Sayed grew up going to a Christian church in Syria but had never understood the implications of the Gospel on his own life…until war broke out in his hometown.
Islamic militias infiltrated his family’s neighborhood, vandalizing the streets and planting car bombs. When Sayed’s son was injured by a blast, his fear only grew. People were leaving town in droves. Who was going to help them?
Then ISIS surrounded their town. Sayed knew they were trapped…the threat of devastation was always on the horizon. His two oldest sons were on the brink of adulthood and the war had left them without access to education or work opportunities. Sayed risked his life to smuggle them out of town, and they have now resettled in Germany.
The burdens from war intensified with time. Sayed’s community was in constant panic, fearing for their lives and powerless to provide for themselves. How could he cope with what he was seeing and experiencing?
Sayed Returns to Church
He remembered his early memories in church, when he saw others experience such joy and peace as they worshipped. In their desperate need for comfort, Sayed and his wife returned to church and gave their lives to the Lord shortly after.
Sayed found the peace he had longed for and the strength to endure suffering in Jesus Christ. But he also found a clear calling. Through his growing prayer life and discipleship from our field team member in Syria, Sayed knew that the Lord was asking him to stay in his hometown…regardless of how dangerous it became.
God wanted Sayed in Syria. Amid the turmoil and devastation, he would be the Lord’s vessel to the suffering masses. He would be a symbol of God’s faithfulness to Syria amidst the ruins ISIS left behind.
He said goodbye to neighbor after neighbor who fled in search of a better life, staying behind and clinging to his faith…
Finding Enduring Livelihood…in Syria
Remaining required more than Sayed and his wife could have imagined. His work opportunities as a farmhand dwindled as more and more people left, and the price of necessities soared as the economy collapsed. He needed a livelihood that would consistently provide for his family, enabling him to obey God’s call to stay.
Sayed had always dreamed of having his own farm, starting with a small barn that was already on his land. But the barn incurred damage during the war, making it unusable.
But we were excited to come alongside Sayed to make his dream a reality! An Enduring Livelihood grant from Help The Persecuted is enabling him to make necessary repairs to the barn, purchase three milk cows, and acquire the equipment necessary for producing and distributing milk to the community.
His labor will bless the community in more ways than one, as most have been completely without milk during the economic crisis. And when his operation becomes steadily profitable, Sayed plans to hire other persecuted believers and breed the cows for natural, cost-effective expansion!
We are grateful for the opportunity to help Sayed rebuild his life. When you give to Help The Persecuted, you empower persecuted Christians like Sayed to rebuild their lives, and, in turn, strengthen the church and its ministry in the most desolate of places! Join us in praying for this little farm in war-torn Syria—that it would grow and bring the Gospel to those who, like Sayed, are searching for hope.
And please prayerfully consider giving towards the rebuilding of persecuted lives today.