Analysts say it was inevitable it would come to this, that Syrians would eventually tire of waiting for a war of such exceptional brutality to end. At least 250,000 have been killed in four ferocious years of fighting, by chemical weapons, ballistic missiles and the barrel bombings by government warplanes that are the biggest single killer of civilians, according to human rights groups.
Men on both sides die in the endless battles between the government and rebels for towns, villages and military bases that produce no clear victory. The Islamic State kills people in the areas it controls with beheadings and other brutal punishments. The United States is leading a bombing campaign against the Islamic State but has shown scant interest in solving the wider Syrian war, which seems destined to only escalate further with the deepening involvement of Russian troops.
“It should surprise no one. Hopelessness abounds,” said Fred Hof, a former State Department official who is now with the Atlantic Council. “Why would any Syrian with an option to leave and the physical ability to do so elect to stay?”
“Last year, 1 in 5 displaced persons worldwide was Syrian (roughly 10 million refugees to date by 2014). The country in 2014 became the planet’s largest source of refugees, displacing Afghanistan, which had held that dubious distinction for three decades. Neighboring Turkey now hosts more refugees than any other nation, knocking Pakistan to No. 2.” The Washington Post.
“Everyone I know is leaving,” said Mohammed, 30, who climbed three mountains to make his way across the Turkish border from the city of Aleppo with his pregnant wife, under fire from Turkish border guards. “It is as though all of Syria is emptying.”
The above quatations are a summary from the article posted below.
For more information visit: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/syria-is-emptying/2015/09/14/2b457a86-534f-11e5-b225-90edbd49f362_story.html
All this pain and suffering. These people are in desperate need of help. They are fleeing countries cloesed to the Gospel; they are starving for hope. They need grace, forgiveness, and tangible acts of love. God has opened a door to nations that have been closed to the Gospel for decades. We have a responsibility to help them physically but moreso to share with them the hope of Christ, his grace and empowerment.
Please pray that God would continue to open doors into the lives of refugees to love them and build them up in the light of the Gospel.