A little church in Istanbul is filled with Kurdish Syrians.
Some lost their homes in bombings, others through mistreatment, and each fled to Turkey seeking asylum. But in Turkey, they found less than open arms.
Marginalized and persecuted, they live in constant fear that the police will stop them on the street or break into their churches. Without the proper documents, they will be deported back to Syria.
This church’s fear was realized just before Christmas 2023 when police invaded the rental space they were meeting in. Mercifully, the police agreed that they could continue to meet provided they could register with the government quickly.
It was in that same building where OneWay’s Equipping Evangelist trained these believers to learn and tell Bible stories in January. At the end of the training, many of the Kurds shared that they finally felt empowered to study, memorize, teach and share the Bible.
“In three days, I can say I have learned what I did in five years of being a believer,” said one man.
Another shared, “Since 2007, when I became a believer, this is the first time I have enjoyed Bible teaching. I'm sure I will continue what I learned and I will never stop.”
“I don't have any background studying the Bible,” one woman reflected, “but during the training I learned to put the Bible in my heart … Now, I learned how to evangelize and share the good news with others.”
“Kurds love stories,” another man explained. “When you tell stories, they will open their ears and they will listen. Since you gave us those stories … we can teach others so that the person like me who doesn’t know how to write or read … will put it in his heart.”