Two days ago we met Jesus on a bus in Istanbul, a international city with over 11 million people.
To save money our team of 6 former and current squad leaders – Brian, Stacy, Caitlin, Mike, Denise and I – decided to move out of our hostel in Sultanahmet, a region on the European side of Istanbul, and move in to a church our contact Kevin had suggested. Team Oasis had recently vacated it and was on there way to Thessaloniki, Greece to build relationships with the Pomak people – an unreached people group known to be here in Turkey but were difficult to locate. Kevin knows of a group that lives in the mountains north of Thessaloniki and so their hope is to find this people group in Greece, ask them if any of their friends or relatives live in Turkey and where, and return to Turkey to find and build relationships with them here.
So we packed up, took a cab ride to the ferry and headed for the Asian side of Istanbul.
It was time to save some money, but more importantly it was time to have some rest and relaxation. Since becoming a squad leader about 2 weeks ago, rest has been hard to come by.
We stepped off the ferry and it’s pouring outside. Several Turk men are standing in the rain yelling semsiye (pronounced “shem-see-A”)! Semsiye! Us and everything we’ve carried on our backs and chests over the past 3 months through 14 countries (collectively: Ireland, The United Kingdom [aka Northern Ireland], Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey) is already soaked. An umbrella wouldn’t help now.
Stacy P. and Higgs of Team Oasis met Caitlin and me at the ferry the day before to take us to the church so we could hang out with the team before they left for the week. Because we were excited to see them and because they knew the bus to catch and the church stop, we didn’t pay attention to how we actually got to the church. Rookie move. I tried calling Paul, team Oasis’ leader for directions, but couldn’t get a hold of him. We decided to get on bus 14CK because we had all been to the church before except Denise and remembered 14 something or other would get us there. Wrong!
About an hour into our bus ride to “No Where” as Brian dubbed it, and several failed attempts to speak to the bus
driver, a gentle man with what Denise identified as “Jesus Eyes” sweetly asked me if we needed help.
By this time 5 out of 6 of us were nauseous with motion sickness due to the sudden and spasmodic jerking of the bus whenever the driver braked or sped up.
Fun fact about me – I have the stomach of a Survivor/Amazing Racer/World Racer.
I thanked Jesus Eyes, grateful someone spoke English and was willing to help us. My hand had the street name written on it, so I thrust it out to him, palm up, and pointed to the street name. “Far, far away,” he told me. He advised me to call a friend who spoke Turkish so they could speak and he could get a better idea of exactly where we needed to go. We gave him the number of Ali, a 38 year old Turkish hospitality management major living and serving at the church (more about how awesome he is will come later). As they spoke, Jesus Eyes visibly became more concerned because he realized that the lost Americans might not ever make it off the bus without his personal assistance.
For the next 1 1/2 hours or so Jesus Eyes guided us to our destination. This man not only halted his day to faithfully delivered us to the church, but went way out of his way to do it with compassion and care. He stood in the rain for us while we took shelter under an overhang.
He braved the honking, never-stop-for-a-pedestrian drivers and crossed the street to buy us two Milka chocolate bars after watching Mike devour a loaf of bread like a starving sewer rat.
He respected our personal space, but stayed close enough to give us comfort. We had no idea if he was leading us the right way, but we trusted that God had lovingly put him on the bus at that exact moment of confusion and anxiety to once again show His children how much we’re loved and how He ALWAYS provides for us. Jesus Eyes was our good shepherd.
When I find myself lost again on travel day – I know crossing a river shouldn’t be considered a “travel day,” but we were miserable on public transportation for an extended period of time and Jesus redeemed the day, so I think it counts as a travel day – I will try to remember that God is simply giving someone the opportunity see me through his or her Jesus eyes.
We finally made it to the church wet, exhausted and sick. Thankfully we were welcomed with open arms by Ali. Not only were we served authentic Turkish hot tea with chocolate banana cup cakes upon our arrival, but we were also served salad with the best rice I’ve ever eaten! It was moist, fluffy and perfectly flavored with Turkish seasonings. After a late, late lunch, we sat on the couches and laughed and laughed as peace and quiet engulfed us. Sometimes I don’t realize how essential stillness is to my spirit until I’ve been deprived of it for so long and am suddenly restored by it.
To top the day off, we went on another adventure, this time with Ali as our guide to the only Chili’s Restaurant in all of Turkey. I guess you could say we were wanting a little taste of home. Probably the best part of the meal was the “Endless Chips and Salsa.”
So to recap – we got to travel from Europe to Asia on a ferry; tour the entire Asian side of Istanbul for only 3 lira (1.47 lira = $1 US dollar) per person by bus; eat what has become my favorite chocolate after eating it almost every day since arriving in Romania; laugh until my stomach hurt with people I’ve grown to love and respect; be served by Ali, a new Christian God has put in our lives for a short while to bless us and be blessed by us; indulge in Turkish tea and rice; and stuff ourselves silly at a classic American restaurant.
However, out of all the blessings the Lord lavished on us, nothing compares to meeting Jesus Eyes. Nothing! Because when you meet someone with Jesus eyes, you’re really encountering the Living God.
P.S. Unfortunately I can’t remember Jesus Eyes’ real name because it was a long Turkish name I couldn’t pronounce even after several tries. Jesus Eyes is fitting though. 🙂
