I would be going to work with a team in refugee camps and then aid a family of 12 in relocating to a city where their sick Mother could get good medical care. We would be escorting them to start a new life as their home in Syria was under siege. We also would be bringing with us the funds to bless distribution centers with several tons of material help like soap, sugar, diapers, and other help (which was amazing to see when it was all said and done). But the night before I left, I was struck with intense fear. I have a tendency to underestimate intense situations; maybe as a way of dealing with them a little more frequently than we used to. But at that moment every voice (in my own mind and from outside) that questioned me stepping out, every news article I read about this particular place - leaving my husband and children - all hit me like a bus. Who does this? What am I doing? Why would I ever intentionally put myself in harms way? Am I crazy? But peace washed over me. I KNOW that God has called us to these crazy places. I think it's because our answer will always be YES! I AM crazy enough to go when he says go, even if it may not make any sense at all. 2 Corinthians 5:14 says," For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that Christ died for all, and therefore all died." I am compelled. I had words spoken over me three times before I left, that God was going to unlock something in my heart. I didn't exactly know what that meant, but here and now, I feel I have come to an understanding of what that meant.
We hit the ground running in preparation for the family that was leaving the camp with us. Buying sheets and blankets, dishes and cups, pots and pans, and just about everything you would need to start a home. They were coming from war; having left their home with only the clothing on their backs and a few odds and ends. There were team meetings, prayer times seeking God for direction, and planning for when we hit the Syrian border. I knew we were heading into an unstable, dangerous place. What I didn't realize was the severity, at least until our arrival into the border city. As we were driving into the town where the refugee camps were located, we were greeted with a bomb from one of the U.S. airstrikes that was about 10 miles away (the picture on the front of our newsletter). That was a very unnerving moment for me. Not only did I not realize that we were THIS close to absolute war, but we still had another 5 miles to drive. As we drove closer, the atmosphere changed drastically. We noticed an increase in people, just milling about and walking the streets. The streets were full. We passed refugee camps, scattered wherever they'd fit, with crowds of children playing in frozen puddles of mud, shoeless and without jackets. Fences and anything else that worked held drying clothes.
Stares. There were many many stares from very worn, weary faces. There were people who when you made eye contact with them, smiled. Then there were those who looked at you with hate in their eyes, a hate that sent a chill down your back. A hate that made it suddenly VERY REAL! We would find out shortly thereafter that ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, and even various mafia and smugglers were very active in the town recruiting, terrorizing, and exploiting whichever population demographic suited them most.
Stares. There were many many stares from very worn, weary faces. There were people who when you made eye contact with them, smiled. Then there were those who looked at you with hate in their eyes, a hate that sent a chill down your back. A hate that made it suddenly VERY REAL! We would find out shortly thereafter that ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, and even various mafia and smugglers were very active in the town recruiting, terrorizing, and exploiting whichever population demographic suited them most.
Our first contact was with a woman who was running a food and clothing distribution depot. She was a Turkish women who looked as though she lived off of coffee and hadn't had a good night sleep in weeks. She was a very smart women who had a ton of responsibility. She was intimidated by nothing and knew how to get the job done. She gave us a tour of the depot where they move literally tons of food and supplies from diapers to flour in a matter of hours. From there it was on to the clothing depot where we met a women who's face and story I will never forget. She was a Kurdish freedom fighter. I would have never guessed the life this women lived- she was so very humble and soft spoken - unless I was told. She shared how she grew up fighting for human rights and against persecution. She told us freedom was something she came to experience when she moved to New York as a young women. She lived in New York City for 7 years, and said how her time there, taught her what true freedom was, which brought her back to her homeland to be trained as a soldier and take part in the liberation of Kobani from ISIS. The ISIS soldiers are taught to believe that if they die by the hands of a women they go directly to hell. And a special place in Heaven is one of the reasons they fight.
We were then brought to a conference room which definitely had seen better days. It looked like what I would imagine a makeshift army barracks to look like. We were brought to a room and told to sit, and about 15 minutes later a foreign dignitary from Kobani came in and began to share with us the horrible stories coming from his country. We were told about fathers digging holes in the ground to protect their families from shrapnel, about how those injured waiting to cross the border are being mowed down by the guns of ISIS soldiers, and how his own home was taken by ISIS guerillas. It was one of the most sobering experiences of my life. There really are very few words that can tell how my heart felt at that moment. I felt a gut wrenching sorrow, a mourning in my spirit that to this day I can't shake.
We were then brought to a conference room which definitely had seen better days. It looked like what I would imagine a makeshift army barracks to look like. We were brought to a room and told to sit, and about 15 minutes later a foreign dignitary from Kobani came in and began to share with us the horrible stories coming from his country. We were told about fathers digging holes in the ground to protect their families from shrapnel, about how those injured waiting to cross the border are being mowed down by the guns of ISIS soldiers, and how his own home was taken by ISIS guerillas. It was one of the most sobering experiences of my life. There really are very few words that can tell how my heart felt at that moment. I felt a gut wrenching sorrow, a mourning in my spirit that to this day I can't shake.
The following day we helped to distribute food. Because the camps were completely full of people, many refugees are living on the streets, in even worse condition then those in the camps. Those in the camps are given food and some simple supplies. But those in the streets were given only one ration of food a month, if help even found them. Which turned our attention to them. Most were such warm, friendly people who still held on to hope. They were so very desperate, at times skirmishing for their portion of supplies. But when we engaged them, and loved on them, the loved that poured back out burned my heart.
On day 3 we were brought to the only church in this border city. A group of 30 believers, many of them had only recently met Jesus. We were able to sit with 2 of the church elders who began to pour out their hearts to us. While we were sitting their, the realization of what we were really doing hit me. Here we were sitting in this small room, a group of 10 obvious foreigners who were just led off of the street into the back of a building. The electric and lighting flickered off and on. We were all sitting on the floor. It was very tense for me. I felt as though I was waiting for someone to kick in the door and begin firing at us. But as we communed with these 2 elders, the Holy Spirit began to fall and peace again overcame me. They shared how there is not enough time in the day, because the need is so great. They work their jobs from 7 to 11 in the morning, and the rest of the day pour into these families living on the streets. They buy what they need for their family and with whatever is extra they then buy a pair of pants or a bag of flour for a refugee family who is in need. It has been an open door to share the gospel to broken people. One thing said stuck with me. The pastor said its been bitter cold, and for us, when we see snow we think vacation. But when they see snow, they cry because of the hardship the cold brings. They are freezing and have no help.As we listened, a man walked into the room and when I saw him my heart sank into my stomach. I KNEW him, I KNEW his face; I dreamt of it the night before. I never met him up till this moment, but I knew him. After I shared that with the group we found out 2 others dreamt of him the night before as well! The Holy Spirit began to give me a word for this man, who we came to find out later is a Muslim. Only because of the love of this church and how they are pouring their love out on his people, he began to help and attend services. He began to cry as I told him what I felt the Holy Spirit was saying. The Father knows each one of us so well. He is so passionate for his children, desiring that each one will come to know His love. He knows what each one of us need to bring our attention to him and we got to see that day His love for this man.
There is so much more to write about. The family we helped get out of the camp and to receive medical care is doing so much better. There is a church in Australia which has sponsored a portion of their expenses for the foreseeable future. But there is still a ways for them to go. The church I wrote about needs a transport vehicle to help them better handle the distributions. This entire region of the world needs help, needs us, and needs CHRIST. To hear the stories of the families, the husband who was shot from an ISIS sniper, or the brother who was beheaded in front of his family, was overwhelming at the very least. While we sat with people in the camp and watched bomb after bomb explode, feeling them vibrate through our chests. Until I experienced it, I couldn't even imagine the terror that those little children are experiencing and seeing. Watching people jerk from the bombs in the distance, still hearing the AK's firing from only a few miles away, was so horribly saddening. In the end, I was proud to be a part of this, but my heart has been pierced by these people. I feel as though I won't be able to shake this experience; one I do believe is only the first of more to come.
Here's how to help:
We are organizing medical relief missions to Syrian and Iraqi refugee camps. One is tentative for March, and another is set for October. ISIS victims will receive aid as they did in this trip, as well as simple infection and fungal diagnosis and treatment, as well as medical recommendations we are equipped to make.
WE NEED:
1. Medical volunteers (particularly with diagnosis skills)
2. Partners and Sponsors
3. Help spreading the word
4. PRAYER!
To partner with the Garrett family for this and other mission work, visit:
Follow the instructions and use CODE 3068 to note a description when PayPal prompts you.
Or, for checks:
The Garretts
c/o Touching Nations Today #3068
19387 Hidden Oaks Dr
Brooksville FL 34604
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most gifts are tax deductible
