After the Earthquake: Ministering to People in Crisis Cross-Culturally

By Gabriela Phillips

As I write, the death toll has reached a staggering 24,000 deaths between Turkey and Syria and the number keeps increasing. It is devastating, especially for those who are here in the US and Canada and have loved ones so far away. Many Muslims are struggling with this earthquake not only at the human level (senseless loss of life), but at a theological level, too. Was this an act of divine punishment to a people stepped in sin? A compassionate response must combine a way to process emotional grief with heart-felt needs and an intellectual truthful answer. In this short article I want to show you how to bring heart, hand and head together in a compassionate way.

A Case Study

Last night a dozen of Muslims and Adventists gathered over zoom to pray together or to use Islamic language, make du’a. We were a small group, three Muslim leaders (Afghans) and the rest were Adventists; among us were two pastors. It was a sort of spontaneous gathering and we prayed that God would send those who needed to be there. Five minutes before the start, I got a text from a pastor saying, “Can I call you to talk about our prayer meeting with Turkish neighbors?” I knew God was sending this pastor and indeed he was a blessing. So, principle one and two: seize an opportunity when it emerges and respond, even if in a small way and always start with prayer. No prayer, no power. Period. Your church may be a sophisticated rocket, but with no fuel, it won’t go anywhere.

First, we introduced ourselves and why we wanted to be there. Third principle: it was not our title but our love that drew us closer: compassion. This creates community and real bonding vs performing in a program to simply achieve an impersonal goal.

After that, I offered a brief description of the current political stalemate internally in Syria. The territories affected are controlled by rebelled groups who are holding onto a region that has already been devastated by 12 years of civil war. The government has not been allowed access  and the humanitarian help is coming from one crossing point from Turkey, and some from Iraq. Some people expressed their anger over the sanctions imposed by the USA which meant that most NGOs were cautious about operating in Syria. Principle four: in an individualistic approach we tend to focus on how a situation impacts an individual and we minister to their emotional or physical needs, but most of the world operates from a sense of collective well-being, and that means understanding how individuals are situated in relation to their group. We need to know their political realities to make sense of them. This is muddy territory, it requires wisdom because there are people on both sides of a crisis so we need to be clear that our intent is to ask God to bring healing and show us how we can be agents of reconciliation.

As Adventists we feel deep discomfort in unpacking the political landscape, but most cultures that have not been shaped by modernity (as ideology) do not separate religion from politics. So, if we only speak about spiritual comfort for the individual, we are not ministering to their deepest level.

 After we shared how this crisis has affected our neighbors. Fifth principle: when possible, put a human face to the issue, and ask those present to share their stories and what is being done to support relief efforts. One pastor shared a poster where Turkish neighbors are collecting diapers, formula, etc. and Turkish Airways will deliver the goods for free. I shared how we are collecting funds to give to two of our local Syrian families whose loved ones lost their homes. One of the Afghan leaders was able to share some of their personal stories of escaping war, and how tragedy brings trauma.

As we were speaking, I was making a prayer list on the chat based on what we felt collectively to be the burden of our hearts. Sixth principle: a prayer that is “ours” is better than one that is “yours” because you are the pastor and have the microphone.

It was then that F, an Afghan leader who used to be an advisor to the previous Afghan president asked, “What do Adventist believe about this earthquake? Is it God’s punishment?” I then remembered an interview on that morning’s news with a Syrian man who had lost 25 family members, and he said, “We escaped war in Syria, but fate caught up with us here. It was written that we would die…” As an Adventist, I find this idea deeply troubling and had much to say. Instead, I shared my screen which was open to Mathew 13 and the parable of the “Good Sower”. I then said, “This question was also posed to Jesus. Let us see what he answered.” We read the parable together and I underlined “an enemy has done this”. Now, this is a major paradigm shift, so I do not expect that one verse will do it. Another Pastor brought up Job 1, and the role of Satan and the third one the issues of the great controversy. But they had no Adventist vocabulary to follow the third one. Seventh principle: as much as possible, let the Bible speak. We may not even understand the question completely, but God does, and when we open the Bible, God’s Spirit can better connect their questions with the word revealed.

We ended with prayers (du’a) based on the list we had created. When praying with people who aren’t Christians, follow Jesus’ example. Pray to our Heavenly Father (not to Dear Jesus). I do not have more space to explain why, so I will have to ask that you trust me. Prayer is sweet, healing, and in his presence we were one, one community of grieving people yearning for God’s healing. Eighth principle: prayers are not small sermons, but honest requests from the heart. They are to be heard by God not the neighbor and as we pray, we can know that we will leave that place better than when we started…

Gabriela Phillips serves as the coordinator for Adventist Muslim Relations in the North American Division.  

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of articles on Cultural Intelligence written by Gabriela Phillips and Carmelo Mercado. Look out for the fifth in two weeks. If you haven’t already, be sure to click the link and start your Cultural Intelligence self-assessment.