| Ali Kalkandelen was depleted. After a week spent surveying the damage of Turkey’s massive earthquake in February, the chairman of his nation’s Association of Protestant Churches (TeK) felt a tremendous burden to support his brothers and sisters in 27 affected congregations.
Not only had Kalkandelen’s church family been impacted by the disaster, but his biological family had as well. His father’s home had been destroyed, so Kalkandelen traveled there to check on his relatives. In the rubble, Kalkandelen told CT, he found a piece of paper. It was a page from a Turkish Bible.
Praise be to … the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble.
Kalkalenden and his wife burst into tears as they read 2 Corinthians 1 on the torn page. Their troubles were great, as were the troubles of their neighbors. Heartened by the Scripture, Kalkalenden set out to lead TeK in massive relief efforts. By April, he and leaders from the affected areas had formed a group they called the Tabitha committee, named after the biblical figure in Acts 9. Also called Dorcas, Tabitha was known for her good works and charity. When she died, Peter raised her from the dead.
In Tabitha’s story of faithfulness, Kalkalenden and the committee found strength for service and hope for resurrection. As they look to the verses in 2 Corinthians and the story of Tabitha, they pray that God might bring about rebirth through them as well. As we survey the rubble in our own lives and the lives of those around us, may we follow the examples of both Tabitha and Kalkalenden, allowing ourselves to be comforted by God so that we might comfort others. |
