Turkey: When a violent earthquake shook the prison

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.”
– Acts 16:25-26

Berik is a church planter from Kazakhstan, called by God to serve in Turkey. When the February 2023 earthquake hit Turkey, he happened to be in prison. This is his remarkable testimony.

When God called Berik to minister among the Turkic people, he first moved with his family to live in a Turkish speaking village in Kazakhstan. Here he learned the language and shared Jesus with the villagers. Sometime into that season they felt called to move to Istanbul in Turkey and sold their belongings. He learned Kurdish to add to his fluent Turkish and Russian, and started working with a radio ministry to follow-up on contacts. He hands out Bibles to Turks and Kurds, and helps them with their questions about Jesus. He disciples them and also encourages them to also disciple others. In fact, he is now into the fourth generation of disciples making disciples.

This is his testimony:

Dear friends, these are difficult times, but we praise the Lord because He gives us strength to not give up! I want you to know that I spent almost three months in a prison in different camps in Turkey.

My journey started in January in the city where we currently live. I bought a fire extinguisher for the church and was going to the church’s building, when a police force stopped me and asked for my documents. I had my passport and some other papers. When I showed these, one of the police officers asked me to come in a police bus for a ‘5 minute check’. When I got in the bus, they took my belongings and phones and said: ‘We are going to check your status, this will take only one hour.’

‘You are now here, and nobody cares’

They took me to an immigration center, actually a jail. I asked: ‘Please, check my documents! Why am I here?’ They replied: ‘You are now here and nobody cares’. They put me in a container with about 15 people, where we spent the night just sitting because there was no space. Early in the morning the guards put handcuffs on our wrists and led us out to buses that were waiting. I got in a bus labeled with a city in the North-East of Turkey. After 16 hours we arrived there and spent a couple of days in a camp in that city.

God gave me the opportunity to serve the arrested people around me. I could give them hope, share the Gospel and pray for sick people. After a few days, in the morning, another big bus arrived. I learned this bus would take us to another city, in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. We spent about 12 hours on the road passing high mountains. God really protected our bus because on one turn in the road it almost rolled over.

When we arrived in the new camp the next day, I noticed we were about 600 people in a four-story building. The rooms were very crowded and noisy. Prisoners started to come to me, asking where I was from and telling me about their lives. Many of them were angry and broken-hearted people, and some were very sick. I started to comfort the people that came to my room, praying for them every day. One man had swollen shins full of water and pain. For 5 days I prayed for him and the Lord healed him and he received Jesus.

‘As I was praying I clearly heard two words: Malatya earthquake’

A lot of bad things were happening every day in the camp: conflicts, fights and and other things. The gendarmes treated and beat people very harshly. There was a yard in the camp where I was praying every day. I prayed: ‘Oh Lord, please bring order in this camp or change the camp managers’ because they were very bad. People couldn’t get the help they needed. One day as I was praying, I clearly heard two words: ‘Malatya earthquake.’ It was three days before the earthquake took place. I knew something was going to happen.

On 6th February at 4 am in the morning I woke up because everything in the room was shaking! The iron door was locked. ‘Oh Lord, save us!’ After the earthquake somebody opened the door to the corridor. I saw big cracks on the walls and the building was split in two pieces from top to bottom. We learned it was a 7.7 earthquake and many people had died in the wide region. However, the guard didn’t allow anybody to leave the building. The outside doors were closed.

‘I put my hands on the concrete and prayed: Jesus, save us!’

One group of prisoners started to force and break the doors. A lot of gendarmes came and beat them. Everyone in the camp was forced to go to their own room, the doors remaining locked. No water, no food, everybody waiting. At 2 pm the same day there was a second earthquake, more powerful than the first one. The building was dancing, the roof fell. I was standing, putting my hands on the concrete column and praying: ‘Oh Jesus, save us!’ Praise God, He saved us! Finally, we were allowed to go out to the yard. It was a snowy and cold day.

As the camp building was not functioning anymore, they transported us to very crowded containers where we stayed for five days. I shared the Gospel with Afghan boys, as we were in the same container. On February 11, we were distributed to other camps. I was sent to a city close to the Iranian border of Turkey. There were about 1200 people in that camp. The Lord touched the hearts of many people there, and we saw many saved, healed and Spirit-filled.

‘We had 10 groups of people reading the Bible’

On the day of my release, 5th April, we had 10 groups of people every day praying and reading the Bible. I thank the Lord for His mighty deeds and miracles! His arm is high, and his muscle is strong! I especially thank my wife and children. They stood with me in faith and prayer. I also thank my praying friends, and Jesus, for everything!

This testimony was shared on 27 April 2023. Berik’s name and the names of the places where he was imprisoned have been changed by Joel News to protect his identity and ministry. Berik asks for prayer for his family and the believers in Turkey.

Source: Harvest Now, Joel News