Since the beginning of the World Race I have been excited to come to Turkey. The reason I chose this route to these countries instead of another route was because of Turkey. I have wanted to come to Turkey since I was 19 years old and I was so excited as the day finally arrived for my team and I to come here.
Not only has God met my expectations of Turkey being amazing but he has in fact exceeded them. So I would like to share a story with you of just how incredible my time here has been.
While staying in Turkey my team and I have had the opportunity to go to the ancient city of Ephesus. We were so excited to be able to go to Ephesus that we of course obliged to go. We stayed there for 5 days and were able to experience so many different things.
One night after dinner some of my teammates and I wanted to go for a hike up a mountain near us. So we went for a walk and found a path up a mountain. As we ascended to the top we could at first see very little but then as we came close to reaching our goal we saw an ancient wall. This was not any wall though for it was the ancient Hellenistic wall built by Alexander the Great. It was the wall built on the ridge of the mountains to keep any intruders away from the city of Ephesus.
As we began to climb the ancient barrier the horizon came into view and boy was it spectacular. As we stood there with the wind whipping around our bodies we looked out upon the Aegean Sea and the surrounding mountains that collided with it. As we looked further up to our right we saw the brilliant fortification stretching across the breadth of the mountain.
Filled with wanderlust we proceeded to ascend higher and further as the skyline expanded before our eyes. Soon I was able to see just the corner of the ancient city below and I was filled with exhilaration. I began to sprint up the mountain as age old rocks tumbled underneath my feet and the boulders of history became my stepping stones.
As I came to the climax of the mountain the ancient city of Ephesus poured into my vision. Unable to contain my excitement, I climbed to the highest point on the ruins that I could find. Reaching the top I stood strong with the cliff below me and there before me stood brilliant mountains, a magnificent sea, and a city that has stood the test of time long before even Jesus walked this Earth.
I began to think of Paul and the first church. I realized that I was standing in a place that changed history and played a part in bringing the greatest news anyone could ever hear into this world so that I may know that King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Out of my lungs came a roar of furious passion and tearful amazement of our God. I cried out with all that I was on top of that ancient hill that stood there for all of history. Overwhelmed, I poured out my soul before God in a primal proclamation carried away by the winds all around me.
Finally after all that I had to give was given, I fell silent. After those sweet moments of silence slipped away, my companions joined me atop the mountain. We witnessed the sight before us as long as we could and finally as the sun crept away we began our descent.
Filled with awe as I was, I barely noticed him until we were nearly upon him. There before me, living on the wall of a city long laid in dormancy, stood a man. He had dark skin, a beard peppered with grey, and a welcoming spirit true to the nature of his people.
Quickly he welcomed us to his open-air home where he shared with us his name and asked us to remain for tea. Amazed by the hospitality of such a humble man I pleaded with my companions for us to visit though the light was quickly dwindling.
As he attempted to communicate with us my heart went out for this man and I knew God had brought us to him by divine appointment. As the sun finally descended into its rest the man knelt and prayed to a god that cannot save him.
I knew that in that moment we had to do everything that we could to show this man the truth. We may be the only Christ followers that he will ever come in contact with. So we prayed for him and in broken Turkish we told him that Jesus loved him and that we would return tomorrow to see him.
As we raced down the slopes in the meager light my heart was racing with the opportunity we had just been given.
God not only gave us an incredible adventure but he also gave us the opportunity to be used by him. He gave us the chance to reach someone who may never have been reached with the gospel if we had not been there to tell him.
So the next day I returned to that man’s home and I brought him a Bible with a scripture bookmarked in it so that he could read about Jesus. We prayed for him again, drank tea with him, and after a while bid him farewell.
God has been incredibly gracious in the last month of my Race. He continually blessed me and my team with everything and more so. He showed us his kindness and used us in incredible ways. I am so thankful for the month I have been able to spend in Turkey and it has been the best ending to the Race that I could have ever imagined.
