of the Hope Tents, which served as the first shelters immediately after the quake. The longer it takes the state to house homeless families, the more important it is to help with barracks that are insulated against heat and cold, more weather-resistant, have solid floors and offer more living comfort.

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In the past week alone, the international team was able to build 23 barracks.

The gratitude of the families for this help we would like to pass on to you, families like Selantin and Serda. When we ask Serda what the barrack means to her, she says with tears: "It is a villa for us!" 

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A Villa for us!

Selantin and Serda have been living a modest life. As a sailor, Selantin had sailed the world's oceans for many years, while his wife had looked after their three children at home. When Selantin could no longer go to sea for health reasons, he set up a small business. The family lived in a rented apartment with two rooms and took in another niece who had been abandoned by her mother.
Selantin has no memory of the night of the earthquake on February 6. His wife Serda says that they were startled out of their sleep because everything around them was shaking and collapsing. She made it outside unharmed, but her husband was hit in the head by rubble fragments. It wasn't until several days later, in the hospital, that his memory resets. A large scar on the back of his head makes him painfully grateful that the family survived the earthquake, which killed more than 56,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
But it's hard to start over. All that remains of life before the quake is an old motorcycle. Their apartment and business are in ruins. For a month, they had been staying with Selantin's sister. Then they were asked to find their own accommodation. So they lived in a tent, for days, weeks, months....

‍A small plot of land that the two inherited now serves as the site for the wooden barrack.
When asked what the shack means to the two of them, Serda answers with tears in her eyes, "A villa for us!"

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Thank you, dear friends, for helping families in regions destroyed by the earthquake!‍

‍Thank you for equipping the local churches who serve tirelessly to reach their fellow man with the Gospel! ‍

‍Thank you for praying for the Christians and their ministry, and for all the families who, through your help, can hear about Jesus Christ!