by Jeff Latsa, Field Director

Yasar used to be a drug addict hooked on heroin. Yasar was caught in a death spiral with no possible way of pulling out.

Then his world got rocked. As a matter of fact, the whole region got rocked – literally. Last November an earthquake hit the city of Van, Turkey, near the Iranian border. Over five hundred people lost their lives. This earthquake did more than shake Yasar’s home, it shook his life.

With the love and intervention of Dr. K, our GHNI associate staff who visited the region more than a half dozen times, Yasar’s life started to change. Many times Dr. K stayed up all night with Yasar helping and holding him during the tough times. Through his help, Yasar was able to kick his habit. If you saw Yasar today, you would never recognize him, compared to before the earthquake.

As Dr. K was leaving the area, Yasar was one of the last people to see him off. Dr. K couldn’t help but notice a marked difference in his appearance.

This is just one of the hundreds of lives that Dr. K has touched over the last several months.

To all of you who responded financially to the earthquake in Turkey, thank you. Your donations not only helped to feed and provide vital needs to victims, you helped provide the care, concern and love necessary to change lives.