Exclusive Footage: The Armenian Church in Raqqa is Being Reconstructed

“We are in Raqqa, in the northeastern part of Syria. There used to be an Armenian church here.” After the liberation of Raqqa, which was declared the capital by ISIS with the help of Western forces, returning residents found the city in ruins. The terrorists had secretly dug a tunnel under the destroyed Armenian church.

David Yubank, the head of the Free Burma Rangers charity organization, who is assisting in the reconstruction of the Armenian church in Raqqa, is a former U.S. Special Forces soldier who decided to help the ethnic minorities in the Middle East, spreading what he calls “the love and light of Jesus Christ.” Many local residents returning to Raqqa are still reluctant to speak in front of cameras, fearing terrorists hidden in the city. This was reported by Voice of America.

“When we came to liberated Raqqa, we set up right there, and while walking by this destroyed church, I started to pray, saying, ‘Lord, please return the Christians and help us restore this church.’ Then I paused and thought, ‘Isn’t that an impractical prayer—who would ever want to come back here?’ I addressed the Lord with the question of what I could possibly pray for amidst the ruins of this church, and I felt God's response: ‘Pray again.’ I repeated my prayer: ‘Lord Jesus, please help us restore this church, Amen.’ And here we all prayed together, even placing a small metal cross since the church's cross was gone. After praying, I stepped outside, and a man approached me and asked what I was doing there. I replied that I was praying for the restoration of this church. He told me, ‘This is my church; I am Armenian, and I have been wounded four times by ISIS gunfire. Previously, we were thousands here, but then we all fled. Now five of us have returned,’ and he asked if we could help them. I answered, ‘I will try; I have no money, to be precise, I have $300, and since today is Sunday, here, take the money I have.’ We prayed together, asking the Lord to help us restore the church,” shares David Yubank.

Subsequently, a few families from the U.S. offered financial assistance through Yubank's organization, which allowed them to begin the reconstruction work of the Armenian church in Raqqa.

“We have now raised half of the necessary funds, which is sufficient to clear the area. By the way, over there is one of the secret tunnels of ISIS. After destroying the church, ISIS militants dug it beneath the church. We need to restore the church’s foundations, and I hope that by 2020 we will be able to fully reconstruct this church, which will be a blessing for the Armenian community, for Christians, but also for Arabs and Muslims—for everyone, because this land has enough space for every faith,” says Yubank.