I went to the Middle East expecting to have my heart broken – and it was. For my entire life, I have heard about conflicts in the Middle East and prayed for peace, yet my heart had become hardened. In the face of such numerous and complex struggles, which are difficult to understand and relate to, at some point I stopped paying close attention. After visiting Lebanon and Jordan in person in May 2013, however, my perspective has dramatically changed. My heart has softened – completely.
The conflict in Syria is the most serious humanitarian crisis of our time. More than 8.3 million people are in need, including 4.25 million who are displaced within Syria and 1.5 million who are living as refugees in neighboring countries and North Africa. Approximately 4 million of those suffering are children.

I went to the Middle East expecting to have my heart broken – and it was. For my entire life, I have heard about conflicts in the Middle East and prayed for peace, yet my heart had become hardened. In the face of such numerous and complex struggles, which are difficult to understand and relate to, at some point I stopped paying close attention. After visiting Lebanon and Jordan in person in May 2013, however, my perspective has dramatically changed.  My heart has softened – completely. 

The conflict in Syria is the most serious humanitarian crisis of our time.

The conflict in Syria is the most serious humanitarian crisis of our time. More than 8.3 million people are in need, including 4.25 million who are displaced within Syria and 1.5 million who are living as refugees in neighboring countries and North Africa.  Approximately 4 million of those suffering are children.

The whole region is headed for a catastrophic humanitarian crisis as a result of a civil war in which there are no clear fronts, and for which there is no indication of a resolution in the foreseeable future. It is war – it is horror.

World Renew has been working through Christian partners in Lebanon and Syria for the last year. However, due to lack of resources, our response has been relatively small compared to the huge needs. We and the international community cannot keep up with the steadily increasing number of people displaced within Syria or living as refugees in other countries. The Christians and churches in the region are also overwhelmed by the needs of the families who continue to arrive at their doorsteps every day.

Those in need are families a lot like ours.  They had enjoyed a degree of peace and stability and had secured a promising future for themselves and their children. Now they have almost nothing. They also have no idea when or if they can go home. It is heartbreaking to talk to the bewildered parents about their losses and their grief. It is heartbreaking to see children who have never experienced such deprivation. Up until recently they had a safe home, were well fed, attended school, played with friends in their quiet neighborhoods, and were thinking of what they wanted to be when they grew up. That is all gone now, and they don’t understand what has happened to them.

I was so encouraged to learn that Christian people, churches and organizations in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan are responding to these needs in amazing ways. The region is predominantly Muslim, but Christians make up 10% of the population of Syria, 6% in Jordan and 39% in Lebanon. They have always been very active in their societies, and now they are reaching out like never before.  The denominations in the region include Protestant, Evangelical, Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic and Maronite. They are working with each other, and with moderate Muslim organizations, to help meet the urgent needs of Syrian families.

I was also encouraged to discover that host families and communities in Lebanon and Jordan – Christians and Muslims alike – have already been doing a great deal to accommodate the Syrian refugees, offering them food, clothing, housing or land upon which to erect a temporary shelter. These host communities are quite familiar with conflict, and many of their people can personally relate to the situations these new refugees find themselves in.

Unfortunately, these churches and host communities are rapidly becoming overwhelmed.  They need our help.

There are already 470,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and it is expected that another million people will arrive in the next three to six months. There will hardly be anywhere for them to live. Most of the available “housing” – basements, sheds, garages, barns, abandoned buildings, and buildings that are under construction – has already been taken. In addition, much of the available unused land is covered by informal tented settlements. Food, fuel and water are also in short supply, and prices are increasing due to demand.  There are also 450,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, and another million or more are expected there as well.

Syria is being emptied of its people.  Now is the time for us to dramatically increase our involvement so that we can reach more families in need.

World Renew is “coming alongside” the Christian organizations who are already there, and who have been there for decades and even centuries, loving and serving their neighbors in communities all across the Middle East. What an incredible witness to God’s love!

The work of Christians is being noticed, and God is busy changing hearts and minds. One Christian worker said “We do what we can with great love, and God is blessing us more and more.” Another said “I cannot stop crying when I deal with this crisis. Everyone has something to tell me. They need someone to talk to, and their stories are so incredibly sad.”

These struggling workers need our help. 

Will you support World Renew with your prayers and financial gifts? World Renew will be applying for Canadian Foodgrains Bank funding and for other grants from the Canadian and US governments in order to increase the scale and impact of its response in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. However, your donations are the foundation that we can build on, multiply and leverage.

Please make a donation today, so that World Renew can provide food, water, shelter, kitchen sets, hygiene kits, cooking and heating stoves, fuel and rent assistance to families in urgent need. Please also pray that peace will come again, and that evil will be overcome.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground,
and after you have done everything, to stand.

~ Ephesians 6: 11-13

In His Service,

Wayne de Jong

Director Disaster Response & Rehabilitation