Nehemiah Team Update - Transition

Today the Nehemiah team is in transition from Istanbul down to Izmir. We are taking a bus which I am told will take 8 to 10 hours. I tried my best to clarify which it was 8 or 10 hours but I could not get a clear answer. Now in America that two hour gap would lead to a lot of frustration, but this is Turkey, so we have to be flexible. We’ll get there when we get there.

We are on the bus now and it’s a nice large modern bus with A/C, comfortable seats, and a nonworking digital screen like you would find on any airplane. It’s not even 11:00 yet and we’ve only been on the road for about 20 minutes and more than half the team is already asleep.

Before leaving for the train station Keni (Kendall) and I went across the street to get the last supplies of bread. Inevitably, when I walked into the shop the owner offered me a cup of tea, which is a common occurrence wherever we go. It’s a sign of Turkish hospitality. But because we were in a hurry I declined. However, with the bread, I also grabbed a small bottle of Turkish lime soda (which tastes kind of like squirt if you’re familiar with that). Because we would not accept his tea he insisted that Keni and I both take a soda for free. We’ve run into that a lot here in Istanbul. Shop owners and waiter’s in restaurants keep giving us free things. It’s almost as if they were going out of their way to let us know how happy they are to have us here. We’ve experienced no signs of hostility or not being welcomed. So far the Turkish people have been kind, caring, and generous.

Yesterday was our last day of ministry in Turkey. The team was out as usual meeting people, getting to understand the culture, and at times having an opportunity to talk about Christ. This type of work can be frustrating because so many people, when approached and asked if they speak English, say no, don’t respond, or turn and walk away. But there are those out there, sometimes referred to as people of peace, who are willing to engage and dialogue together. People whose hearts are open to hear.

Most ground takes a lot of breaking and preparation before it can receive a seed. Once planted the seed may take many watering‘s before it sprouts. If any one of the many small steps is not done it means that the plant will not come to life. We are praying to be one of the steps that God will use on the road for some of these individuals to know Jesus.

At the same time what we’re doing here is not all about the Turkish people, but about the team members themselves. They’re learning how to be bold and persevere through rejection. They're learning the value of asking questions and showing interest in others. The in-your-face style of evangelism that was prevalent when I first started at Royal Servants (using The Four Spiritual Laws) is no longer a way that people are open to receive gospel. The Nehemiah students are learning on the front line, and in a country whose religion is often hostile to Christians, the importance of relationships in communicating the truth of Jesus Christ.

These hard won lessons will be invaluable for them once they get home. Today’s Christ following students are a part of the new remnant, exiles with a faith that is incomprehensible to the prevailing culture. That is the America that this team returns home to. Our time in Turkey will help give Nehemiah students effective tools for being a new generation of witnesses and disciples of Christ.

We will arrive in Izmir tonight. We will do a day trip to Ephesus tomorrow and hopefully Colossae on Wednesday.  After that we will go to the town of Pamukkale for two more nights. It is located in sight of the mountains whose cool water brings refreshment and of hot springs that have healing waters. Where the two waters flow together and mix is the lukewarm water that is neither refreshing nor healing that Christ speaks about.

We return back to Istanbul via bus on Saturday. We will spend Sunday packing and preparing for our ministry time in Moldova. We fly off to Chisinau on Monday and will jump straight into the ministry program Tuesday morning.

Last, the team is doing well though a number of people are having stomach and bowel issues, which is not unexpected here. So far it’s been nothing serious. The rhythm of our day has been getting up and having breakfast between 7:30 and 8am, depending on what’s on the agenda for the rest of the day. After breakfast we usually have an hour+ of quiet time. After devotions we send the team out to engage in conversations. They catch lunch out - usually at their favorite donor kebab restaurant and sometime in return back to the ranch right around 4 o’clock. The leadership group on dinner usually shows up in the kitchen at 4:45. All the rest of the team has time to chill, maybe catch a short nap, and hopefully do their laundry. After dinner we come back together in the evening and usually spend extended period time talking about the quiet time that was assigned that day. While in Turkey we have been walking through the gospel of John. We just finished it yesterday. Everyone is engaged and we have some good lively discussions!

Well, that’s it for now and until next time, may blessings and peace from Jesus be with you all!

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Tom

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*Images added are from travels to Izmir. Today we visited Ephesus and tomorrow we will visit two more Revelation Churches…so I’ll get you some good photos and an update tomorrow!