by Susan

Merhaba (hello) and gunaydin(good morning) from Antalya!

We have been sweltering here in the 95 degree heat with VERY high humidity!! We realized that the sweat that is pouring out of us isn't even very salty anymore--despite the very salty foods we are eating! Putting on dry clothes in the morning after a cool shower is wonderful because it only lasts for a few minutes...

We did have a wonderful day on the river though--lots of rushing white-water to bounce through and lots of splashing, pushing and being pulled into the water! Rebecca, Julia, Paul and I jumped from a 15 foot platform into the water--which was exciting! Turkish dancing, laughing and lunch of delicious fresh trout made the day good, and fun was had by all! Everyone was tired but happy when we returned home--having made deeper relationships with the people of the Turkish church.

The couple's night went exceptionally well. Don and I have been working on our presentation for several months, and had to do some major revamping after talking to Ramazan. He wanted us to be very open and honest about our struggles, so we tried to do just that. It was hard for us, but we realized that God was wanting us to learn to be more vulnerable so others would be encouraged. We want to glorify God in our relationship and can't do it well without real honesty. Six couples were able to come and the six of us had the garden looking like a beautiful restaurant! Ramazan ordered delicious food from a favorite restaurant so each couple had a very good time!

It was a blessing to see each couple take our teaching and questions seriously--much laughter and conversation came from each table. Rebecca and Julia watched the kids that were there, Paul and Claire served the drinks and meals very efficiently! It was a special evening, and Don and I felt much relief when it was over! Thanks you Lord, for your help with it all!

Rebecca will post soon, so I will close this blog.

We appreciate your continued prayers--and send our love to each of you! Everyone is doing fantastic--despite the humidity and daily distractions--we are all growing in patience, flexibilty, and compassion.

iyi gecele! (good bye)

The Turkey Team

Everything is going well for all of us--the Lord is using us each in different ways!

NEW FAMILIES--NEW ADVENTURES...

by Susan

WE'RE NOT IN "KANSAS" ANYMORE!.....

The six of us moved into our 5 homes--a change from what we had all along been expecting. This was another "be flexible" moment when what had originally been planned for most of the team's housing had been changed! All were calm and gracious as Ramazan told of the changed plans--and though nervous, each was willing to do as the Lord was leading. (Maybe our airplane troubles had a real purpose!...faith, flexibility, and patience!)

We each were taken by some of the men in the church, plus Eda and Tuana--along with all 10 pieces of our luggage--to our destinations! It was a very hot and sweaty journey--one we were glad to see end!! Each of us got acquainted with our new host families and enjoyed delicious dinners with them as well.

Ramazan came by in the morning to get Don and I and show us where our team members were living--all by foot. The loop to each house is about four miles, so Don and I get at "least" eight miles in a day at this point! (With daily home visits and projects the team has been averaging at least 4 more!) We buy a 1.5 gallon jug of water each morning as we walk to the church to refill our water bottles with much-needed water. Everyone craves salt due to our excessive sweating--some eat lots of olives, some the salty cheese--and none of us especially cared for the salty yogurt drink the Turkish people drink every day! (But we each tried one!)

We enjoyed seeing each home and seeing the happy faces of each of our group after a good night feeling comfortable with their families. Ramazan's housing changes were perfect--all felt that they were in exactly the right spot!

We haven't had any spare time the past few days to update our blogs--Ramazan has us busy-- clearing his office for painting, cleaning the church, a lady's prayer meeting with DELICIOUS food and fellowship, home visits--to love and encourage those going through trials.

The pictures at top are of Darya --a lovely woman we took lunch to yesterday, who has had a tragic life--her husband left her and took their two young children with him many years ago and she hasn't seen them since. Heartbroken and alone all these years, she finally found Christ, the Antalya Christian Church and friends who care for her after having just lost several fingers and toes due to her diabetes. She lives in one of the few original houses built during a 24 hour period where the government gave land to anyone who could build a house. They cannot add on to them or change anything much, so it is very humble.

We attended the Thursday evening prayer meeting, blessed a divorced woman's new home and look forward to our rafting trip all day tomorrow! (Sat)

We have bonded well as a group and enjoy our walking treks all over the city! None of us love the humidity, but it makes our service here much more of a sacrifice for the Lord--and shows us how "soft" we are from our lives of ease and comfort--and air-conditioning everywhere! The people here live it every day--we are glad to do the same for three weeks!

We can't believe week one is almost over, and look forward to all the Lord has for us next!

Thanks for your prayers--we miss you all!

By Becca:

We woke up early this morning to take our first swim in the beautiful Mediterranean Sea! We wandered through old town (Kaleichi) to the steps of MerMeri Beach Club, paid a small fee, and stepped onto the brown sand of the shore. The water was a bit chilly but quite refreshing once we started to venture out. The sand turned to pebbles which turned to boulders as we swam out in the salty sea. The water was very clear but there is not much to see- some bright blue little fishes, limpets, and crabs along the outcropping rocks. The water got bluer and bluer as we got deeper. It was so beautiful and we were all so excited to experience a whole new body of ocean. Due to all the salt, we were quite buoyant and it was fun to float and bob around so easily. Surrounding us was the ancient harbor which Paul sailed into so many eons ago, georgous rock cliffs spotted with little cafes and vegetation, and remnants of a mighty Roman fortress and wall. And across the way were towering mountains that we never even saw the day before. What a nice surprise on such a crisp and clear morning! We feel very lucky to be able to experience God's amazing creativity all the way across the world! What an awesome morning!

Now we are hanging out in our hotel lobby, catching up on our journals, devotionals, and talking story. Ramazon will be coming soon to pick us up and drop us fully into the Turkish culture... our hosts homes!! We are nervous due to the language barrier, but looking forward to a new part of our adventure.

Thanks (Teshekkurler) for all your support and prayers. We'd probably still be wearing the same clothes without it! God Bless your day and ours...

WE MADE IT!!

by susan

So...after 54 hours, three missed plane flights (out of 7 total), several races through the airports to try and catch planes that had just left--we finally made it to Antalya! Exhausted! Only to find that our luggage was still in Istanbul and we had already been wearing the same clothes for three days! Our luggage finally came to our hotel on Monday afternoon--to a very happy shout of joy and a quick run to our rooms to change clothes!

(All of us had wondered if the Lord was going to ask us to wear the same ones for longer--but thankfully He saw each team member handling it all really well--no complaining at all and much prayer!)

The six of us went for a walk this morning after breakfast to see the Mediterranean Sea, some of the ancient ruins all around the town, the St. Paul's Cultural Center where much new building has been completed to make the church bigger and easier to use by more people.

We met up with Ramazan again today after our sight-seeing walk went over our schedule of things to do for the next week or so, had a tour of the new building being used by the Turkish and International churches, a tour of old town, exchanged our money for Turkish lira, and had lunch of delicious chicken doner sandwiches. Ramazan even took us inside one of the local mosques which was very interesting! We girls had to put on head scarves and long skirts to be able to go in, but it was simple and beautiful inside. (See above!)

We sweated alot in the humid heat, so came back to our hotel and jumped in the pool! We will be moving into our host families homes tomorrow afternoon. We all decided we would like to get up early tomorrow morning and swim in the Mediterranean to start the day...can't wait!

So far we have each learned alot about patience, flexibility, prayer, laughter in the midst of frustrating circumstances, and banding together as a team to get things done. I think we are off to a good start! It's wonderful to be back in Antalya and the team is enjoying it too!

Thanks for all of your prayers--we appreciate them so much!

Love, The Turkey Team 2011

Turkey Team 2011!

Our 2011 Turkey Team of 6 is working on getting everything packed and ready for our 5 days of cross-training and then three weeks in Antalya, Turkey! We are excited and ready to go and serve the people of the Antalya Christian Church! Only one and a half weeks to go...please keep us all in your prayers so we are open and ready for the Lord's leading in each of our hearts!