I’ve been in Turkey for a little over 2 weeks now. My time here thus far has been unexpectedly sweet (unlike the gelatinous dessert Turkish delight—which is a major letdown, if you ask me).
This country truly is a gem.
For our first week here, my team and I were able to take part in a 100-hour worship event called Burn 24-7. Burn is a worldwide movement. It’s basically a continuous worship experience—lots of music, some teachings, fellowship with other believers, and a whole bunch of time and space to sit with the Father. Non-stop. For 100 hours. My team and I made new friends, led some worship sets, did a lot of cleaning, helped with childcare, and spent countless hours worshiping Jesus. The atmosphere at Burn was so peaceful. It was most definitely a rejuvenating experience.
Did I mention we were in the back hills of Ephesus for this? Yes, that’s right, EPHESUS. We spent a few hours one day exploring the ancient city ruins. Oh my goodness y’all, talk about a surreal experience! Reading through Ephesians has taken on a whole new meaning for me.
Once Burn was over, we headed back into town for a few days of rest before moving on to our next ministry assignment in Istanbul. While Burn was rejuvenating spiritually, it kind of took its toll physically. Worship music is being played nonstop for 100 hours straight, so the environment doesn’t necessarily cultivate quality sleep. I also caught myself a bad cold, so to say a Sabbath rest was needed is an understatement. And, what better way to relax than on the beaches of Greece? Yeah… you read that right: GREECE. It was a quick and cheap ferry ride for us to get to the Greek island of Samos. Being the wanderlusting folk that we Racers are, we jumped on the opportunity. I mean, how could we not!?
Thank you Lord, for these sweet adventures!
And now, we are here in the beautiful city of Istanbul. We will be here through the first week of October. Our ministry is pretty cool—we have been connected with a group of “workers” (mostly Americans) from all sorts of different orgs who get together for several hours everyday and earnestly pray. It is our joy to join our brothers and sisters on the frontlines in this way.
Christianity is almost non-existent in this nation. Data derived from the Joshua Project estimates that ~81,091,000 (99.1%) of Turkish people are considered to be unreached. I feel unbelievably privileged and blessed that the Lord has brought me here. What an incredibly opportunity! And to be connected with such solid groups of believers—right smack dab in the heart of the 10/40 Window—is a wonderful blessing from above.
It is truly amazing what can happen when the members of the body of Christ join forces in an effort to advance the Gospel…
Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus with love incorruptible.
Ephesians 6:24
