The situation for Christians in Syria is deteriorating, but one ministry is still tending to the flock.
Open Doors USA is monitoring the situation with workers on the ground, and spokesman Jerry Dykstra tells OneNewsNow Christians are embattled because of the civil war between government forces and rebels.
"And they're also embattled because they're also targeted by the rebels in the sense that some of the rebels are made up of al-Qaeda segments and also Muslim Brotherhood," he details. "They obviously do not like Christians, and they would like to see the Christians leave the country."
But the only ones who can leave are those with money and outside contacts. They are able to go to Lebanon to an extent, but other countries in the region have closed their borders. While those remaining in Syria have become targets for violence, Open Doors has been able to continue its ministry work.
"Some of the things we've done [are] work with our partners over there getting relief articles into there, blankets, Bibles," Dykstra explains. "And we've even supported churches who have run summer camps for children."
The ministry spokesman notes that some Muslims do get along well with Christians. In fact, there have been reports of Christians receiving food packages from Open Doors and sharing them with Muslim neighbors because of the scarcity of food.