This is a first for our Iraq/Kurdistan team to serve in the earthquake zone of Turkey. You may recall our Lebanon team has been to both Turkey and Syria numerous times already. We are so grateful for Ari and Aram, as they coordinate with local leaders, to help in these capacities. They have communicated that the priority for purchasing things is tents, food, clothes, shoes, and kitchen supplies like (pots, plates, spoons, knives, bottles of gas, carpets, blankets, and pillows. To support them in these endeavors, financially, please note “Earthquake Support” on any giving(s), and can be funneled via:
Frontier Partners (via GSA) … partnering with WarmHeart-Lebanon
are again back in Syria, with humanitarian aid for ongoing needs that will be needful and last for months and years to come. Crucial to all this are:
Partnerships: Working with country partnerships(in this case, Lebanon/WarmHeart), we are able to be, serve, and help in better ways and means, than if we tried to do it all ourselves. These layers of partnerships actually work. And if fact, when done well, provide assistance more direct, appropriately, and relationally, than if a singular organization and/or person tried to do it. We are so graced to have such quality people and organizations to partner with. Join us in giving thanks!
Resourced Locally: Resources are key to any aid, of any description, that is provided for the needy. So from where are they best sourced? In most cases, seeking out and using locally-based resources are key to the best relief and development. And while there are exceptions (like our containers of wheelchairs to Lebanon from Joni&Friends two years ago), the best sources are almost always the local ones. A great friend and colleague of mine once gave me an example of how he locally resourced in a most unlikely place; South Sudan, during their awful civil war (’83-’05). For most of us westerners, I know it sounds crazy. How in the world can such aid be locally resourced? As it turns out, many local entrepreneurs are quite brainy, astute, and resourceful(no pun intended). They find ways to bring goods into their domains, even under such hostile environments as civil war and earthquakes.
WarmHeart-Lebanon, now in Syria, is doing just this. They are purchasing locally, for almost all their humanitarian aid endeavors. This helps those receiving, and it greatly helps the local economies, currently in shambles.
For your heart to contribute to helping these specific partnerships and resourcing into Syria, use the link provided below to give:
Jeff’s latest … and ZOOM registration for live ZOOM event tomorrow/Wednesday/22nd About 1 hour ago (sent Monday, Jeff’s time), another earthquake struck the historic city of Antioch.
ANTAKYA, Turkey (Reuters) -A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the Turkey-Syria border region late on Monday, setting off panic and damaging buildings in Turkey’s Antakya city two weeks after the country’s worst earthquake in modern history left tens of thousands dead. Two Reuters witnesses reported a strong quake and further damage to buildings in central Antakya, where it was centered. It was also felt in Egypt and Lebanon, Reuters reporters said. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the tremor struck at a depth of 2 km (1.2 miles). Other witnesses said Turkish rescue teams were running around after the latest quake, checking people were unharmed. Muna Al Omar, a resident, said she was in a tent in a park in central Antakya when the earthquake hit. “I thought the earth was going to split open under my feet,” she said, crying as she held her 7-year-old son in her arms. “Is there going to be another aftershock?” she asked. The two larger earthquakes that hit on Feb. 6, which also rocked neighboring Syria, left more than a million homeless and killed far more than the latest official tally of 46,000 people in both countries.
Our soup kitchens are up and running
We are scheduled to be in Antioch/Antakya on Wednesday. With the new earthquake, it makes everything much more real. It is uncertain what new destruction awaits us. I will be in the earthquake region with a team of nine Turks & Americans. We will be looking for the Hidden & the Hurting and places to serve, not just this week but for the months to come. We are looking to increase the effectiveness and impact of the aid you have provided.
As I said last week, we will be giving a live report from the devastated region on Wednesday, 11 am (EST), 8 am (Calif), 5 pm (Geneva). You will need to register beforehand. Click on the picture above, or use this link – https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqcuiqrjwuHtJhSA0Q9k0FnUYW9-xyPbGZ Since I will have little ability to communicated and limited electricity, I will not be able to help if you have any connection issues. If you need help, please contact my buddy Lee – lee.westphal@ghni.org Thank you for your concern and prayers for the people of Turkey & Syria.
Daniel & Nora Emig's Journeys 