Back from Turkey

Hello! Well, I made it back from Turkey, and it was great!

The conference went really well! There were 78 women as opposed to the 40 we expected, so praise God for that! They were all very excited about the material and wanted more. Unfortunately we didn't have more time give, but they were able to take home copies of the bible study and do further study. I'm hoping that God used this conference to set a foundation for future teaching opportunities in Turkey.

I was also able to go to the university campus and meet with students. I'll share about the conversation that was a highlight to me. We thought a good way to meet people was to play backgammon because EVERYONE there seems to play. So, a group of us went into a cafe where a lot of students were hanging out and playing, but the sad thing was, none of us knew how to play! I played when I was young, but didn't remember how to play! So we decided to ask people to teach us...so me, being the independent spirit, went up to a table of 2 girls and asked if they spoke english. I could tell by their response that they did, but were learning, and I decided to ask if I could join them and have them teach me how to play. Nothing like inviting myself huh?? They began teaching me, and before I knew it the friends they were meeting showed up, and we were all playing! I played a few games with them, and while doing so we were just making small talk. They were all in their first year of university and had met in the dorms and were nice. I had told them that I was in Izmir to teach, and they asked me what I was teaching. At that point I told them I was a Christian and that I was teaching how, as a woman, to develop a lifestyle pleasing to God. I asked them if they believed and God, and one girl got out her dictionary (that was one table) and pointed to the word "muslim" - all of them were muslim. I continued talking to them about the bible, and they looked a bit confused, so I got out the 5 bibles in turkish I had in my backpack and gave them to them. They said that they had never seen a bible before, only head of it, and were very intrigued. They were confused as to why I had to many, and they actually thought that I was selling them! I told them that another reason I went to to Turkey was to tell people like them, that hadn't seen the bible, the bible, and to talk to them about God. From there we were able to have a conversation about heaven and I shared the Gospel with them. They were in awe. After an hour and a half conversation with them I had to leave because our group was already over an hour late for Thanksgiving Dinner. I did exchange information with them, and look forward to keeping in touch!

Oh, and to answer your question, NO I didn't not have turkey in Turkey on Turkey Day!! We actually ate KFC for dinner! I can safely say that I haven't eaten KFC in ages, even when I was living in the States!!

Something really cool about the trip was also that I got to see 5 of the seven churches of Revelation (Revelation 1:11)! It was VERY cool!!! I saw Ephesus, Smyrna, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, and it was amazing!! It was so fascinating to see and to learn about the historical and geographical locations of each, it really helped me understand the letters better! I also saw the apostle John and the apostle Luke's tomb and one of the seven natural wonders in the world, thermal water! I'll definitely share more later on all that, but I feel like this is going on forever and everyone is probably asleep!

I would definitely say that Izmir is more developed, but the lifestyle, food, and some words were similar to Albania. It was strange, although I had a great time in Turkey, I was anxious to get back to Albania.

Well, I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Take care! Oh, and yeah, still not letting me post pics, not sure what's going on with that. Sorry!