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!

Christmas!

I thought I would post some pictures and the happenings of our Christmas season here.  It was a blessing and one in which I could truly meditate on Christ, His humble birth, His life, and His purpose in coming.

  Stockings I made for the Team

        










                                                                 Our christmas trees

Christmas Eve was spent with our STINT team, our ICS team leaders and their children, 2 couples and a single guy from another missionary company, another 2 couples from another organization, the local Pastor and His wife and their children.  We all brought food and it reminded me so much of the beloved Church pot-lucks! Afterwards, we celebrated the gifts and talents God has given each of us with a 'variety show.'  People sang, did plays and puppet shows, played music, and told Christmas stories.  It was a beautiful evening completely focused on Christ!

                                                   Getting ready for singing some hymns!

 

                                           Watching an Australian Jingle Bells Puppet Show!

Christmas Day was simply our team of 7 and the Eaves (the ICS couple).  We went to their apartment and spent the day enjoying company, eating together, opening our secret santa presents to each other and watching A Christmas Story.  For most of us, it didn't quite feel like the Christmas season without Ralphie and his quest for the Red Rider Air Rifle! :)  Afterwards, the Eaves, Katelyn, Lindsay, Travis and I went to the church were the believers got together and did a small gift exchange, sang songs and later watched a Nativity Story.  It was so unique to experience this with national believers and share in the joy despite many language barriers and cultural differences!

                                              The girls and our matching snowmen socks!

                                                   The Eaves and presents fro America!

The Sunday was a great day for ministry.  The sermon at church was completely oriented to seekers.  Historically, church is the most full on the Christmas service and this year was no different. In fact, this year there were more people in church than ever before! God is at work in this City!  I was able to continue playing piano for the 'worship band' at church and it was a joy to be a part of it that day especially! To share in the joy we have in Christ through worshiping Him, bringing others before Him in worship, and sharing the Truth of the Gospel through song was an amazing experience. One I will not soon forget!

Praise God for the birth of His son! He came and He came to seek and save those that were lost, including me, you, the people of this country, and those of the world!

Time is flying by

It's that time of year already. Tonight I leave for our Mid-Year conference to be refreshed in the word and with fellowship of other believers! Fortunately for me, the conference is held in Spain! It will be wonderful to be able to understand and communicate whatever I want in a foreign language without trying to understand and later explaining that I only know very little of the language.  I'm excited for the mental break!

This past month has been busy, though, which is always surprising this time of year.  God always has plans and many opportunities to share Him with others, for which I'm very thankful! January is notoriously a slow month because of final exams and students here actually get a week long holiday meant for just studying.  So the majority of the students we meet with want to spend all their time studying for exams.  However it has been during this month that we've gotten a clearer glimpse at where some students are at on their journey to understanding who Christ is.  We've had some girls really show interest into researching truth! Not to the extent of only studying the Word of God, but a comparison study of the Kuran and the Bible. Praise God for this great opportunity to clearly show Truth against a lie  that has seized the hearts of millions of people here. Pray God will use this mightily in these women's lives!