Already?

I can't believe my last month in this country is here already! I was meeting with two friends yesterday and it was a sweet conversation, but it was also sad! This has been my second home after I graduated from university and I will be saying goodbye to it in less than 30 days. 

My friends have told me not to go.  They say, "It's simple! Just don't go! You can teach! You don't need language!" It's very sweet and when they say it like that it does seem very simple, though I know how important knowing the language is! At the same time there are many other things I'm considering and the most important is God's will.  I know that following Jesus daily and living for Him puts me in the center of what God has for me (because I won't be able to miss it walking that closely with God).  And following Him daily is an adventure!  It may lead me to South America, China, here, I don't know.  What I do know is that God has something for me, but until I figure that out, I will enjoy the time I have here with my friends and with the opportunities to share the saving power and hope found in Jesus Christ.  After that, God knows!

These last almost 4 weeks will be bitter sweet as I look forward to going back to the states and seeing family and friends and as I mourn leaving this part of my life for the last two years.  Thankfully I'll be able to share these last weeks with my friends and have opportunities for conversations and I will also get to share this with my parents who are coming in under a week!

Enjoying picnics with friends!

Bike riding with sweet friends!

Love this time of year and making many memories of the places and with the people I love!

We are the champions my friend...

Tonight was the biggest night of soccer in this country in 2010!!  

This little ditty has been stuck in my head since about 10:15pm this evening... you may be familiar with it:  It is a popular song circa 1977 by Queen.  As one of their most famous and popular songs, it has since become an anthem for sporting victories!

"We are the champions-my friends.  We'll keep on fighting to the end... " And so it goes.. But this is the synopsis that led to the continuous singing of this song in my head.

4 TEAMS

2 GAMES



1 CHAMPION

Bursa has their own team and has been on the road to winning the championship all season long! Well tonight was the night.  There were two possible scenarios that would leave Bursa the champion...

1. Bursa would be Beşiktaş (besheektash) and Fenerbaçhe (fehnerbache) would loose to Trabzonspor


2. Bursa would be Beşiktaş (besheektash) and Fenerbaçhe (fehnerbache) would tie to Trabzonspor.


Around 10:15pm I began to hear constant honking and thought... "I wondering if the Bursaspor game is over" About 2 seconds later,  I got a text message from my friend and she said, congratulations! Bursa won! Go celebrate!   So I knew the had beaten Beşiktaş but I had yet to learn the score of the Fenerbaçhe vs Trabzonspor game.  Arond 10:30 another message came that said Fenerbahçe had tied.. which left Bursa the winner!


I'm so proud of my city! Small but mighty! Out of the main and most popular teams in Turkey Bursaspor is small but growing in popularity and skill! So excited to be here tonight!

Though as I sit here at 11:47pm and still hear the blaring horns. I do hope they stop soon so I can get some rest! 

Mexican night in Turkey

Last week we had a friend over who has spent a lot of time in the states.  We asked her what types of food she missed from America and one of them was Mexican food.  So I made a tex-mex meal for her and chocolate chip cookies as an extra.  

Despite not having everything I needed for things, it turned out great!

The salsa was delicious: tomatoes, onions, green chilies, and some spices!

The finished product! Yum!

Confetti salad! It was supposed to be black bean but I couldn't find any so it's white bean confetti salad.  Beans, corn, red and green bell peppers, onions, a bit of garlic.  For the dressing: honey, olive oil, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper.  So easy to make!

Chicken Tostadas! Perfect!

Dessert was Polvorones de canele (Cinnamon cookies).  I'd never made these before, but they were a delicious light dessert! A perfect end to our tex-mex night!

Flying pests

Our apartment is on the top floor in our apartment building.  And in Turkey some streets aren't that far apart.  One side of our apartment faces another apartment building and the space between the two seems very small.  Our place is one level higher so when we look out our windows or the balconies we see the roof.  In the beginning of the year we noticed a man who would stand on the roof and walk around.  We had a lot of speculations as to what he could be doing.  He could be the gardener for the mini-potted gardens on the roof.  He could have been checking the chimney's, making roof repairs, retired and nothing better to do than to stand on the roof

Well one day we saw Him running around and flailing his arms.  We were so curious and a little concerned about his actions.  We went to the balcony so we could see better and we realized he was chasing pigeons!  He was a pigeon man who's purpose on the roof was to keep pigeons off.  He would chase them, they'd fly away then come back to another part of the roof, so he spent his time running from one end to the other.

This went on all fall and started again in the spring when the pigeons came back.  One day as I was washing dishes I saw the man had two pigeons in each hand by their feet.  He walked over to the edge and threw them off the building only to have them fly right back on top of the awning where he couldn't reach them.  How futile and frustrating for him, but fairly entertaining for us.

Well two weeks ago I noticed a cat on the roof with a little kitten following her.  The man or apartment building had purchased a cat to keep the pigeons off the roof which seems to be a lot more effective and efficient.  But that ended our conversations and updates of pigeon man and his tactics!

Everything

I have mentioned this video to many friends, supporters and faithful prayer partners as well as used it in ministry.  I wanted to share this video with you.  Whenever I watch this I'm astonished at the lengths God chose to go to in order that we may have a right relationship with Him once again.  The love of God as seen through Christ on the cross is truly amazing and daily I want to preach to myself the need of the gospel, the need of Christ's work and Praise God for what He's saved me from.  I hope this touches you and reminds you of who God is.

EVERYTHING SKIT

slowly

Slowly, the Lord is showing me the things which aren't next for me.  It isn't the easiest way and most comfortable way to figure out what's next for me, but for whatever reason this is the way God is allowing me to discover it.  I trust in Him and trust that He allows things and keeps us from things for His purposes and for His glory.  I want my life to glorify God, so if there are ways that would be less honoring or situations where He would get less glory, I'm glad He's removing those from my life.  It is hard, and sorely disappointing at times, but I trust Him.  This walk with Him is always an adventure and everyday I see that and believe that more and more! I'm clinging to a particular verse today:

Dirilis Bayramı! (Easter!)

 Last weekend we held an Easter celebration and invited many of our friends! We weren't sure what to expect since the holiday happened right before their big exam week, we continued to ask and ask and ask! Most of friends said no, or they'd think about coming but most did not.  We did however end up having around 12 students come. It was a blast!

We painted eggs...

Played "Pebble Walk"...

Watched a skit...

Heard a small talk and had discussion...

Afterward we shared a meal together and enjoyed talking and fellowship.  

Not only was it Easter but it was also one of our dear friends birthday's.  Ibo turned 20 and he has been one of our best and most faithful friends here.  It was a joy to honor him and celebrate him.  We made a cake and the 5 of us girls gathered some American goodies for his present.  He is coming to the States this summer to work and practice English and we wanted to give him a bit of a taste of America.  At the end of the night he told many of us that he couldn't put into words how he was feeling; that this was his most special birthday he's ever had; that he felt so loved and valued.  Pray he would see our love as only coming and possible through Christ.

Ibo and his birthday cake!

Ibo with his Mac & Cheese, Dr. Pepper, Kit Kat, and Swiss Miss hot chocolate!

All of us with Ibo and his birthday presents!

Amazed!

Last week Lindsay and I were with a friend, Isabel! We invited her over to our apartment to watch Magdalena and then I would cook dinner for us afterward.  So she came and we did all that, though the night was different than expected!

She arrived and we gave her a tour, introduced her to our kitty, and showed her pictures of our homes and families and friends.  Then when it was time to start watching the movie, the DVD wouldn't work in Lindsay's computer.  My DVD player is currently broken so we started praying and trying different solutions.  The Lord answer prayer quickly and the movie was quickly underway! During a part of the movie, the Nezan (which is the call to prayer) started going off.  It is unusually loud in our apartment so Lindsay and I, individually, prayed that she would either not hear it or it would be drastically quieter!  Well the Lord answered our prayers! It was quieter! The next time it went off she heard and commented to turn things down. Praise God for those answers!

The most amazing thing during the whole night were her reactions to Jesus' miracles.  When Jesus cast out demons, she said, "WOW!"  When Jesus brought Talitha back to life, she gasped; when Jesus fed the 5,000 she gasped again! But the biggest gasp was at the end of the film when Mary goes to the tomb on the 3rd day.  She sees the stone rolled away and runs in only to find Jesus' grave clothes.  Our friend was shocked. She gasped and stared at the screen in amazement!  We have shared with her the whole gospel numerous times, but seeing it made all the difference! Please prayer for Isabel! Pray that she would see truth! That she would look up these stories in the Incil we gave her! Pray she would see her need for a Savior and that Jesus is that Savior.  That Jesus came to seek and save the Lost, not just western people, not just jews, but ALL people! 

It was an AMAZING night!

Future

I was reading C.S. Lewis the other day and he said "The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." 


Its such a simple thought, yet it gave me such peace.  No matter what I chose, it will come at the same time as everything else.  I have been able to focus on my time here and what I've been called to do here for the past 6 months, Praise God! I had an undivided heart and mind.  Now, as the days and months go by I realize how quickly the time will come when I need to make a decision.  I have been thinking of a lot of possibilities.


As far as I can see now my options include: 
Graduate School...







                                                        
  

                                  getting a job...

                                                                   joining Crusade staff in the states...

joining staff here long term... 

             

or something I don't know about yet....

Daily I go from one option to another seeing how great each one could be for many different reasons.  However on Monday I got exciting news.  I was called by one of the Grad. schools I called, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  They wanted to schedule a phone interview with me! I'm so excited!  I can hardly wait to see what God has for me next no matter what it is!


My interview is March 15, at 8am (Central Standard Time).  Please pray for me and pray God would use this to further show me his plans for me next!

Team retreat

This past weekend we went on a Team retreat to Iznik which is modern day Nicea.  It was a great weekend to energize our batteries for the first week of classes, gain vision and focus, and continue to build each other up in our team.

Leaving the city to go to Iznik!

Iznik Lake which has buried the castle in which the first Council of Nicea met.

It was beautiful with spring like weather and we were blessed with good health on our team for a successful weekend.

The Girls! My roommates, teammates and friends!

The whole team!

Of the things discussed, the main focus was our desire to sow more broadly.  Last semester we did a great job at meeting consistently with friends which we perceived as being open.  But what we didn't do was evaluate these students on where they were at spiritually and if they were truly seeking or only wanting to practice English.  It was challenging to think of doing things a bit different this semester, but we're excited for God will do and we're so excited to be a part of it!

Enjoy some pictures from the weekend! :)

This man who was demonstrating the history of the styles of Iznik Ceramics

This became one of the team dogs for the day.. her name was Betty.. she liked to play dead.. 

Team Building continued throughout the day without any programming or activity planned.. even while exploring ancient ruins!

 

Double Karamel Magnum bars!
Great after exploring ancient ruins!

Creative work

There are only a few days left until classes begin again for the semester and I'm trying to get as much done in the down time as possible.  There are a few things we're working on and wanting to get a good start on before things begin to get really busy.  One is having a night of watching the Magdalena Film, which is like the Jesus Film but told from a woman's perspective. We're inviting many friends to our apartment for a fun Girl's Night where we'll paint nails, eat popcorn and chocolate, chat and watch a movie!

Another exciting project is re-working some of the Solarium photos.  Solarium is a resource we use to get into spiritual and gospel conversations.  They are just images and students pick out three pictures that best answer a particular question.  For example, "Which three images best describe your life right now?"

My project is going through the current images, understanding the concept of the image and seeing if it can be copied but with a Turkish twist.  Students often wonder where the pictures were taken, but if they were able to see the same concepts of love, fear, hard work, failure in images related to Turkey, how much more would the photographs make an impact! It is a joy to be able to serve the Lord through this way!

Praise and Affirmation

Every Wednesday we have a team prayer time and every other week a team time afterwards! Today we opened our Praise Boxes we started at the beginning of the semester.  We put praises in there in terms of ministry, things happening in our friends lives, things happening with our friends and families back in the states, and anything else we praised God for!  It was such a blessing to open up the boxes and read through everything we praised God for throughout the semester, the big things and small things! 

We also spent our team reading and article about biblical affirmation and how we can do a better job with that to each other as a team and what that would like if our friends and students we meet with saw us affirming each other.  It is such a different idea for our friends to think about affirming and building up rather than tearing down.  Pray God would grow us and teach us how He wants us to affirm and who His love in that to our friends!

Friend til the End

Cube came to our house on Saturday afternoon and we attempted making doughnuts.  While we were in the kitchen making the dough and "watching it rise" Cube was just asking lots of questions about things I wanted in my life and where I saw myself in 5 and 10 years.  She then shared the same things with me.  The conversation was great! Afterwards, we were sitting at the dinning room table and she looked at me and said, "Dana, if you stay in Bursa I think we will be friends... til the end."  It was such a sweet comment and I know that God is at work in her life and she sees Jesus in all of us girls. Please pray for her, that she would continue to want to spend time with us and that she would come to know Jesus as her savior!

Reality

The other day I was thinking about our city, about the students we know and about the believing students who spend time with us.  I realized that there are 3 believing students we spend time with on a semi-regular basis.  There are 5 Starbucks in this city.  We have more Starbucks in our city than we do believers in a movement.  Through this realization, thought, I was reminded that God is the God of this city and this will not always be norm. Praise God! Please pray for the believing students.  Pray we would get to spend time with them, that they'd learn how to talk about their faith and have a desire to share Christ with their classmates and families! Pray that students we meet with now would come to know Christ and that they'd grow and share their faith! God is a Big God, a God in whom we can ask Big things!

"The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."  Matthew 4:16-17

  

Back and ready!

January 20th I left for our Mid-year conference in Spain with other STINTers from around Europe, Russia and North African, Middle Eastern and the -stan countries (NAMEstan).  It was a week long conference filled with plenty of time to spend with the Lord and encourage one another in what God has been doing in this part of the world.

For me it was a joy to be in a country where I can understand whatever anyone tells and I can communicated what I want to communicate.  It was such a blessing and a bit of a break from the daily struggle language can be for me here.  Also, my time with the Lord in prayer and in His Word was refreshing and deep.  The main speaker at our conference spoke on next steps in life with the main purpose of our lives to be used and spent for the glory of God.  How perfect the timing of these talks when I'm in the process of figuring out what is next! I was encouraged that no matter where I go or what I do, if I'm seeking the Lord my life won't be wasted.  God has His people everywhere! It doesn't matter if I continue to do full-time ministry, or go back to school, or whatever else, if I'm seeking the Lord and desiring to share Christ with others, His name will be glorified.  I spent much time on the beach thinking and praying about this and asking the Lord for guidance. Would you join in me in praying for what God has next in my life and that He would should me and I'd wait patiently to see?

We took a day trip to Gibraltar as well.  To sum it up I can say three words: wet, cold, monkeys.  Here are some pictures of the day with some fellow laborers.  Enjoy!