The people I met in Turkey were searching! They were searching for something more and the Lord placed them right in front of me this past month. Actually, right in front of us as my friends and I drank our Iced Vanilla Lattes and Caramel Macchiatos at the local Starbucks about a 30 minute walk from where we stayed during our time in Turkey.
I was surprised that so many of the baristas spoke English – which is always helpful when ordering your favorite coffee drink in a foreign country. 🙂 At first, our conversations with our new friends included where we were from and why we were in Turkey, but as we returned weekly to this Starbucks our conversations deepened. One young man, Burak, would actually join us on his break. He asked good questions. He discussed his desire for something more. He told us of his struggles with anxiety. He told us he simply felt numb. Honestly, my heart was breaking for this man to find true freedom in all areas of his life.
And one afternoon, my teammate Shelby and I were able to share the freedom that we had found in Christ! We discussed our struggles and how Jesus had changed us – and that was the real reason why we were in Turkey. The real reason why we were at this particular Starbucks. And then we prayed for him. I’m sure he thought we were quite strange praying for him in the middle of the afternoon with other customers watching us. 😉 We also left him a Bible in Turkish, telling him to give Jesus a chance. He said he would! We said our goodbyes and he wished us good luck on our journey.
Then one evening, right before we left Turkey, I was praying and the Lord reminded me of Burak. In that moment, I knew my prayers were for a young man that I had only met briefly. I didn’t know his full story or his past, but I knew God brought us to Turkey for this reason – to meet him and to share the love of Christ with him.
You see, earlier this year, one of our hosts asked us this question:
“Do we ever go to bed anxious and worried for the souls who do not know the Lord?”
Ouch. That’s a convicting thought. Do we? Do I?
In Luke 19:10 we are reminded that “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” And as you see from my story, you can find the lost in the most unlikely of places. And in my case it was while I was sipping on coffee with a few of my teammates.
My prayer now is that God will continue to interrupt my plans, my days, and even my coffee breaks to show me the lost. That’s really why I’m here, right? Not just in Turkey, not just on this journey this year, but for all of my life!
There’s a whole world waiting to hear about this Jesus if we are only willing to tell them. Oh, God, let us see the urgency of finding the lost! There are so many people searching, not just in Turkey, but back home and all over the world. Use us. Use me.
Oh, and thanks for all that coffee we get to drink while we serve you! 😉
Your servant,
Melissa
Here’s some of our new friends! Will you pray for them? Will you pray for Burak? Will you pray for those who do not know Him yet?
