Growth

So I just had my first Christmas entirely in Turkish. The Christmas Eve service was in Turkish at a large(ish) church here and then my Christmas dinner was together with a number of those who are a part of the very small church that I attend here in Ankara. I have to admit, to my shame, that I was disappointed to discover that the American family that had invited me to Christmas dinner had also invited the whole church as well...I selfishly was looking forward to a traditional, Western style, English speaking, small family Christmas dinner. Alas, it was not to be, but thank goodness!! It turned out to be ever so much more and so much better than that...

We were a unique mix of Canadian, American, Turk, Korean and Iranian, some solid long time believers, some new and shaky and at least one Muslim. Turkish was the common language and as the evening progressed the conversation turned from the trivial to the profound. It was such a joy to discuss the tenets of our faith with different folks sharing their thoughts and questions, struggles and frustrations, experiences and interpretations. As I sat and listened and watched I was thinking how incredible it all was...this is how we grow in our faith, in community like this. Sunday church has its place for sure, but the depth and growth that I was witnessing and personally experiencing that evening cannot be contrived and can really only happen when we open up our lives to one another.

The new and shaky believers were watching the experienced and solid ones in action (not talking about foreigners here, it was Turks and Iranians who did almost all of the sharing) and gaining encouragement and wisdom from that. They were also able to bring their difficulties and questions to the table where they would never be able to in a Sunday service.

I was delighted that this Muslim lady was also present to listen to our discussion, to see how we interact, to hear our struggles and concerns. She too felt free in that setting to voice her thoughts and questions and experiences. One of the guys mentioned that he had witnessed Jesus in a dream and her face lit up, "really?!" she asked, then she began to share how the other day when she was praying (at the church actually) she felt a presence come and stand beside her, white and gleaming, she said she had the sense that it was Jesus but was actually afraid and didn't want to look up. To my mind came Peter who told Jesus to get away from him, a sinful man, when he first recognized who He really was but before anyone really had a chance to offer anything, she got up to leave as she'd been called away by someone else. We'll definitely be praying and chatting more!

So this discussion would never have come about if it had not been for the simple gesture of inviting folks to be a part of our world. I am convicted. We're well aware that that is how Jesus did it with his disciples--He taught them, true, but mostly they were just with Him, in all the details of daily life--so when, how and why did discipleship get reduced to a once-a-week or twice-a-month meeting to work through a series of lessons in a booklet that summarize the essentials of Scripture and the basics of 'walking with God'?

Solitude and Community

I'm rediscovering how much I love solitude and starting to understand how beautiful and necessary community is.

We spent the last week of classes out in Antalya with a couple who have a retreat type property out in the woods. The topic for the week was prayer and the idea was (for one week) to follow some of the monastic principles of living together--working, eating, playing and praying together, interspersed with times of silent and isolated contemplation. The space was ideal, a warm country style home with a large round table for meals, a firepit outside, fruit trees and a garden, woods all around, as well as a very small rustic cabin this couple had built for the purpose of meditation.

It was a fabulous week.

Seated in that dim cabin with a candle, listening to the rain outside and the birds, feeling the gentle wind blowing through the cracks, smelling the scent of pines, chatting with my maker...I came alive again. How I missed that. Another time was spent in an isolated spot amongst the pines with the sun shining down on me through the gaps in the trees, birds still singing, the smell of the woods engulfing me, and I just stood--arms outstretched--and worshiped.

As we read liturgical prayers together morning, noon and night in unison, did chores together, made jam and/or hung drain pipes together, ate meals together at that round table, worshiped together, cooked together, sat and laughed around the fire together, shared and learned together...I also came alive. How I long for comfortable, embracing, genuine community.

This evening I've had the privilege of having the house to myself and have enjoyed much needed alone time with my beloved, and now I'm anticipating tomorrow morning when I will get to share it with the others in our morning worship time and hearing from them of their experience of Him...

This is our faith--deep, intimate and intensely personal but equally so it is shared, diversified and enriched within a greater whole.

Things that made me smile recently...

• I had dinner with my old roommate at her place recently and the neighbours saw me coming into the building gate, reported to my friend that I was on my way up, then came out to greet me and in proper Turkish style hugged me, kissed me, then while continuing to hold my hand wanted to know why I hadn't been coming around anymore, praised me for my wonderfully improved Turkish, invited me in for tea, expressed lament that I was leaving for Ankara next week...Turkish 'teyze's (aunties) make me smile.

• Moving again had me reflecting on the various people I've lived with over the years, I smiled as I realized the variety of nationalities that I've been privileged to share a space with thus far--American, Canadian, Turk, Swedish, Romanian, Korean, English, South African, Finnish and Austrian.

• On Tuesday night we celebrated the birthday of a Turkish friend, the highlight of the evening would have to be my friend trying to teach a bunch of foreigners how to belly dance, absolutely hilarious, our hips just don't move that way...I have pictures, though not digital unfortunately...or maybe fortunately...
  

• On my way to help at the Correspondence Course this morning, I saw an older man leaving his building with a big bag of cat food. He was immediately surrounded by tons of very excited, very happy street cats. He was grinning, they were purring, and I smiled.

• Once at the Correspondence Course office our Turkish friend Z told about her most recent street sharing escapade. She and some other Turks and foreigners are out every week and almost every week she has a funny story to tell about how after the iman yelled at them, the nearby shop keepers got to hear the gospel because they wanted to know what all the fuss was about; or about how once they were taken to the police station they didn't actually know what to do with them (it's not illegal) and then some police quietly asked if they could actually have some of the literature they had with them; or about how one little child was teasing them about their literature and then she gave him one and then when they came past again this kid was sharing the tract with his friends! She's wise way beyond her 20 yrs and so funny, she makes me smile.
  

• I had coffee with some friends at a Kahve Dünyası this afternoon, a Turkish coffee place that has a small bowl of chocolate covered coffee beans at every table and gives you a chocolate covered spoon with your drink, and they are cheaper than Starbucks...yep that makes me smile.
  

Conviction...

I was at the once-a-month all night prayer meeting at my church the other week and I enjoyed it immensely, the times of worship, the intercessory prayer, the fellowship with people...it was also a wonderfully convicting time as well. God reminded me of some essentials that I'd forgotten, or rather just let slide a little these past months with travels with friends and family and lack of any set routine.
First up, I was talking with a Kenyan friend from church, great guy, had backslidden from his faith for many years but fell in love with God all over again while working here in Turkey. He was also with us as a translator with that short term team here this summer doing street dramas. He shared that since that time he's gotten this new boldness and excitement. He said he feels he can't hold it in, he just has to go and talk with whoever gets laid on his heart. He offers to pray for people on the bus and talks to people on the street whenever he senses the Spirit saying to him, "that one" or "this one". He was even rejoicing at the fact that his job had recently cut back on his hours since even though it meant less pay, it meant that he could have more time to be available to talk with people should the Spirit direct! He said he was amazed because the person he was even 1 1/2 years ago would never have done this.
He then asked me--without any sort of judgment or comparison, just genuine joy and expectation--"How about you? Have been talking with anyone?" I had to answer honestly that no, I hadn't. The fact that I wasn't talking with people on the street isn't what was convicting though (that's not where my heart is, I like the long term relationships) it was the fact that he was fully embracing and using the gift and calling that God has given him and just delighting in that, the same was not so much true for me as of late.
My conversation with him combined with a short clip of a sermon that we listened to were powerfully convicting. The speaker stated with passion and some sadness that we've been entrusted with the Gospel. This is not something to be dismissed or taken lightly. We need to devour it up and then use it; wield it, share it, and actively! Since seminary I've stopped devouring the Word the way I did when I was searching it to write a paper or prepare a sermon; now I mostly just read it, I don't necessarily meditate on it, rarely do I cross reference, or do word studies or topic studies or context studies.
The speaker also spoke of how God has been beseeched for labourers for the harvest--a labourer works hard and long; he fasts and prays, he labours greatly in the secret, he doesn't wile away his time. It dawned on me how much of my time has become consumed by non-essentials, that slowly I'd been letting those things slide in my life. I want my once-a-week fast back; I want to be in prayer more regularly, well, constantly; I want to once again be deep in the Word--studying, meditating, memorizing, basking in it, sharing it; when I'm with people, I want our talk to not always be empty. Like my Kenyan friend, I want to fully embrace and delight in the gifts and calling God given me, namely prayer and discipleship.

Bureaucracy...

So today I spent about six hours accomplishing relatively little. Not that Turkey is really all that bad concerning bureaucracy compared to a lot of countries, but still, it was an adventure that unfortunately will continue next week...

After getting things done at home (Turkish study, laundry, etc.) I left the house around noon first to go and pay some bills, one was the gas bill (about a 20 min walk away) the second was the phone bill which has to be paid at the post office (about 5 min from the gas place). After that I hopped on a minibus to a more central neighbourhood to get a bus ticket to Ankara for Sunday.

After that I headed to an exchange office to get some dollars to deposit into the bank account I was planning to open.

Next stop was the bank. I need to try to apply for a residence permit soon (save me all these visa renewal exits) and in order to get one I need to prove that I have enough money to last me for the length of the visa I'm applying for (and do a few more things!). To prove that I have enough money I need to have a bank statement with that amount on it. In order to have a bank statement with that amount, I need to have a local bank account. So off I went to a bank with all that I was told I would need, a passport and some dollars to deposit (I need a dollar account).

I had to take a number when I came in. The fun part was that the machine had a couple different buttons to press, so you had to look on the wall first to see which services were connected to which button. (It's the same at the post office here.) So I figured out which button to press, got my number, and waited, and waited...going on 2 hours, I finally got called. Only to be told that in order to open this account I needed a tax number. But my friend opened an account without one, I explained. He must not have been a foreigner. He is, he's Canadian too. You need a tax number madam. Where might I get one? At the 'Vergi Dairesi' (like a tax building). Do you happen to know where that is? Ask the security guard at the door, he can direct you.

After getting directions from the security guard and then a couple of convenience store clerks along the way I finally made it to the tax building. In order to get a tax number I needed a photocopy of my passport, no my actual passport was not what they wanted. So, off to a photocopy place to get a copy of my passport. Upon return, I was directed to the first floor and the right window. I got my tax number, headed back to the bank, and was informed that yes, I would have to take another number.

After waiting another 40 min, the bank was beginning to close, graciously they let me be the final customer. I joyfully handed them my tax number and passport and told them I wanted to open a dollar account. They began to enter my info only to inform me that the system wasn't accepting my info, I didn't fully understand what they were telling me, except that it was something like the system had to get used to my tax number??? They took a photo copy of my number and asked if I could come back Monday morning!!! That the system should have no problem accepting my info by then.

All that, and still no bank account. After a quick grocery stop, I finally arrived home around 6:30. And this is only the first of the things I need to do to get my residence permit...oh joy. I don't how people who have full-time jobs get their bills paid or get to the banks here!!

What now?

So, I'm starting to think that maybe my Turkish is not quite as bad as I often feel it is. Lately when I tell people what I'm doing here if they ask (that is, I'm studying Turkish) their reaction is not "right, what school are you at?" or something to that effect, now the reaction I usually get is a confused look and then "but you already know good Turkish?!" I guess I do. I've actually started to pray out loud in Turkish during our prayer meetings which has been one of the most difficult things for me to do. I even translated for a group doing street dramas this past week!

My language helper has even become more complimentary as of late. She looked at me with genuine surprise the other day at this sentence that I used while talking with her. We actually have a hard time staying on the lesson these days, we usually end up just talking for long periods of time! She's my age, knows and loves God, and is in the same phase of life as me...really, I couldn't have asked for a better language helper! We try to limit the chats until after the official lesson time is over but, well, it doesn't always happen that way. It's still language learning in some sense I suppose but she doesn't correct me then and doesn't go into explanations of grammar and its usage in such-and-such a context, or idioms, or new vocabulary--you know, things I'm paying her to teach me!

While I know I'm nowhere near as fluent as I'd like to be and definitely not ready to teach in this language yet, it's nice to know I'm well on my way:)

I suppose this means that I should be moving on now, I mean using Turkish rather than studying it as a way to grow in it. But what, where, how? Good questions...there are options on the table but nothing is clear or definite, I'll continue praying and seeking, and I'll keep you posted.


Here's a shot of me using my language skills, teaching 4 & 5 year olds:) I'm not sure what's with the expression on my face here, I was actually enjoying telling the story that evening!

Summer heat

Summer used to make me so happy--long sunny days, warm weather, spending time outdoors. I would get more energy in the summer, look for any opportunities to go for walks...but in Istanbul with the addition of a few more degrees Celsius and a ton more humidity, I'm not quite as enthusiastic as I once was. Right now all this sunny hot humid weather just makes me sweat and makes me tired and lazy. Generally I prefer to stay inside where I can wear my shorts and there's a fan. When I have to go places I am constantly in search of the shadiest and/or breeziest side of the street to walk down. On the train or minibus, I prefer to stand because if you sit, you often get up with sweat marks on you, lovely. When my language helper comes to my house for my lesson, the first thing she does is go to the washroom to change her shirt. I've actually taken on a common Turkish habit of wearing undershirts even in the summer, sounds crazy, but they at least absorb the sweat so that your t-shirt doesn't expose how sweaty you really are. It's surprisingly effective. Smells tend to be intensified in the heat, walking past a garbage bin, or even just walking downwind of one is an experience, and of course there's always the smell of sweaty people.
When I wake up in the morning and it's overcast, I am ecstatic.
I know I shouldn't be complaining, it's really not that bad, it's just I'm a Calgarian, I'm used to cool and dry, I have yet to acclimatize to hot and humid. I haven't got a clue how people in Thailand or the Amazon function...

Summer travels...

So I haven't written on here for a while. July was busy, involving a number of travels...
First a quick trip to Cyprus to renew my visa. From Cyprus I took a ferry boat directly across to be in time for the family camp happening near Mersin. At the camp I helped out with the children's program, met some great Turkish believers, and was granted the incredible privilege of helping someone come to Christ. It was an unbelievable experience as this individual was told by Jesus in a dream before camp started that a Canadian girl with long blonde hair would help him. I won't repeat the story as I've already included it in my newsletter but suffice to say it was completely God's work--God provided the dream and He provided me with the needed Turkish words (my Turkish is not good) and the needed answers to the myriad of questions this young guy had.
After that I took an overnight bus back to Istanbul, did some laundry and then met up with my old roommate to get on yet another overnight bus to go to Eğidir, a beautiful, COOL, lakeside town in the mountains to have a relaxing holiday and visit a few friends of hers there. We had a few days to sleep in, enjoy not sweating 24/7 (what a difference lack of humidity makes), to journal, to wander about the town basking in the slower pace and friendly atmosphere, to visit some surrounding places, and to meet with the people she knows there (which was quite a few!)...overall it was a marvellous holiday! Both of the above photos I took in Eğidir.




















Left top: Walking in the footsteps of Paul, in the ruins of Psidian Antioch just outside of Yalvaç a small town nearby Eğidir.
Left bottom: Taking a walk with Beth's friends in the very small village of Gelincik, again nearby Eğidir.



Above: Beth's friends took us all around their village on their tractor:) We rode in the back there, it lifts up...good times.














Left top: Dinner with Beth at a lakeside cafe. Left bottom: Our view from the lakeside cafe.
After this trip I was home only a day before some visitors from Canada came to stay with me while they saw the sights of Istanbul. I spent a couple of days helping them get around this vast city before they headed off to see other parts of Turkey.
I have to say it's been tough to get back into the grind of language study after all that, I'm so grateful for the break!

Cultural Blunder...

So I discovered yesterday evening that I had committed a cultural fauxpas (sp?) a couple of weeks back and had no clue!! It makes me wonder how many other times I've offended people and didn't realize it...
I was out for dinner yesterday evening with some short-termers and one of the Turkish guys from our church. He then proceeded to tell them about how terrible it was the first time he met me! Right...so...
I was sitting by myself one day at church when he came up to say hello. He'd seen me before and I knew that he was one of the trustworthy solid believers (there are a couple who are just there looking for a foreign wife unfortunately) so when he came up and said hello, I smiled and said something to the effect of (in Turkish) "Yes hello, we haven't met before have we?" His face turned serious and he said, "Right, right...okay" and then he walked off. I thought that was weird and didn't know what to make of it. A couple minutes later he came back and said something about us all being brothers and sisters in Christ and freedom and such, again, weird, but I nodded in agreement and then he introduced himself formally as did I.
Last night I learned that my statement of "we haven't met before have we" which I meant to mean "great, I've been wanting to meet you, this is our chance" was interpreted as "I don't know you, who do you think you are just coming up to me like this as a man and saying hello!" Wow! I now know that that is a very rude thing to say to someone (possibly a very helpful thing in some circumstances:) I was so surprised, I had embarrassed and hurt him without ever intending! So, we cleared that up last night much to the enjoyment of the short-termers with us...Remember Amy, people first here, honor first here, always, always...

Internet travel plans

So I wasted almost an entire day on the internet today. I did manage to do some exercise, get to the store and write some stuff in Turkish, but definitely the majority of the day was spent searching online for the purpose of making travel plans. I had to find some hotel options for my parents who are heading here in September (I'm happy about that!). That was quite easy though thankfully, plenty of sites that have photos, service details and prices listed.

The other travel plans however were not nearly so neat. I need to head out of Turkey to renew my visa soon as the one I currently have expires on July 20th. The trouble is that I'm going to be helping out at a camp near Mersin at that time so I'll have to go earlier and since the camp is in the southeast of Turkey it rules out the most logical options of Bulgaria or Greece (just a bus-ride away). My traveling companion and I decided that the easiest and quickest would be to fly to Northern Cyprus from Istanbul and then take a ferry from there to Mersin and from there travel straight to the camp. Pretty straight forward right?

Well, one airline quoted this amazing price but when I called it was more than double with the taxes. I tried some other sites, but some didn't go to Cyprus, some just didn't work once you entered all the info and clicked 'ara' (means-'search' or 'find'). Then I realized that once we flew to Northern Cyprus we'd first have to get from the airport to the nearest town of Ercan, then from Ercan travel to one of the seaside towns. That's alright, we'll figure that out once we get there, ask around, there's bound to be a bus or whatever.

But to which seaside town? The one with ferries that go to Turkey of course. Well it took forever to find the right site that listed locations, times and prices for ferries from the town of Girne. Great, but these ferries apparently only go to Taşucu which seems to be 90km from Mersin, or Anumur which is even farther.

Then I learned that there are ferries that go to Mersin (where we want to go) from the town of Gazimağusa but they apparently only run 3 days a week, usually at 8pm, the boat ride takes min. 2 hr and camp starts in the evening. Not so helpful.

So Girne it is. I then tried finding cheap pensions, once again, took forever to find anything but the massive, expensive hotels and holiday complexes listed on the internet. Once I finally did find a list, no prices were mentioned, and I did not have the energy to start phoning every single one on the list of 30 or so to get an idea of prices and room availability.

It is official, I do not enjoy making travel plans...especially on the internet. Isn't this why we have travel agents?

Just for fun, some shots of where I'll be heading in about a week. No, not mine, from the good ol' internet.

Prayer...

I've been having opportunities to engage in prayer in a wider variety as of late, some examples...

Prayer with eyes open...This city is so big that sometimes it's easier to meet people somewhere in the middle, at a cafe somewhere for example, rather than at a private house. Often we want to pray for one another or pray about some specific issues during those times. Closed eyes is not the typically understood sign that you are praying here (doing prostrations, facing a certain direction, hands out and open, repeating phrases, during the designated times...these are the recognized demonstrations here). As such, a group of people in a cafe with heads bowed and eyes closed would not necessarily be a witness to people who are praying together, it would just be odd. So I've found, you can still be focussed on God and united in prayer together even with eyes open.

Praying Scripture in Song...I just attended an all night prayer meeting and discovered a different way to pray that I absolutely love. We'd have a passage of Scripture, one person would read a verse then offer a short prayer in connection with that verse. All the while, 2 amazing guitarists were playing, then one guitarist would take a line or two from the prayer and/or the Scripture and would sing it out, then the other guitarist, or someone else, would harmonize and respond, everyone else around me would join in, harmonize and/or respond with new lines. It was beautiful, seriously beautiful...I couldn't help but join in with my own prayers and harmonies. We'd sing a bit, then move on the next verse and continue the process, time flew by.

Intercession in context (like prayer walking)...this is not new, it's just taken on new meaning for me here. I often spend time sitting on my balcony late in the evening looking out over miles of apartments filled with people who don't know yet--don't know that incredible love, freedom, purpose, life--and I pray for them. I ride the train crammed with people...I see different people with certain expressions on their faces, dressed in a telling way, or reading a telling book, and I pray for them. My surroundings, the structures I see (mosques, superstitious charms, ancient ruins, plaques, monuments, symbols of wealth/poverty), the people I see (their dress, mannerisms, eyes, possessions, etc.), give plenty of fuel for prayer. It's simple, and I'm discovering more and more, powerful. It is startling how many of those who have come to choose Christ here have done so because He met them personally in a dream or vision birthed out of their own cries or later discovered prayers of another.

Sitting still and taking in beauty...this is not new either, I include it though because it is my favourite and yet one I often don't make time for, or miss out on here. I love to just sit and be still with God, finding a spot where I can look out over things He's made that are yet untouched by us, marvel at the sights, the setting sun/a beetle crossing my path/a species of bird I've never noticed before/etc., listen to the sounds around me, rustling in the leaves/waves lapping/people laughing/etc., smell the ocean/rain/wildflowers/evergreens/etc., feel the warmth of the sun/crispness of the cold/breeze blowing/etc. Sounds cliche, I know, but I love it. As I do, I'm always refreshed, refocused...I want to worship, share my heart, chat with God, listen for Him, sometimes words, sometimes Scripture references (I later look up), sometimes just deep feelings.

Prayer is my foundation, weapon, and lifeline.

One reason I like this country...

Most definitely there are a number of things that can drive me nuts about this culture--the way guys feel free to stare openly or how easy it is to be cheated here for example--but thankfully there are pluses.
I love how helpful people are here. Yesterday I was in a little bookshop picking up some paper and I wanted to find a show repair place. I asked the shopkeeper if she knew of one nearby. The only one she could think of was a fair bit of a walk. There was also an older gentlemen in the shop at the time and he joined in, the one he suggested was also a fair bit of a walk but in the same direction I was heading anyways to pay a bill so I listened to his directions carefully and off I went. 15-20 min later after I turned onto the street I understood I was to turn onto, I came up to a 3 pronged fork in the road. Just as I was standing there deciding which prong to try first because I couldn't find the landmark the guy had told me, up pulls this same older gentlemen on his moped, he pointed me down the right street then turned and drove off.

A friend and I were off to visit one of the museums here and looked up bus directions on the internet. We had to transfer to another bus at a stop we'd never been to so when we got on the first bus we asked the driver to let us know when we arrived at the stop. He then asked where we were headed and we told him the name of the museum. He shook his head and said that if we went that way we'd have to walk aways and then informed us that he knew a better route. He took us all the way to the last stop on his route, got off the bus with us, waited with us until the bus that would 'take us right to the front doors of the museum' passed, he flagged it down for us and then told the driver to make sure he let us off at the right place.

Another day a number of weeks ago I had stopped a woman to make sure I was heading in the right direction to get to this major roadway. She said that I was and then offered to escort me the whole way and also help me get on the right dolmush as she was just out for an evening stroll anyways.

I was out for a run the other evening when a medic on a motorcycle passed (I know, odd, but they've got them here). Generally I'm bright red when I do any exercise and just as he was passing I was stopping to walk for a bit. I watched as he pulled up on the side of the road quite aways up and watched through his rear view mirror. As soon as I started running again he pulled off once more. Not too many women exercise here like that, definitely not to the point that they are sweaty and worn out, I'm sure he thought I would pass out right then and there! I thought it thoughtful to wait and make sure I was alright!

The helpfulness if possibly in part because I'm a foreigner but I know Turks who have the same experiences. One friend from Adana expressed that one of the major culture shocks she experienced when she went to live in England for a while was how unhelpful people were when she needed to get somewhere!

Hospitality and helpfulness, I appreciate these.

Picnic in the Park

Yesterday we went as a church together to a park and held our service there. Afterwards we ate together and spent the afternoon doing things that you do in the park. It was really a great time. We sang songs together in both Turkish and English and drew some spectators. In place of the sermon, a number of the Turks shared testimonies. It was encouraging for both the Turks and the foreigners involved. Apparently in other years when they held this church service in the park, a number of the Turkish believers would disappear periodically whenever someone in uniform came around but this year, they were boldly and publicly testifying to their faith. In one of the open prayer times between songs, one Turkish woman loudly recited John 3:16-17 and continued praying, declaring her deep love for God, and praising him for the gift of Jesus.
It was a very eclectic group, not just Turks and workers attend this church, also a variety of expats from all walks of life attend. One English woman I met on Sunday said she had come to believe after she came to Turkey!
We shared the food that we'd all brought (definitely more than enough to go around), chatted, and played games. I met a lot more people, discovered that there are a few who live in my same neighbourhood in Istanbul. I briefly flew a kite for the first time in my life! All in all a great day.

Little provisions...

In my new place, we've got only a mini-bar size fridge. Fine for one person, doable for two, frustrating with three, especially now that it's getting hotter and veggies and such should really live in the fridge. Before my roommates got back from the music tour, I decided to look into it.
A new big fridge would be expensive, really expensive; a used one from the market would be a bit sketchy, the best option was hopefully to get one from one of the tons of foreigners constantly leaving Istanbul to go to other parts or to go home.

I let my desire for a fridge be known and then a couple in my small group called to say they'd been to the home of this girl who was planning to go home to Korea soon. They said she had an older, medium-sized fridge (with freezer) and was asking only 20 American. That's a phenomenal price here, so I called right away. We chatted for a bit and as we did, we sooon discovered that not only did she use to live in the same neighbourhood as me, she actually lived in the very same apartment! She knows one of my roommates well. As soon as she heard that, she said we could just take the fridge for free! I love it, a fridge with a freezer, right when we need it and for the best possible price:) God is definitely in the details.

So now we just need to find a way to transport it...that's for another blog...

Below I threw in some photos, just because people always seem to want to see photos.
This is the view from my new living room. If you look carefully between the buildings you can see the ocean! Yep, ocean view.

And this is the view from my bedroom. Apartments for miles and miles all around except for this little field right next to ours. They grow hormone free veggies here. I am awoken by a rooster at around 5 or 6ish, often before the call to prayer.

The Language of Suffixes and Infixes...

So this is one of the longest words in Turkish. I've run into a few in the 25-30 letter range in the book I'm reading right now, but this one definitely beats them all! I've included an explanation (as far as I understand anyways) of each infix and suffix for the linguists out there (Tanya) or for anyone else who's curious...

Avrupalılaştıramadıklarımızdanmışsınız.

Apparently you are one of those we have not been able to Europeanize.

Avrupa—Europe

lı—suffix meaning 'with', 'connected to', 'containing' (with Europe>European)

laş—infix used in verbs to indicate that something is progressively becoming

tır—the infix used to show that something or someone is making someone or something to do something.

a—infix meaning ‘able’ but used only with negative, ('not able')

ma—infix used to indicate the negative form of a verb

dık—suffix used to make a verb into an adjective which describes its object (eg. 'myreading book' > 'the book that I read’)

lar—plural ending

ımız—person ending for ‘we’

dan—suffix meaning 'from' or 'of'

mış—suffix added to verbs to indicate that you did not see personally the verb taking place (in this word it means 'apparently')

sınız—person ending for ‘you’ plural or the formal/polite form of ‘you'

Good times with Turkish!

Joy in simple things...

So this morning I had a fabulous ride on the train...

Frequently, my morning train ride is not the most pleasant experience...cars crammed full of people, the windows may or may not be open (people have a general theory here that most illnesses are due to 'drafts') and generally I'm surrounded by what I can only describe as that 'morning smell'...the smell of someone before they've brushed their teeth or the way a tent might smell after a bunch of young guys who'd been hiking all day have slept in it...I have come to rather loathe that smell.
But today, today it was glorious!...The window was open near me and as it had rained last night, that wonderful fresh after the rain smell was blowing across my face, one of the guys near me smelled of Old Spice, the woman standing directly in front of me had the just showered smell, no one had overdone their cologne or perfume, and-most importantly-there was no hint whatsoever of the 'morning smell'.

Empty house

So I've had the apartment to myself for the past 2 weeks. It's the first time I've been living alone in about 5 years. It's definitely been nice to have that peace and freedom that comes with living by yourself but I have to admit, I'm really looking forward to having my roommates come back! I guess I have changed some over these past years. I'm far more extroverted than I ever was, I actually really enjoy life in community now, prefer it actually. Fitting considering how central community is here; in Turkey it's odd to want to be alone, offensive even in certain situations. I'm so grateful that God's been shaping me--shaping my desires and preferences even--so that I can fit well where He's got me.