Driven by fear, touched by kindness in Greece

Sixteen-year-old Tarek wasn’t far from his homein Syria when he was stopped by ISIS militants. They questioned him, and, when they found out he was Kurdish, he was captured.

Tarek was terrified. He was beaten so hard that he still bears the scars on his shoulders. His captors contacted Tarek’s family and demanded money for his release, saying they would kill him if payment wasn’t made.

His family managed to raise the ransom money, and Tarek returned home injured and traumatised. Even more fearful than before, Tarek and his two sisters made the difficult decision to flee. They journeyed from Syria to Turkey, where they made the dangerous crossing to Lésvos, Greece, and then to a refugee camp in Athens.

Tarek and his sisters were scared during the ten-day journey. But their fear of taking to the sea on a crowded, flimsy boat was nothing compared to their fear of ISIS, and their desperation drove them on.

Like so many others, Tarek and his sisters haven’t yet made it further than the refugee camp. They were hoping to move on to Belgium where they have family, but haven’t been able to. ‘We have decided to apply for asylum in Greece,’ says Tarek. ‘There are good people here.’

In the meantime, these three teenagers are in limbo. Thankfully, they’re also among more than 150,000 people affected by the current refugee crisis who have been helped by our partners, thanks to your prayers and support.

Tarek and his sisters get a hot meal every day thanks to our partner, Operation Mobilisation. The meals are prepared, packed and distributed by local church volunteers, and make a huge difference to people like Tarek* – both physically and emotionally. ‘They distribute the food so kindly,’ he says.

  • Our prayers and actions can feel like a drop in the ocean amid such a tragic crisis, but thank God that he can use them to bring hope and comfort.
  • Pray for those in power as they work towards a sustainable solution to this complex situation affecting so many lives. Pray that a way forward will be found.
  • As conflict and violence drive more and more people from their homes, please continue to pray to our great God for a breakthrough of peace in Syria, Iraq and other countries in turmoil.
  • Pray for Tarek and so many others like him whose lives and hopes have been so unfairly turned upside down. Pray for a better future.
    *Name changed to protect his identity

India's Assam region hit by floods and landslides

More than 70,000 people in India’s north-eastern Assam region have been affected by floods. These pre-monsoon floods are the result of intensive rainfall in the region since 15 April.According to Assam’s disaster management authority, more than 5,000 hectares of cropland are flooded and rivers are flowing above the danger mark.

‘Families often rely on a single rice paddy crop, sown in July and harvested in November,’ says Dr Pratibha Singh from Tearfund partner Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA). ‘The floods that are happening now could destroy these crops that families rely on to sustain them for the whole year. With limited options for other livelihoods, this loss of food will seriously threaten the lives of marginal farmers.’

‘We are keeping a high alert and talking to the district administration to keep up-to-date on the situation and need for a response from EHA.’

As well as causing severe food shortages, Dr Pratibha warns these floods are likely to cause an increase in child trafficking. ‘Families who lose their income can be persuaded to sell their children to people who promise to provide food for them to eat. Many children go missing – taken by people on the pretext of providing food and shelter until the family can recover. This is a huge danger, particularly for children aged five to ten.’

  • Pray for the district administration and health departments who are responding, who believe the situation is under control.
  • Pray for timely and good rainfall, and that families affected by the floods would get urgent relief and keep safe.
  • Lift up all the children affected, that they would be safe and able to resume school as soon as possible.

Nepal – one year on

This week marked one year since two earthquakes in Nepal. Around 9,000 people were killed, and 900,000 homes destroyed. Our response is ongoing, but this week we’ve been celebrating hope rebuilt and progress made during the last year.

Please join us in prayer.

Lord God,

We come to you a year on from the devastating earthquakes in Nepal.

We lift up those who are still missing loved ones and rebuilding homes and livelihoods, and we pray for those who are living in fear of another emergency. We ask that you’ll be their comfort and hope.

God, we thank and praise you for the progress made this year, for the lives, communities and homes restored. We pray for Tearfund’s partner staff as they continue this work, as well as prepare people to survive should another disaster strike. Be their strength and guide.

In Jesus’ name we pray

Amen

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29 April 2016 One Voice weekly prayer email
tearfund.org/praying