- Pray that the Christians in Syria would be free by God's grace from the fear of the Islamic brotherhood, and their Sharia Law and Sunni conservative rule.
- Pray that the rebels would not infiltrate Lebanon, and all wars, terrors, and conflicts from the region would come to a peaceful end.
- We bless Nuna and all her local teams and partners! Pray that all their needs would be supplied according to God's riches and glory in Christ Jesus.
Greetings friends
I know many of you have been riveted on the news as everything in the ME has been happening so quickly. (We did that too! )
But let me give you an update from the eyes of someone who has boots on the ground.
It still seems unreal. Half a century of rule by the Assad family in Syria crumbled with astonishing speed. The day the ceasefire came into effect in Lebanon was the day where the Syrian north front got on the move
In a matter of days major Syrian cities that were under the Syrian government rule were taken and the ruling government collapsed. The president (Bashar al Assad) fled the country and took refuge in Russia. I think that the rebels themselves did not expect to take all these cities so quickly with very little to no opposition.
During the Syria civil war that started in the year 2011 and that took a pause for the last few years, more than half a million people lost their lives and more than 13 million were displaced
Yesterday, There were celebrations everywhere within Syria but also within Lebanon celebrating the fall of Assad, with fireworks, gun shots and even heavy artillery. A TV presenter even opened a champagne bottle on air to celebrate with his guests.
However, on the ground there was a lot of looting homes, and shops, even looting the presidential palace and the central bank with extreme chaos in the streets.
The Christian brothers and sisters did not dare move out of their homes and there was a report of a stampede at the Lebanese border yesterday, as many Syrians tried to enter Lebanon. Today, the border is deserted."
The fact is that now there is no general security on the borders on the Syrian side. All the personnel defected. and Syria is just an open border.
Will the collapse of the government mean that Syrian refugees will go back home? And what does it mean for the whole Middle East
Truth is that some Syrians are contemplating going back home but many will not do that so quickly as Syria’s economic situation is still very difficult where people get a salary as low as $10/ month . Also, we are not expecting people to leave during the winter especially if their homes have been destroyed as they will need time to rebuild.
Interestingly, many European countries have suspended the applications for Syrian Asylum and the General Security in Lebanon announced that they will give all the facilities needed for Syrians to leave the country
On the other hand it is too early to just declare that Syria is free. A battle is now going on between the Sunni rebels backed by Turkey and the Kurds that are in the northeast part of Syria backed by the US and the west. One has hidden agenda that places Turkey in a place of power on the global scene and the other is more open to all minorities. A division of the country could result.
On the ground, we heard that the Turkish government which is the main player in this master plan has started to distribute the Turkish curriculum in schools and we are watching to see the real agenda of the rebels. (the rebels are not just one political group but several). They might say something on the media but act differently on the ground like the Taliban did.
How to pray
I have been in contact with several Christian brothers and sisters who are completely disoriented not knowing what to do next.
- Pray for the Christians in Syria who are now living in fear of the Islamic brotherhood taking over and implementing the Sharia law
- Pray that the rebels will not infiltrate Lebanon as many dormant cells are here waiting for the activation order
- We are happy that the Iranian grip over the Middle East is weakening but we don’t want it to be replaced by a Sunni conservative rule with morality police and no tolerance for Christians and other minorities
- Pray for us as we’re trying to navigate all these changes while also catering to the needs of the displaced and trying to bring the Christmas message to people
Thank you for standing with us in prayer as we are seeing the transformation of the Middle East happening before our eyes
Much blessings
Nuna
PS: I am sure i will be send you more news soon. We have been praying for a quickening of events for the sake of the remnant but we never dreamed it would happen that fast and its hard to keep up with everything