Many friends and family wondered why we would go to the Middle East to minister to Syrian refugees. Our answer: clearly it wasn’t our idea, but something God put on our hearts. The Lord put too many circumstances together for us to reject serving Him in what most would call too dangerous, too far away, and too expensive.
After hearing about Muslim outreach four years ago at New Wineskins, after listening repeatedly to Dick’s fellow Bible study brother talk about Muslims, and after attending lectures on Islam, the final step towards hearing “GO!” from the Lord was when The Rev. Chris Royer, Executive Director of Anglican Frontier Missions (AFM), spoke in our home last January. We had known Chris and his history of reaching unreached peoples for many years, but it was only this year, at this time, that our hearts burned within us.
After consulting with AFM, gathering a prayer team, studying as much as we could, and receiving training from D (our team leader), we went off to the Middle East on May 27th. As with most mission trips, we did things we never planned or imagined we would do! But the Lord always takes care of us.
We visited three churches (one was indigenous), worked in refugee camps on the Syrian border with local believers, and met with folks on the streets to talk about Jesus. But what really happened is that we experienced “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Eph. 3:19)—this amazing love for us and for others!
We wept with the persecuted church, served with other cross-cultural workers living in difficult surroundings, and offered the hope of Christ to unwanted people without hope in makeshift camps. The Lord’s gift to us was a heart full of love for all these people: it was a crying heart and praying heart full of confidence in God’s plan for all in Christ, “the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).
As we continue to pray for the believers there, for more laborers to join them, and for Muslims to know Christ, we’re incredibly thankful for the ministry of Anglican Frontier Missions and their passion for Muslim peoples.
Dick and Ann Tullie
AFM Cross-Cultural Workers
Saint Helena’s Parish, Beaufort, SC
