Türkiye

It has been sad to hear the earthquake news from Türkiye and Syria over the past several days. My first instinct is to think of who I know currently living in that part of the world, or who I know from there. I have missionary friends in Turkey. They live some distance west of the epicenter, but I’m sure they will hear and experience effects. Here in Indiana, PA, I recently met a neat couple from Türkiye doing post-graduate work at IUP. I was relieved when I remembered he is originally from the western part of the country, and she is from the edge of the Black Sea, both far from the epicenter.

But then I think about the many, many people whom I haven’t met, but whom I often think about these days in more general terms - refugees in Syria and Türkiye. In 2022, Syria was the top country of origin for refugees, with the number nearing 7 million people. Türkiye was the top hosting country, with nearly 4 million refugees residing there.

Türkiye is a fascinating place – a crossroads between continents, a place with incredible history, and a land full of beautiful landscapes and amazing food which I keep learning more about as I watch travel videos on YouTube.

It’s hard to keep up with the prayer needs. How do you pray for the world? Do you have any particular resources or strategies you use? If so, I would love to hear about them. Most of the world news I catch comes in through e-mail updates I’ve subscribed to, plus occasional episodes (or partial episodes) of “The World and Everything in It” podcast. I use PrayerMate as a tool for regular prayer reminders, but despite my aspirations for regular, meaningful prayer for people around the world, I often feel like I fall short and want to do better.

Today, I pray for the many people impacted by the recent earthquakes – family members and friends of victims, those whose livelihoods have been really messed up, and those who are cold and struggling to get even the basic necessities of life. I pray for those who are doing what they can to help in response – safety, wisdom, and enduring compassion for the people around them. I pray that these devastating circumstances will somehow lead to positive changes for people (refugee or not) in Türkiye, Syria, and beyond.