I do not know who first used the phrase "compassion fatigue" but it is a reality that we all face. With constant news of all the disasters, famines, wars and suffering of this world and with the constant appeals to help this cause, this organization and this person doing good work, the compassion does run low. We simply cannot deal with all of the needs and so we turn off the compassion and watch the ball game.
Then cynicism kicks in when the stories of incompetence, corruption and staggering abuse of relief funds by government and also charitable organizations hit our news feed. Why even try?
But in every disaster zone and in the midst of every sea of need you will find someone doing something with very little and making a big difference!
That is our friend Alexandr in Istanbul. He is from Kazakhstan where he learned to speak Turkish while seeking to share Jesus in Turkish villages near Almaty and then came to Istanbul with his wife and four children to serve Jesus there. He is learning Kurdish to share with the many Kurds there and he is now learning Arabic to share with the many Arabic speaking refugees there.
Yes, Istanbul is hosting refugees from Syria, Iraq and Iran. Many have nothing and their children have no opportunity for school so Alexandr and a few friends began a school for the children of Syrian refugees. Yes, it is giving schooling to only a few dozen out of thousands of refugee children but it is making a huge difference for those kids.
That is the only way to deal with compassion fatigue- do what you can with friends you trust. You cannot do it all but you can do something!
We are grateful to be able to partner with Alexandr in his disciple making work in Istanbul and in his school for Syrian children.
We are grateful for those of you who partner with us so we can partner with Alexandr.