So much has happened in the last two weeks. It makes you feel a little like Inigo Montoya when he says,
“Let me explain…No, there is too much. Let me sum up.”
After the conclusion of the Race, the next morning we visited ancient Ephesus. We thought it would be nice to actually see the ruins, instead of just running past them as we had the day before. There among the ruins, we read the account of the Apostle Paul’s ministry in Ephesus from Acts 19. We sat in the Great Theater that the men of Ephesus filled in riotous anger at Paul’s alleged defaming of their alleged goddess, Artemis. It’s sort of surreal (in a really good way) to sit in a place and see the Scriptures come alive like that.
After our visit and the requisite souvenir shopping that followed, we headed off to the nearby port-town of Kusadasi to join our fellow World Racers at a campground across the street from the sea. Here, we paused to study the Scriptures together and figure out just how exactly we were all going to get from Turkey to Cairo without spending an arm and a leg.
Brown Team Paul and I led an intensive, three day, five-session survey through the book of Ephesians (appropriate, given our locale) which the Lord used to challenge us and renew our thinking as we approach these last few months of the trip.
Meanwhile, the travel planning was fast and furious. Doors opened, we prayed, doors closed, we prayed harder, plans were made, then altered, then recast, then reevaluated, then made once again. It was a turbulent time of trusting in the Lord. Any of you who have ever really trusted in the Lord will know what I mean.
At long last, plans began to come together for people. Everyone but us, that is. There was a group flying directly from Istanbul to Cairo, another group headed through Cyprus, a group of South Africans plus Cathy headed through Jerusalem, and a group consisting entirely of Lloyd headed for a bold overland route through Syria. But we had nothing.
Well, not quite nothing. Sarah felt strongly that the Lord was challenging her to travel through Cyprus with the group going that way. We were glad to see her being obedient to the Lord’s will. But Katherine, Ashley, and I didn’t feel we were supposed to go to Cyprus. In fact, Ashley was still praying about whether or not to continue on the trip, seeing as how she was down to her last $400. Katherine and I felt strongly that we needed to wait, to stay and seek the Lord with Ashley, and to stand by her as she made her decision. Katherine also felt strongly that God had something more for us to do in Turkey.
So, we waited.
On Thursday, we met a local man along with his daughter and her fiancé, all of whom are believers. It seems the man had seen someone from our group reading the Bible and he introduced himself. We were encouraged by this man’s powerful testimony and humbled by his decision to move back to his native Turkey, leaving behind a life of wealth and leisure in Spain, because of his burden to share the Gospel with the Turkish people.
His daughter, Melik, also had a testimony to share. She had felt God leading her to go to Guatemala to minister. Though she spoke fluent Spanish, she knew no one in Guatemala. So, of course, she went. Through friends of friends, she found some churches that would let her preach about missions, and about Turkey and what God is doing there. And during her ministry tour in Guatemala, she met her fiancé, William.
Their story is great, but it’s long. Especially the way William tells it. I’ll try to record it for posterity later, but no promises. Suffice it to say, when God wants to introduce you to that special someone, He gets it done. Even if it requires flying that person halfway around the world.
So, we invited the three of them to our Bible study that evening, and they invited us to church on Sunday. A good time was had by all.
Later that evening, they came to Bible study, and they brought their pastor. His name is Mark, and he’s actually an American missionary from Colorado. Mark told us that he was helping promote this concert featuring a Christian band called No Longer Music and they were pressed for time in terms of promotion, and could we help him out. We were thrilled to help. So, Friday we headed into Selcuk to pass out flyers and promote the show that was to take place later that night.
The show took place in this great little amphitheater. Like a mini-version of the one a couple of miles down the road at Ephesus. That night about three or four hundred people showed up to see the show. It was an eclectic show, featuring music by Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Idol, and a lot of original stuff with heavy guitars and samplers. It was a rock opera of sorts, communicating the ugliness of sin and the emptiness of existence apart from Christ.
The climax of the show came when the lead singer, representing Jesus, was buried in a cellophane coffin filled with smoke. Suddenly, his hand burst forth from the cellophane, defeating death and Satan and saving mankind.
The audience burst into applause.
Not what I would have expected in a Muslim country like Turkey. But the story of the cross is powerful in any cultural context.
After the show the lead singer, David Pierce, shared the Gospel with a group of a hundred or so young people. Unfortunately, the police broke things up, just as David was about to lead a prayer of repentance. Please pray that these young people take seriously David’s words and give their lives to Christ.
The next morning was church. It’s always nice to be in church on Sunday, but especially so on the World Race. So many Sundays we are traveling or otherwise unable to attend services. It makes Sunday worship kind of a rare treat.
The congregation was as mixed as a place could be. There were Turks, Australians, Englishmen, Americans, and William the Guatemalan Worship Leader, all praising God together. We sang in English, and Turkish, and a little bit of Spanish. The last song was one that William said he expected us to sing in heaven one day, all together again; it was a chorus of Hallelujahs. It was beautiful.
After church, Katherine and I hung out with Melik and William. He played guitar and we tried to see how many worship songs in Spanish we could remember from our days in Mexico and Guatemala. We sang together for a long time. William ended up giving us a copy of each of the worship CDs he has recorded as a gift. We asked him to sign them, which he did very graciously.
After that, we got invited over by an English family on holiday that happened to be worshipping at the church. Steve and Claire Wright treated five of us cash-strapped World Racers to a beautiful afternoon, followed by a sumptuous meal that included chicken, potatoes, pasta, salad, homemade coleslaw, and a host of other goodies. Thanks again, Wright family. Your hospitality is much appreciated.
When we returned to the campsite, we found that Pastor Mark and his family had come by with a big pot of chicken soup for us all. Though we had just come from eating a host of good things, we somehow found room for some delicious soup. We were stuffed, and very, very happy.
By Monday, every other World Racer had left the campground but me, Katherine, and Ashley. It was a strange feeling. Sort of like what Survivor contestants must feel like when they make it down to the final three. You feel introspective, peaceful, and maybe just a little bit lonely. Anyway, by this point, Ashley had decided to go ahead on faith; that she would make plans to leave for Cairo even if the Lord had not provided additional funds, trusting Him to provide when she needed it.
So, we made our plans. For the three of us, it would be two more nights of camping, followed by a boat trip back to the isle of Samos. There, we would stay overnight, and catch a ferry back to Athens in the morning, where we had a red-eye flight to Cairo waiting for us. All of this together is still way cheaper than flying straight to Cairo from Turkey. Weird, huh?
So, we waited. Again.
During our wait, we took up a new and exciting hobby: cooking using stuff you find in a junk pile. Let me explain.
We had a small fire pit, and we wanted to cook dinner over it. So, Ashley headed out to the junk pile just behind our campsite and found us a big pot, some bricks, and a steel grate. She stacked the bricks beside the fire pit, placed the grate on top, washed the pot, and BEHOLD!! We were prepared to cook.
And cook we did. Katherine and Ashley went off to the store and secured ingredients for a beautifully cheesy pasta with little chunks of hot dog in it. Without a doubt, it was one of the finest culinary experiences I have enjoyed during the World Race.
With each successive meal, we improved our campfire cooking skills. Our last night, we even popped popcorn over the fire using the same pot covered with some aluminum foil we found. Jiffy-Pop’s got nothing on us.
We had extra reason to celebrate that last night in Turkey. Earlier that evening, Ashley found out that within the last few days, she has received an additional $1150 dollars in donations. God is honoring her decision to continue. We popped popcorn, sang songs, remembered times we have shared during these last 7 months, and dreamed together about the days ahead in Africa. It was a special night.
In fact, it was last night. As I type this, I’m sitting in a coffee shop on the isle of Samos, killing time until we go find us a place to camp out for the night. Sarah is somewhere between Cyprus and Cairo, and we’re here, hoping to meet up with everybody else in Cairo on Friday.
That brings you officially up to date on Red Team doings. More later, hopefully as it happens.
Grace and Peace to You All.
-Gary, on behalf of Team Doulos
