So it has been a while since I have posted a blog. Sorry, friends. Please know that I am alive and well. I recently batted a little bit of a coughing cold, but it has passed. Praise God! Unfortunately, the cold seemed to start with me and has quickly spread around. Sorry about that. On a positive note, everyone seems to be getting better. Praise God!
Well, it is 8:51 am here in Istanbul. My new team and I have been here for about a week now, and we are making progress toward our work here. While here in Turkey, we are studying the different the ethnic groups that are represented here in Istanbul, and learning about the cultural changes that take place within each group of people as they make their transition from their country of origin to here in Turkey.
It is common for a traditions and religious practices to change a bit as people make a transition from one environment to another. Some traditions are more important to a family than others, and while some of their traditional practices may be lost, some are retained due to their sacredness.
Our team has been searching for the Pashtun people group, which is one of the seven ethnic groups that come from Afghanistan & Pakistan. Due to wars that have been taking place, they have been forced out of there country and some have taken residence here in Istanbul. We were told that there was a population of Pashtun people here, but until yesterday, our search was unsuccessful. But we finally found them yesterday!! And today we are having the privilege of eating dinner with them! I am excited.
It was a blessing to be able to meet with them yesterday! We all got to drink apple and green tea and eat some sweet pastry snacks with our new friends yesterday. It is one of their beliefs that they should be kind and inviting to outsiders. It was also encouraging to hear and observe how important living in community with each other and all people is to them. I am looking forward to getting to know them more…………………
